Two Sermons, Title page 1 – Errata
Two Sermons: THE ONE A HEAVENLY VOICE, CALLING ALL GODS people out of Romish BABYLON. The Other AN EVERLASTING Record of the utter ruine of Romish AMALEK.
By THOMAS TAYLOR, Preacher of the Word at REDDING in Berkshire.
LONDON, Printed by J. H. for Iohn Bartlet, and are to be sold at the Golden Cup in the Gold-Smiths row in Cheapside. 1624.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL, AND worthie Knights and Burgesses of the Lower-House of PARLAMENT.
IN most humble sense of mine owne unworthinesse, which holdeth no comparison with the height of your authoritie, place, judgement, and learning; I have emboldned my selfe to present unto your wisdomes, this voice from Heaven, calling all the people of God out of Babylon. For what voice can be more worthie of audience, than a voice from Heaven? What voice more seasonable than this, amongst the grave consultations of the most important affaires, and weightiest causes of God, of his Majestie, and of this flourishing Kingdome? Or who more fit to heare this voice directed to Gods people, than you, the representation of all the people of God in this Kingdome? You, I say, who sit in the places of your worthie Predecessors, by whose consent and assent, with that Higher and Honourable House, the whole Kingdome was formerly set out of Babylon, so farre as (by the blessing of God) now it is. God will without mee (saith Ioseph) speake for the life of Pharaoh; and without mee effect all his good purposes for the prosperitie of his Majestie and his people: and you, without mee, well know the managing of the weightie businesses which you have in hand: neither can my candle adde any light unto your Sunne; onelyonly having begunne to speake, let me finde grace in your eyes, and pardon to encourage you in the doing of what you doe. Your wisdomes know, that what were the two studs of the house in which Sampson played, that is, Religion, and Iustice in the Common-wealth, if they be pulled downe or shaken, the Church and Common-wealth fall together, and all under the fall must needs perish: of the two, Religion claimeth our first and chiefe care, as intending Gods glorie more immediately, and mans good, not temporarie chiefly, but eternall. And therefore, whereas heathen Governors could provide for the observation of the second Table, Christian Governors, as the gates of the world, lift up their heads, that Christ the King of glorie may enter in among them. And all godly Parlaments (whereof we have not a few examples in Scripture) first setled the causes of God and Religion, and then the causes of the King, and of Civill Iustice, as all the companies gathered for the Lords battels, must say on everie side of the Host, For the Lord and for Gideon. Now of all the great and important causes of God,Iudg. 7.18. which can be offered to your tractation, none is more weightie than the subject of this little Treatise, none more neerely concerning your selves, to whom the care of your brethren is now committed, as Benjamin was by his father to Iudah; and on whom (next to his Majestie, the breath of our nostrils, and that Higher and honourable house) the care of all our safetie is now laid. And as all the voices of the land have made you the eyes of the land, so are all the eyes of the land held upon you, to helpe us against these Babylonians, who have beene and are so busie to bring us backe into our former Babylonish Captivitie; and to oppose your selves stoutly, with our Darius, against these adversaries of Ierusalem,Esr. 6.6. who like the Midianites, have too long troubled us with their wiles. And because the planting of Christs Kingdome is the onelyonly meanes to supplant the Kingdome of Babylon, and the breath of Christ can onelyonly blast the hopes of Antichrist, a readier way cannot bee devised to effect this voice from Heaven, than to provide that the knowledge of the Sonne of God may bee propagated thorow the land, and that the blowing of the rams hornes of the Gospell may lay downe the wals of this Romish Ierico even with the ground. If your wisdomes should send men over the Kingdome, as Moses did the spies, to search the land of Canaan, they would bring you backe a true report, that a great part of this Kingdome still lieth as a barren wildernesse, destitute of the blessed means of grace, and that many great parishes are as the mountains of Gilboa, 2 Sam. 1.21.on which the sweetshowers and raines of the Gospell fall not, or verie seldome; neither doe the happie dewes of holy doctrine fall on them in their night, nor the beames of the Sun of grace dart upon them in the day. These faithfull messengers would informe you, that all this waste and untilled ground is left for the Babylonians, for Seminaries, Priests, and Iesuites to inhabit: That these parishes are the verie thickets, in which these snakes and vermins hide themselves, who beare nothing about them but poison, treason, and seduction. That these places of such blacke and reigning ignorance, lie open to spoile and hazard, to be drawne easily away, by the poysoned breath of the most sottish Priest, not to Poperie onelyonly, but even to rebellions and treasons, which for most part arise out of ignorant and blinde zeale. And now who knoweth whether the supply of this want, and the remedie of so great an evill, bee reserved for the crowne of his Majesties age, and the eternall renowne of this Honourable Parlament? So noble a worke requireth no lesse noble an Agent: such a glorious and famous act well suiteth with him, who, for wisdome and understanding, is the glorie and fame of the whole earth. And now, noble and worthie Gentle-men, God forbid that you should not take to heart the miseries of your brethren wanting food, who behold our Lord Iesus Christ more grieved in spirit, to see his Country-men want Preachers, than when hee saw them in bondage under the Romans. God forbid that you should sinne against God, and not bestirre you by planting the true knowledge of God, to pull downe the strongest pillar of Poperie, that you should not move everie stone, for the beautifying of Bethel, for the setting open of the gate of heaven here upon earth, for the establishing of Gods pure worship, and for the removall of everie scandall, and advantage of Babylon. Goe on therefore (worthie men) in the Lords strength, open your mouthes for the dumbe and silent, and be faithfull mediatours for the Kingdome of Christ, as you desire him to be a faithfull Mediatour for you in the Kingdome of his Father. And from hence would arise another happie fruit, wherein the glorie of God and his Gospell would shine out in great brightnesse, to the infinite disappointment of these Babylonians; namely, a more religious and conscionable observation of Gods holy Sabbaths; whose honour is wofully violated, not without the great scandall of our religion, by ordinarie travels, both by land and by water. Oh that your wisdomes would earnestly move our highest terrene Majestie upon earth, for the Sabbaths of the high God, that Gods house might be frequented, and that the wayes of Sion may be beaten on the Lords day, and not the high wayes thorow the Kingdome. What an advantage were it towards happinesse, if men carelesse of their owne salvation, were straitly bound to the meanes of knowledge? What an advantage towards your present errant and busines…e? for as the fourth Commandement, concerning the Sabbath, is set in the middle, as the heart of the Lawes of God, sending life and vitall bloud into them all: so it is the sinewes of all the Lawes of men, without observation of which, all other good Lawes will bee but as the seven greene cords upon Sampsons armes: headstrong and impudent sinners breake thorow them, as easily as sire thorow flax, because the sword of the Lord and of Gideon goe not together. What need I here adde more to so intelligent persons, but my prayers, that you would plead this cause of his in earth, who pleadeth yours in Heaven, and who will requite it seven fold into your bosomes?
And wheras the Babylonians have mightily increased of late in their hopes, numbers, and strength, not onelyonly those forraigne frogs and Locusts, the Priests and Iesuites, have in great armies invaded our Countrey, but our home-adversaries have greatly multiplied, and Recusants risen up everie where with great hopes of raising up the ruinous wals of Ierico againe: We (fearing left these sonnes of Zerviah may grow too strong for us) doe trust and pray, that your wisdomes (seeing the matter of religion growes somewhat more doubtfull than formerly, not by increase of Papists onelyonly, but by swarmes of Atheists, ready to take the strongest side) will set a jealous eye over those ancient enemies and disturbers of the peace of the Gospell, and provide that these Frogs may be taken away from us and our people, and confined to their owne sea, and rivers; for the heaps of them stinke in the land: that their merchandise be vendible no more, that their base coines bee no more currant amongst us; nor such strange children (brats of Babylon) nourished any more amongst us, unlesse they will doe as the Kenites who joyned to the Iewes,Iudg … and dwelt among them, only to learne the lawes, worship, and institution of the Iewes more skilfully.
Looke backe, worthy Gentlemen, upon the zeale and former love of your famous predecessors, who pulled downe the nests of these Antichristian birds: and hating neutrality, and thoughts of reconciling two such contrary religions (which as iron and clay can never be tempered together;) awaken your zeale, to make the hopes of Babylonians utterly to perish, of ever recovering their kingdome againe in this kingdome. Cause the uncleane birds that flutter againe about us, with some hopes to roust and nestle among us, (if that only would serve their turnes) to know the prudence and circumspection of so grave, wise, and godly a Senate, who are skilfull not only to devise, but also to revise and revive the good and wholesome lawes enacted, and now strengthned, for the preservation of his Majesties person, for the prosperity of the Gospell, the flourishing of this kingdome, and the utter subversion of Babylonish confusion in the same. In this great worke against Antichrist, shew your love to Iesus Christ. If ever you will doe him an honourable service, this is the time; It may be the whole course of many of your lives cannot doe him so much pleasure: seeing none of you know whether you shall ever attaine such an opportunitie. Many other excellent services you may performe to the honour of God, and good of your countreys, as you are godly men: but now you are to serve his providence,In hoc serviunt domino magistratus in quantum sunt magistratus, cum ea faciunt ad serviendum illi, quae non possunt facere nisi magistratus. and set up his glory in those high offices which only Parlament men can performe. God who sitteth in the midst of Gods, sit with you all in this high consultation; that of both your houses may be said, I…hovah Shammah, God is there. That this convention may be remembred from one future Generation to another; that your Noble acts in it, may bee like the acts of God, which are most perfect and happy at the last: and that thence you may reape an happy harvest of glory from him, and with him whose glory you have aimed at, and to your powers upheld and promoted: In whom I rest,
In all humble dutie and service, THO. TAYLOR.
Errata.
PAg. 6. l. 11. reade Ethnick Rome. pag. 6. l. 18. reade and became Christian. pag. 17. l. 18. reade sent. pag. 19. l. last, reade to the third sort. pag. 25. l. 3. leave out here Asa. margent, 2 King. 25. pa. 27. l. 11. reade 2. Branch. pag. 5. mar. for Alcusan, read Alcasar.