and

&fcourgings,and faftings,and thefe (they willf ay) are no fucha earthly dainties; Truely thefe fo farre as they are Antichriftian are but earthly; they faft from flesh indeed, and from white meats, but they have the dainties of the Apothecaries fhops, preferves, and conferves, and fuch kind of pleasant meats, and what have they done all this while? thefe their practifes are not fanctified of God,and therefore doe leave the foules of men still vnder carnall delufions, being no other,but earthly and bodily exercifes. Goe and poure out the vials of the wrath of God upon the Earth, and the firft went and poured out his viall upon the earth. This is vpon the lowest and basest element, in the antichriftian world, Thence we may obferve. That God in his Iudgements vpon wicked perfons, Dot.3. ftates beginneth first with the least and loweft amongst them, this is evident in the Text, firft upon the earth, and the fea is next; which like the naturall fca is above the earth, and the Rivers, and fountaines are higher then it, and the funne higher then they and then vpon the throne of the Beaft, and when we come to open the fequell you fhall fee that all things goe in a gradation; And in this fort did the Lord deale when hee brought antichrift into the world, Rev. 8.7. The first judgement came vpon the earth; The fecond vpon the fea; The third vpon the rivers and fountaines of water; The fourth vpon the Sunne, then commeth Antichrift the King of the Bottomele fle pit, Rev, 9. 11. and here in the 5. Viall his throne is fmitten,and upon the founding of the fixt angell, the foure angels in the River Ez-. phrates were loofened,and here pouring out the 6th Viall,the River Euphrates is dryed up. And the confideration yeeldeth great light to helpe us in the expofition of thefe feven vials: for by the fame steps wherby antichrift came into the world, by the fame fteps doth the Lord vndermine him and bring him downc. For as first the common fort of Chriftians were corrupted when antichrift was brought in, fo firft the Common fort of Catholiques are blafled, when antichrift beginneth to fall: The like courfe did the Lord take in the plagues of Egypt, Exod.7.19.. &c. He beginneth with the loweft, firft to turne their waters into bloud, and thereby killeth their fifh, but ftill men subsist well enough, but then he bringeth frogs into all the land of Egypt, and they crawle into their kneading troughes, then he changeth the dyft of the land into lice,and that was a great deale

norc

more loathfome to men, and at length hee killeth all their first borne, and at laft overwhelmeth Pharaoh and his hofte in the bottome of the red fea; and all this is according to the old covenant of his justice, Levit.26.18, 21, 24, 28. If you will not for all this hearken unto me, will punish you get seven times more for your fins, fo he threatneth againe and againe in all thofe verfes, untill at last he bring upon them fuch feareful and horrible Iudgements, that they become an hissing to all nations.

The Reafon of Gods dealing thus,is to magnifie Gods pa- Reaf.1. tience vnto all; knowest thou not that the long suffering of God leadeth thee to Repentance, Rom.2. 4. It becommeth the Lord to magnifie his patience and when he doeth ftrike he will not fuddenly firre up all his wrath, therefore when here he commeth to judge Antichrist, he first poureth out his wrath where it is lealt of all fenfible to the great Lords of the Antichristian world, to magnifie the equity of his Iuftice, and that he might also leave them without excufe, if the loweft judgements doe not prevaile: this God doeth that he might be jultified when he judgeth, P. 51.4. Thus though bis wrath bee revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousneffe of men, Rom.1.18. yet fuch is the holineffe of Gods proceedings, that hee will fhew his patience, and will ftrike gently vpon the least and loweft in cftate first, and afterwards hee goeth on further in wafting to wafte, untill he have overspread a ftate with punishment; thus doth hee together magnifie his patience, and justifie his juftice,and leave men without excufe. This may ferve in the first place to teach all men in the feare of Use r God, to become wife by light Iudgements and gentle afflictithose which you would thinke may leaft of all concerne you Neight them not: nothing more diftant, from the chiefe men in a State, then the common multitude. A Iudgement upon them doth not matter much, if a Famine were upon the common fort of people, Princes and Great men would not be much affected therewith. But the leaft of his judgements fhould be warnings unto us, to teach us that the Lord bath taken his Sword into his hand, and will go on in judgement, untill he make the foules of men to tremble. What if a judgement beginupon mens cattel!? That is farre off: It will come next upon your Servants and Children, and it may be,reach to the wife of your bofome; and if all this prevaile not,it may be,He will ftrike you with grievous: difcafes

ons,

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difeafes in your body; and if you hearken not for all this, what if he let the Devill loose upon the foules and confciences of men and women? What will the heart of a poore Creature doe in fuch a cafe ? O confider this all ye that forget God ! least hee teare you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. When the Lord (triketh aloofe from us, It is but the Viall of the first Angell, but when the Lord beginneth, he will go on further; therefore it must be the wifdome of the fonnes of men to take heed of his froakes afarre off. This alfo is the Method of Gods dealing with his owne Children: He did not fall upon the Conscience of his Servant Eb at the firft, but upon his Cattell, then upon his Servants, after that upon his Children, and nextly, upon his Body, and at last, writeth bitter things again his foule. Be we warned therefore by the first hints of chaltisements, by small and gentle vifitations, and happy they that learne to profit by such, to turne unto God, and to make their peace with him, before his wrath breake forth like a devouring fire, and there be none to quench it.

The fecond ufe is unto the common fort of Chriftians,if there be any more poore and common,and of leffe efteeme then other: Marke what I fay, and take it from the word of the Lord, it behoveth you in fpeciall manner to take heed to your Religion; for if corruptions grow therein, you will be the first that will fuffer by them. And why fo? It is because Religion concerneth the common fort of Chriftians, as well as any other and yet they commonly leave their Religon, (as they say) to men that are wifer then themselves; well, if you cannot read in the Book of God the broade Characters of Salvation, and the way thereof, looke for it, that when the fmarting providences of God come upon any State where you are, you fhall first taste of them, and then fhall you fee the neceffity of looking unto your Religion. And upon this ground it is that Apollle Inde, Verf. 1.3. writeth unto all the faithfull, and exhorteth them, That they fhould contend earnestly for the Faith once given to the Saints: otherwise they shall have the first hanfell of Gods Iudgements, for they will be foonest corrupted, and shall bee fooneft punifhed,

That the discovery of the loathfome, and fhamefull finnes of men, is from the Viall of the wrath of God. For what was this Viall which is powred out upon the carth (that is upon the

Common

common fort of Chriftians) It was their conviction of their damnable Ignorance, and Superftition, Idolatry, and Hypocrific; and this the Lord threatneth, as a judgement unto Hierufalem, Ezeck, 16. 37. That hee will discover her nakednesse, that those that loved her, and those that hated her should fee her nakedneffe, Thus is his wrath revealed against all unrighteousnesse

of men,

For the Lord is the first caufe of all the Evill that is done a Rea, 1, mong the fonies of Men, Amos 3. 6. So that, is mers wickedneffe difcovered, is their loathfome, finfull, carnall, corrupt eNate laid open? The Lord hath done it.

Because it is the proper worke of the Spirit of God to cun- Reaf.2. vince the World of finne, John 16. 8. and he worketh it by the Law, For by the Law commeth the knowledge of finne,Rom. 7. 7. And what the Law doth, the fame doe the fervants of God by the Miniftery of it, yet all is the worke of the Spirit of God,

The Vfe may be, first to teach the Sonnes of men, to take ve s.o. heede how you fnarle at Inftruments of Gods wrath, though it may be, they may fometimes deale diforderly; yet is it your part to fee the righteous hand of God, and when men walke according to God, in difcovering your wickedneffe, there is it, the righteous hand of God much more. As when the Angels that poured out this Viall, were encouraged by the Officers of Chrift in his Church, and fo by the Lord himfelfe, to show men that they were full of palpable Ignorance, and fuperftition: Therefore let men learne in thefe cafes, to fanctifie the Lord in their hearts, and to acknowledge his hand on them, in fuch còn victions of their finnefull and fhamefull eftate and course..

Let it teach all fuch whofe finnes are difcovered at any time, se zi to humble their foules under the mighty hand of God, that as their finnes have beene difcovered by an Angel of wrath they may be covered againe by the Angel of peace.

so

That the discovery of the finnes of the Common fort of peo- Dott. 5.. ple doth inflict a noy fome Boyle upon their corrupt leaders, and guides that allow them therein There fell a noysome and grievous fore upon the men which had the Marke of the Beast, and upon them that worshipped his Image. When all this wickedneffe is difcovered in the common Catholikes, then doth the leaudneffe of their leaders alfo grow notorious; what say you

now!

now to all their Catholicke Priests, Their wickedneffe appeareth, their Idleneffe, Hypocrific, Covetoufneffe, and wantonneffe, breaketh forth. A grievous fore lay upon them all, to sec that all their labours are difcovered, to be but a building men up. in wrath, the Spirits of the Popish Leaders were greatly distur bed and troubled to fee men fo bufie with their new Sumpfimus. A noyfome blemish was it to all their Religious Orders, and to all that did countenance the in the fame.Evident this is unto al those that read the Stories of our owne times, or the times of our Fathers, how this noyfome fore fell upon their Guids and Leaders, And so it hath donc of old, Efay 9. 15. 16. The Leaders of this People cause them to erre: So fer, 5.31. The Prophets prophecie falsely, and the Priests beare rule by their meanes, and my people love to have it fo: Thus are their falfe guides blemished.

The Reafon is taken from the duty of the guides of the Church and People,which is to turn them from their evill waies, Jer.23.22. Therefore if they lead them into cvill wayes, needs muft a noy fome fore fall upon them, when the wickedneffe of the people is difcovered.

This may teach all the fervants of Christ, to whom the Church of God is committed, to be the more vigilant in all the Adminiftrations of the things of God in his Houfe,that there may remain in it no corruptions that are difcerned; but that being difcerned, they may be allo borne witnefle againft, and be feasonably rooted out, and the fpirits of Gods people healed: elfe the forenesse will fall upon the guids of the Church, the people may perish in their finnes, but their blood will the Lord require at the hands of those that should leade them in the way wherein they should goe. It is not enough for the people to fay,it is the fault of their guides, nor for Minifters to lay the blame upon the people, unlesse they warne them, then indeed have they delivered their owne foules, but if the People perifh for lacke of knowledge, God will require their blood at the hand of their Guides.

THE