Run from Rome, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
A concluſion of the whole Treatiſe by way of exhortation, to ſeparate from the Church of Rome.
I Said a little more in that matter of Antichriſt, then I purpoſed to doe when I entred into it: for it was my meaning onelyonly to touch it by the way: and that rather becauſe I thought it would bee looked for, then that I found it greatly neceſſarie; for what neede I ſeeke any other reaſons to inforce a neceſſitie of ſeparating from the Church of Rome, then thoſe I hauehave already alleaged? Therefore I will now adde a few words of exhortation, and ſo end both the readers, and mine owne labour.
It is reported by Irenaeus, & by Euſebius, of the holy Apoſtle Irenaeus contra hareſ. lib. 3. c. 3. Euſeb. eccle. hiſt. lib. 3. cap. 25.Saint Iohn, that when he ſpied Ceri…thus the hereticke in the bath where he was, he made all the haſt he could to be gone, thinking it dangerous to be vnderunder the ſame roofe with him. Yea the very Heathen (as Tully ſaith) being at ſea in a ſore ſtorme, were much afraie they ſhould Tully de natura Deorum lib. 3.hauehave beene caſt away, becauſe they had Diagoras the Atheiſt abord amomg them. I would to God ſome Proteſtants were as charie of their ſoules, as, (I ſay not the Apoſtle) but the Heathen of their bodies: and had as much care to prouide for their eternall ſaluation, as they had to procure their temporall ſafetie; neither the Apoſtle, nor the Heathen had any thing to doe with the impietie of Ceri…thus or Diagoras: and yet both he and they doubted ſome euill might befall them, becauſe they were in in the companie of ſuch prophane wretches. And can any Proteſtant imagine that he may be free from danger, though he ioyne in faith with the Pope of Rome? It coſt Iehoſophat deare, though he were otherwiſe a good King, for going to warre with Ahab againſt a common enemy. What ſaid Hauani the Seer? Wouldest thou helpe the wicked, 2. Chr. 19. 2.and louelove them that hate the Lord? therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is vponupon thee.
What then may they looke for, who like the Ladiceans Reu. 3. 16.are luke-warme neyther bote nor cold, altogther indifferent, whether they be Papiſts or Proteſtants? They are in better caſe, yet not ſafe neither, who are perſwaded that Poperie is erroneous, but doe not thinke it ſo dangerous a matter to be a Papiſt, that a man neede flee out of the Romiſh Church, as Lot did oun of Sodom. That I may plucke or thruſt theſe men out, as the Angells did Lot, I hauehave undertaken this diſcoverie of the danger, by labouring to informe their judgement with the knowledge of the truth. I muſt now proceed to inflame their affection with deteſtation of errour. The glory of the vnderſtanding is truth: the height of the affection zeale. To be zealous without knowledge, is to fight without armes, like the Iſraelites, that had not a ſheild nor spare amongſt fourtie thowſand of them. Iudges 5. 8. To hauehave knowledge without zeale, is to hauehave armes without courage, as the Ephraimites had. Pſal. 78. 9. Who went up armed with bowes, but turned their backs in the day of battaile. In this fight againſt Popery, you hauehave need of know ledge; becauſe your enemy is ſubtill to deceiue; of zeale, becauſe your quarrell is great. For you are to fight, not for your wiues and children onelyonly, but alſo for your God, and your religion: not againſt an errour or two that diſgrace your profeſſion, like a wen in a faire body: but againſt ſuch an heretick, as like the diſeaſe in the hart, will vndermine and ouerthrow the whole ſtate of the body.
For as Iudas kiſſed his Lord and Maſter that thee might betray him; ſo the Pope of Rome vnderunder a ſhew of humilitie, hath taken the honour of God to himſelfe, and pretending to be his factour, intendeth to rob & vndo him. Will he with the ſtubborne Iewes in Mallachy aske mee wherin? I will not anſwer him as the Prophet doth, In tithes and offerings. What are tithes & offerings to ſupremacy & ſoueraignty? This, this is the robbery, the Sacriledge whereof we accuſe the Pope of Rome. If he had but taken from his fellow Biſhops, and appropriated to himſelfe the honour & authoritie that is common to them with him, we would hauehave holden our peace: although this proud Haman could no way hauehave made recompence to the Church of Chriſt, for the loſſe ſhe ſuſtaineth thereby. Yea, though he hauehave with the euill ſeruaut in the Goſpell impriſoned, beaten, murdered his fellow ſeruants for doing their maſters work, we would as we hauehave done, in dure it with patience and ſilence. Shall I ſay more? Albeit he had maintained, as he doth, diuers foule and groſſe errours againſt the truth of God, we would hauehave contented our ſelues with diſſenting from him therein, without breach of the band of peace. But now ſo ſtandeth the caſe, that he hath claimed and vſurped the prerogatiue of the great God of heauen and earth. Should we now forbeare to ſpeake? Should we in ſuch a caſe look for commendation of modeſtie, and peaceableneſſe? HaueHave we no more zeale of the glory of our father, our King, our God? Hath the louelove of our moſt deere Lord and Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, deſerued no more kindnes at our hands? If we could be ſo monſtrouſly vnthankfull, the very ſtones in the Church walls, and the becames in the roofes would cry out againſt vsus and him.
For hath he not made himſelfe a foundation of the faith of all men, yea the next and immediate foundation of all diuine faith, ſo that nothing may be taken for matter of ſaith but vponupon his authoritie? Neither doth this authority of his lay hold on vsus only, which are as it were of the lower houſe, but it reacheth alſo to the vpper houſe of the Apoſtles themſelues; For by vertue of that commiſſion (ſaith Ioh. 21. 15.Bellarmine,) The reſt of the Apoſtles were made ſubiect to Peter, and his ſucceſſours the Biſhops of Rome. O ridiculous conceit! O preſumptious ambition! was it not enough for you to trample on the necks of other Chriſtians, many of whom were (at the leaſt) equall to the beſt of your Popes for learning and pi…tie, but that you may bring the Apoſtles heads vnderunder your Idols girdle?
Heare O heauen, and hearken O earth! The holy Apoſtle Saint Iohn liued by the record of Hiſtories, till the yeare after our Lords birth 100; Saint Peter was (as it is alſo written) martired at Rome in the yeare 68: therefore there were 32 yeares betwixt the death of Peter and Iohn. In theſe 32 yeares (not to reckon Linus, who is thought to hauehave bin Pope) there were 4 ſeuerall Biſhops of Rome, Clemens, Cletus, Anacletus, and Euariſtus. By popiſh diuinitie S. Iohn was ſo ſubiect to theſe ſucceſſours of Peter, that he was to receiue from them aſſurance of the truth that he deliuered: of them he was to know whether his owne Epiſtles were the word of God or not: yea whether they were his owne Epiſtles or not: they, or ſome of them were to aſſure him from God, that his Reuelation was from God, and not from the deuill: if any doubt aroſe about any ſentence in his Goſpell, Epiſtles, or Reuelation he could not know by diuine faith, what the true meaning of the place was, but was to learne that of Euariſtus then Pope: whoſe office it was to deliuer an interpretation of the text to the Apoſtle, or to allow of the interpretation made by the Apoſtle, if he iudged it to be true. Poore S. Iohn was an vnderling in all this buſineſſe, the Pope was Magiſter fac totum.
Moſt glorious Lord Ieſus, thou didſt vouchſafe to ſhew thine extraordinarie louelove to this thy holy Apoſtle, & tookeſt order to hauehave it made known to all poſterity, wouldeſt thou ſo much abaſe him, as not onelyonly to take from him the honour thou hadeſt beſtowed vponupon him, by making him inferiour to S. Peter, to whom before he was equall in authoritie and dignitie: but alſo to appoint him to lacky, (if occaſion fell out) vponupon foure Popes one after another, to learne of them what was diuine reuelation, or the word of God, what was not? Wherefore didſt thou ſolemnely promiſe thy Apoſtles, and Iohn amongſt the reſt, that thou wouldeſt ſend them the comforter, the holy Spirit, to lead them into, and to direct them in all truth? Alas it was a poore comfort for them ſo to be taught by him, that they muſt be faine to trauell or ſend to Rome, to know whether he had taught them right or no. But who can be patient in this indignity offered to the holy Spirit? Shall a wretched and ignorant man (that I ſay no worſe) ſit in iudgement to giuegive ſentence of thy diuine Maieſtie, whether thou haſt inſpired thy ſeruants with truth or no? Diddeſt thou inſtruct the Apoſtles, as the deuills amongſt the heathen did their counterfit prophets, that they either knew not what they vttered, or could not be aſſured what they meaned, without the Pope like an Oracle made them vnderſtand themſelues; as Daniell told Nebuchadnezar his dreame, and the interpretation thereof?
If theſe things ſeeme to be, as indeed they are abſurd, monſtrous, impious, blaſphemous, what is the doctrine thinke you, vponupon which they are grounded? I will repeate it againe, that all men may learne to know and deteſt ſuch fooliſh wickedneſſe and wicked folly. S. Peter (ſaith Bellarmine) was made by Chriſt ordinary paſtour of the whole Church: his oſſice was to determine what was matter of faith; The Biſhops of Rome. Peters ſucceſſours, hauehave the ſame authoritie of ordinarie paſtourſhip which he had; Whoſoeuer will not be thus fed by Peter and his ſucceſſours, belongeth not to the ſheepefold of the Lord Ieſus. This is the arch, whereon the Popes ſupremacie is built. For the vpholding of this, all the Romiſh Clergie are in armes. If you hold not this, whatſoeuer you hold, you can be no true Roman Catholike.
From whence ariſeth the impoſſibility of reconciliation betwixt vsus and them: wee cannot bee members of their Church, but we muſt ioyn with them in this acknowledgment of this Papall authoritie. They cannot renounce this opinion, but they muſt withall viterly diſſolue their Church, the forme whereof (as we heard out of Bellarmine) conſiſteth in this very manner of gouerment. This is th… bōd, theſe the ligamēts by which the whole body of their Church is coupled and knit together. From the Pope thus feeding (that is teaching and gouerning) as from the head, all life and motion is conueyed into the reſt of that huge chaos; take away the head, all life and motion ceaſeth, and the parts fall aſunder one from another, that it can no longer be accounted the Church it was, nor as they hold any Church at all. We ſee the prophecie of the Apoſtle Paul fulfilled. God hath ſent theſe men ſtrong deluſions to beleeue lyes. 2. Theſ. …. 11.For what greater deluſion can there be, then for a man to beleeue that of eueryevery Pope, that no Pope euer beleeued of himſelfe, or of any of his ſucceſſours.
And ſhall we notwithſtanding all this, ſtill halt betwixt two opinions? Shall we ſuffer our ſelues to be ſo ſwallowed vp by the cares of this world, that we can hauehave no leaſure to know what belongeth to our ſaluation? Shall wee ſo melt away in continuall voluptuouſneſſe, that we will not ſpare one houre to learne which is the right way to true happineſſe? Shall we ſo pleaſe our ſelues in wilfull ignorance, that we deſpiſe the knowledge of truth in matter of religion? Doe theſe things concerne Preachers onelyonly? If our fore fathers had been of that minde, the troups of holy Martyrs, that now gloriouſly follow their puiſſant & victorious leader the Lord Ieſus in triumph, would hauehave beene very thinne; Oh that you could ſee them with your bodily eyes: How many bleſſed Saints ſhould you behold now triumphing in heauen, that were as you are, not Preachers, but ordinary profeſſours of the truth? Brethren deceiue not your owne ſoules: caſt not your ſelues away wilfully. Are not the people to be ſaued by the ſame meanes by which the Preachers are? Is not the ſame faith in the Lord Ieſus which muſt ſaue the Miniſters, required of the people alſo? The Lord indeed hath giuen vsus ſpeciall charge to ſtudie, and know the holy Scriptures; to what end think you? ſurely as for our owne comfort, ſo for your inſtruction; The affaires of the world in your ſeuerall callings draw you away from opp…rtunity of ſtudie; the Lord in mercy to you, hath commanded vsus to labour in it: that your want may be ſupplied by o…r aboundance. Now eſpecially hee looketh for this dutie of vsus, becauſe he will now eſpecially make tryall of your knowledge and conſtancy.
Do you not ſee many fall dayly on your right hand, and on your left? It is not your ſtrength, but Gods mercifull prouidence that holdeth you vpright: he hath graciouſly vouchſafed to keepe you hetherto from occaſion of being ſeduced: he hath afforded you more time yet before the temptation, like an armed man ſhall aſſault you: if you prepare not now for the day of battell, the enemy will ſurpriſe you are you be aware, when you ſhall not be able to make reſiſtance; Many of you ſcarce know a friend from an enemie, you are not able to diſcerne which be your owne colours. It is an eaſie matter to carry you into the middeſt of Dothan, while you ſeeke for the Prophet, whom you know not if you meete him. As he that walketh into the fields, where there grow as well poyſonous weeds as wholeſome herbs, if he know not the one from the other, may as eaſily light vponupon that which ſhal kill him, as that which ſhal nouriſh him. So he that is ignorant what is true, what falſe in matters of faith, is as like to be led into errour that ſhall damne him, as to be taught truth that ſhall ſaue him.
If then there be any deſire in vsus to obey the commandement of God; if any feare of erring to damnation; if any care of beleeuing aright to ſaluation, let vsus labour to vnderſtand the miſterie of iniquitie in the Romiſh faith: that knowing it, we may abhorre it, and may auoide: auoiding it we may embrace the louelove of the truth, and be ſaued. What is it that leadeth thee out of the way to deſtruction? doth the glorious outward ſhew of the Popiſh Churches blinde or dazle thine eyes? It may perhaps admit ſome excuſe in children, that they hauehave beene deceiued by ſuch toyes and gewgawes; But it is ridiculous and vntollerable for men to runne after ſights and ſhadowes. Surely if thou hadſt liued in our Sauiour Chriſts dayes, or his Apoſtles times, thou wouldeſt hauehave choſen the Temple and the beauty thereof, with the Prieſts, Scribes, and Phariſes, rather then the barren mountaines or wilderneſſe with our Lord and his Diſciples.
But what is it that maketh thee a papiſt? diſcontent that thou art not honoured or inriched as thou deſireſt to be? Perhaps thou ouerualueſt thine owne worth, and thinkeſt there is more due to thee, then indeed there is; but ſay thou haſt not thy due? doeſt thou not know, that theſe things are ordered by the prouidence of God? ſhalt thou hauehave no cauſe of diſcontent if thou become a papiſt? are all papiſts r…ſpected and rewarded? I could name two great Earles, the experience of whoſe miſerie aboundantly refuteth this conceite. Well, ſay thou attaine to all thou hopeſt for: the reckoning is behind; What ſhall it profit a man though he winne the whole world, if he looſe his owne ſoule? Antigone Math. 8. 36.in Sophocles was ſo wiſe, that when her ſiſter Iſmente demanded of her how ſhe durſt bury her brother Polinices body againſt Creons commandement, ſhe anſwered her reſolutely, like a noble Lady, that ſhe knew it was a duty acceptable to the gods, with whome ſhe was to liue longer, then vponupon the earth with men: and therefore had more care to pleaſe them. Shall not this Lady, this heathen, condemne many men, many Chriſtians, that chooſe rather to enioy the pleaſures of ſinne for a ſeaſon, then to raigne eternally in the glory of the Lord Ieſus in his heauenly Kingdome?
Doth antiquitie, vniuerſalitie, viſibilitie, conſent, like a loo…ſtone draw thee after them? Antiquitie is then onelyonly a rule of truth, when the pedegree of it can be fetched from the beginning. For if eueryevery opinion be truer, as it is ancienter, why ſhould not the Scribes and Phariſes traditions, be of more account then our Sauiour Chriſts inſtructions? certainely they had beene receiued and vſed in the Church of the Iewes many yeares before he was borne: yea they had vniuerſally the approbation and allowance of the whole Church: and continued in good liking, except with a few that followed our Lord, for all his preaching, to the end of his life; what greater conſent could there be? all the Iewiſh Clergie, Prieſts, Leuites, Scribes, and Phariſes agreed as one man, to maintaine their owne ſuperſtitions, and keepe downe the religion of our Lord Ieſus; Theſe men the people depending vponupon them, were, and had beene time out of minde the viſible Church. Oh that they had been as wiſe and learned as our papiſts now are, to hauehave called to our Sauiour for a Catalogue of their names, that had from time to time profeſſed the Religion which he ſought to bring in, contrary to that they held. doubtleſſe he muſt hauehave beene faine (vnleſſe he had vſed his diuine knowledge) to confeſſe, that at the leaſt, for the laſt 300 yeares, there was no ſuch beadroll of names to be found. I confeſſeſt Saint Luke in the geneallogy of our Sauiour, rehearſeth the names of his anceſtours, who were queſtionleſſe holy and religious worſhippers of God, and truſted in the Meſſiah to come. But I ſuppoſe it could hardly hauehave beene made plaine by any record of the Iewes (and yet they were more diligent and carefull in ſuch matters then Chriſtians hauehave beene) that the points wherein our Lord diſſented from the Scribes and Phariſes, were diſtinctly knowne, and publikely profeſſed by them one after another
But of this matter, ſo much as concerneth the difference betwixt vsus and the Church of Rome, I ſaid enough in the former Chapters, and will not repeate it needleſſely. This one remaineth for concluſion, that I humbly intreate all men which hauehave any true care of their own ſaluation, that they would not be carried away with words: but indeuour to enable themſelues to iudge how thoſe plauſible fancies, with which they are ſeduced, may be applied to proue that which is vndertaken thereby. To this end I hauehave employed my ſelfe in this courſe: they that are deſirous to ſee the truth, may find direction therein for the iudging of it: and thereby arme themſelues againſt tho aſſaults, and vndermining of furious ſouldiers, and craftie pioners, by obſeruing their approches, and diſcouering their works, to the defeating of all their enterpriſes. The greateſt matter of all is, that you would embrace the louelove of the truth, and reſolue with your ſelues, as thoſe glorious martyrs I ſpake of did, rather to indure torments and death, then to forſake the religion of the Lord Ieſus, or to ioyne in profeſſion with the Church of Rome.
This reſolution will bring ſafetie in peace, in war victorie, that no ill tidings ſhall affright you, no loſſes diſcourage you, no diſcontent turne you out of the right way. The Lord Ieſus himſelfe like the Angell in Ioſua, will march on the head of your troupes, and be as a cloud to refreſh you in the heate of Summer, and as a fire to warme you in the cold of winter: your ſwords ſhall eate the fleſh of your enemies, your pikes and bullets ſhall be drunke with their blood: one of you ſhall chaſe a thouſand, and an hundred of you put ten thouſand to flight: Babylon ſhall be caſt like Matha milſtone into the ſea, and be found no more: you ſhall reward the ſcarlet-coloured ſtrumpet, as ſhe hath rewarded you, and giuegive her double according to her vvorkes, and in the cup that ſhe hath filled to you, fill her the double; to the glory of God that hath appointed her this puniſhment, the increaſe of religion, the ſafety of the State, and your honour in this life, and euerlaſting ſaluatiō in the life to come, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God in three Perſons, be all glory, praiſe, obedience, and thankſgiuing now and for euer. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Anthony Wotton, Run from Rome (1624)