A Preparative to Contention, Book · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
The puniſhment of traiterous Papists is iustly inflicted: their ſufferings are deſperate: and finally they are confounded with Antichriſt their Prince.
AS the ſecrete Papiſts ſauour moſt odiouſlie of wicked conſpiracies, and dangerous treacheries againſt the Lorde, the Lordes annointed their owne Nation, and the whole church of Chriſt: ſo, hauing no better arguments to defend the cauſe they pleade, then had thoſe Idolatrous Baalites, which pleaded for Baal, in the time of Gedeon: they do no leſſe deſerue that rewarde which Ioas did award them, ſaying:Iud. 6.30.31. Hee that will contende for Baal, let him die ere the morning. Neither can it bee, that they ſhall bee freed from that trouble, which Moſes, Dauid, and the Prophets ſaid to bee due vntounto ſuch, as contemning the right worſhip of the true God, do runne a whoring after ſtraunge gods:God will not neglect to puniſh traitors. the which trouble, albeit neither the Prince, nor the ciuill Magiſtrate (which is the miniſter of God to do iuſtice) either by fauor or by negligence, inflict not, ſhalbe yet iuſtly paid thē in their day, with ful meaſure, by him that is much higher then the higheſt vponupon the earth, and that will not giuegive his honour to another.
2 Beſides that, as their cauſe is both wicked and damnable, wherein they iuſtly deſerue to bee afflicted: ſo is the maner of their ſuffering no leſſe deſperate and without all comfort of the ſpirit of God,1. King. 18.28 which hath included them within the compaſſe of thoſe Baalites that launced themſelues with kniues, till the blood ranne forth in abundance, but all in vaine: and within the number of thoſe hypocrites which ſay to god: VVe hauehave puniſhed our ſelues and thou regardest it not; being reicted thus:Iſay 58.3. But who hath required theſe things at your hands? For as they ſuffer not for a good cauſe, ſo they ſuffer not as they ſhoulde, nor to that end for the which the godlie endure afflictions. Indeed, they ſuffer not as Chriſtians,The maner of their ſuffering. but as malefactors, and tranſgreſſors of good lawes: as buſie bodies in other mens matters, as workers of euill: yea, as rebels, as traitors, as theeues, as murtherers, in ſuch ſort as Saint Peter forbiddeth that Chriſtians ſhould ſuffer. But looke on thoſe Baalites: behold, what turmoyles take they? what troubles endure they? what daungers incurre they? what miſchiefe broach they, vnderunder the benedictions and diſpenſations of their moſt holy fathers? how wickedly cōſpire they, & conſult againſt the Lord, and againſt his anointed? howe often deuiſe they to murther true Chriſtians; to ſteale away the hearts of ſubiects from their lawfull Princes: to depoſe Kings and Emperours: to ouerturne all good gouernments? how bold are they, to deale in matters of ſtate, to meddle with Princes affaires? how impudent are they in the exaltation of their moſt holy father, to controll them and their lawes? yea, how preſumptuous are they to aſſault them, & cowardly to murther them, and to cenſure them to eternall torments? Be theſe Chriſtians? nay, rather diuels incarnate. Are they in theſe their deuiſes and practiſes tollerable? Not at all: ſhould they not be puniſhed, or rather plagued among thoſe Baalites? Right worthie, and that vnleſſe their cauſe were better, it were good their courage were leſſe. For albeeit that ſuffering be the common recogniſance of Gods children, who euer beare in their bodies the markes of the Lord Ieſu: yet they who ſuffer not in the Lord,How Chriſt ſuffered, that is, in a good cauſe, and for his ſake, and in ſuch ſort as Chriſt by his example hath taught vsus to ſuffer, are neuer the neare to the croſſe of Chriſt, though they be toſſed and croſſed neuer ſo much. Chriſt died, the iuſt for the vniuſt, when there was no guile found in his mouth: hee died innocentlie: hee ſuffered patientlie: hee died to redeeme vsus from ſinne, and to reconcile vsus vntounto GOD. To this ſuffering aymed the Pſalmist, when in the perſon of the afflicted Iſraelites, he ſaide vntounto the Lord: For thy ſake are we killed all the day long: and are accounted as ſheepe appointed to be ſlaine! And thus ſaide the prophet Ieremy in his ſuffering: Know that for thy ſake (O Lord) I hauehave ſuffered rebuke. So Zacharie the ſonne of Iehoida, beeing commanded to death by Ioaſh King of Iudah, he patiently ſuſtained it and ſaide: The Lord looke vppon it, and require it. VntoUnto theſe, and ſuch like examples looked Auguſtine, and therefore being greeuouſly afflicted, he ſaide not, Lord looke on my puniſhment: but he ſaid, Reſpice in cauſam meam domine: Lord reſpect my cauſe.
3. VntoUnto theſe ſufferers hath the Lord Ieſus promiſed peace and happineſſe, when the others are left without all comfort. As,Matth. 5. Bleſſed are they which ſuffer perſecution, or beare affliction patiently for righteouſneſſe ſake: for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. Again: Bleſſed are yee, when men reuile you, and perſecute you, and ſay all manner of euill againſt you falſely, for my ſake. Iam. 5.10.Therefore Saint Iames counſelleth vsus to take the prophets for an example of ſuffering aduerſitie, & of long ſuffering, which hauehave ſpoken in the name of the Lord: as if he might hauehave ſaide to them vnderunder the croſſe: Looke on the cauſe and patience of Iſayah, of Ieremy, of Dauid, of Zacharias, of Amos, of Daniel, of Moſes, of Michaeah, of Vriah, of Iohn the Babtiſt, and ſuch others, which hauehave beene perſecuted, and patiently ſuffered afflictions in the good cauſe, for the Lords ſake. S. Stephen in his ſermon, charged the Iews, that they had murthered them,Acts 7. that had foreſhewed them of the comming of that iuſt: that is, of Chriſt Ieſus our righteouſnes. This was the cauſe of the prophets, the ſame was Stephens cauſe, and Paul pleading the ſame cauſe, waxed both bold and cheerefull at the barre. For hauing declared that hee mooued the people to repent and turne to God, and to doo the workes woorthie the amendment of life, hee ſayde: For this cauſe the Iewes caught mee in the Temple. Moreouer, touching the ende of his ſuffering, hee thus proteſted with no ſmall ioy of Spirite: I would that yee vnderſtoode brethren, that the things which hauehave betided mee, Phil. 1.14.are turned to the furthering of the Goſpel: ſo that my bandes in Chriſt, are famous throughout all the iudgement Hall, and in all other places: inſomuch that many of my Brethren in the Lorde, are emboldened through my bandes, and dare more frankely ſpeake the word, &c. Thus, that olde Eleazar, 2. March. 6.24.28.hauing pleaded this good cauſe, he would ſuffer in the defence thereof, not onelyonly. to declare his faythfull conſtancie, and diſcharge of dutie, but alſo to giuegive a good example thereof vntounto the yonger ſort: and ſo he endured the paines of Martirdome, with patience and great comfort in the Spirit.
The like we reade of the woman who died with her ſeauen ſons in the Machabees, the law of the Lord.2. Mach. 7. Thus Iames, Peter, Iohn, & other holy Martires of the Lord, hauehave with no meane comfort of the Spirit, ſuffered and borne the Croſſe of their maiſter Chriſt, and are bleſſed in their death. But wo vntounto thoſe miſerable caytiffes,VVo to them that ſuffer in an euill cauſe. whoſe puniſhments and ſufferings are neither for righteouſneſſe: neither for ſpeaking in the name of the Lord: neither for declaring of that Iuſt: neither for mouing the people to turne vntounto God: nor that others by their bandes ſhould be emboldned, more freely to ſpeake the word: nor for the Lords ſake: nor for any good, but all contrarie. For lo! the Lorde of heauen is riſen vppe, and ſtandeth againſt them as a ſwift witneſſe, and a ſeuere iudge to condemne them, and to deſtroy them for euer, except they repent. Therefore it ſhall be good for them to learne truely to repent of their rebellions and ſinnes timely, and to pray vntounto God in the ſpirit: yea, and to deſire others alſo to pray for them, that the thoughts of their hearts may be forgiuen them: for as their hearts are not right before God (a cauſe of their worthie iudgements with Simon Magus) ſo run they forward in the high way of perdition. Now, if theſe and ſuch like words moue them not, but as enemies vntounto the true contentation and peace, they will with the deaffe adder ſtop their eares, prepare themſelues to battaile, & continuerebellious; it ſhall ſaid vntounto them by the true proteſtants, as Ioſuah once ſaid to that theeuiſh Achā: Inaſmuch as yee hauehave troubled vsus, the Lord doth trouble you this day. Neither ſhal the walles of great Babilon protect them, nor the Prince Nimrod defend them: for neither ſhal the one, nor the other of them, be able to eſcape deſtruction, when the Lord God of heauen, which maketh wars with Amalech from generation to generation,Exod. 17.16. Gal. 5.10. ſhall force them to beare their iuſt condemnation for troubling the Lords people.
4. For as God decreed, and his decree did ſtand,Nom. 16.32. 2. Sam. 17.23. &. 18.9. that Agag ſhuld be deſtroyed: that Chore & his confederates ſhould deſcend down into hel: that Achitophel, Hamā, Abſalom, Iudas, & ſuch like, ſhuld ſwallow vp their mortal morſels: ſo hath he decreed, & it ſhal be performed in time, that Babilon mother of whoredoms & abhominations ſhal be confounded: that Antichriſt ſhall be caſt out, and his louers and friendes ſhall be laughed to ſcorne. And in the conſideration thereof, not onelyonly they that be yet liuing (whom they hauehave depriued of peace and tranquilitie) ſhall enioy their deſired reſt, quietneſſe and gladneſſe, but alſo the verie infernall Sprits and Hell, ſhall be mooued at their ſodaine fall and comming downe, no leſſe then they were mooued at the fall of the King of Tyrus, and of the King of Babilon, to whome tauntingly,Eze. 28.2. Iſa. 14. and in diuiſion, they ſhall ſay, Lo!Antichriſt is diuided of the infernall ſpirits. are not yee alſo touched with infirmities as other men? and are ye not made like vntounto vsus? yea, thou alſo, which (being blinded through malice, pride, and magnificence,) haft thought thy ſelfe to be a God, and not a mortall man, and farre more excellent then anie Emperour, Prince, King, Caeſar, or Potentate on the earth: and ſitting in the temple of God, wouldeſt bee worſhipped as God: euen thou art fallen from heauen, and become one of them that dwel below. Therfore, we iuſtly take vp againſt thee, in ſteede of ſalutations, bitter ſcoffes and reproches. And ſeeing thy naked ſoule, & moſt feeble ſpirits now depriued of all glorie, pompe, & power, not able to oppugne the ſpirits infernal, but compelled perforce to yeeld, not onelyonly to the common lot of other damnable miſcreants, but to a torment ſo far greater then the torment of others, by how much more thine abhominations hauehave exceeded others: and hauing put from vsus all feare of thy bloudy tyrannie, and beholding the reward of thy great hypocriſie, wee are nowe worthily moued to deride thee.Bern. de conſider li. 2. ad Engen. Ha, ha, Art thou that Abel for Primacie? that Noah for gouernment? that Abraham for Patriarchſhip? that Melchizedech for order: that Aaron for dignitie:Antonin. tit. 22. ca. 2. d. petiſtate Papae. that Moſes for authoritie: that Samuel for iudgement: that Peter for power: that Chriſt touching annoynting? yet lo, thou art caſt downe and couered with confuſion: Art thou he, whom al men feared? Art thou he, that ruled in heauen and in earth, and in hell? Couldeſt thou looſe and binde after thine owne will? haft thou beene taken for the moſt holy father, the Prince of peace, the head of the Church, the God of the earth, the king of kings, the Lord of Lords, higher then the Heauens, harmeleſſe, vndefiled, moſt perfect, ſeperate from ſinners, and inuinceable among the Gods: yet behold, thou art come downe vntounto the depth of hell! And there, there, thou lyeſt!
5 Thou art fallen into a place not of pleaſure,Note heere a great alteration and change. but of paine: not of ioy, but of anguiſh: not of ſolace, but of diſcomfort: not of happines, but of extreame wretchedneſſe. Thy Balſame and thy Mirrhe hath not beene able to preſerue thy body from corruption, nor all thy Riches, pompe, power, and glorie, can ſaue thy ſoule from eternall torment! The wormes of the earth deuour thy body, the wormes of an euill conſcience bite thy ſinfull ſoule, and all the infernall ſpirits torment thee in both, without remiſſe for euermore. This that is declared hauehave I heard of the Lord of hoaſts, the God of Iſrael, Iſa. 21.10. Eccle. 12.13.which bringeth euerie worke into iudgement, and will be wel knowne in the iudgement,Ezec. 28.10. and therein highly aduaunced, for he is the ſame God, to whom the kingdome, and the power, and the glorie belongeth. Iſa. 14.27.So it is decreed, and it is ſo determined in the time appointed.