receive not of

ers of her fins, and that ye her plagues: for her fins are come up to heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities,' Rev. xviii. 4, 5. Our only wifdom then will be to feparate ourselves from the whore of Babylon, that is, from the church of Rome, and to join ourselves with all speed unto the church of God; that is the church of the Protestants; for this fhall ftand and flourish, the other shall fall down and perish.

But what then, fhall we be forry for the fall of Babylon, and the ruin of Rome? No, no, the Holy Ghoft counfelleth us greatly to rejoice in her deftruction and overthrow, faying, O heavens rejoice over her, and ye holy apoftles and prophets, becaufe God hath given you judgment on 'her,' Rev. xviii. 20. We are therefore to be fo far from mourning and lamenting for the defolation of Rome, the kings, merchants, mariners, and other friends, as that it ought to be the very joy and rejoicing of our hearts: For St. John faith, that not only the holy angels, prophets, apo ftles and martyrs fhall rejoice at the deftruction of Rome; but alfo all the faints, and all the whole body of the church. And therefore he faith, that after the utter overthrow of Rome, He heard a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, faying,

Hallelujah, that is, praise ye the Lord; for he hath condemned the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his fervants fhed by her hand,' Rev. xix. 1, 2, And again, faith St. John, they faid, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, thrice together, thereby expreffing the great joy and thankfgiving for the destruction and overthrow of the great whore: and even fo ought all that love God, that love the church, and that love the truth, greatly to rejoice in the deftruction of Rome, because this monster shall no longer opprefs the Ifrael of God. And fure it is, that the more zealous and godly that a man is, the more he will rejoice at the deftruction of popery: for a man cannot love God and his church, that doth not laugh in the deftruction of that antichriftian and bloody kingdom. Let no man here fay, This is cruelty, this is want of charity, and want of pity, to laugh at the deftruction of any, or to rejoice at other mens harms. But the most wife God faith, Reward her even as fhe rewarded you, and give her double according to her works; and in the cup that the hath filled to you, fill her the double. In as much as the glorified herfelf, and lived in pleafure, fo much give ye to her torment and

forrow,' Rev. viii. 6, 5.

And therefore

I affirm, that no man ought to be moved with any compaffion or pity for the over throw of Rome: but herein that faying of the prophet is true: Bleffed is he that taketh and dafheth her children against the ftones,' Pfalm cxxxvii. 9. And again, Bend thy bow, fhoot at her, spare no arrows: for he hath finned against the 'Lord,' Jer. 1. 14. Moreover we are to obferve, that forafmuch as the Lord willeth and commandeth all men to reward Rome as fhe hath rewarded us, and to give her double according to her works, therefore we ought every one of us, as much as in him lieth, and as his calling will bear, to do his uttermoft to pull down Rome; the magiftrate by the fword, the minifter by the word, and the people by their prayers. For even Chriftian kings and princes, and all the nobles of the earth muft not be negligent to fight against Rome: For herein that faying is true, Curfed is he that doth the work of the 'Lord negligently, and curfed is he that keepeth back his fword from blood,' Jer. xlviii. 10. For this cause I do, upon my knees, night and day moft humbly and inftantly entreat the God of heaven, that as he hath put into the heart of our moft gracious and excellent king to hate the whore

of Babylon, and to be his greatest inftrument in the whole world for the weakening and overturning of Rome, and the defence of his moft glorious gofpel (which is his crown and glory in all the churches, and his great renown in all Chriftian kingdoms) so he may conftantly continue, and never cease drawing out the fword of juftice, till he have utterly rooted out of his dominions all the curfed crew of popifh Jebufites, and all fuch as have received the beaft's mark, and especially the Jefuites and feminary priefts, which are the devil's brockers, the Pope's agents, and the king of Spain's factors in all kingdoms,

Here

alfo I most humbly, even upon my knees, with dropping eyes, yea, if it were poffible, with tears of blood, befeech and entreat the learned and reverend fathers of our church, that they would bend all their power and authority, with all their might and main against the Romish ftrumpet; and the rather, becaufe in thefe days the feemeth to make a head again, having fo many and great favourers, that the and her accomplishes dare perk with their nebs, and very boldly and confidently prate of a toleration.

Here alfo I do moft humbly and earneftly entreat all my learned and godly brethren, the minifters and preachers Numb. II. G g

of this church of England, that in all their public teachings and private proceedings, they would make ftrong oppofition against Rome, and Romifh religion. And I befeech the God of gods, that we may all join together with united forces, to march on valiantly against the armies of antichrift, and to spread the everlafting gofpel far and near, to the utter overturning and beating down of this western Babylon; and that whofoever we may amongst ourselves differ in judgment in fome things; yet that there might be no breach of love, nor alienation of affection amongst us, but that we may all go together hand in hand, and arm in arm to preach God's everlasting truth, and to fet ourfelves against the common adverfaries. For if that we will not fet ourselves against them, yet they will be fure to fet themfelves against us. And thus much concerning the third main point, which is the final fall and deftruc tion of Rome, even in this world.

Now it followeth to speak of the fourth main point; which is, by whom, and when Rome fhall be overthrown. But for the better underftanding of this point, concerning the perfons that fhall overthrow Rome, we are to obferve, that St. John defcribeth the whore of Babylon fitting upon a fcarlet coloured beaft, having