Babylons downfall a sermon lately preached at Westminster before sundry of the honourable House…

Thirdly, It is with you also (right worthy & beloved) to see that all the ordinances of Jesus Christ, be rendered to the Churches in their native beauty, and that all the relics, and remains of Babylon be quite removed. Opus marmoreum albario non indiget. True marble needs no painting. And Gods ordinance is all marble, no chalk. True beauty needs no colouring; and the most deformed of Gods ordinances to a gracious eye, is truly beautiful. Great is the pomp of Gods ordinances, when freed from pomp, great is their glory when freed from ours. Every ordinance is then best administered, when it is most effectual, and a thing is most full of efficacy, when it is plenum sui, immixtum alieni. As wine, or water which doth most cool, or cleanse when freed from mixtures.

Thirdly, It is with you also (right worthy & beloved) to see that all the ordinances of Jesus Christ, be rendred to the Churches in their native beauty, and that all the reliques, and remaines of Babylon bee quite removed. Opus marmoreum albario non indiget. True marble needs no painting. And Gods ordinance is all marble, no chalk. True beauty needs no colouring; and the most deformed of Gods ordinances to a gracious eye, is truly beautifull. Great is the pomp of Gods ordinances, when freed from pomp, great is their glory when freed from ours. Every ordinance is then best administred, when it is most effectuall, and a thing is most full of efficacie, when it is plenum sui, immixtum alieni. As wine, or water which doth most coole, or clense when freed from mixtures.

In the primitive times when the heathen would put the Christians to a cruel death, they tied a living man to a dead man, that so by the filthy savour, and stench of the dead carcass, they might poison the living man to death; this they counted the worst of death; the death of deaths. So when the dead ordinances of mans Inventions, shall be tied to the living ordinances of Gods appointment. What is this, but as much as in us lies to poison the living with the dead? But I pray tell me, what unkindness hath the good ordinance of Christ done to us, that we should put it to so sad a death. And as Christ said to the Jews, I have done many good works amongst you, for which of all these do you take up stones against me? so may the ordinances of Christ say, O ye people of England, I have done many good works among you; I have converted many of you by preaching to you; I have healed many of you, that were sore bruised; I have comforted many of you that were sore troubled, for which of all these do you use me thus unkindly; for which of all these do you thus tie, and link me to that, which never entered into the heart of God to match me with. What Luther saves concerning preaching, that may, I say, concerning all the ordinances of God. We that are Ministers (saith he) think to take our people with our expressions, and if we light upon an expression that pleaseth us well, we think that it should convert every one that hears it from us; but then the Auditor comes & hominem olet, he smells man in the expression, turns his back upon it, and the whole vanisheth,