argument is there in this worthy demonstration This therefore Bellarmine maketh the question which he goeth about to prooue First by testimonies of Scripture Secondly by consent of the fathers Thirdly by reason 2. There be foure Scriptures saith Bellarmine to prooue that Enoch and Elias in their owne persons shall come against Antichrist Howbeit this is a manifest vntrueth for no place of Scripture speaketh of Enoch his returne The first Malach. 4. 5. Behold I will send vnto you Elias the Prophet before the great and fearefull day of the Lord come and he shall turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children and the hearts of the children vnto their fathers This place maketh no mention of Enoch but onely of Elias and by Elias is meant not Elias the Thesbite but Iohn the Baptist who as the Luke 1. 17. Angel applying to him this prophecy saith should go before the Lord Iesus in the spirit and power of Elias that he may turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children c. And our sauior Christ Mat. 11. 14 most plainely affirmeth that Iohn Baptist is that Elias who was to come and if you will receiue saith he that is if you will giue credit to my speech this is that Elias who was to come And addeth he that hath eares to heare let him heare Which sheweth that the Papists neither haue harts to beleeue Christ nor eares to heare him but haue opē both hearts to receiue and eares to heare the fables of the Iewes who as they yet looke for their Messias so they looke also for Elias to be his forerunner For as Ierome writeth vpon this place of Malachy the Iewes and Iudaizing heretickes thinke that before their Messias Elias shal come and restore all things Hence it is that vnto Christ this question is propounded in the Gospell what is that which the Pharisies say that Elias shall come to whom he answered Elias indeed shal come and if you will beleeue he is already come by Elias meaning Iohn And therefore in Ieromes iudgement it is but the opinion of a Iudaizing hereticke to expect the comming againe of Elias in his owne person Yea but saith Bellarmine this place cannot be vnderstood of Iohn Baptist but of Elias onely For Malachy speaketh of the second comming of Christ which shal be vnto iudgement For so he saith before the great terrible day of the Lord come for his first comming is not called great and terrible but the acceptable time day of saluation Whereupon it is also added least when I come I strike the earth with a curse But Christ in his first comming came not to judge but to be judged 3. Answ. Bellarmine must giue vs leaue to beleeue the Angell Luke 1. 17 Mat. 11. 14 Math. 17. of God and our Sauiour Christ rather then himselfe who is not affraid as it seemeth to giue the lie to the spirit of God speaking in both Neither can he prooue that Malachie speaketh of the second comming of Christ for therin the Papists erre worse then the Iewes For both the text it selfe also the application therof by the Angell and our Sauiour Christ do prooue that Elias was to come before the first comming of Christ which is great to the godly and terrible to the wicked And therfore in the beginning of the third Chapter the Prophet speaking most plainly of the first comming of Christ before which the Lord promiseth to send his messenger that is Iohn Baptist to prepare the way before Mat. 11. 10. Mark 1. 2. him signifieth that this comming is great and fearefull verse 2. But who may abide the day of his comming and who shall endure when he appeareth for he is like a purging fire and like Pullers Sope and he shall sit downe to trie and fine the siluer Of the same comming he speaketh in the beginning of the fourth Chapter Behold the day commeth that shall burne as an Ouen c. shewing how terrible it shall be to the wicked But vnto you that feare my name saith the Lord verse 2. shall the sunne of righteousnesse arise and health shall be vnder his wings c. And before this great day commeth he promiseth them to send them Elias that is Iohn Baptist to whom our Sauiour applieth the Prophesie of Malachie both Chapter 3. 1. and Chapter 4. 5. In like sort Iohn Baptist himselfe describeth the first comming of Christ as terrible in respect of the wicked Now saith he is the Axe laide to the roote of the trees c. Math. 3. 10. and verse 11. and 12. He that commeth after me is mightier then I he will Baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire which hath his Fanne in his hand vsing the like similitude that Malachie did and will purge his Floore and gather his Wheate into his Garner but will burne vp the Chaffe with vnquenchable fire Symeon also saith of our Sauiour that he was appointed both for the fall of the wicked and Luke 2. 34. rising of the godly And elsewhere he is called a stumbling stone and a Rocke of offence vpon which stone whosoeuer falleth Rom. 9. 33. he shall be broken in peeces but on whomsoeuer it shall fall it shall all Mat. 21. 44. to grind him If notwithstanding all this which hath beene alledged any man shall thinke the first comming of the Lord not so fitly to be called terrible I further answer that the Hebrew word Norah signifieth also reuerend to be feared or had in reuerence as Gen. 28. 17. Deut. 7. 21. and so is translated by Tremelius and Iunius in this place of Malachie And thus both that word and others of the same roote are vsed in the signification Psal. 130. 4 of reuerence or filiall feare And whereas it is added that Elias should be sent to conuert the people Least when I come saith the Lord I should strike the earth with a curse the meaning is that the Lord would send his messenger to prepare the way before him that some of the people at the least might be ready to receiue our Sauiour Christ least if all should reject him he should be prouoked to strike the land for at his second comming he shall without peraduenture strike the earth And in this exposition of Malachie besides others Arias Montanus the most learned writer among the Papists doth wholy agree with In Malach. vs expounding this Prophesie of Iohn Baptist whom he calleth another Elias and of the first comming of Christ. Thus therefore I answer First that Malachie speaketh not of Enoch but of Elias onely and secondly of Elias his comming not with Antichrist but before Christ thirdly that before the first comming of Christ fourthly and consequently not of Elias literally but of Iohn Baptist who came in the spirit and power of Elias 4. The second place is Ecclesiastic 48. 10. 44. 16. In the former place it is said of Elias That he was appointed to
whence they professe 4. Vnctio sacerdotalis they haue receiued this Iewish ceremony which together with the sacrifices Priesthood and ceremonies of the law are abrogated by the sacrifice death of our Sauior Christ. And why then do they not as well retaine circumcision the sacrifices of Buls and Goats other ceremonies of the Leuiticall Priesthood that they might more plainely shew themselues whiles they seeke to be the Apes of the Iewes to be as indeede they are according to the censure of Paul in the Epistle to the Galathians Apostates from Christ. But as their priesthood it selfe is Antichristian wherby the Leuitical priesthood and many Iewish ceremonies are retained as though Christ had not put an end to them whereby Christ is denyed to be our onely Priest whereby Christ himselfe as they say is daily offered to the disgrace of his owne sacrifice as though that once performed had not beene sufficient to the ouerthrow of his humaine nature which they hold to be in many places at once inuisible and incircumscriptible without quantity and dimension and consequently no body to the disparagement of his diuine excellencie whiles euery shaueling Priest taketh vpon him by breathing out a few words after a magical maner to create his maker and when he hath done to offer him as a sacrifice to the father euery sacrifice being inferiour to the sacrificer to the deifying of a piece of bread consecrated to most sacrilegious Idolatry as I say their priesthood it selfe is Antichristian so their vnction whetherof Bishops on the head or of Priests on the hand vndoubtedly belongeth to the marke of Antichrist And although they were able to shew some practise hereof in the Church before the yeere 606. yet this hindreth not but that this Priestly Vnction may belong to the marke because as I said some corruptions were before the reuelation of Antichrist crept into the Church which by him were to be retained with increase and maintained as also because this ceremony is vsed not by authority of their example but as receiued from Moses by the authority of the ceremoniall law as though it were not abrogated by Christ and as imposed vpon the Church by the law of the Pope And lastly because it is a ceremony belonging to such a sacrificing Priesthood as was not known in the primitiue Church But as I suppose they are not able to produce any sufficient testimony or authenticke proofe to declare the vse of this ceremony in the primitiue Church which some of them impute to the rudenes and vnsetled estate of that time For whereas he alledgeth two testimonies of Nazianzene both places are to be vnderstood ◅ighius figuratiuely of consecration to the ministerie For as appeareth De sacra vnctione C. cum venisset by the testimony of Innocentius 3. this ceremony of annointing was not vsed in the Greeke Church whereof Nazianzene was but reiected as Iewish vntill he imposed the same vpon them about the yeere 1200. 10. As touching the fift Sacrifices of praise we offered for 5. Missa pro defunelis those that dyed in the Lord but no propitiatory sacrifices such as their masses be were offered for them The oblations for the dead whereof Augustine speaketh prooue not that masse Lib. de hares C. 53. See D. Fu◅ke in Apoc. 14. 13. s. 5. contra Rhem. were vsed as propitiatory sacrifices for the quicke and the dead Vnlesse therefore he can prooue that they had before the yeere 607. masses as superstitious and Idolatrous as since the frequenting of Masses may now belong to the marke of the beast which before did not 11. Adoration of images and of the Eucharist may most fitly be said to belong to the marke of the beast For those 6. Adoratio imaginum et Eucharistiae that are made drunke with the cup of the whore of Babylons fornications that is which are besotted with the Idolatries of the Church of Rome are the same with those that receiue the marke of the beast But the adoration of Images and of the Eucharist is notorious Idolatry or spirituall fornication and therefore those that are besotted with these Idolatries haue receiued the marke of the beast And as touching the worshipping of Images it is most plainely forbidden and condemned in the Scriptures and Councels and writings of the fathers who liued in the first 600. yeeres The Wine of this fornication wherewith all sortes haue beene made drunke was first set abroach to the world in the second Councell of Nice about the yeere 789. For further proofe whereof read B. Iewell in his 14. article against M. Harding And the like may be said of the adoration of the Eucharist which is a consequent of the eleuation of the sacrament and transubstantiation neither of which were vsed or heard of in the first 600. yeeres as the same Iewell prooueth Artic. 75. 10. And Artic. 8. he sheweth that the adoration of the sacrament cānot be warranted by any commandement of Christ nor by any word or example of th'apostles or ancient fathers but that it is a thing lately deuised by Pope Honorius about the yeere 1226. But let vs weigh his proofes That Images were worshipped he prooueth by the testimony of Ierome who in the life of Paula speaking of her zeale and deuotion in visiting those places where our Lord Iesus had beene conuersant he sheweth how at length she commeth to the sepulcher and kisseth the stone which the Angell had rouled away frō the mouth of the sepulcher and licked the place where Christs body lay and seeing that very Crosse as was supposed whereon Christ was crucified Prostrata ante crucem quasi pendentem Dominum cerneret adorabat Falling downe before the crosse she worshipped the Lord as if she had now seene him hanging on the Crosse. I answere that this practise was not common but peculiar to her and to her not vsuall but onely at that time and in that place neither did she worship the Crosse as the Papists doe the images of that Crosse cult◅ latriae with diuine worship but seeing the Crosse whereon Christ was crucified and being rauished with the memory of his death she falling before that Crosse worshipped Christ. Now that the adoration of the Eucharist was also in vse before the yeere 606. he prooueth by the testimonies of Ambrose and Augustine Ambrose his words are these Itaque per scabellam terra intelligatur per terram caro Lib. 3. de spiritu S. chap. 12. Christi quam hodie quoque in mysterijs adoramus et quam Apostoli in Domino Iesu vt supra diximus adorarunt Therefore by the footestoole let vs vnderstand the earth and by the earth the flesh of Christ which at this day also we adore in the mysteries and which the Apostles adored in the Lord Iesus as we said before But it is one thing to adore and honour Christ in his sacraments as the ancient Christians and we doe and another thing to
satis euidenter obscurely called God The Canonists call him DominuÌ„ Deum nostrum Papam Our Lord God the Pope But for further proofe of this point I referre you to the former booke chap. 5 § 6. c. where I intreated of the Antichristian pride of the Pope To which former testimonies I will adde one practise of the Pope in his great yeare of Iubile when as in solemne procession he is carried in a seate of gold vpon noble mens shoulders his god of bread being carried before him vpon an backeney as his attendant and at length commeth to the gates of Paradise which hee beateth open with a golden hammer at which time he is worshipped of all sorts present as a God from whoÌ„ they expect indulgence remission of sinnes and eternal life according to his large promises made to all those which shall come to Rome to celebrate the Iubiley In a word he is numen quoddam visibilem quendam Deum preâ—…se ferens a certaine diuine maiestie shewing himselfe to be a certaine visible God The premisses therefore considered together with my allegations in the place before named this argument may be returned vpon our aduersary after this manner whosoeuer sitteth Lib. 1. ca. 5 §. 6. 7. in the temple of God as God that is ruleth and raigneth ouer the church as if he were a God vpon earth and declareth himselfe either by word or deed that he is God for example if he shall challenge vnto himselfe those titles attributes and workes which are proper vnto God and shall be willing to be saluted acknowledged and adored as God he vndoubtedly is Antichrist But the Pope of Rome ruleth ouer the church as if he were a God vpon earth and declareth himselfe both by word and deed that he is God challenging vnto himself those titles attributes and workes which are peculiar vnto the Lord c. as hath bene proued therefore the Pope is Antichrist yea but the Pope saith Bellarmine doth not declare himselfe to be God for he acknowledgeth himselfe to be the seruant of the Lord. Hee might as well conclude that the Pope neuer calleth himselfe regem reguÌ„terrae ac DominuÌ„ Dominorum the king of the kings of the earth and Lord of Lordes because he acknowledgeth himself seruuÌ„ seruoruÌ„ Dei the seruant of gods seruants Neither doth his verball professioÌ„ ouersway his reall practise But he should haue remembred that the second beast which is Antichrist Apoc. 13. 11. as hee speaketh like the dragon belching out blasphemies against God so hee hath two hornes like the lambe as a dissembling hypocrite imitateth in some things the humilitie of Christ. And therefore that the Pope could not be such an Antichrist as is described in the scriptures vnlesse he were an hypocrite who doth by open profession pretend himselfe to be the seruant of God when as in truth he aduanceth himselfe against him And yet this is all that our aduersary alledgeth to proue his assumption that the Pope doth not shewe himselfe to be God 11 The fourth and last doctrine saith the Iesuite is this he shall not onely affirme that he is God but that he onely is God and shall oppugne all other Gods both true and false and shall suffer no Idols But this absurd conceit of the papists is not onely repugnant vnto the truth but also contradictory to their owne doctrines coÌ„cerning Antichrist For is it credible either that a mortall man shall affirme himselfe alone to be the true God and none but he or if he shall so affirme of himselfe that Christians and Iewes and all the world almost will acknowledge and worship him as the onely true God Againe the Antichristian seate is figured by the whore of Babylon which because of her owne idolatrie is called a whore and because she infecteth all nations that adhere vnto her with her idolatries Apoc. 17. 2. 5. and superstitions she is said to make them drunke with the cup of her fornications and also to be the mother of all the fornications that is idolatries of the earth Yea the Papists themselues expound Deut. 11. 38. where Antiochus Epiphanes is described as an Idolater as properly spoken of Antichrist And do not themselues teach that Antichrist shall professe himselfe to be the Messias of the Iewes and consequently that he is sent and annointed of God Now if he shall professe himselfe sent from God shall we thinke that he wil say there is no God besides himselfe Or if hee being but a mortall man shall say there is no God besides himselfe may we not well thinke that either they will hisse at him as a foole or stone him to death as a blasphemer Nay do not themselues teach that he shall be in religion a Iew an obseruer of the Sabboth and other Iewish ceremonies And do they not alledge Ierome to proue that Antichrist shall faigne himselfe to be the chiefe of the couenant and a In Dan. 11 chiefe maintainer of the lawe and testament of God And are not his two hornes like the Lambe expounded by some approued In Apo. 13 Authors among them of the two testaments which hee shall seeme to professe 12 But let vs see how this wise conceit is proued Forsooth by testimonies of the scriptures and the Fathers Out of the scripture hee alledgeth two places the former 2. Thess. 2. 4. Who is extolled aboue all that is called God or worshipped As if hee should say Antichrist shall bee aduanced aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped therefore hee shall auouch that hee alone is God and will suffer no other God either true or false to bee worshipped besides himselfe I denie the consequence For first Antichrist may aduance himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped and yet suffer yea require them to bee worshipped Iupiter was supposed among the Heathen to aduance himself aboue all other Gods and yet suffered them to be worshipped as Gods Antichrist the second beast aduanceth himselfe aboue the Image of the Apoc. 13. former beast which is the Empire renewed whereon he sitteth as the rider death vpon a beast and yet requireth the same to be worshipped The Pope aduanceth himselfe aboue Angels Apoc. 17. Kings and Princes who are called Gods aboue the Saints the Host the Crosse and whatsoeuer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the church of Rome and yet requireth them all to be worshipped Secondly Antichrist may aduance himself aboue or against al that is called God or is worshipped and yet not professe himselfe to be the only God For so Antiochus Epiphanes aduanced himselfe against euery God yea against the God of Gods Dan. 11. 36. and yet he was neuer so mad as to professe himselfe the only God Thirdly seeing Antichristianisme is not open Atheisme but a mystery of iniquity Antichrist is described in the scriptures as an hypocrite pretended ChristiaÌ„ we may be assured that although in deed in truth
writings before to be the scriptures Why then Ierome saith so vpon Daniel 11. 24. where Daniel speaketh of Antiochus his dealings in Egypt that he did that which his forefathers neuer did Nullus Iudaeorum absque Antichristo in tot◅ vnquam or be regnauit These be Bellarmines scriptures But where do the scriptures indeede say that Antichrist shall subdue seuen of the tenne Kings Nay the contrary may rather bee gathered out of the scriptures The tenne hornes whereof Daniel speaketh were tenne Kings which successiuely raigned ouer Iudaea as hath bene shewed And although Antiochus Epiphanes might helpe away three of his next predecessors yet hee could not hurt the other sixe for there were but nine besides himselfe which were all dead and gone before he came to yeares Yea but this opinion of the Fathers is plainely enough deduced out of Apoc. 17. 12. where we reade and the tenne hornes which thou sawest are tenne Kings these haue one minde and they shall giue their power and authoritie to the beast No maruell though some of the Papists call the scripture a nose of waxe seeing they can frame and fashion it at their pleasure and giue vnto it what sense they list Doth Iohn speake of Antichrist his either killing three or subduing seuen Or doth Iohn speake of the same tenne hornes wherof Daniel doth Daniel speaketh of tenne Kings which were to bee dead and gone before the comming of the Messias Iohn speaketh of such as in his time had not yet attained to their kingdome verse 12. Daniel speaketh of tenne Kings of the Seleucidae and Lagidae which succeeded one an other Iohn of tenne Kings among whom the Romane Empire was to be diuided who also were to haue their kingdome together with the beast Daniel telleth vs what the little horne which was one of the tenne should doo to three of the other nine without mention of the rest Iohn sheweth what all the tenne hornes should doo to Antichrist which is none of the tenne hornes but one of the heades of the beast If therefore Bellarmine can proue from hence that these are the same tenne hornes spoken of in Daniel and that Antichrist shall kill three of them subdue the other seuen he may hope to proue any thing But what other scriptures hath hee forsooth Chrysostome and Cyrill For Chrysostome on 2. Thess. 2. saith that Antichrist shall bee a Monarch and shall succeede the Romanes in the Monarchy as the Romanes succeeded the Greekes the Greekes succeeded the Persians and they the Assyrians And Cyrill saith that Antichrist shall obtaine the Monarchy Catech. 15 which was the Romanes I answere that for substance these Fathers held the truth For what Monarch hath there bene in the West these fiue or sixe hundred yeares besides the Pope who calleth himselfe King of Kings and Lorde of Lords to whom all power is giuen in heauen and in earth who hath as they say the double Monarchy both of spirituall and temporal power who forsooth is Lord of the whole earth in so much that he taketh vpon him authoritie to dispose of the new found world And that he succedeth the Emperors in the Alexand. 6. gouernment of Rome as it becommeth Antichrist who is the second beast Apoc. 13. and the 7. head of the beast Apoc. 17. whereof the Emperour was the sixt I shall not neede to proue 15 There remaineth the fourth argument Antichrist shall persecute with an innumerable army the Christians throughout the world and this is the battell of God and Magog but this agreeth not to the Pope therefore the Pope is not Antichrist I answere to the proposition that no such thing can be proued out of the scripture Hee alledgeth Ezech. 38. 39. Apoc. 20. 7. 8. 9. 10. But Ezechiel speaketh not of Antichrist nor of the persecution of the Christian Church by him But hauing foretold chapter 37. the restitution of the Iewes from the Babylonian captiuitie and also prophesied of the comming of Christ in those chapters hee foretelleth of the afflictions and troubles which the people of the Iewes should sustaine in the meane time to wit after their returne out of captiuitie before the comming of the Messias and withall denounceth the iudgemēts of God against the Seleucidae who were the kings of Syria and Asia minor and their adherents who should be the chiefe enemies of the church and people of the Iewes after their returne For Gog signifieth Asia minor hauing that name from Gyges the King thereof Magog is Hierapolis the chiefe seate of Idolatry in Syria built by the Scythians and frō them hath that name So that by the land of Magog wee are to vnderstand Syria and by Gog Asia minor And the rest of the peoples that Plin. lib. 5. cap. 23. are named in Ezechiel were such as assisted the Seleucidae who were the kings of Syria and Asia minor in their warres either as their subiects or as their friends or as their mercenary souldiers And for as much as the princes and people of Syria and Asia minor were the most grieuous enemies of the Iewes by Ad Tremell Iun. in Ezech 38. 39. whom they sustained the chiefest calamities after their returne before the comming of Christ therefore by an vsuall speech in the Iewish language the mortall and deadly enemies of the church are called Gog and Magog And in this sense Iohn the Diuine vseth these names Gog and Magog to signifie the enemies of the church meaning not the same enemies whereof Ezechiel speaketh but the like enemies of the Church which should afflict the true Christians as Gog and Magog afflicted the Iewes Neither doth Iohn in this place speake of the persecution of Antichrist properly but of Sathan after he was loosed his inciting the enemies of the Church to battell and of Gods iudgements against them signified by fire And so much shall suffice to haue answered to this argument For after so long a Treatise I will not trouble the Reader with the tenne seuerall opinions which Bellarmine reciteth cōcerning Gog and Magog neither yet with any further answere to his cauillations and exceptions against some of the arguments of diuers Protestants which he thought were more easie to answere seeing in the former booke I haue sufficiently cleared those arguments whereby the Pope is more euidently proued to be Antichrist neither is the controuersie betwixt vs whether euery argument that hath bene produced by euery one doth necessarily conclude the Pope to be Antichrist That discourse therefore being rather personall then reall I let it passe Chap. 17. Being the conclusion of the whole Treatise HAuing therefore both by sufficient arguments manifestly proued that the Pope is 1. Antichrist and by euidence of truth maintained the same assertion against the arguments of the Papists let vs now consider in the last place what conclusions may vpon this doctrine be necessarily inferred for our further vse For first if this be true that the Pope is Antichrist as
Anno. 1260. of that vniuersitie called the monks and priests the subiects of Antichrist One Lawrence also an Englishman master of Paris proued the Pope to be Antichrist the synagogue of Rome the great Anno. 1290. I. Fox BabyloÌ„ About the same time Maenardus Tyrolius in a publick edict calleth the Popes effeminate Antichrists And againe if they be not Antichrists I pray you what are they Auentin annal boior li. 7. Michael Cesenas principall of the gray fryers wrote against the pride tyranny and primacy of the Pope accusing him to be Anno. 1322. 1. Fox Antichrist and the church of Rome the whore of Babylon drunken with the bloud of Saints Hayabalus a fryer in the time of Clement the sixt preached and that as he saide by Anno. 1345. Henrie de Herford in Chronic. Catalog test 1. Fox commaundement from God that the church of Rome is the whore of Babylon and that the Pope with his Cardinalles is the very Antichrist Wilhâ—…lmus Occomensis as Auentine calleth him wrote a booke against Charles and Clement the sixte wherein he calleth the Pope Antichrist Auentin annal Boior li. 7. Briget whom the Papists worship as a canonized Saint calleth the Pope a murtherer of soules more cruell then Iudas Anno. 1370. more vniust then Pilate worse then Lucifer himselfe She prophecieth 1. Fox that the See of Rome shall bee throwne downe into the deepe like a milstone according to the prophecie of Saint Iohn Apocalypse 18. 21 About the same yeere Matthias Parifiensis a Bohemian writing a booke of Antichrist proueth that he is already come and noateth him to be the Pope Franciscus Petrarch in many places of his writings calleth Anno. 1374. the court of Rome the whore of Babylon the mother of the fornications and abominations of the earth Vrhanus the sixt and Clement the seauenth two Popes at once call one the other Antichrist As Bernard before had called Baldus de vit pontif Anacletus against whom Innocentius the second was chosen as Antipope That beast saith hee in the Apocalypse to Anno 1378. Anno. 1130. Epist. 125. whom is giuen a mouth speaking blasphemies to war with the Saints meaning Antichrist occupieth the chaire of Peter as a Lyon ready for the pray But most effectually doth our godly and learned countryman Iohn Wicleffe discouer the enormities and heresyes of the Anno. 1383. Bellar. de pont Rom. lib. 3. c. 1. Pope whom he pronounced to be Antichrist Artic. 30. His iudgement as in other things so also in this that worthy Martyr of Christ Iohn Husse followed Who affirmeth in his Anno. 1405. booke de ecclesia that hee was troubled because he preached Christ and discouered Antichrist That the Censures of the Romish church were Antichristian and proceeding froÌ„ Antichrist as Gerson the Parisians obiect against him Art 16 that in those times many ages before there had bin no true Pope nor true Romane church but the Popes were Antichrists the church of Rome the synagogue of Satan Whose iudgement many in Bohemia followed Sir Iohn Oldâ—…astell the Lord Anno 1413. 1. Foxe Cobham that famous noble martyr of Christ prosessed to K. Henry the 5. that by the Scriptures he knew the Pope to be the great Antichrist the son of perdition c. Hieronimus Sauanarola taught that the Pope is Antichrist because he did attribute Anno. 1500. 1. Foxe more to his owne indulgeÌ„ces pardoÌ„s then to Christs merits About the yeare of our Lord 1517. Luther began to preach against the Popes indulgences and afterwards against other Anno. 1517. errours and abominations of the Pope and church of Rome discouering more plainely then any had done before him that Rome is Babylon and the Pope Antichrist Since whose times this truth hath beene almost generally acknowledged by the true and reformed Churches of Christ. Seing therefore we haue proued that Antichrist was to sitte in Rome professing her selfe the church of God and that after the taking away of the Romane Emperour whom hee was to succeed in the gouernment of Rome and there to be reuealed both by his owne shewing himself in his colours also by the acknowledgement of others it cannot be auoided but that the Pope is Antichrist For he and none but he sitteth that is reigneth in Rome professing her selfe the church of God and that after the taking away of the Romane Emperour not onely by the remouing of the imperiall seat but also by the dissolutioÌ„ of the Empire in the West whom hee succeedeth in the gouernment of Rome where he hath bene reuealed not onely by his owne shewing himselfe in his colours but also by the acknowledgement of others 8. Vnto the former place of the Epistle to the Thessal we will adde two other places out of th'apocalyps from whence both the place and time of Antichrist may be iointly gathered The former place is in the 13. of th'apocalips where two beasts are described signifying two estates of the Romane gouernment 2. as they are opposed vnto Christ the former representeth the persecuting Emperours the latter Antichrist Of the former he saith thus I saw a beast arising out of 〈◊〉 sea that is of many diuers peoples which it had vanquished Now the description of this beast containeth in it the resemblances of those 4. kingdoms which are described in Daniel the Romane Empire farre surpassing theÌ„ al. The first of the beasts in Daniel signifying the kingdome of the Babylonians is coÌ„pared to a Lion The 2. resembling the kingdome of the Medes and Persians to a Beare The 3. representing the monarchy of the MacedoniaÌ„s to a Leopard The 4. figuring the kingdome of the Seleucidae and Lagidae to a beast with 10. hornes resembling so many of their kings who should tyrannize ouer Iewry The Empire of Rome therfore as if it were compounded of them all is resembled to a beast hauing ten hornes with so many diademes vpon them both in respect of the ten persecuting Emperors answering the 10. Seleucedae Lagidae as also in regard of the 10. kingdoms or prouinces wherinto the Romane Empire in those times was diuided being also like a Leopard hauing the feet or pawes as it were of a Beare the rauening mouth of a LioÌ„ And besides all this is said to haue seueÌ„ heads which afterwards chapt 17. are expounded to be 7. hilles also 7. heads of gouernmeÌ„t c. to this beast was giuen authority or power ouer euery tribe Verse 7. language and nation c. al which are proper to the Empire of Rome The former beast therefore signifieth the Romane state especially as it was vnder the persecuting Emperours as Bellarmine Lib. 3. de pont R. cap. 15. confesseth The second beast described vers 11. and so forward to the end of the chapter is as Bellarmine saith all men do confesse Antichrist who also is by the coÌ„fession of the said
Thou bearest the person An. Do. 862 Annal. Boior lib. 4. of a Bishop say they but thou playest the tyrant vnder the habite or attire of a pastour wee feele a Wolfe the lying title calleth thee Father thou in thy deedes boastest thy selfe to be another Iupiter When as thou art the seruaunt of seruants thou striuest to be the Lorde of Lords c. Hee counterfeiteth the Lambe in calling himselfe the vicar of Christ and exercising the very same office which Christ himselfe had Bellarm. whiles he was vpon the earth And because by horne in the Scriptures often is meant power he may be saide to haue two hornes like the Lambe whiles he challengeth that two-fold power which is peculiar to Christ the Lambe as our King and Priest and vsurpeth both the swordes I meane both spirituall and temporall He speaketh like the Dragon in teaching those doctrines of Diuels mentioned 1. Tim. 4. 3. forbidding to mary and commaunding abstinence from meates in belching foorth most horrible blasphemies whereof wee will remember some in the next chapter in his diuellish curses against the Saints and Satannicall promises of the worlde and kingdomes thereof to them that will adore him Luc. 4. 6. Ecce in potestate nostra est imperium vt demus illud cui volumus Auentin Annal Boior lib. 6. saith Adrian the Pope Beholde the Empyre is in our power that wee may giue it to whom wee will And whereas Hierome writing of those wordes 1. Tim. 4. They speake in Hypocrisie saith he who being not continent would seeme to be so chaste as that they condemne mariage and so abstemious as that they iudge those who vse the creature sparingly whereas thēselues are giuen ouer to belly cheere what could haue bene spoken more fitly to shewe foorth the hypocrisie of the Pope Papists For do not they whiles they condēne contemne mariage vnder the shew of vowed chastity practise all vncleannesse and whiles they cōdemne all moderate eating of flesh do not they vnder a colour of fasting feast feed themselues with the choisest dainties Doe not many of them vnder the pretence of voluntary pouerty gather infinite riches And doth not all their religion stande in Opere operate in the bare performaunce of the outwarde worke that is to say in hypocrisie Neither are wee to omitte an hypocriticall pollicie which of late they haue vsed For when as they coulde not preuaile with their Sophistry that is to say with their Bookes of controuersies they hoped to preuaile among the simple with their hypocrisie that is to say with their bookes of deuotion Wherein there is a notable shewe of counterfait deuotion zeale and holinesse to bleare the eyes of the simple and vnstaied But it were to be wished that as they are so they were esteemed to be no better then baits of Antichrist seruing to allure men vnder shew of deuotion vnto idolatry apostasie from God especially if we cōsider that the principall of these bookes were set forth by Parsons other Iesuits who Quodlibet c. are plainly discouered euen by some of their owne side to be mere Machiuilians and wicked Atheists 5. Thus you see what maner of aduersary Antichrist is Now wee must shewe in particular wherein he is opposed to Iesus Christ. He is opposed vnto him as he is Christ and as he is Iesus as hee is Christ that is as he was annointed of God to be our Prophet our King and our Priest in which respect especially he is called Antichrist He is also opposed vnto him as he is Iesus that is to say as he is our Sauiour So that Antichrist opposeth himselfe both to the offices of Christ signified in the name Christ and also to the benefites signified in the name Iesus Now these things also most fitly agree to the Pope who opposeth himselfe to Christ in all these respectes not indeede aperto Marte as an open and professed enemy for so it becōmeth not Antichrist who was to be an hypocrit sitting in the Church of God c. but couertly and cunningly For we must remember that Antichristianisme is the mystery of iniquity wherin Christ was in word shew to be professed but indeed truth denied First thē to Christ our Prophet he is opposed partly as he oppugneth the prophecy of Christ and partly as himselfe is a false Prophet He oppugneth the prophecy of Christ First in denying Christ to be our onely Prophet whose voice in the canonicall Scriptures concerning matters necessarily to be beleeued vnto saluation wee ought onely to heare whiles he and his followers do teach that the scriptures are not perfect and that besides the Apocryphall writings which they haue matched with the canonical their owne traditions also are necessary and of equall authority with the scriptures Secondly by withholding from the people the scriptures which containe the whole doctrine of Christ our prophet in a strange language and also by reading and preaching vnto them their owne fancies and inuentions out of the legends and liues of saints and festiualls c. in steede of the sincere truth of God And by these two practises the Pope whiles he leaueth to Christ the name and title of beeing our prophet he taketh the thing to himselfe Againe he is opposed to Christ our prophet as himselfe is the false prophet spoken of in the Apocalypse teaching Antichristian errours and doctrines of diuells For so many errors as are taught and held by the Pope and church of Rome are so many oppositions betwixt him and Christ our prophet Of the errours of the Romish church there be many centuryes or hundreds and diuerse of them fundamentall In respect whereof wee may truly say that the catholike Apostasie for so I call the Romish religion is the common sewre of many grosse heresyes 6 But it will be said that howsoeuer the Pope holdeth diuerse errours yet he teacheth not those which the holy ghost hath noted as the peculiar doctrines of Antichrist Whereof the authour of the Wardword reckoneth vp three and Bellar-mine hath a fourth But neither of them durst mention those two doctrines of diuells which Paul assigneth to that Apostasie 1. Tim. 4. 3. whereof Antichrist is the head The first doctrine of Antichrist say they is to deny Iesus to be Christ. Which they Of this see more in the 2. booke and 14. chapter would proue out of 1. Iohn 2. 22. 4. 3. and 2. Iohn 7. But the Pope say they doth not deny Iesus to be Christ. To the prosyllogisme or proofe of the proposition I answere that these places of the Apostle Iohn doe not speake properly of the graund Antichrist who is the head of the Antichristian body but of certaine petite Antichrists or heretickes of those times which denied either of the natures of Christ for he speaketh of such as were then already come into the world and therefore from thence it cannot be proued that the great Antichrist shall
directly and expresly deny Iesus to be Christ. Notwithstanding seeing they are called Antichrists not onely because they belong to the Antichristian body as inferiour members thereof but also as it may be thought because they did after a sort deny Christ as the great Antichrist also should doe although not after the same manner I doe therefore thus farre graunt the proposition it selfe that Antichrist was in some sort to denie Christ. For Iohn speaketh not of the manner how he doth denie Christ. Neither are we to thinke that Antichrist will denie him after euerie manner but in such sort as shall be most consonant to the whole mysterie of iniquitie and suteable to the rest of his lying and deceipt That is to say in outward 2. Thess. 2. shewe and semblance to professe Christ as those Antichrists did of whom Iohn speaketh but in deed and in truth to denie him To come therfore to the assumption let vs consider whether the Pope and church of Rome doe not in some sort denie Christ Christ may be denyed either in deeds or words Quisquis autem factis negat Christum is Antichrist us est And whosoeuer in deedes saith Augustine denieth Christ he is Antichrist Let vs therefore marke saith he who it is that denieth Tract 3. in Epist. Ioan. let vs not attend to his tongue but to his works I regard not what he speaketh but how he liueth Works do speake and do we require words He is the more lying Antichrist who with his mouth prosesseth Iesus to be Christ and by deeds denyeth him According to the Lawyers rule it is more to testifie a matter by deedes then by words And Tullie saith that where the things themselues Contra Salust beare witnesse words are needlesse And as Antichrist was thus to deny Christ both as he is the man of sin and an aduersary oppugning Christ and his church So doth the Pope howsoeuer in word he professeth Christ. For euen the diuells themselues haue in word confessed Christ whom notwithstanding by their deeds they deny If therefore the Pope be a man of sin which we shall proue anone and an aduersary opposed vnto Christ which now we haue in hand to proue then it cannot be denyed but that indeed he denieth Christ. 7 Secondly Christ may be de denyed in word doctrine and that either indirectly and by consequent or else directlie expresly He that denieth Christ by consequent howsoeuer openly he doth confesse him doth indeede deny him as those which deny either of his natures or any of his offices For such is the necessary coherence of truth within it selfe as nothing can by necessarie consequence be deducted from it which is not also true And therefore it is impossible that the consequent should be false the antecedent being true Whereupon it followeth that whosoeuer denieth the consequent doth indeed deny the antecedent Iesus is Immanuel and consequently God and Man He is Christ and consequently annointed of God to be our King our priest our prophet He therefore that denieth any of these denieth Iesus to be Christ. And further is Christ truly God then is he also Iehouah one that is of from himself namely as he is God theÌ„ is he also the Lord creator of al things gouerning all things with his presence and prouidence Is he truly man then hath he a true body consisting of three dimensions length bredth thicknes circuÌ„scribed visible conâ—…ined in one place at once as being but one body not discontinued Is he the true Messias Mediator betwixt God man then is he the only mediator for there is but one Wherefore 1. Tim. 2. 5. Act. 4. 12. whosoeuer saith that Christ is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himself he denieth him to be God or preferreth any creature before him either in heauen or in earth he denieth him to be the Lord and maker of al or assigneth a vicar vnto him to supply his absence on earth denieth his omnipreseÌ„ce Again whosoeuer saith that Christ his body doth not consist of 3. dimensioÌ„s that it is not circuÌ„scribed that it is not visible that it is not coÌ„tained in one place as al other bodies yea as al other finite natures are he denieth Iesus to be truly man consequently denieth him to be Christ. Lastly whosoeuer adioyne other mediators vnto Christ and in some respects preser others aboue him deny him to be the only mediator therfore deny him to be the true mediator for there is but one consequeÌ„tly deny Iesus to be christ And thus as the Antichrists wherof Iohn speaketh according 1. Iohn 2. 22. Lib. 3. de pont Rc. ap 14. to Bellarmin his own expositioÌ„ did as the graund Antichrist according to our coÌ„fessioÌ„ doth deny Christ not only in deed but also in word and doctrine although not openly and expressely yet indirectly and by consequent So doth the Pope and church of Rome deny Iesus to be Christ. For what a God and Lord what a creatour and gouernor of all things the Pope and Papists make our Sauiour Christ you may easily conceiue First when they deâ—…y him to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himselfe and consequently Iehouah For whosoeuer is Iehouah he is of and from himselfe True indeed it is that Christ is filius a patre sed Deus a se quate nus est Deus that is sonne of and from his father but God of and from himselfe namely as he is God And if he were not of and from himselfe he were not God And although in the concrete we may and must say with the councel of Nice that Christ is God of God that is Christ who is God is from the father who is God the word God beeing taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 personallio because the person of the sonne who is Deus genitus God begotten is from the person of the father who is Deus gignens God begetting yet it is not likewise true in the abstract For howsoeuer the Godhead is communicated from the father to the sonne by eternall generation and from the father and the sonne to the holy ghost by eternall procession yet the deity of the sonne and so of the holy ghost beeing the selfe same infinite eternall and indiuisible essence of the father is from and of and by and for it selfe And who knoweth not that such is the simplicity of the diuine nature as that God is the godhead and the godhead is God and consequentlie that Christ as he is God is the Godhead which is of and from it selfe And therefore to conclude Christ is God of God in respect of his person and he is also God of himselfe in respect of his essence which is of it selfe he is God of God the name God being vsed personally and relatiuely for hee is God the sonne of God the father and God begotten of God begetting and he is God of himselfe the name God beeing taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
principle among them that it is lawfull for him to depose Emperours and Kings and to absolue their sworne subiects from fidelity and allegiance towards them And thus you see how the Pope opposeth himselfe to the prophecy priesthood and kingdome of Christ. Whereunto I might adde how he is opposed to these offices of Christ not onely in these respects allreadie mentioned but as an aemulus as an antiprophet an antipriest and a counter king seeking in his Antichristian pride to match our Sauiour Christ in all those offices but hereof I shall haue occasion to speake in the next chapter Now to the benefites of Christ he is opposite as he is an enemy to the grace of god as hee taketh away Christian liberty and taketh vpon him to make new lawes to binde the conscience as he abridgeth the merites of Christ and ascribeth the merite of saluation not onelie to our owne works prescribed of God but also to such as haue beene in superstition will worship and idolatrie deuised by themselues as he teacheth men to seek saluation elsewhere then in Christ. All which oppositions of the Pope to Christ whosoeuer shall duely consider hee will not seeke further for Antichrist Chap. 5. Of the pride and ambition of Antichrist aduancing himselfe aboue all that is called God c. 1. BVt Antichrist is not onely hostis an enemy to Christ but also as our aduersaries confesse aemulus Christi that is such an aduersarie as is opposed vnto Christ in aemulation of like honour as the word Antichrist doth also signifie It remaineth therefore that wee should speake of the pride and ambition of Antichristâ—… whereby hee seeking to match Christ our Sauiour aduaunceth himselfe as the Apostle speaketh Aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped insomuch that hee sitteth in the temple 2. Thess. 2. 4. of God as God shewing himselfe that hee is God or as the Papists themselues reade as though hee were God Where for auoiding of errour we are to vnderstand the pride of Antichrist Vulgat edit â—…em to be described such as is incident to a wretched man a man of sin a sonne of perdition And the greatest pride that is incident not onely to any man but to any creature be it the diuell himselfe whose Satanicall pride Antichrist was to imitate and not to exceed is this to seeke to be as God When as Es. 14. therefore it is said that Antichrist aduanceth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped it is not meant that hee shall seeke to aduaunce himselfe aboue God or the deitie it selfe For God being infinite in goodnesse excellencie and power there cannot bee conceiued a better a superiour a greater And therefore wee cannot imagine how Antichrist should aduance himselfe aboue God And it is euident that the height of Antichrists pride heere spoken of is noted in these words Insomuch as he shall sitte in the temple of God as God By all therfore that is called God we are to vnderstand all those to whom the name of God is coÌ„municated not essence for that cannot be communicated to any that is not god Now the name of God is communicated to Angells in heauen Psal. 8. 5. cum Heb. 2. 7. Psal. 97. 7. cum Heb. 1. 6. and to princes and magistrates on earth Exod. 22. 28. Psal. 82. 1. 6. And wheras it is said that hee shall aduance himselfe aboue all that is worshipped wee are to vnderstand by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not God himselfe but any thing that is worshipped as God or wherein God is worshipped So Wisd. 15. 17. images and Act. 17. 23 altars among the heathen are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such in the church of Rome are Saints images the crosse and reliques of Saints the eucharist c. The meaning then of the Apostle is this that Antichrist being a wicked and wretched man shall aduance himselfe aboue all that is called God as Angells and Kings or that which is worshipped as Saints and images and altars the crosse and eucharist it selfe insomuch that he shall sit in the temple of God as God that is hee shall rule raigne in the church of God challenging a soueraigne vniuersall and diuine authority ouer al those that professe the name of Christ as if he were a God vpon earth shewing himselfe whether by words or by deeds that he is god or which is all one behauing himselfe tanquam sit Deus As though he were God The like things were foretold of Antiochus Epiphanes who is thought to haue bene a type of Antichrist Dan. 11. 36. But to come to the application of this prophecie if Antiochus were comparable to the Pope in aduauncing himself aboue all that is called God or if I shal not proue out of their owne I meane popish writings that he hath lifted vp himselfe in such maner as is scarcely credible to be incident vnto a mortall maÌ„ then let not the Pope be deemed Antichrist but rather looke for some other who shall goe beyond him in Antichristian insolency and Satanicall pride 2. From this place therfore of th'apostle I argue thus Whosoeuer aduaunceth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped insomuch that he sitteth in the temple of God as God taking vpon him as though he were a God he according to the testimony of th'apostle is antichrist that is Aemulus Christi such an enimy as in a kinde of emulation seeketh to match Christ and to be equall to him But the Pope of Rome as shal be proued aduaunceth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped insomuch that hee sitteth in the temple of God as God taking vpon him as though he were a God vpon earth therefore according to this testimony of th'apostle the Pope is Antichrist And first that the Pope aduaunceth himselfe aboue all that is called God it is plaine because he lifteth vp himself not onely ouer Kings and Emperours on earth but also aboue the Angels in heauen Of his lifting vp himselfe aboue Kings Emperours is the testimony before alledged 2. Thess. 2. 4. Papa superioritatem habet in imperium Clemeatin Pastoralis de re Iudic. especially to bee vnderstood For he speaketh of such an aduancement whereby Antichrist should be reuealed as was to be hindered for a time by the Romane Empire Let vs then consider how he aduaunceth himselfe aboue Kings and Emperours who are called Gods The Pope if you will beleeue him his followers is the 1 Paulus 4. ad ducem Floret in bulla Rod. Cupers meritò rex reguÌ„ dominus dominantium censetur Papa reque ipsa existit pag. 43. num 39. c. solitas extr de maior obed c. per venerabileÌ„ opt qui filij sunt legitimi Antonius de Rosellis King of Kings and Lord of Lordes by 2 Lib. Carem whom Princes raigne and from 3 Clem. 5. in coÌ„cil vienn whom the
right of Kings dependeth For you must know that as they full solemnely dispute the 4 R. Cupers pag. 251. nuÌ„ 62. Empire or temporall rule as well as the priesthood or ecclesiasticall dominioÌ„ is translated vnto the successours of Peter that the 5 Idem pag. 52. num 28. p. 1. 251. n. 63. 64. right of rule direct dominioÌ„ of the Empire and kingdoms belongeth to the Pope howbeit he coÌ„mitteth the exercise therof to Emperours Kings that 6 Idem pag. 28 num 7. Emperours Kings all Princes receiue their right of gouerning their kingdoms from the Pope that by him they are confirmed by him deposed that to him Emperors Kings as being but his vassals are bound to sweare 7 c. tibi domino dist 63. c. 1. de iuretur allegiaunce and sidelity that hee so farre surpasseth the 8 c. solitae de maior obed Emperour as the Sunne excelleth the Moone that is according to their Astronomy 9 Gâ—…oss ibid. Staâ—…st Orichovius quantum Deus praestat sacerdoti tantuÌ„ sacerdos praestat regi qui regé anteponit sacerdoti is anteponit creaturaÌ„ creatori Apud Iuellum seuen and fiftie times or rather as the creatour is superiour to the creature Therefore Kings and Emperours 10 Li. â—…erem 1. sect 5. cap. 3. lib. 3. sect 1. cap. 3. when they come into the presence of his holinesse must after obeysance done in three seuerall distances fall downe before him and kisse his foote euen as Mantuan saith of him Ense potens gemino cuius vestigia adorant Caesar aurato vestitimurice reges And if they be in preseÌ„ce when he taketh 11 Lib. 1. câ—…ereÌ„ sect 2. c. 3. horse the Emperor or chiefest Prince that is present must hold his right stirrop when he is mouÌ„ted must hold the bridle play the lackey for a certaine space likewise wheÌ„ he lighteth off must hold the right stirrop which if he happen to mistake as being not vsed to seruice he must looke for a check as we read 12 Helmoldus Chron. Slauor l. 1. c. 81. Bal de vit pont of Hadrian the 4. who bitterly checked Frederick the Emperor for holding the stirrop on the wrong side Or if it be his pleasure to be caried alost on mens shoulders 13 lib. caerem. 1. sect 2. 5. de processione pontifiâ—…s Caesaris per vrbem Lib. 1. c. 8. caerem the Emperour kings princes that are present must put vnder their shoulder helpe to cary his holinesse for a space and whiles he is on foote the Emperour or chiefest Prince must beare vp his traine If the Emperour be at the Popes 14 Lâ—…b caerem. 1. sect 3. Antonin sinn part 3. â—…it 22. cap. 5. §. 13. E. venerabilem de elect feast his duetie is before dinner to hold the Pope water to washe his hands and to bring in the first messe For in deed Imperator est minister Papae The Emperour is the Popes minister 3. These are but matters of ceremony But as he vaunteth that all the right of kings dependeth on him so he challengeth authority and power to translate kingdoms to create depose Kings to translate the Empire from nation to nation and to giue the same to whom it pleaseth him The Emperour saith 1 Hadrian apud Auentâ—…n lib. 6. he is Emperour by vs. Whence hath hee the Empire but from vs Behold the Empire is in our power to giue it to whom wee well And accordingly he hath 2 Bellarm. de pont Rom. lib. 3. cap. 16. deposed diuerse Kings and Emperours and created others as I shall not need to prooue for both they and their followers boast thereof And if you desire some other examples of their insolent and Antichristian behauiour towardes Emperours and Kinges did not Gregory the seuenth make Henry the Emperour who came in all humilitie to submitte himselfe vnto him with his wife and childe daunce attendaunce at his gate bare-foote and bare-head by the space of three daies before he would graunt them any accesse vnto him When as the Emperour Fredericke Naucler generat 40. Barbarossa was excommunicated by the Pope and his sonne taken prysoner in Venice hee came to the Pope Alexander the third into the Churche of Saint Marke there to the ende that hee might bee absolued and his sonne restored Where before all the people the Pope hauing commaunded the Emperour to prostrate himselfe vpon the grounde and so to aske pardon he setteth his foote in the necke of the Emperour saying it is written Super aspidem basiliscum ambulabis conculcabis Leonem Draconem Thou shalt walke vpon the Aspe and Cockatrice and shalt tread vpon the Lion and the Dragon Which indignity when the Emperour being not well able to brooke made answere Not to thee but to Peter the holy father treading on the Emperours necke replied Et mihi Petro Both to mee and to Peter And when as Henry the sixt came to bee crowned Emperour and to that ende kneeled before Celestin the third sitting in his pontisicall chaire did not hee after hee had sette the imperiall Diademe on his head and as some say with his feete kicke it of with his foote againe What should I tell you of Innocent the second how hee caused his owne with the Emperours picture to bee set vp in the Palace of Laterane himselfe sitting in his pontificall throne and the Emperour kneeling before him and holding vp his hands as vnto God with these verses subscribed Rexvenit ante sores iurans prids vrbis honores Pòst homo sit Papae sumit quo dante coronam That is The King of the Romanes commeth before the gates swearing first to the honours priuileges of the citie afterward he becommeth the Popes man of whose gift he receiueth the imperiallcrowne 4. And thus hath the Pope lifted vp himself aboue al that is called God vpoÌ„ earth that is to say Kings Emperours let vs now coÌ„sider whether he exalteth himself aboue those which are called Gods in heauen that is to say the Angels First in generall it is auouched by himselfe his approued writers that the power of the Pope is greater then all other created power a Antonin sâ—…m pact 3. lit 22. c. 5. Potestas Papaemaior est omni alia potestate creata b Concil LateraneÌ„s sub Leo. 10. sess 10. That vnto him is giuen all power aboue all powers as wel of heauen as of the earth Qui totum dicit nihil excludit Hee that saith all excludeth nothing c Innocent Papa extr de constit R. Cupers pag. 28. num 5. that to the vicar of the creatour that is the Pope euery creature is subiect and more particularly that he hath d Felinus apud IuelluÌ„ viâ—…riatum Christi Christes vicarship not onley about things in heaueÌ„ in earth in hel but also aboue the Angels both good
bad e Nicolaus EgmuÌ„danus apud Bal. de vit poÌ„l. Pontificem RomanuÌ„ habere imperium in angelos ac daemonas That the Pope hath rule ouer the Angels and Diuels That he hath power to command the Angels for so they say f Gregor Haimburg in appellat Sigism apud Iuell Papa Angelis habet imperare g Camotensis Papa angelis praecipit And according to these testimonies which auouch his right is the Popes practise For not onely he callengeth greater honour reuerence to be done to himselfe then is due to the angels for he admitteth of adorations fallings downe before him which the angels refuse because they are our fellow seruants but also he taketh vpon him to coÌ„maund the holy Angels at his pleasure to remoue soules departed out of purgatory into heauen Clement the 6. in his bull concerning those which should come to Rome to celebrate the Iubile he coÌ„maundeth the Angels of heauen that if any of theÌ„ should die in that lourney to bring their soules being wholy freed from Purgatory into the glory of Paradise His words be these Prorsus mandamus angelis paradisi quatenus animam à purgatorio penitus absolutam in paradisi gloriam introducant 5. It remaineth that I should shew how the Pope aduanceth himselfe aboue the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the thinges wherein God is worshipped or which are worshipped as God in the church of Rome as namely the Saints the crosse the altar and their God of bread As for the saints they are subiect to the Antonin part 3. lit 22. cap. 5. §. 5. Pope quoad canonizationem standing at the curtesie and free disposition of the Pope whether to bee deified that is as they speake to bee canonized or to be deposed For such is his authority Troilus Maluil in tract de canonis sanct 3. dub if you will beleeue him in canonizing of Saints that hee can canonize whom he will yea of a damned person cast into hell he can make a saint in heauen and contrariwise hee Antoninus part 3. lit 22 c 5. §. 6. can vnsaint those which before wore canonized The crosse which they say is to bee worshipped with diuine worshippe is notwithstanding made an ensigne of the Popes authoritie Traianum Gregorius per orationem sud a poena infâ—…rni quae infinita est absoluit and is borne before him as the mace before the magistrate or the sword before the prince when their procession is at an end it is laid vnder his feet And that he may be knowne euen literally so to sitte in the material temple as if he were a God it is to be noated that his seat in the church is aboue the altar But their chiefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is their God of bread which because they imagine it to be Christ himselfe it is worshipped among them as their maker and redeemer notwithstanding in the Popes processions and iourneyes it is made an attendaunt on his holinesse For I shall not neede to tell you now which you heard before how Pope Hildebrand when it did not answere his demands as being not vsed to speake did cast it into the fire It is worthy to bee remembred which is reported by Ioannes Monlucius the Bishop of Valence who was the french Lib de religione ad Reginam matrâ—… Fulmen brut pag. 12. 13. kings Embassadour at Rome testified by others that when the Pope is to trauell abroad three or foure dayes before hee sendeth the Eucharist that is Christ their maker on horseback accompanied with muletors and horsekeepers and courtisants and cookes with sumpterhorses and all the baggage of his court Afterwards the Pope who professeth himselfe his vicar followeth attended with Cardinalls Primates Bishops and Potentates And when he commeth neere to the place whether he trauelleth their Christ is brought to meete him on the way that it may be caried before him into the towne But with what difference of honour is hee and his attendant caried in such solemne processions The Pope either rideth on a goodly white horse vnder a stately canopie or else is caried aloft vpon noble mens shoulders in a chaire of golde when the Christ of the Papists the Popes attendaunt is caried vpon a simple hackney in comparison with no such magnificence yet that hackney is the Popes vicar appointed in his steed to Stapleton in epist. ded cat ante pâ—…incip doâ—…in caâ—…ie the Monstrame In a word he is supremuÌ„ numen in terris the chiefe or supreme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to be worshipped on earth 6 But let vs come to the height of Antichrists pride For it is not sufficient for the Pope to be lifted vp aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped vnlesse he take vpon him as if he were God and seeke to match himselfe with Christ as the name Antichrist importeth that vnto him the height of Antichrists a In c. ecclesia vt lite peâ—…dente in Concil Lateran sub Iuâ—…o Bald. in l. barbar de off praet pride may also be applied which is described in these words insomuch that hee sit teth in the temple of God as God behauing himselfe as if he were god or which is all one shewing himselfe that he is god For of his followers and flatterers hee is said to be all and aboue all the cause of causes and the first b Gomesius de regul cancell cause Bald. in c. ecclesia vt lite pendente that hee is numen quoddam visibilem quendam Deum praese serens a certaine diuine maiesty shewing himself to be a certaine visible God Agreeable to the prophecy 2. Thess. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is as Beza translateth praese ferens hebr moreh i. facrens se apparere of some he is called c Decius c. 1. de constitutionib Caâ—…dill pro concil trident Bald. Cod. sentent rescindendi 1. vit de electione Felin c. ego N de iureius terrenus Deus or Deus in terris a God vpon earth In the councel of Laterane it was said to him he heard it willingly d Christoph. Marcellan conâ—…l Lateran sess 4. In arca triumph Impress Lugâ—…uni 〈◊〉 1555 Tu es alter Deus in terris thou art another God vpon earth in honour of that hellhound Sixtus the 4. it was written and presented to his view that he is worthilie beleeued to be a God vpon earth Orac'lo vocis mundi moderaris habenas Et meritò in terris crederis esse Deus By the oracle of thy voice thou gouernest the world and worthily art thou beleeued to be a god vpon earth The Canonists call him Our Lord God the Pope For so it is written not onely in diuerse old editions but also in that newe edition which by the authority of Pope Gregory 13. was corrected and published Credere dominum Deum nostrum Papam conditorem dictae
45. 46. Bellarm. de concil l. 2. c. 17. de pot Rom. lib. 2. c. 31. Ioan. de turrecre sum de eccl lib. 2. c. 27. cap. 80. R. Cupers pag. 34. num 1. Bonifac. 8. c. quoniaÌ„ de immunit in 6. Panormit For it is not sit that the Pope should reseÌ„ble Christ who now is glorified in heauen as he was conteÌ„ned but as the Pastor of the whole world supernal heaueÌ„ly as he shall come to be our iudge to whom it is certain that all men of necessity must obey For it is euident that the worke of redeÌ„ption being accoÌ„plished the power of Christ was extended as well in heauen as in earth Mat. 28. All power is giueÌ„ vnto me in heaueÌ„ in earth Which power is translated vnto his Vicar c. In respect of his office therfore he is the foundation the head the husband the Lord of the vniuersal church in vnction Christ is therfore to be called a R. Cupers de eccl Christus Domini the Lords Christ. Now if it be obiected that Christ alone is the head b Eph. t. 21. 22. 4. 15. 5. 23. Col. 1. 28. of the Catholike Church and so of the c Eph. 5. 24. Ioan. 3. 29. 2. Cor. 11. 2. 1. Cor. 3. 11. 12. rest answere is made that d R. Cupers de eccl pag. 128. num 36. Christ and the Pope in the Church are vnuÌ„ idem caput one and the same head and doe make one and the same consistorie e Idem pag. 30. num 8. for it were a monstrous thing that the Church should haue two heads And to the same purpose saith a f 1. de turrecreâ—…at summ de eccle lib. 2. c. 26. Cardinall of Rome The iudgement of the Pope is reputed the iudgement of God and his sentence and his consistory the consistory of God and therefore Christ and the Pope are not properly two heads but one as Boniface the eight declareth In extrav c. vnam sanctam But to speake more particularly of his offices For prophecie hee is the vniuersall or oecumenicall Bishop and Pastor of Pastors Orat. Cornelij episcopâ—… 〈◊〉 in concil â—…rident sub Pau. lo 3. the Ordinary or Bishop of the whole world Who is oom a light into the world but men haue loued darkenesse more then light who hath the supreme authority of interpreting the scriptures who is the supreame iudge in controuersies of religion hauing De translat epise c. quanto in gloss an heauenly arbitrement and as it were a diuine and infallible iudgement who is aboue 1 Decret Greg. l. 1. de elect 〈◊〉 oâ—… c. significaâ—… Concil Florent Tâ—…dent generall councels for 2 R. Cupers de â—…ccl pag. 31. num 23. Pigâ—… lib. 6. c. 13. although in a generall councell the vniuersall Church is represented in Cupers pag. 125 nâ—… 9. so much that nothing is greater then the Councell Tamen Papa eidem omnimoda supereminet authoritate Notwithstanding Capâ—… sol 23. C. de sumâ—… trinit l. 1. in f. the Pope surpasseth the same in all maner authority whose iudgement is to bee preferred before the iudgement of the whole worlde insomuch that if the whole worlde should determine against the Pope wee must stande to his sentence for so they say 4 R. Cupers pag. 11 〈◊〉 18. Papae sententia totius orbis plâ—…to prefertuâ—… And againe 5 1. de turrecrem lib. 3. c. 64. Si totus mundus sentiret or as the 6 In c. nemo 9. q 3. glosse readeth sentenâ—…iaret contra Papam videtur quòd sentenâ—…ae Papae standum esset vt 24. q. 1. haec est fides haec gloss 7 Baldus who is of greater authority then all the Saints and in respect thereof is of 8 1. de turrecrem summ lib. 2 cap. 26. great perfection then the whole body of the Church besides But it is not sufficient for this Antichrist to preferre himselfe aboue the whole Church which is the body of Christ vnlesse also hee sought in respect of the propheticall office to match himselfe with Christ the head of the church yea and in some respects to ouermatch him 9. He seeketh to match himselfe with Christ 1. in taking vpon him to make newe articles of Eaith and to propound doctrines not contayned in the Scriptures as necessarie vnto saluation 2. In making fiue Sacraments more then Christ appointed some whereof hee preferreth aboue baptisme and those two which Christ hath ordained he hath so altered and chaunged as that the one is scarcely the other not at all the same And whereas Christ ordained the Sacrament of his body and blood in two kindes they not withstanding his institution will haue it administred to the people but in one kind For so it is professed in the Councell of Constance that although Christ administred this venerable sacrament â—…ss 13. vnto his Disciples vnder both kinds of bread and wine and although in the primitiue church this sacrament was receiued of the faithfull in both kinds notwithstanding this custome of receiuing the bread only was vpoÌ„ good reason brought in for the auoiding of some dangers and scandales 3. In making their owne deuises decretals traditioÌ„s of equal authority with the word of God Innocentius 3. comanded that the words of the canon Ioan. Bal in eius vita of the Masse should be held equal to the words of the gospell Agatho the Pope decreed that all the constitutions of the See apostolick are to be receiued as authorized by the diuine voice D stinct 19. c. sic omnes Ioan. de turrecrem lib. 2. c. 108. of Peter himselfe And in the same distinction this is the title or argument of one chapter Inter canonic as Scripturas decretales epistolae connumerantur that is Among the Canonicall scriptures the decretall epistles are numbred Which in Dâ—…st 19. c. in canonicâ—… the chapter it selfe is absurdly proued out of Augustine misalledged And as touching traditions whereby are meant De doctr Christi l. 2. c. 8. all points of popery which as themselues confesse are not contained in the written worde the holy Councell of Trent hath ordained that they are to bee receiued and honoured Pari piâ—…tatis affectu ac reuerentia With as great affection of Sess. 4. pietie and reuerence as the written worde of God Which decree when as a certaine Bishop misliked Ceruinus the Popes Iacobus Nachiantes Clodiae follae episcopus Bal. in vita Marcellâ—… secundi legate who afterwardes was Pope called Marcellus 2. caused him to bee expelled out of the Councell And lastly least he should seeme in any thing to be inferiour to Christ our Prophet hee confirmeth his doctrines by miracles as they call them 10. And thus the Pope matcheth himselfe with Christ our Prophet let vs now consider how he aduaunceth himselfe aboue him Which he manifestly doth in preferring his owne and the churches authority aboue
of the church is aboue the gospell 13. To his propheticall office let vs adde his priesthood Amicij epistol dedi ad Gregor 13. For the Pope forsooth is Pontifex Optimus Maximus an epithet which the Heathen giue to their chiefe God Iupiter hee is that great priest according to the order of Melchisedec whose foote must be reuerently kissed of his Cardinals when Lib. carem sect 12. c. 5. hee rideth into any citie in his Pontificalibus and the Bishop of the citie beginning this Antheme Ecce sacerdos Magnus c. fundmenta de elect in 6. Behold the great Priest He is the Prince of Priests and head of the Christian religion He is that Priest of Priestes who remitteth both fault and punishment both to quicke and dead whereas Christ remitteth onely to the liuing and as they say forgiueth the fault but not the punishment neither doth this indulgent father graunt pardon alone for sinnes past but also for offences to come 14. But I hasten to his kingly office For hee forsooth is the 1 Paul 4 ad ducem Florentin in bulla King of Kings and Lorde of Lords the 2 Stenchus Sim. Begnius in orat in concil Lateran sess 6. Lion of the tribe of Iuda to 3 Lib. 1. carem sect 7. Pius 5. in bull ad regem reginaÌ„ matreÌ„ Galliae Antonin in sum part 3. tit 22. ca. 5. §. 1. 5. 6. Psalm 8. Heb. 2. 8. whom all power is giuen in heauen and in earth yea and vnder the earth For as hee hath a triple crowne so hee hath a triple Empire in heauen and in earth and where Christ hath none in purgatory His power is greater then all other created power extending it selfe in some sorte vnto things Coelestiall terrestriall and infernall So that of his power that may be verified which is said in the Psalme of Christ that aptly because he is Christs vicar Thou hast put al things vnder his feete The beastes of the field that is men liuing on the earth the fishes of the sea that is to say the soules in purgatory the foules of heauen that is to say the Angels and the soules of the blessed Another wrote and taught that the Pope Nicol. Egmundanus apud Balâ—…m is the Lorde of things in heauen on the earth and vnder the earth In heauen for as you haue heard he hath power ouer the Angels and Saints and soules departed Papa angelis praecipit Camotensis potestatem habet in mortuos The Pope coÌ„maundeth the Angels and hath power ouer the dead In earth for he is a Epist. ded Amicij ad Gregor 15. praefix Capistr Totius orbis Dominus the Lord of the whole earth hauing b De Maior c. vnam sanctam caelestis terrestris potestatis Monarchiam The Monarchy of the heaueÌ„ly and earthly power c Extra de statu regular pericuâ—… in gloss obtaining the kingdome of the whole world vnto whom forsooth belongeth that prophecie d Lib 1. caerem. sect 7. capistran fol. 57. Dominabitur à mari ad mare à flumine vsque adterminos orbis He shall rule from sea to sea and from the riuer vnto the endes of the world his e Capistran 〈◊〉 2. fol. 24. Antonin part 3. tit 22. §. 8. Alexander disâ—…buted the newe founde world betwixt the kings of Spaine and Portugal Lib. 1. caerem. sect 1. c. 4. Cardin. Episcopus Hostienâ—… power reacheth ouer all the faithfull principally secondarily also ouer the infidels for vnder his feete that is vnder his iurisdiction are put the beasts of the field that is the Paganes oxen that is Iewes and Heretickes and sheepe that is Christians and it extendeth it selfe vnto all the partes of the world not onely knowne but also vnknowne insomuch that the parts of the new found world are at his disposition to distribute and bestow And that the Paganes are subiect to the Pope it appeareth because the Pope ruleth the world in steede of Christ. But Christ hath ful iurisdictioÌ„ ouer euery creature Seing therfore the Pope is Christes vicar no maÌ„ may lawfully withdraw himselfe from his obedience euen as none may lawfully withdraw himselfe from the obedience of God Anton. part 3. tit 22. § 8. The Deacon which inuested the Pope was wont to vse these words I inuest thee into the Papacy Vt praesis vrbi orbi That thou mayst rule both the citie and the world And likewise the Cardinall Bishop that anointeth him vseth this forme of words Egotâ—…inungo in pontificem vrbis orbis Now this Cupers de ecâ—…les pag. 337. Empire or Monarchy which the Pope hath ouer the whole world is twofold for hee hath the two swordes as it is stoutly proued out of the gospell where one of Christs disciples saith Boniface 8. de maior c. â—…am sanctam Ecce duo gladij behold two swordes ciuill and Ecclesiasticall For as Pope Nicolas saith Christ us beato aeternae vitae clauigero terreni simul coelestis imperij iuraâ—…commisit Christ hath Dist. 22. c. 1. omnes giuen to blessed Peter the key bearer of eternall life and so to Ioâ—… de Parisijs de potestat Pap. cap. 20. Ioan. Maior 4. sent q. 2. dist 20. the Pope the right both of the carthly and heauenly Empire Ciuill as hath bene shewed ouer al Kings and rulers in respect whereof hee writeth himselfe King of Kings for all secular power is immediatly giueÌ„ to the Pope and he is aboue kings euen in temporall matters yea hee alone is the true Lorde of temporall things Wherefore Pope Boniface the eight sent vnto Philip the French king and tolde him That he was Lord Martinus Polonus in epist ad eundeÌ„ sâ—…ire te volumus quòd in spiritualibus temporalibus nobis subes Nicol Gillius annaâ—…ium gallic scriptor both in spirituall and also in temporall matters throughout the worlde And therefore that the King should holde his kingdome at his hande and honour and worshippe him Vt dominum regni sui as the Lorde of his Realme Stenchus for otherwise to thinke and holde hee said it was Heresie And as touching the Romane Empire the gouernment thereof belongeth to the Pope being Gods vicar on earth as vnto him by whom kings doe raigne And surely whosoeuer denieth the temporall sworde to be in the power of Peter doth full ill attende to the Caeremon lib. 1. cap. 2. worde of the Lorde saying vnto him Put vp thy sworde into the sheath And did not the Lorde I beseech you as some of the De maior obed cap. vâ—… sanctam Popes fauourits full soleÌ„nely dispute coÌ„mand Peter Luk. 5. 4. to launch into the deepe that he might signifie the height of power Ioan. Capistr de Pap. eccl author 1. 2. sol 21. 122. duc in alâ—… designaret altitudinem potestatis c. s. 15. in Peter And againe
Why did the Lorde sende Peter onely to the Sea to fishe with an angle or hooke but that he would insinuate that he intended to set Peter ouer the whole surging Sea of this tempestuous worlde and why doth he commaunde him to fishe with an iron hooke but that he was disposed to commit vnto him the sworde both of the spirituall and temporall Empire Hereunto wee may adde that worthy dispute of Antoninus Archbishop of Florence part 3. tit 22. cap. 5. § 17 That the Similiae argumenta habet 〈◊〉 de turrâ—… in sum alâ—… Subtiliss Pope being the vicar of Iesus Christ in the whole world hath in stead of the liuing God the vniuersal iurisdictioÌ„ both of spiritual temporal things But the immediat administration of temporal things he receiueth not vnlesse in the regioÌ„s of the Westerne Empire by reason of the graunt made to the church by Constantine Now that he vseth not the temporal administratioÌ„ in other countries but onely in the parts of Italy c. this is not for want of authority but that hee would nourish in his sonnes the bond of peace and vnity For since the Empire was diuided and of diuerse in diuerse partes diuersly and tyrannically vsurped the Church to auoid the scandal of the Iewes hath made her selfe tributarie with Peter c. And as touching those which say the Pope hath dominion ouer the whole world not in temporall matters but in spirituallonely they are like the counsellers of the king of Syria who said 1. King 20. their goddes are goddes of the mouÌ„taines and not of the valleis For so they say the Popes are goddes of the mountaines that is of spiritaull goods but they are not goddes of the valleys because they haue not the dominion of temporall goods And in the same place he addeth That from the sentence of all Kings and Princes men may appeale to the Pope Astouching his ecclesiasticall authority which as some Th. Aquin. in 2. sent in fine Antonin part 3 tit 22. cap. 6. §. 6. say is the foundation of the Church hee is superiour and greater then all the residue of the vniuersall Church and this is proued by seuen arguments 1. Because hee is the Pastor of the vniuersall Church 2. Because hee is the head of the 1. de turrecrem in summ de eccles lib. 2. cap. 80. vniuersall Church 3. Because he is that prelate which hath authority ouer the whole Church 4. Because he is the prince of the vniuersall church 5. Because he hath supreame power in the Church 6. Because he alone hath fulnesse of power in the Church 7. Because he is Christes vicar generall in the whole vniuersall Church For in the Apostolicke See the Lord Dist. II. c. nolite errare hath placed the princehood of the whole Church and therefore worthily is he called Ecclesiae princeps ac rex reguÌ„ torra 1 I. de turrecrem lib. 3. summ cap. 9. The prince of the church king of the kings of the earth yea 2 Amicij epist. dedic ad Gre gor 13. praefix Capistr Princeps optimus maximus 3 Dâ—…st 40. c. si Papa et R. Cis. pers pag. 29. Ioan. Andreas in c. quanto de translat Panorm c licet de elect Of whoÌ„ the saluatioÌ„ of the church vniuersall after God dependeth He is the head the roote the Monarch the fouÌ„taine of ecclesiastical power hauing the same consistory with God iudgemeÌ„t seat with Christ For so they write 5 I. de turrecrem summ lib. 2. cap. 8. R. Cupers pag. 29. n. 16. 42. n. 14. Idem tribunal Christs Papâ—…â—…erris Inter Papam Deum vnum idem fit tribunal vnumque idem consistorlum Hee maketh lawes which bind the conscience and that with guilt of mortall sinne 7 R. Cupers pag. 62. n. 66. de constitut c. licet in sexto R. Cupers pag. 29. n. 1. he is the liuing lawe yea he hath all lawes in the closet of his breast and hee can dispose aboue lawe and retaineth the fulnes of power so as hee needeth no addition 9 I de turrecrem l. 3. c 64. he alone hath the fulnesse of power as beeing the prince of the churches lawes And euen as the first moouer 10 R. Cupers de eccl pag 166 n. 28. gouerneth the church triumphant so doth the Pope rule the church militant For seeing in the church 11 Clement lib. 5. de haereticis c. ad nostrum in gloss triumphant there is one soueraigne prince to whose obedience that whole church is most perfectly subiect that is to say God it followeth necessarilie that one soueraigne prince ruleth ouer the whole militaÌ„t church that is to say the Pope whose coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts all are bound to obey And thus much of the Popes power in heauen and in earth in respect whereof it is saide that the iurisdiction and care of the Antonin sum part 3. tit â—…2 §. 1. whole world is committed to the Pope not onely as by the name of the world is imported the earth but also as by the name of the world is imported heauen because he hath receiued iurisdiction ouer heauen and earth 16 There remaineth the third part of his kingdome which hee hath in purgatorie For as one of their approued authours Angelus Parisiensis saith Purgatorium est peculium Papae Purgatorie is the Pope's peculiar where as also in hell he hath so great authority as that by his indulgences he is able to deliuer thence so many soules Fulm brut ex bulla Clement 6. as it pleaseth him and to place them in heauen and in the seats of the blessed Insomuch as this is become a probleme in the church of Rome whether the Pope may empty all purgatorie wholy and at once and by Antoninus the Archbishoppe of Floence it receiueth this determination vnder a threefold distinction namelie that in respect of his absolute iurisdiction the Antonin part 3. tit 2â—… cap. 5. §. 6. 7. Pope may be communicating his indulgences absolue all that are in purgatory from that paine and so make a gaole deliuery For seeing Gregory the Pope by his prayer absolued Traian from the paine of hell which is infinite therefore much more may the Pope by communication of indulgenoes absolue all that are in purgatorie from that punishment which is but finite And forasmuch as Christ may take away all paine therefore the Pope also who is his vicar may This the Pope may doe in respect of his absolute power But if you regard the orderlie execution thereof in that respect the Pope may not nor ought so to doe Neither in deede is hee pleased to let out any from the paines of purgatorie vnlesse he bee well pleased for his indulgences and pardons Howbeit I must needs confesse it was a cheape yeare of soules when Leo the tenth sent Torelius about with Bal. in vita Leonis 10. 1. Fox his pardons
offering to euerie one for the payment of ten shillings but not a penny vnder to sette at libertie the soule of any one which they should name in purgatory And lastly if you respect Gods acceptation that is whether God would take it well that the Pope should release all that bee in purgatory at once or not Antoninus answereth he cannot tell And to conclude this kingly office of the pope with that venerable acclamation of the reuerend fathers in the councell of Laterane Thou art all and aboue all a Sess. 10. in orat Steph. Patracensis to thee all power is giuen in heauen and in earth And againe a Sess. 10. in orat Steph. Patracensis In the pope is all power aboue all powers in heauen and in earth And thus it appeareth euidently that the Pope is Antichrist not onely because he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an aduersary opposed vnto Christ as was proued in the former chapter but also because he is aemulus and as it were a counterchrist who seeking to match our Sauiour Christ aduanceth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped insomuch that he sitteth in the temple of God as god shewing and demeaning himselfe as though he were a God vpon earth Chap. 6. Of other vices or sinnes of Antichrist 1. NOw are wee to intreate of other vices and sinnes of Antichrist For albeit by the application of the two former noates concerning the opposition of Antichrist vnto Christ and his incredible ambition in aduancing himdelfe aboue all that is called God it plainely appeareth that the Pope of Rome meriteth to be called by that peculiar title of Antichrist the man of sin because those two notes wherein the Apostle insisteth as sufficient 2. Thess. 2. 3. 4. proofes thereof doe most properly agree vnto him notwithstanding many other notorious sinnes of the Popes may be produced for the further euidence of this truth Of which sins some are common to very many of them and some are common to them all For howsoeuer the crimes and enormities of such deepe dissemblers as these Antichristian Popes haue beene were many times either not commonly knowne to the world or beeing knowne were not communicated to posterity the writers of those times being for the most part the seruile flatterers of Antichrist yet notwithstanding many of them were knowne of those which were knowne many are recorded to haue beene guilty of fearefull crimes besides those which either were not knowen or not recorded For to begin with their horrible impiety towards God haue not many of these most holy fathers bewraied themselues to be very Atheists and scorners of religion Such were those which before I Chap. 4. §. 8. named Iohn the 24. Alexander the 6. Sixtus 4. Paulus 3. Clement 7. Iulius 2 3. Leo 10. and besides them Iohn 12. alià s 13. who vsed to blaspheme God at his dice to call vpon the Luitprandus lib. 6. Fascic temp diuell in his feasts to drinke vnto him Many of them also as coÌ„monly those which renouÌ„ce god betake theÌ„selues to the diuell haue bin knowne sorcerers necromancers besides those which were not known It is recorded euen by Popish authors of Syluester the 2. that he did homage to the diuell that by the diuel he was placed in the Papacy to which end he had be Fascic tempo Stella Platina c. taken himselfe both in body solue to the diuell Such a one was Gregory 7. as Cardinal Benno testifieth such also were al the Popes froÌ„ Syluester the 2. to Gregory the 7. But amoÌ„g them Benedict 8. alià s 9. who before his Papacy was called Theophylact is most worthy to be remeÌ„bred For he was wont in woods mountaines to sacrifice to the diuell by magicall art to allure women vnto him he kept a sparrow which brought him newes froÌ„ alcoasts And when he had sold the Papacy to Gregory the 6. for 1500. pound thought by soloery to recouer it againe as he first had gotten it and to that end consulted with the diuell he had his neck wrung in sunder his successor Gregory the sixt beeing a sorcerer as well as he and now as it may seeme in greater fauour with the diuell then hee and to these three which I haue named some twentie more may be added But now I come to speake of their sinnes against the second table 2 For many of them haue beene murtherers and otherwise barbarously cruell As for example Gregory the seauenth who poisoned six Popes to make himselfe a way to the Papacie and sought to murther Henry the Emperour as hee was at his Bal. ex Mario Mat. Paris in Henr. 3. prayers in the church Innocentius the fourth sought to poison Conrade the Emperour Clement 6. caused the Emperour Lewis of Bauaria to be poisoued King Iohn was poisoned by a monk when the Pope had giuen sentence that he should be deposed and so was Henrie of Lucemburgh euen in the eueharist and that as some report by the appointment of the Pope By the Gregory 13. Pope was Parry suborned to murther our gracious Queene Elizabeth so was the Iacobine that murthered Henry the third Sixtus 5. king of Fraunce In the church at Florence a massacre was intended and Iulianus Medices murthered by the appointment Volaterran geograph lib. 5. Politianus de coniâ—…ratione Pactiana of Sixtus the fourth the eleuation of the sacrament beeing made the signe or watchword when this murther should begin Alexander the sixt for 200000. crownes poisoned the great Turks brother who was at Rome he also or as some say his sonne appointed his seruaunts to minister poyson to certaine Cardinalls and Senatours whom he had inuited but the seruitors mistaking the cuppes and giuing him of the same dispatched him together with the rest Paulus the third poisoned his mother and his nephew that to him might descend the Bal. de Rom. Poâ—…t actis whole inheritance of the Farnesian family Hee poisoned his sister whome he vsed as his harlot because shee fancied others more then himselfe and that he might more freely abuse his owne daughter Constantia hee poisoned Bosius Sfortia her husband He poisoned one Bishop and two Cardinalls because they inclined to the gospell I might be long in this argument but these may serue for a tast But if besides these you desire to heare some other examples of their cruelty you may remeÌ„ber how Stephen the 6. caused the body of Formosus the Pope to be taken out of the graue and hauing cut of two of his fingers cast them into the Tiber he buried the body amoÌ„g the Laity which body eight yeares after Sergius the 3. causeth againe to be taken out of the graue and hauing cut of the other 3. fingers he casteth theÌ„ the body it self into the said riuer condemned him and all his actes which other Popes not withstanding as Romanus 1. Theodorus 2. Iohn
2. Thes. 2. 8. for although he should be wasted and consumed before by the spirit of Christs mouth that is the ministery of the word yet he should not be vtterly destroyed vntill the second comming of Christ. From hence therefore we reason thus If Antichrist were in the Apostles time and was to remaine vntill the second comming of Christ then Antichrist is not one singuler man but a succession of men vnlesse they will say that one and the same man may liue vpon the earth from the Apostles time vntill the comming of Christ of which time there be already aboue 1500. yeares expired But Antichrist was in the Apostles times and is to continue vntill the second comming of Christ as the two Apostles Paul and Iohn do plainely testifie therefore Antichrist is not one singuler man 10. Of this syllogisme Bellarmine cannot deny either the proposition or the assumption Onely he distinguisheth of the former part of the assumption viz. That Antichrist in the Apostles time was come indeede but not in his owne person but onely in his forerunners And this he would prooue first by a similitude which he might haue knowne from Plato to be a most slippery argument As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ came in the beginning of the world not in his owne person but in his forerunners the Patriarches and Prophets so Antichrist came in the Apostles time not in his owne person but in his forerunners the heretickes persecutors of the church In which similitude there is no proportiō vnlesse that which is in question betaken for granted namely that Antichrist is but one particular person as Christ is For if Antichrist be a succession of heretiques then might he be said to come in the first of the ranke although the chiefe of that order which principally is called Antichrist was not yet come And secondly the protasis or propositiō of this similitude is vntrue For although Christ might be said to be come from the beginning in respect both of the truth of the promise and also of the efficacy of his merits which is extended to all the faithfull from the beginning yet we neuer reade neither can it truely be said that he came in the Patriarches and Prophets especially seeing the holy Ghost maketh a kinde of opposition betwixt Heb. 1. 1. Mat. 21. 37 Gal. 4. 4. Gods sending of them and the comming of Christ who was not sent before the fulnesse of time came Neither are the Prophets or Patriarches any where called the forerunners of Christ For forerunners goe a little before as Iohn Baptist did who therefore is worthily called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the forerunner If any man obiect that as Christ 1. Pet. 3. 19 spake in the Prophets so Antichrist in the heretiques I answer that this latter is true not of Antichrist but of the diuell who is a lying spirit in the mouthes of all false Prophets Thirdly the reddition is contradictory to that which the Apostle Iohn deliuereth For he saith plainely that the Antichrist with the article prefiexed and that Antichrist whom they heard was to come was already entred into the world 1. Iohn 4. 3. 2. Iohn 7. and thence prooueth that therefore it is the last houre because Antichrist was to come in the last houre 1. Iohn 2. 18. So that in this similitude nothing is sound no proportion in the whole no truth in the parts 11. Wherefore by a new supply of arguments he laboureth to make good this exposition And as touching the place in Paul he argueth first from the authority of the fathers interpreters wherof some vnderstand by the mystery of iniquitie the persecution vnder Nero others the heretiques of those times which secretly seduced many The former had no reason to call the open persecution of Nero a mysterie who also although he were an enimy yet belonged not to the body of Antichrist who is a disguised enimy and a pretended Christian. The latter exposition we doe embrace For we holde Antichrist to be the whole body of heretiques in the last age of the world who vnder the name and profession of Christ aduance themselues against Christ first secretly as in the Apostles times afterwardes more openly when that which hindred was taken out of the way Of this body as euery member seuerally and all ioyntly is Antichrist and therefore Iohn calleth the heretiques of his time Antichrists and of them all saith that they are the Antichrist so especially the head of this body which we haue prooued to be the Papacy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called Antichrist Wherefore although Antichrist was after a sort come and the mysterie of iniquity wrought in the Apostles time yet Antichrist was not reuealed vntill the head of this body appeared that is vntill the Pope became Antichrist who since the yeare of the Lord 606. hath shewed himselfe in his colours first by vsurping supreame authority ouer the vniuersall Church afterwards by claiming soueraignty ouer kings and Emperors as we haue heretofore shewed Seeing therfore the heretiques of whom the fathers speake did belong to the body of Antichrist it cannot be denied but that Antichrist when they were in the world was come in some of his members and had as it were set his foote into the Church 12. Secondly from our owne confession he would seeme to driue vs to great absurdity For saith he if Antichrist were come in the Apostles times and if Antichrist hath his seat in Rome then it will follow that Peter Paul were the true Antichrists Nero or Simon Magus the true Christ. For there were no other Bishops of Rome then but Peter and Paul with whom Nero and Simon Magus contended I answere that it cannot be prooued out of the Scripture or by any sound argument that Peter and Paul were Bishops of Rome and although they were it would not follow vpon our assertion that therefore they were Antichrists and much lesse that Nero or Simon Magus was Christ. For when we say that Antichrist was come in the Apostles time we speake of the body of Antichrist with S. Iohn Whō we say that Antichrist hath his seate in Rome we speake of the head of this body who especially is called Antichrist whom we do with Paul acknowledge not to haue beene reuealed vntill that which hindered was taken out of the way that is vntill the Romane Empire in the West was dissolued but afterwards by degrees he was aduanced in the Papacie aboue all that is called God sitting in the temple of God as if he were God that is ruling and raigning in the Church as if he were a God vpon earth And surely if the head of the Antichristian body was to be reuealed not long after the dissolution of the Romane Empire in the West and was about the same time with the rulers of the Prouinces to attaine vnto his kingdome as hath bin shewed and lastly if he shall continue in the world after he is reuealed vntill
now to answer those which before were not touched That Rome is the seat of Antichrist we proue because it is mysticall Babylon scituated on seuen hilles hauing dominion ouer the Kings of the earth c. Bellarmine among other answers before refuted saith that by mysticall Babylon we are to vnderstand Rome Heathenish not Rome christned because S. Iohn speaketh of that Rome which had dominion ouer the kings of the earth and which is said to bee drunke with the bloud of the Saintes and Martyrs of Iesu. I aunswere that although these notes agreed not to Popish Rome yet we might vnderstand the Apostle thus that that citie which then had dominion ouer the Kings of the earth then persecuted the Saints is called Babylon because it was to be the seate or See of Antichrist But now these notes agree also to Popish Rome both in respect of dominion vsurped more insolently ouer the Kings of the earth by the Pope then by any Emperour and in regarde of most cruell persecution of the Saintes of Christ as before hath beene shewed 9 Againe whereas we proue that Antichrist shall sit in the church of God because the Apostle saith he shall sit in the Temple of God and withall affirme that this cannot be vnderstood of the Temple of Ierusalem which now is vtterly destroied is no more to be reedified as Daniel testifieth chap. 9. verse 27. hee answereth that Daniel would say something that he doth not say eyther that the Temple should not be reedified vntil a little before the ende of the world But Daniel doth not say vntill a litle before the end but as their owne translation readeth Vsque ad consummationem finem perseuerabit desolatio the desolation shall continue vntill the consummation and ende or as Ierome saith Vsque ad finem mundi vnto the ende of the world or as other Vsque ad consummationem eamque praecisam As it is said of Michel 2. Sam. 6. 23. that she had no childe vntill the day of her death And of Ioseph that he knew not Mary vntill shee had brought forth her first begotten sonne Math. l. 24. of Christ that he will be with the faithfull vntill the ende of the worlde Mat. 28. 20. Not that Michel at her death or a little before had children not that Ioseph euer knew Mary nor that Christ will euer forsake the faithful So that this word vntil in the scriptures signifieth rather perpetuitie then cessation before the time which seemeth therby to be limited Whereas therfore Daniel saith that the temple should lie desolate vntil the end consummatiō of the world it is as much as if he had said that it should neuer be reedified Or if that were not Daniels meaning thē he must say that although the temple should be built againe yet as it was desolate before it be built so afterward the abhominatiō of desolation that is Antichrist or his Image should remain in it to the end Yea but the Primitiue Church beleeued that the temple should neuer be built againe and held this assertion of the Papists as a Iewish fable And as touching the abhomination of desolation it hath bene shewed that our Sauiour Christ by a metonymie vnderstandeth Luk. 21. 20. and Mat. 24. 15. thereby the armies of the Romanes who in respect of their paganisme were abhominable and in regard of their effect desolations such as brought vpon Ierusalem the finall destruction and desolation Daniel saith per alam detestationum desolantem by a synecdoche for per legiones c. as Esay 8. 8. Or lastly this must be Daniels meaning that the temple shall neuer perfectly be reedified but that the reedifying is to be begunne and that in the temple so begunne Antichrist shall sit Thus shamefully the wilfull patrones of errour sticke not to drawe the scripture to their fancies not caring to conforme their iudgement to the scripture Daniel in that place speaketh not a word of Antichrist nor yet of Antiochus his type but of the vtter desolation and finall destruction of Ierusalem by the Romanes and of this desolation according to their owne translation he saith that it should continue to the ende and consummation that is saith Bellarmine the temple shall neuer perfectly be built againe but yet it shall be built againe and in it being so built Antichrist shall sit How built is it like that Antichrist who shall according to their conceit be the most mightie Prince and Monarch in the world that he I say will suffer that temple which he chuseth for his chiefe seate to be vnbuilt or that so great and so proud a monarch will sit in a temple without a roose or vnsinished professing the same also to be his principall seate Why but Christ saith the destruction of the temple should be such as that one stone should not be left vpon another and Daniel saith according to their owne translation that this desolation of the temple should continue to the ende How then can his meaning be that it should be reedisied either in whole or in part The stories also of the church do testifie that as Daniel Socrat. li. 3 c. 20. and our Sauiour Christ had foretold the finall destruction and desolation of Ierusalem so when Iulian the Apostate desiring Theodoret li. 3. ca. 20. Sozom. li. 5 cap. vlt. to conuince the preaching of our Sauior of vntruth endeuoured by the Iewes to reedifie the temple the Lord to verifie his word would not suffer it to be built either in whole or in part but by a fearefull earthquake ouerthrew the foundations by fire from heauen burnt the tooles of the worke-men by winde and tempest scattered the lime and morter and by fire proceeding out of the earth burnt the workemen as they digged Ierusalē the temple were types of the church of Christ. Therefore when as by the preaching of the Gospell to all nations the church of Christ was planted among the Gentiles the citie and temple were to haue an ende as our Sauiour hath prophecied Math. 24. 14. then shall be the ende to wit of the citie and temple of Ierusalem which being once ouerthrowne by the legions of the Romanes should according to Daniels prophesie remaine desolate vntil the ende of the world or as our Sauiour foretold in other wordes that Ierusalem should be troden Luk. 21. 24. vnder foote of the Gentiles vntill the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled 10 Lastly whereas Theodorus Bibliander proueth by the testimony of Gregory the great that Antichrist was to sit in the church to exercise an vniuersall dominiō ouer the same because Gregory saith that Iohn of Cōstātinople challenging the title Lib. 4. Epist. 38. of vniuersall Bishop therein was the forerunner of Antichrist and secondly because hee saith that an army of Priests were prepared for Antichrist thereby signifying that he should be a prince of Priests Bellarmine answereth that the contrary is to be inferred vpon Gregory
if he said I am Christ. To the assumption I answere that although the Pope doth not plainly directly say I am Christ but forbeareth the name of Christ as Caesar did the name of a King yet notwithstanding in that he challengeth the office authoritie of Christ it is as much in deed and in truth although indirectly and by consequent as if he made himself Christ Christ being a name of office For certainly whosoeuer professeth himselfe to be y e foundatiō the head the husband Lord c. of y e vniuersal church he maketh himself Christ althogh he do abstain frō the name For who is the head and Lord c. of the vniuersall church but Christ who hath authoritie to ordain sacramēts to prescribe lawes to the conscience to deliuer doctrines and articles of faith as necessary to saluation to forgiue the sinnes of the quicke and the dead who is the Prince of Priests the great Priest after the order of Melchizedec the Pastor of Pastors the King of Kings and Lord of Lords by whom Kings and Emperours do raigne who hath authoritie to commaund the Angels to bestow the kingdome of heauen on whom he pleaseth Finally vnto whom is all power giuen in heauen and in earth but onely to Christ But the Pope doth challenge al this to himselfe and much more as hath bene shewed He forsooth is the foundation the head husband and Lord of the vniuersall Lib. 1. cap. 5. Church c. And to conclude if you respect his nature Atquè ac Christus Deus est ens secundae intentionis compositum ex Deo homine As well as Christ he is God an essence of the second intention compounded of God and man if his office vnctione Christus est he is by annointment Christ hauing the very same office which Christ had when he was vpon the earth And therfore Bellarm. de pontif Rom. lib. 5. cap. 4. if this be a propertie of Antichrist to leaue vnto our Sauiour the name and title of Christ to take to himselfe the dignitie office and authoritie of Christ it cannot be auoyded but that the Pope is Antichrist 9 The third doctrine of Antichrist saith Bellarmine is this He shall affirme himselfe to be God and will require that hee may be worshipped as God From whence he reasoneth thus Antichrist will affirme that he is God and will be worshipped for God The Pope of Rome doth not affirme himselfe to be God neither would be worshipped as God therefore the Pope is not Antichrist The proposition is proued out of 2. Thess. 2. 4. So that he sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself as though he were God Answ. The meaning of the Apostles words is thus much that Antichrist shall sit in the Temple of God as God that is he shall rule and raigne in the church of God as if he were a God vpon earth shewing himselfe not so much by words as by deedes that hee is a God Or as the vulgar Latine edition and English translation of the Rhemists doe reade tanquam sit Deus as though he were God And thus Chrysostome Theophylact and Oecumenius expounde this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith shewing himself he said not saying but endeuouring to shewe for he shall worke great workes and shall shewe forth wonderfull signes and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shewing as Beza obserueth is answerable to the Hebrew Moreh faciens se apparere prae se ferens or as we say taking vpon him as if he were a God It is not therefore necessary that Antichrist should in worde plainly openly professe himselfe to be God it is sufficient if in deed and behauiour hee taketh vpon him as if hee were 〈◊〉 God As for example if he shal be content to be acknowledged saluted and called God If he shall cause nay if he shal but willingly suffer himselfe to be worshipped as God if he shall challenge vnto himselfe those titles attributes and workes which are proper peculiar to the Lord. But Bellarmine perceiuing that this place in this sense may fitly be applied to the pope therefore he contendeth that it is not sufficient that Antichrist should indeed shew himselfe to be God as the Pope doth but that he shall openly name himselfe God and that he shall vsurpe not only some authoritie of God as the Pope doth but also the very name of God And that he saith is prooued out of these words of the Apostle 2. Thess. 2. in so much that he sitteth in the temple of God shewing himselfe tanquā sit Deus as though he were God Where saith he Paul doth not onely affirme that Antichrist shall sit in the temple for we also sit in temples and yet are no Antichrists but also expoundeth his maner of sitting namely that he shall sit as God to whō alone a tēple is properly erected And this hesaith is more cleerly set down in the Greek text for it is not said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as God but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee is God But in this cauill are contained diuers errours 1. by temple which as we haue proued signifieth the church of God he vnderstandeth a materiall temple which should be built at Ierusalem 2. by sitting in the temple which signifieth his raigning in the church he vnderstandeth the corporall gesture of sitting in that materiall temple 3. by his sitting in the temple of God as God which signifieth his ruling ouer the church as if he were God hee vnderstandeth thus much that the materiall temple should be erected and consecrated to his honor as if he were God As though that temple which should be erected to his honour as if he and no other were the true God were called of the Apostle the temple of God or as though he pretending himselfe to be the Messias of the Iewes sent from God would not also pretend the building of that temple to the honour of God 4. Whereas he saith that the Greek text hath not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is plaine that the text hath both In so much that he sitteth in the temple of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as God shewing himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he is God Now Antichrist may sit in the temple of God as God and by his deedes and demeanour beare the world in hand that he is a God vpon earth and yet not professe himselfe openly and plainely to be God 10 And in this sense to come to his assumption doth this place properly agree to the Pope of Rome who sitteth in the temple of God as God that is ruleth in the church of God as if he were a God vpon earth and in his behauiour and course of life taketh vpon him as if he were a God and so would be reputed of others For first in their owne lawe the Pope is not Dist. 96. c.
he shall aduance himselfe against God against Christ our Sauiour list vp himself aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped yet he shall professe himselfe to be the seruant of Christ and a worshipper of God Fourthly the words of the text do not ascribe to Antichrist so great an extolling of himselfe as the Iesuit imagineth For first he is called a man of sinne sonne of perdition therfore we are to conceiue of such an aduancement of himselfe as is incident to a mortall wretched man SecoÌ„dly he is said to extoll himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped By all that is called God we are to vnderstand all to whom the name of God is communicated as to Angels in heauen to kings and Princes on earth And of this aduancing aboue Kings we are the rather to vnderstand this place because afterwards it is said that the Romane Empire hindered Antichrists aduancing or reuealing himselfe And by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are to vnderstand any thing which is worshipped as God or wherein God is worshipped Such in the Church of Rome are the Host the Crosse the Saints their Images reliques Aboue al which a man may aduance himselfe as the Pope doth and yet may acknowledge some other God besides himselfe Thirdly the greatest height of pride that is incident to any creature whatsoeuer is not to seeke to be aboue God for that cannot be imagined but to be as God And indeed the height of Antichrist his pride and aduancing of himselfe is noted in the words following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in so much that he shall sit in the temple of God as God Whosoeuer therefore being but a mortall man shall aduance himself aboue all that is called God worshipped insomuch that he shall sit in the temple of God as God that is ruleth in the church of Christ as if he were a God vpon earth he is to be deemed Antichrist that is aemulus Christi one that would faine be equall to Christ although he neither professe himselfe to be the onely God who onely is to be worshipped neither yet abolish all other worship of God both true and false And if in this sense this place do properly agree to the Pope as indeed it doth then can it not be auoided but that he is Antichrist 13 The second testimony which he alledgeth to prooue this fond conceit is Dan. 11. 37. neither shall he care for any of the Gods but shall rise against all I answere Daniel in this place speaketh not of Antichrist and he of whom he speaketh was an Idolater and therefore this allegation is altogether impertinent As touching the first it is euident that Daniel from the 21. verse of that chapter to the end doth most plainly properly describe Antiochus Epiphanes For howsoeuer in this place Bellarmine would proue by the authoritie of Ierome that these words are to be vnderstood of Antichrist not of Antiochus yet in another place when part of this verse is obiected Li. 3. ca. 21 by some protestants as sitting the Pope he telleth vs plainly that Daniel speaketh ad literamâ—… literally of Antiochus who was a figure of Antichrist Secondly hee of whom Daniel speaketh was an Idolater and establisher of Idolatry So farre was hee from professing himselfe to be the onely true God or suffering none to be worshipped besides himselfe For if he speake of Antiochus Epiphanes as most certainly he doth it may easily be proued both by Historie of the Machabees and by other stories that he was both an Idolater himselfe and an inforcer of Idolatry vpoÌ„ others See I. Maccab. 1. 50. 2. Mac. cab 6. 2. c. Polybius also testifieth that in sacrifices honouring the Graecian Gods he surpassed other Kings which went before him Apud Athenaeum as might appeare by the Olympiaeum at Athens and the Images about the altar at Delos This Ierome also auoucheth and Bellarmine confesseth But of whomsoeuer Daniel speaketh he doth plainly describe him in the next verse to be an Idolater Ver. 38. And it is a world to see what silly shiftes the Iesuit maketh to auoyd this truth For first he readeth the words thus And he shall honor the God Maozim in his place Secondly he omitteth the words following the God which his fathers knew not he shall honour with golde c. which most plainly specifie his Idolatry who is here described and busieth himselfe wholy in giuing a false interpretatioÌ„ to the god Maozim The God Maozim saith he signifieth either Antichrist himself and then the meaning is he shall honor himselfe that is cause himselfe to be worshipped or else it signifieth the diuel whom Antichrist being a sorcerer shall worship in secret which interpretation he preferreth before the other And therefore this place doth not proue that he which is here described shal be an Idolater 14 I answere first that although either of his interpretations of the God Maozim were true as neither is yet the one hindreth not and the other proueth that he which is heere described is an Idolater For let the word Maozim signifie what it may yet the words following plainly conuince the partie here described of Idolatry the God which his fathers knew not he shall worship with gold And if the God Maozim signifie any but the true God and if also the words are so to be read as Bellarmine readeth them And he shall honor the God Maozim and the God whoÌ„ his fathers knew not he shall worship with gold and siluer c. then by these words the Idolatry is encreased For first it is said that he shall worship the God Maozim according to Bellarmines reading whereby is not meant as he saith the true God nay he saith to make Christ the God Maozim Li. 3. ca. 21 it is intollerable blasphemy O therefore first in these words is signified an Idolater and secondly it is added that the God also which his fathers knew not hee shall worship where againe his Idolatry is most plainely noted 2. But indeede Bellarmines interpretation is meerely false and that which he inferreth therevpon altogether absurd The God Mahuzzim signifieth the God of fortitudes that is the most mightie or almightie God which title as it is proper to the Lorde as Ieremy calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iehouah my Iere. 16. 19 strength and fortitude And likewise Dauid Psal. 31. 5. so may it not be ascribed to any other And therefore it is a sencelesse imagination that Daniel by the God of fortitudes would signifie either Antichrist himselfe a wicked and wretched man or the father of Antichrist the Diuell And further as touching the former interpretation it seemeth to be absurd that when Daniel according to his reading saith he shal worship the God Maozim his meaning should be that Antichrist should worship himselfe as though he that worshippeth and hee that is worshipped were one and the same And theÌ„