Hanserd Knollys
Christ Exalted
Mystical Babylon Unveiled
Mystical Babylon Unveiled
Ingenuous Reader; It is an Astonishment beyond Comprehension of Nature, Reason and Religion, that the Papists; especially the Priests and Jesuits of the Church of Rome so odious in their bloody Tenants, so prodigious in their Hellish Plots, such incurable Incendiaries, and furious Assassins for murdering of Princes, should be suffered to increase, and indulged to multiply in a Protestant Nation, as of late years they have done in this Kingdom. Assuredly it could never have been so, but that the Lord in his Just Indignation against us for our God-provoking Sins of Atheism, Idolatry, Profaneness, Adultery, and other heinous wickedness, intends {and suffers us to ripen, and be prepared for some} dreadful Judgment, which God may justly bring upon this Land and Nation by the hand of the Papists, if we Repent not of those Abominations, and do not reform them. It is more than Manifest by woeful Experience, that the main End of the Papists in all their Plots and Conspiracies is the utter Destruction of the Protestants {whom they call Heretics} and the Protestant Religion in England especially, and the Re-establishment of the Popish-Religion of the Church of Rome in this Kingdom; which End the Popish-Recusants in England in this Bloody and Traitorous design, that Damnable and Hellish Plot contrived and carried on by them for Assassinating and Murdering the King, Subverting the Government, and for Rooting out and Destroying the Protestant Religion, as the King and Parliament have voted and declared, are still endeavoring to effect, and bring to pass. {Note: This reference is to that which was otherwise known as the Popish Plot, having burst onto the English political scene in the fall of 1678; which was a supposed plot by the Jesuits, with the blessing of the Pope, to murder the king, Charles II, and put his Catholic brother and heir, James, the Duke of York, on the throne so he could re-establish Catholicism in England.} Our grand and greatest Enemies in the World durst not entertain a Thought of Invasion, did they not Hope, {when Time serves,} to find amongst us a Side and Faction of numerous and Seditious Papists to join with them. Were we rid of the Papists, and were Idolatry, Atheism, Whoredoms and Blasphemy put away, as in Policy, Reason, and Religion these ought to be, the Royal Person of the King would be safe from Assassination, and the Government secure from Subversion; and the Protestants and Protestant Religion free from utter Destruction, by the blessed Protection of Almighty God.
A Call to all the People of God to come out of Babylon
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” {Rev.18:4} This Call is the Call of God our Saviour unto all his People in Mystical-Babylon {Papal-Rome} to come out of HER. “Come out of her my People;” which Call of Christ was given by an audible voice, and I heard another voice from Heaven saying, &c. And this Call from Heaven is urged and enforced upon the People of God by two Cogent Arguments or Reasons, 1. That ye be not partakers of HER Sins. 2. That ye receive not of her Plagues. Two things in this Call need Explanation; 1. What this voice was? 2. What it is to come out of HER? To both these I shall speak briefly, and then proceed to speak more largely of this Call. First, this voice hath Heaven's Authority. It was from Heaven, to wit, the voice of Christ in the Ministry of the Gospel ordinarily, and by the powerful Efficacy of the Holy Spirit. “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.” {I Thes.1:5} So had the voice of the Angels of God by whom Christ then Spake unto his Servant John, “with a loud voice,” {Rev.14:7,} which John heard from Heaven, {ver.13;} and so have the voice of the faithful Ministers of God, by whom Christ also now speaks unto his People. “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me;” {Lk.10:16;} to wit, Heavens Authority. Secondly; to come out of HER, is to Separate themselves from the Church of Rome, which is now become a false Church, called the great Whore, and Mother of Harlots. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” {II Cor.6:17} The Lord Jesus Christ would have his People to be Separated under the Gospel from the unbelieving Jews, and their false worship, which Christ calleth vain worship, {Mt.15:8,9,} and Paul did Separate the Disciples from the Jewish Synagogue of unbelievers, {Acts 19:8,9,} and also from Idolatrous Gentiles, that worship Images, {as the Church of Rome doth,} and from their Idol-Temples, Churches, and Chapels; for the Gentile Papists, and Church of Rome, their Pope, Cardinals, Jesuits, and all the Roman-Priests do tread underfoot the holy City, {Rev.11:2,} Jerusalem, viz. the Church and People of God. “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols; for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said,” {II Cor.6:16,17,} “I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people,” “and ye shall be holy unto me; for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine,” “and I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” {Lev.20:24,26, 26:12} The Papists Images, Crosses, Crucifixes; their Consecrated Wafers, holy Waters, and Saints Pictures, the Image of the Virgin-Mary, and of our Saviour upon the Cross, unto which Images the Papish Priests and people fall down and worship; yea their Ave Maria, and prayers to Saints deceased, all their holy Bells, Beads, Prayer-Books, and Candles, &c., are all as an unclean thing, and ought to be separated from, and not touched by the People of God, whom Christ calls upon with a loud voice to come out from among them. These two particulars explained the Argument which Christ urgeth to enforce this his Call unto his People followeth; “that ye be not Partakers of HER Sins, and that ye receive not of HER Plagues;” as if Christ had said, I do by the voice of my faithful Ministers Call and Command you my People to Come out of Mystical-Babylon {Papal-Rome} and to Separate yourselves from the Church of Rome, which is fallen, is fallen from her Apostolical Purity in Doctrine, Worship, and Discipline or Ecclesiastical Government, and is become an Harlot, a false Church, the great Whore, the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth, the Synagogue of Satan, the Habitation of Devils, the Hold of every foul Spirit, and a Cage of every unclean and hateful Bird. But if you my People {as if Christ had said} will not obey my voice, nor hear my Call, if you will not come out from the Church of Rome, and separate yourselves from the Papists, and leave going to and worshiping in their Popish Temples, Churches, Chapels, and private Cloisters, Nunneries, Priories, Religious Houses, Meeting-places, and holy Roods of Auricular Confession, &c., then in the first Place you will be Partakers of their Sins; that is, you will become guilty of their Will-worship and spiritual Fornication; {Rev.17:2;} of their Idolatries, Adulteries, Thefts, Murders, &c., {Rev.9:20,21;} and of their Impenitency added unto their Iniquities. And in the next Place you shall receive of her Plagues, Death and Mourning and Famine, &c., {Rev.18:8;} and these shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God, which is poured out without Mixture into the Cup of his Indignation. {Rev.14.9-12} The Motives and Encouragements I shall propound to the People of God to Come out of Mystical-Babylon, and to Separate from the Church of Rome are these: 1. You cannot come to Zion, until you come out of Babylon. “And the Ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with Songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads.” {Is.35:10} 2. You cannot worship God in Spirit and Truth, unless you first separate yourselves from false Worship and Worshipers. “Ye worship ye know not what,” “the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.” {Jn.4:22-24} 3. You cannot enjoy Communion with God, whilst you hold a Communion with Idols, and Image-worshipers. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness; and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial; or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols; for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” {II Cor.6:14-18} Consider whilst you continue in Babylon, {the Church of Rome} you are under the Guidance of the Pope and Roman-Priests, who are so far from being infallible Guides, {as they pretend} that they are erroneous, false, and blind Leaders of the blind into Perdition. The Roman-Priests are those false Teachers, Seducers, Deceivers; which were foretold by the Apostles of Christ. {II Pet.2:1,2; II Jn.7; II Tim.3:13; I Tim.4:1 & I Jn.2:26} “These things have I written unto you concerning them that Seduce you.” Therefore “look to yourselves,” saith the Apostle. {II Jn.8} “Beloved” {saith he} “believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits, whether they be of God, for many false Prophets are gone out into the World.” You may do well to Consider also, what Diversities, and Divisions in Principles, Opinions, and Practices in Religion there are at this Time in the World, especially among Teachers, false Teachers, who privately bring in Damnable Heresies; and many follow their pernicious ways, by Reason of whom the WAY of TRUTH is evil spoken of. {II Pet.2:1-3} Now God hath in great Mercy unto the Souls of his People out of the exceeding Riches of his Free Grace, and marvelous loving Kindness towards them, {that they might not be led away with the Errors of the Wicked,} appointed them a threefold Guide, which God hath plainly declared in the holy Scripture of Truth to direct, lead and guide his People in the WAY of TRUTH until they come to Heaven; namely, His Holy Spirit; His written Word; and, his faithful Ministers. First, God hath given his Holy Spirit unto his People, {Gal.4:6;} to lead them, {Rom.8:14;} and guide them into all the Truth, {Jn.16:13;} and to Teach them all things. {Jn.14:26, I Jn.2:20,27} And least his People should be deceived, deluded, or seduced by Satan’s transforming himself into an Angel of Light, or by false Apostles, deceitful workers, {who are his Ministers} transforming themselves into the Ministers of Christ. {II Cor.11:13-15} God hath Secondly given his People a Sure Word; his written Word to Guide them. “O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” {Ps.43:3} “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” {I Pet.1:19} And thus God Counseled and Cautioned his People of old by his Prophet. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” {Is.8:20} And the Apostle testifies; “that all Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for Doctrine, and for Instruction in Righteousness, &c.” {II Tim.3:15-17.} Thirdly; God hath also given his people able Ministers of the New-Testament, not of the letter only, but of the Spirit. {II Cor.3:5,6} “And he gave some Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers, for the work of the Ministry, &c.” {Eph.4:11-13} And God Set them in his Church, {I Cor.12:4,28,} to be Guides unto his people. Remember your Guides; Obey your Guides, and submit your selves, for they watch for your Souls, as they that must give account. {Heb.13:7,17} Will any godly wise Man or Woman judge in themselves, that it is safe for them to forsake and refuse this threefold Sure Guide of the Spirit, Word, and Ministry of Christ; which God hath ordained, and to give up the conduct of their Souls unto the Church of Rome, to be guided by her Laws, Canons, Councils, Popes, Cardinals, Jesuits, and the rest of the Roman-Clergy, who are blind Guides, and Anti-Christian Ministers; and so to hazard their own eternal Salvation? Which false Teachers, and their false and damnable Errors, Doctrines, and Practices our blessed Saviour and his holy Apostles have forewarned us of in the Scripture of Truth. Hanserd Knollys {Mystical Babylon Unveiled, 1679}