Evangelical sacrifices In xix. sermons. I. Thankful commemorations for Gods mercy in our great…Evangelicall sacrifices In xix. sermons. I. Thankfull commemorations for Gods mercy in our great…

We are not therefore over-much to pity our Ancestors, though they deserve pity, yet we excuse them over much this way; for certainly God is just in his Judgement, who seeing them delight in lies, more then in his truth, took away his grace, and gave them up to this Beast, that they should give up their authority, both Prince and people to him; And because they would not be ruled by Gods will, thinking themselves wiser then he: He appointed them to be ruled by one that should be ruled by the Devil: For the Devil was in the Pope, and who would serve the Devil, if he knew it? But because they would not yield unto Christs sweet government; therefore he gave them over to a government fit for them, even to be governed by the Beast.

We are not therefore over-much to pitty our Ancestors, though they deserve pitty, yet wee excuse them over much this way; for certainly God is just in his Iudgement, who seeing them delight in lies, more then in his truth, tooke away his grace, and gave them up to this Beast, that they should give up their authority, both Prince and people to him; And because they would not be ruled by Gods will, thinking themselves wiser then he: He appointed them to be ruled by one that should bee ruled by the Devill: For the Devill was in the Pope, and who would serve the Devill, if hee knew it? But because they would not yield unto Christs sweet government; therefore he gave them over to a government fit for them, even to be governed by the Beast.

I beseech you take notice of this point, when we entertain not the glorious Gospel of Christ, the good word of God, that word that declares salvation unto us, and which is an Instrument to work grace in us, to fit us for heaven; that word that is the seed, and the food of our new Birth, the Evidence of our Inheritance; that good word, which is the greatest ⟨p. 44⟩Jewell under heaven, when we do not value that, it is the greatest error that can be, and it is just with God, to give us up to this, and to that error, if not unto Popery, yet unto some one error that the Devil is in, and contrary to the Spirit of God. Do ye think, if a Master should see his servant take ill courses, and would not do according to his appointment and admonition, that he would not leave him to take his own course, and so let him do his own will, that thereby he might see his folly, in not being ruled by him So it is just with God, when he sees that we do not make much of his Gospel, of his soul-saving Gospel, that we will not have that alone, but Traditions with it, and that besides Christ, we must have other Mediators, as if Christ were not rich enough: It is just with God to give both Prince and people up to the Beast. Let us therefore make much of the Gospel: what moved God to give up the Eastern Empire, those glorious Churches in Saint Johns time, unto the Turk? nothing but this, they did not value the Gospel: What moved God to give up those Western Kings to Romish Antichrist (for those two, the Turk and Pope are twins, they had their beginning at once, about 700. years after Christ) what moved this? But only when God had dealt graciously with them at the first, and gave them his truth to save their souls, (which is the most comfortablest thing in the world, to have God discover