A voice from Heaven Calling the People of God to Separation, License – Dedication
Viner Major. Tueſday the eighth day of Nov. 1653.
ORdered that Mr. Strong be deſired from this Court to Print his Sermon Preached at Pauls, on the fifth of this inſtant November.
Sadler.
A Voice from Heaven, CALLING The PEOPLE of GOD to a Perfect SEPARATION FROM Myſtical Babylon. AS it was delivered in a Sermon at Pauls before the Right Honorable the Lord Major and Aldermen of the City of London, on Novem. 5. 1653.
By William Strong, PREACHER of the GOSPEL at the ABBY WESTMINSTER.
LONDON, Printed by Robert White, for Francis Tyton, and are to ſold at the Sign of the three Daggers in Fleetſtreet, near the Inner Temple Gate. 1654.
To the Right Honorable THOMAS VINER, Lord Maior of London, and the Right Worſhipful the Court of Aldermen of the City of London.
Right Honorable!
THough there be many reaſons which might perſwade met ſilence, eſpecially at ſuch a time, in which ſome men are made Tranſgreſſors for a word, nay every word makes them Tranſgreſſors; and benè latere, wiſely to conceal a mans ſelf, ſpecially in matters of Religion, is one great part of the wiſdom of this Age; Yet by your Command, and in obedience to your Order, I have adventured this Sermon into publike view; which I confeſs I was the more eaſily induced to, becauſe it tends to keep up the memorial of that antient mercy, which (I conceive) God would not have forgotten by us: as alſo becauſe (unto my grief) I hear, that its commonly whiſpered by many, that it was only plotted by King James, like to that of Gowries Conſpiracy, for ſome Politick end. But who ever ſhall look into the ſtory, as related by Thuanus, (ſurely no enemy to the Papiſts) ſhall ſee reaſon enough to conclude the ſtory moſt true, and the deſign on their part real; De libertate conſcientiarum deſperata, &c.The occaſion he tells us, was a deep diſcontent, for not attaining a toleration of their Religion; Sic a Theologis ſuis diſſerebatur, Regem deponere, & regna concedere penes ſupremum Eccleſiae judicium eſſe, &c.that the Popiſh Divines had ſeveral Debates about it, to ſet the Conſciences of the Conſpirators free from their obedience and Allegiance: great Conſultations were held with forrein Princes, great aſsiſtances promiſed, perſons brought from ſeveral parts, many of them related to the Ieſuites, and of that faction, to act in this deſign; E ſodalitio Jeſuitico machinatio ſanguinolenta, & ſi fuiſſet per acta, ipſe ex animo & intimis ſenſibus deteſtaturus erat. Et tam atrox & immano faci…s Catholicos ſuſcepiſſe plus morte ſibi dolere.as appears in the confeſsion of Garnet, who did acknowledge when he came to die, that the thing was ſo horrid, that it grieved him more then death it ſelf, that the Catholicks ſhould have a hand therein. And yet will men who cry out againſt Antichriſt, plead ſo much for him, as to make this a feigned ſtory, and by this means make all our former praiſes to be mockings of God, and taking his name in vain, and bring the guilt of the blood of all the Conſpirators upon this Nation. But whither will ignorance and intereſt carry men? even to deſpiſe the mercies of God, Condemn the practiſes of the Godly, juſtify the wicked, and for ſome petty end, take part with their greateſt enemies.
In this Sermon, warning is given unto the people of God againſt Poperie, which may ſeem to ſome men altogether needleſs; a melancholy conceit, and nothing elſe, eſpecially in ſuch a time as this, when we ſeem to be ſo zealous in departing from Antichriſt, that we are ready to go too far the contrary way; and to forſake the things of Chriſt, under the name of Antichriſtian. But I have read of a Woolf in Sheeps clothing; and do never look upon Satan as a roaring Lyon, more then when transformed into an Angel, and do never fear Antichriſt more, then when he profeſſes to fight under Chriſts banner. But in the Scripture we have variety of Notes by which Antichriſt is deſcribed, and by theſe we ſhall beſt judge who are Antichriſtian in their Spirits, Principles, and Practices.
Firſt, Antichriſt came in with an Apoſtacy; when men fell away from God, the way of truth and Holyneſs, which before they profeſſed. foreign, 2. Theſ. 2.3.
2. He brought in a Lye in Doctrine and worſhip, foreign, 2. Theſ. 2.11. and that even in fundamentals; Antichriſt denying the Father and the Son, 1 John 2.22.
3. Antichriſt did impoſe upon all men under the danger of perſecution; Papalem excommunicationem notari. Medehe did make all, ſmall and great, rich and poor, bond and free, to receive his mark, and no man might buy and ſell (trade with him in things ſpiritual) that received it not, Revel. 13.16,17.
4. He ſpeaks Blaſphemie againſt the Saints of God, and their worſhip; he blaſphemes the Tabernacle of God, and them that dwell in Heaven, Rev. 13.6. And there hath not been an age ſince the myſterie of iniquitie began to work, wherein more of theſe notes were to be found, then in that wherein we live; if therefore the Spirit of Antichriſt in theſe great things prevail ſo much among us, and yet we cry out even againſt the things of Chriſt as Antichriſtian, it may juſtly make men fear that this is the decoy, the great deceit being to bring in Antichriſt under the colour of oppoſing him, and being zealous againſt him.
And though we have cauſe to fear the effectual working of this deceit in all parts of this Nation, yet who ſees not that the great plot is upon this City? by reaſon of its confluence from, and its influence upon all parts of the Nation: here they ſhall be favoured, followed, of what opinion ſo ever they be: its your duty therefore Right Honourable, to look upon it with the more watchful eye: take care of theſe wanderers, wandering Stars the Scripture calls them, that have no fixed places, that have various motions; now they are here, but if you look for them aanon they are to be found in ſome other part of the Heavens: theſe are the men that raiſe Stirs, cauſe Tumults, make Factions, to that end that they may ſwim in ſuch troubled waters, and ſeem ſomebody in a Partie; who if they ſtood ſingle, would be wholly inconſiderable. Theſe prove ſlanderers alſo, and whom they can not, dare not oppoſe, they dare aſperſe, Jer. 20.10.Report ſay they, & we will report it; this is but the beginning of evil. Such are to be noted by you, diſcountenanced, warned; and ſo much the rather, becauſe all the diſturbances that are among us, are becauſe the people as Clouds are carryed about with ſuch winds; if we could allay the winds, the Heavens would be clear; We ſpeak much of ſettlement; the beſt way to ſettle men is to remove thoſe that unſettle them; and to eſtabliſh them, is to diſcountenance thoſe whoſe buſineſs is to beguile unſtable Souls, that they may make merchandize of them. And when in this work it ſhall be told you, that it belongs not to you to meddle with Religion; your power is only in things Civil, being a Civil Magiſtrate; Do you conſider, the foundation of honeſty is laid in Godlineſs; and all the duties of the ſecond, are grounded in the obedience of the firſt Table. That men are to obey you for conſcience ſake, and conſcience reſpects God only; and if you ſet their conſciences at liberty in the things of God ſinfully, you may expect that God ſhall let their conſciences looſe from obedience unto you, judicially; for furely they that are to obey you only out of conſcience to God, if they make no conſcience of obedience to him, it cannot be rationally expected, that they ſhould be conſcientious in obedience towards you. The Magiſtrate is to rule with God; and his great care is to be, that nothing provoke God to depart from his Government; for (what ever men imagine) it is the Lord that builds the houſe, that keeps the City: Ezech. 10.2.and fire taken off the Altar, burns more fiercely, when ſcattered over the City, then common fire. Let therefore the great things of Chriſt, and of his Goſpel be your care, and be you very vigilant againſt all the wiles of Antichriſt, for he is a Beaſt iſſuing out of the Earth, Rev. 13.11.of a baſe original, and yet growing up inſenſibly; Stirpium more. Mede.and his horns are like a Lamb, when he ſpeaks like a Dragon. The more ſubtilty there is in this Adverſary, the greater circumſpection is required in you. So ſhall you be choſen Inſtruments in the Lords hand, to keep this people from returning to Babylon; ſo ſhall you eminently ſerve your Generation, lay down your ſword in peace; and the ruine intended, endeavored upon this City, ſhall not be in your hands, which is the humble and hearty prayers of him who is
Yours to ſerve you in the Goſpel, VV. S.