bee the Christian state of Rome in her latter daies for that the Angell there said Shee offered to the World the abomination and filthinesse of her fornication in a Golden Cup that is as the learned expound it her idolatries and whorish Doctrine and Religion in the name of Christ which cup Erasmus declareth Heathenish Rome disdayned once to handle and abhorred what good soeuer was offered to her therein therefore he could not otherwise vnderstand but that the Angel meant the Christian Church of Rome in her latter dayes which vnder the glittering and golden shew of the name of Christ poysoned a great part of Christendome with that whorish filthinesse of her Heathenish Fornication Reuelat. 17.2 Reuelat. 18.3 and the third verse of the eighteenth Chapter And thus wee see the foure principall poynts which fully resolued that most learned Erasmus and may also as fully resolue all men that by Babylon the Mother of whordomes and abominations of the Earth the Angel meant Christian Rome in her latter dayes Now let vs heare how Erasmus concludeth of Christian Rome thus he saith 6 This whorish Woman d Erasmus vpon the 17. chap. Sect. 1. hath decked and garnished her selfe not like Peter and Paul with diuers and many vertues but with Siluer and Gold and pretious Stones and Pearles And the Cup of Gold which she offereth to the World is not the loue of Christ the Christian Faith nor the Law of God but her owne Decrees and Ordinances that she may play the Whore at her pleasure with pompe authoritie and lust without all shame or feare beyond all measure and all vnder the pretence and name of Christ Againe he saith e Erasmus vpon the 16. chap. Sect. 3. The whole order of Bishops and multitude of Spirituaell Pastours which by their office and calling ought to maintaine and support the true Doctrine of God haue bent themselues their whole life and state vtterly against the Doctrine of the Gospell that nothing can bee more vnlike the state of the Apostles in doctrine religion or life then is their order and state Againe he saith f Erasmus vpon the 16. chap. Sect. 2. This second beast with his two hornes is twice as had as the first for as much as through her two hornes it had power both of bodie and soule ouer the Doctrine and ouer the politique Lawes with mouth and hand against God the temporall gouernement Christ and his Ministers And againe he saith g Erasmus vpon the 27. chap. Sect. 1. The bloud of the holy Prophets and Preachers hath this Whore the Papacie shed without measure till she was so drunke therewith that shee tooke and esteemed her tyrannie for godly zeale Therefore he concludeth with the very head of the Romish Church thus h Erasmas in the words going before For the name of the Christian Church he hath deserued anonother name euen to be called the Whore of Babylon the Mother of all abominations idolatrie and of falling into Heathenish superstition And thus Christian Reader thou seest most apparantly proued that by Babylon is meant the Christian Church of Rome now in her latter dayes Now let vs intreat a little of the fall of Babylon for that will make this matter yet more apparant 7 This Angel in the seauenteenth Chapter hauing finished his testimonie touching spirituall Babylon Saint Iohn in the beginning of the eighteenth Chapter saith thus And after these things â—euelat 18.3 I saw another Angel come downe from heauen hauing great power so that the Earth was lightened with his glorie and he cryed out mightely with a loud voyce saying It is falne it is falne Babylon the great Citie and is become the habitation of Diuels and the hold of all foule spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull Bird for all Nations haue drunke of of the Wine of the wrath of her Fornication and the Kings of the Earth haue committed Fornication with her Now wee heard before by the other Angel that Christian Rome is Babylon therefore if this also be spoken of Christian Rome then is Christian Rome so wonderfully falne as that she may rightly be called Babylon And that it may appeare indeed that this Angel did also speake of Christian Rome let vs heare how Erasmus doth interpret his words thus hee saith i Erasmus vpon the 18. chap. Sect. 1. This is spoken principally against the second Regiment of Rome which vnder the pretence of the name of Christ hath delt so rebelliously against all faithfull Christians And a little after k Jbidem Now is it knowne that shee hath beene an Habitation for the wicked vnfaithfull and filthie Sodomites And againe l Erasmus vpon the 18. chap. Sect. 3. With this Babylon haue Princes and Prelates yea whole Kingdomes committed Whordomes So that by this wee see most apparantly that the same which is here spoken touching the wonderfull great fall of Babylon is spoken of Christian Rome 8 True it is that some do vnderstand this to be meant of the fall of the first beasts power the Heathenish Empire which was ouerthrowne by Constantine the Emperour when hee was conuerted to Christianitie about three hundred yeares after Christ but this cannot bee for by Constantines meanes the Romaines became Christians therefore if wee should vnderstand it of that time and state wee should vnderstand that the Angell called Rome Babylon and the habitation of diuells in respect that it was wholly become the habitation of Christians and that the Christians were those diuels foule spirits vncleane and hatefull birds which were most ridiculous so to say Againe those words of the Text which say And is become importeth a time when shee was not so which could not be meant of that time when she was Impious and Pagan for then she was no better but of a time after when she was risen and fallen And that it may appeare Rome risen and fallen that Christian Rome vnder the Popes did so fall as that shee became this hellish habitation none can make it more of credite nor more apparent then the Romanists themselues haue done as wee shall now see by these their owne testimonies following 9 Their Bernard which liued almost a thousand yeres after Heathenish Romes dayes writing of the state and manner of the Romans in his dayes sayth thus m Bernardinus de considerat ad Eugenium lib. 4. The Romaines are wise to doe euill good they know not how to doe they are irreligious towards God presumptuous against holy things they be Wolues not Sheepe And a little after speaking of the Pope and of his spirituall Pastours hee saith n Jbid. Of such art thou Shepheard if I durst speake all they be rather the pastours of deuils then of sheepe And againe complaining of the diueâ—lishnesse of his time and the ripenesse of the Church of Antichrist among the Romaines he sayth further thus o Bern. Serm. 6. in Psal 91. It onely remayneth that the
according to the true sentence and censure of the Minister euen as the same Writer saith h Jbidem By thy sentence in earth I shall confirme it in Heauen So that by this we see that the ministeriall binding and loosing remitting and retaining sinnes is nothing else but by denouncing the binding sentence and pronouncing the loosing sentence to declare vnto men that they are both bound and loosed by God in heauen And hereof it is which that master of the sentences Peter Lumbard saith i Lumb 4. Seâ—m 18. dist Nec ideo God hath giuen Priests power to binde and loose that is to say saith hee to declare vnto men that they be eyther bound or loosed It were against vs saith Saint Augustine k August 2. booke 11. chap. Permentanus that we should be compelled to graunt that this thing were done of men but not through or by men Againe he saith l August in his Booke of the ladders of Paradise The Lord graunted the office of Baptizing vnto many but the power and authoritie in Baptisme to forgiue sinnes he hath reserued onely to himselfe And to this agreeth that which Saint Ambrose saith m Ambrose in his 9. Bookâ— 76. Epistle The Lord remaineth alone for no man can be partner with God in for giuing of sinnes And thus then who seeth not that albeit sinne bee ministerally remitted and retained yet is it actually done of God himselfe So that whereas the Pope would craftily ascribe this absolute power to Saint Peter all men may apparantly see he doth it but to draw the same power to himselfe that so men might esteeme of his pardons and take them of his owne price And thus much touching the vse of the keies and how farre their powers doe extend 5 Thirdly whereas they say To Peter Christ committed the care and charge of the whole Church we answere that it is not any where to be found in all the Scriptures that Christ said to Peter To thee I commit the care and charge of the whole Church but this wee finde in the 2 Corinth 2. Cor. 11.28 Gal. 2.7 11. cap. that Saint Paul said of himselfe I am cumbered daily and haue the care of all Churches Againe we read in the second chapter to the Galathians that Saint Paul speaking of Peters charge and his owne said The Gospell ouer the vncircumcision was committed to mee as the Gospell ouer the circumcision was committed to Peter Now then seeing that circumcision was but that one Nation of the Iewes and the vncircumcision all the other Nations of the World who had the more vniuersall charge not Peter but Paul and yet indeed and truth to say that euery of the other Apostles charge was not as vniuersal Acts 9.15 as either Peters or Paules iâ— as plaine foolerie as to say that because the Lord said to Annanias of Paul Hee is a chosen vessell vnto mee to beare my name before the Gentiles and Kings and children of Israel therefore none but Paul Or because Peter said of himselfe Acts 15.7 God chose out mee that the Gentiles by my mouth should heare the words of the Gospel and beleeue Ergo not by the mouth of Paul nor any other of the Apostles but by Peters alone John 13.13 Or to say because Iohn is said Iohn 13.23 to be the Disciple whom Iesus loued therefore none but Iohn Or because Saint Chrisostome said of Iohn n Chrisost ad Papâ—â— Antioch Hom. 73. He was the Pillar of all the Churches in the World therefore none but hee To bee briefe it is cleare by Saint Matthew chapter 28. verses 19.20 and chapter 18. verse 19. and by S. Marke chapter 16.15 and to the end of the chapter that Christ committed the care and charge of his whole Church to all his Apostles indifferently and that by his owne commission euery of their authorities was as great and as large as either Peters or Paules And therefore fabulous is it that the Pope doth challenge from the right of Saint Peter to haue the vniuersall care and charge of the whole Church committed vnto him or any one man in all the world S. Ambrose speaking of this poynt at large concludeth thus o Ambrose of the dignitie of Priesthood The sheepe and flocke which Peter receiued we all receiued the same together with him Now they will not say that S. Ambrose was a Pope of Rome therefore they must needes grant that he spake this generally of all Bishops Pastors and Ministers and not of the Popes of Rome alone 6 Fourthly they say To Peter Christ committed the office of feeding both Sheepe and Lambes olde and young to which we answere It is cleare that by feeding Christ meant the feeding of the soule by preaching the Word of eternall life Now whether this office of preaching was committed to Peter alone and not generally to all the other Apostles the verie plaine and expresse words of their generall commission set downe by Saint Matthew and Saint Marke doth declare Saint Matthew noteth them thus from Christs owne mouth chap. 28.18.19 All power is giuen to mee in heauen and in earth Matthew 28.18.19 Marke 16.15.20 Goe therefore and teach all Nations Saint Marke chap. 16.15.20 thus Goe ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to euerie creature And in the same chapter it followeth And they went forth and preached euerie where Now then what sheepe or Lambes old or young had Peter to feede that the other Apostles had not his commission could extend no further then all the World ouer and to euery creature and so farre did theirs extend as well as his Therefore how can the Pope iustly claime from Peter to be the onely feeding Father of Gods vniuersall Church Saint Augustine saith p August in his Booke of the troubles of Christians chap. 3. Those words spoken to Peter Feede my Sheepe when they were spoken to Peter they were spoken to all Priests and Ministers If to all then not to any one alone and consequently not to the Pope 7 Fiftly they say Peter was that Rocke on which Christ said he would build his Church against which the Gates of hell should not preuaile which being true how was it then that the gates of hell to wit the power of Sathan did so preuaile against him that hee failing in the fundamentall point of Religion attempted to debarre the recouerie of the most happie estate of the vniuersall Church for which Christ called him Sathan For no sooner had Christ imparted vnto him what things he was to suffer at Ierusalem for the recouerie thereof but presently hee gaue Christ councell he should not doe it Matth. 16.22 Maister said hee pittie thy selfe this thing shall not be vnto thee So that if Christ had followed his counsell euery particular member of his Church had beene damned Therefore it is cleare Peter was not that Rocke on which Christ said he would build his Church against the
as we know not he shall purge his Church and to that purpose shall stirre vp the spirits of his Elect. After which things saith she shall ensue such a reformation of the holy Church and such a renouation of the godly Pastors thereof that the very thoughts thereof maketh my spirit to reioyce in the Lord. And as I haue tolde you heretofore saith she the Spouse which is now altogether deformed ragged and â—orne shall then be adorned and decked as it were with precious iewels and chains And all faithfull people shall be glad when they are thus beautified with so holy Pastors Yea the very Infidells being drawne with the sweete smell of Christ shall repaire vnto the Catholike sheepfold and be conuerted to the chiefe Pastor and Bishop of their soules And this is it also which Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome did foresee as may appeare by these his words written in his nineteenth booke the ninth chap. vpon Iob The Church after the dayes of her afflictions shall afterwards notwithstanding be strengthened with great power of preaching And that it may yet more plainely appeare that our Nation of England shall beare some sway in this worke the aforesaid Dominican Frier in his sixt vision declareth that it was reuealed vnto him That the I le of Britaine should proue the chiefe receptacle of the Church of God and euen an Asile or Sanctuary to the Church of Rome in the time of the Turkish Persecution and as it were her nursing mother after she should come to be thus reformed and that the true Christian religion should be maintained especially by the blessed meanes of the people of the aforesaid Isle For As the title of his Vision saith the Translator is of the future state of the Church so the Vision it selfe doth beare how he did seeme to be together with some other persons in a small number in a certaine great ship not well appointed with Ruthers or Oares in the maine Sea and that the shippe came as it were of it selfe vnto a certaine Island whereunto saith he we being but a few had our recourse for refuge and safety Also to the like effect there is this prognosticall verse aledged by Ioannes Wolfius in the second tome of his memorable things in Latine thus Europa genit us terra vir iust us aequus Pastor erit Caeli claues non regna gubernans Pax erit toto surget concordia Mundo Vna Fides vnus regnabit in omnia Princeps In English thus A certaine wight equitable and vpright borne in Europe shall be the chiefe Pastor or Bishop of Christendome such a one as shall mannage and gouerne the Keyes of the kingdome of Heauen and not the Scepters of the kingdomes of the earth There shall be peace and concord in the world one Faith and Religion and once Prince imperially raigning ouer all Also their Paracelsus the German Hermite in his 26. Prediction maketh mention of an English Prince and his issue that shall more fully effect this worke of reformation And in an old Prophesie had out of the Pallace of wisdome in Rome and in another Prophesie of Sauanarola a Dominican Frier mention is made of a Prince of the name of Charles that shall strike a great stroke in this worke and shall bring to passe that in the end according to a Prophesie also of Nostrodamus Rome shall be ruled by her old Britannish head Cant. 5. quadrin 99. Quand Rome aurale chef vieux Britantique And saith Maister Iames Maxwell the Translater As the Italian Iesuite Heronymus Platus in the second booke of Religious life chap. 30. confesseth England to haue beene more fertill of conuerters of Nations and Countries to the Christian faith then any other Land else so is it not vnlikely but that God will haue the same Country to be more fertill of reformers of other corrupt Churches especially of that of Rome then any other Land whatsoeuer And that as there is in no one Country or Nation of the world to be found so many learned and eloquent Preachers nor so many compleat Diuines for Iudiciousnesse Ingenuousnesse and moderation and for fitnesse to deserue well for the peace of the Church as there is in England so it is like that God will honour this Island with the reformation of the Church of Rome and her daughters by sending forth from thence such godly iudicious zealous and moderate men as shall reclaime them from their abuses and restore vnto them their Primitiue puritie and integritie such as it was in the happie daies of Constantine the Great borne in great Britannie For saith hee To the same effect soundeth this prognosticall verse which was found in an old manuscript Iesse Rosa sanguis Bruti Portat Crucem Iesu Christi The Rose of England beareth and bringeth the Crosse of Christ to forraigne Lands Also as their Ioachim the Abbot writing vpon the 4.5.18.22 and 30. Chapter of Ieremy sheweth that there shall be certaine new Preachers of the Gospel in the Catholique or Vniuersall Church strong in faith and true in Doctrine whose Doctrine shall be open and free and that they shall preach Repentance both to the Greekes and Latines and conuert many of them to the truth so is there a certain Prophecie vttered in the yeare of Christ 1119. as writeth Matthew Paris in his 475. Page of this History which saith They that walke in darkenesse shall turne to the light and those things that were diuided and scattered shall be gathered together and vnited Also the same Abbot sheweth how that the Pope and his Prelates will rage against those whom God shall send to conuert them where hee writing vpon the first Chapter of Ieremy saith thus Such Doctors and Prophets are to be sent which shall not onely rebuke the people but also thunder out against the Priests and strike earthly and carnall hearts with all maner of plagues and put to silence the loftie and swelling Maisters who shall fight against the aforesaid Preachers which shall be reuealed as once did Iuda against Israel and the Iewes against Christ and his Apostles By meanes whereof the death of Philip the second King of Spaine in his Sericum mundi filum doth deliuer that The Lyon hauing the Rose and the Lillies in his armes shall vtterly destroy the Pope so as that afterwards there shall neuer be any more Popes And then all Christian Princes being at peace and vnitie it seemeth by a Prediction found in an olde Booke that they shall consent and agree to chuse out of all one excellent Man for learning and good life to be as a chiefe Moderator for the bringing all sorts of people in the whole world to one kinde of Religion and all Churches into one vniforme order For thus it is written in that Prophesie The afflictions of the Church and Clergie being passed and after so many great tribulations by the will of God a most holy man shall be chosen perfect in all manner of perfection
into the 9.10 and 11. Verses of the same and they shall know to their euerlasting woe that by the Beast is meant the Heathen Roman gouernment and by the image of the beast the Popish Roman gouernment But he that was the author of the Ward-word would not that men should know this Therefore we see he is not willing that men should be resolued by the truth Againe if the Papists in generall had beene willing the truth should haue come to light that men might haue beene resolued in the truth of Babylon they would not in the Remish Testament haue expounded Babylon in the seauententh chapter of the Reuelation to signifie the Vniuersall societie of the wicked seeing the holy Ghost sheweth in the same Chapter that by Babylon is meant the Citie with seauen hils and that raigned ouer the Kings of the earth But to say that the Reprobates of the world are scituated vpon those seauen hils and raigned ouer the Kings of the earth is most ridiculous Therefore we see they are not willing the truth should come to light Againe if they had beene willing that men should haue beene resolued by the truth they would neuer haue giuen that exposition seeing that by Babylon is signified also the woman offering to the World in the name of Christ her whorish Religion as appeareth in the 4. Verse of the same chapter Againe if they had beene willing to haue brought the truth to light that men might haue beene truely resolued in that point then seeing the Angell in the same place shewed to Saint Iohn that hee spake to him of Romes estate offering to the World her Religion in a Golden cup that is in the name of Christ they would neuer haue expounded it of Heathenish Rome vnder the Heathen Emperours for they know as well as wee that she disdained once to handle that cup and persecuted any whosoeuer offered to her any truth therein But why should we stand any longer in the repeticion of these things now seeing that by the holy Ghost the misterie of the Golden cup is reuealed and the truth laid open that it is Christian Rome that the Angell called Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth And then seeing Christian Rome is the mother of whordomes and abominations of the earth the Pope must needes be the father of whordomes and abominations of the earth and he that is the father of whordomes and abominations of the earth must needes be the great Antichrist Therefore here all their mouthes are stopped and all their cunning arguments desolued and all their chiefe points craftie shifts and vntruths abandoned which they would haue should make vs to beleeue that Antichrist is not yet come that wee should not suspect the Pope to be he As touching the exposition of the Golden cup let them deny it to be the true meaning of the holy Ghost if they dare but they haue denied too much of the truth of that Booke already as one day they shall finde All the benefits of saluation which wee receiue in Christ the Prophet Dauid Psal 116. calleth the Cup of saluation And his name may well be called the Golden Cup because as S. Luke saith Acts 4.19 There is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby men must be saued And yet to shew that all that professe Christ shall not be saued our Sauiour Christ fore-telleth that euen vnder his name many shall be deceiued which surely is a wonderfull great iudgement of God vpon that people whosoeuer they be Erasmus expounding the misterie of that cup sheweth that that which is offered therein is nothing else but the Popes religion which he saith he offereth in the name of Christ to deceiue the world And their Abbot Ioachim witnesseth the same as may plainely appeare in his 37. chapter vpon the Prophet Ieremy where he complaining of the corruption of the Popes saith They doe neglect Incense and Myrrh but they seeke after Gold that they may with Babylon the great Lady of the world fill vnto men Wine in a golden Cup to infect their followers with their abhominations And thus by the opening the misterie of the Golden Cup we see the Lord hath now made knowne to his Church that Christian Rome is Babylon and the Pope professing Christ is Antichrist Yea the same of whom Saint Hylary saith Hylary contra Auxenium Antichrist shall be contrary to Christ vnder a colour of preaching the Gospell so that our Lord Iesus Christ shall then be denied when a man would thinke he were preached And herein also the Pope agreeth to the signification of the name as it is in the Greeke namely to be both for and against Christ 2 Thessa 2. to sit as the Church the deare friend of Christ and yet to be as Saint Paul saith An aduersarie Therefore doubtlesse he cannot be said to be the great Antichrist that is not ouer-ruling all both for and against Christ Their Saint Vincent intreating of the end of the World sheweth of two kindes of Antichrists the one he calleth a pure Antichrist to wit the Turke the other he calleth a mixed kind of Antichrist which he saith shall be an euill Pope made by an euill prince of great power alluding to Boniface the third who was made the first Pope by that Murtherer Phocas the Emperour of Rome And their Astrologian Ruth speaking of Antichrist saith Hee shall be called Antichristus mixtus whom the Prelates shall greatly honour And this he spake not of himselfe for hee found it so written in an olde Prophesie as himselfe confesseth in his thirtie foure Chapter of the second part of his Booke To be briefe and to draw to an end this I aduise the Reader to note well that forasmuch as the same Apostle Ephesians 4.6 sheweth that as there is but one God and that he alone is the Vniuersall father of all And that Christ himselfe Matthew 23.9 forbad the title of Vniuersall father to be giuen to any but to the Father of Heauen it is cleare he is a most horrible blasphemer that will call the most holiest man vpon the earth vniuersall Father of all much more hee that will call Antichrist the Pope vniuersall father of all seeing the Holy ghost calleth him The man of sinne and sonne of perdition 2 Thessal 2. Againe forasmuch as the same Apostle Galatians 4.26 saith Ierusalem which is aboue is the mother of vs all he is a most horrible blasphemer that will call the most holiest Citie heere beneath the mother of vs all much more hee that will call Rome the Mother of vs all which the Angell of God calleth Babylon The mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth Againe forasmuch as the very selfe and same religion which Rome now offereth to the world in the name of Christ is by the Angell in the 4 verse of the 17. chapter of the Reuelation compared vnto the stinking filthinesse of a whoores fornication he must needes be a most
wrought Ergo c. THE ANSWERE 20 Heere hee noteth out Antichrist by three speciall miracles which he saith he shall worke which because no Pope hitherto hath wrought they cannot be Antichrist Touching the first namely that he shall make fire descend from heauen wee say That forasmuch as there is no time set downe when that miracle shall be wrought and that there remayneth a Pope and how many shall succeede him who can tell all which make the great Antichrist therefore till the full end and terme of their reigne and that it can be proued that not any one Pope euer wrought that miracle none of the predecessours are cleared from being Antichrist for we find throughout the whole Scriptures that whatsoeuer is done by any one of them is imputed vnto all 21 But as touching the true sense of those words diuers of the Learned doe conclude that by making fire descend from heauen is meant that he should doe such miracles and so great wonders as should as greatly preuaile to draw the people from God to himselfe as the fire that came downe from heauen at the prayer of Elias did preuaile to draw the people from Baall to God 1. Kings 18â—â— 38.39 and that it is no more meant that Antichrist should cause fire really to descend from heauen then in the eleuenth chapter that materiall fire should proceede out of the two witnesses mouthes and destroy their enemies or in the ninth chapter that out of horses mouthes should issue fire smoake and brimstone to deuoure men 22 Secondly he saith that Antichrist shall make the Image of a beast to speake We answere The text saith not of a beast but of The beast That is as the verse going before saith The Image of the beast which had the wound of a sword and did liue Which as Erasmus expoundeth was the Heathenish domination vnder the Heathenish Emperours of Rome Whose heathenishnesse was almost stricken cleane dead by the sword of the Spirit which Saint Paul Ephes 6. Ephes 6.17 calleth the Word of God which wound was afterwards salued but fully healed by that spirituall beast which the 11. and 12. verses of the 13. chapter of the Reuclation declareth rose vp in the Roman kingdome resembling Christ the Lambe for as the Text saith He did all that the first beast could doe before him Whereby hee brought the latter Domination so liuely to resemble the former as any picture or image could possibly be made to resemble any beast therefore by the second Domination vnder the Popes is meant that image which Antichrist should make to speake that is should cause to publish and proclaime that as many as would not be conformable to all the heathenish ordinances thereof as in the former Domination should be killed By which means it came to passe as who so will reade the latter end of the thirteenth chapter shall see that all were brought to be subiect to his Lore Now therefore whether we may vnderstand this great worke to be accomplished by a painted picture or carued image and that by that same image which Antichrist should make to speake should be meant the image of some carnall beast or whether this be not a meer carnall interpretation of theirs let the discreete Reader iudge 23 Thirdly he saith Antichrist shall faine himselfe to die and rise agayne which thing if any one of his places doe proue I doe heere promise to recant Wherefore as the Popes not working those three miracles actually are not thereby cleared from being Antichrist so do not these miracles proue Bellarmines Iew to worke them to proue him to be Antichrist Therefore let vs come to some further triall with them for the better finding out of Antichrist by the miracles which he shal work in which no better course can be taken then by searching out the place where he shal worke them for if he shall worke them in that one City or Nation of the Iewes then it is likely he shall be a Iew but if all the world ouer in the Cities and Nations of the Gentiles then it is more likely he shall not be a Iew but a Gentile Now as the 13. verse of the 13. chapter of the Reuel Reu. 13.13 saith of Antichrist Hee made fire come downe from heauen so the next verse saith By the signes which were permitted for him to doe hee deceiued them that dwell on the earth By which it is most apparent that Antichrist shall not worke his wonders in that one City of Ierusalem nor yet in that one nation of the Iewes but ouer a great part of the whole earth among the Gentiles therefore this proueth he shall not be a lew but a Gentile Againe Saint Iohn in his 16. chapter of the same Booke speaking of Antichrist and his miracle-monger and the place where they should worke their miracles saith And I saw three vncleane spirits like frogges Reu. 16.13 come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet for they are the spirits of diuels working miracles to goe vnto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world Also in the eighteenth chapter that Angell speaking there of Babylon the seate of Antichrist saith With thine inchantments were deceiued all Nations By which then wee see that the case standeth cleare that Antichrists miracles shall not be wrought in that corner of the world among the Iewes but all the world ouer among the Gentiles therefore Antichrist shall not bee a Iew but a Gentile Also seeing wee our selues in this our age doe see how the Papists euery where incline themselues to miracles and that the Pope doth daily send his Seminaries abroad to worke his wonders all the world ouer by plaine experience wee may be bolde to say the Pope is that Gentile But they say no and who then shall decide the matter that shall hee whom they confesse to bâ—e indifferent betweene both Erasmus who hath thus written vpon the same place of the Reuelation k Erasmus What wonderfull tokens sayth hee haue beene wrought in the Papacie and to what end Christ himselfe did prophecie long agoe vnto his Disciples and gaue them warning of them Againe touching those three vncleane spirits which should deceiue the Kings of the earth and the greatest part of the world by their miracles he sayth l Erasmus vpon the 16. chap. The first is the diuellish Dragon the second is the beast at Rome the very right Antichrist the third is the false Prophet not one person but a whole order and multitude of Bishops and religious persons Monks Friers c. And a little after These are three such foule and vncleane spirits as none can be found more vncleane and yet do they worke miracles Wherefore then seeing that Antichrists great miracles are wrought in the Papacie the Sea of Rome and else where by the authority of the father of Perdition the Dragon of
Popes principality and supremacy which he challengeth from Peters authority is fabulous For it is cleare that if Christ would haue had vnder him any such singular vniuersall head ouer his Church now by reason of this present occasion had been the onely time to haue made it knowne but in that he said in so plaine and expresse words It shall not be so among you he made it plaine to the contrary Hence it was that Saint Bernard applyed these words of Christ and also the words of Peter himselfe against that false challenge of the Pope saying a Bernard 2. Booke of consideration Peter could not giue that he had not did he giue Lordship heare what he saith Not as ouer Gods heritage but being a patterne to the flocke And least said he to the Pope thou thinke it to be spoken onely in humility and not in truth it is the voyce of the Lord in the Gospell The Kings of the nations raigne ouer them but you shall not be so It is plaine saith he the Apostles are forbidden Lordship therefore goe thou and vsurpe greedily vnto thy selfe either Lording it Apostleship or being Apostolike Lordship thou are flatly forbidden either All which most euidently declareth that the Popes vniuersall supremacy which he claimeth from Saint Peter is flat forgery 3 Secondly they say To Peter onely Christ committed the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen For the clearing of which point we are first to make knowne what those Keyes are for by that the most ignorant may the more easily iudge whether to the rest of the Apostles Christ did not also giue the Keyes Luke 11.52 Christ himselfe in the 11. Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospell Matthew 16.19 declareth the first key to be Knowledge and in the 16. Chapter of Saint Matthews Gospell the second to be Power For the first key to wit knowledge it is cleare by Saint Iohn in his 17. Iohn 17.8 Chapter of his Gospell that Christ gaue it as well to the other Apostles as to Peter For in praying for them all in generall he vttered these words to his Father I haue giuen thy words vnto them which thou gauest me Iohn 15.15 and they haue receiued them Againe Chapter 15. speaking to all his Apostles in generall he said All things that I haue heard of my Father haue I made knowne vnto you Likewise in the 14. Iohn 14.26 Chapter speaking to them all in generall he said These things haue I spoken vnto you being present with you but the comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance which I haue told you So that hereby it plainly appeareth that Christ gaue this first key to all the Apostles in generall and therefore not to Peter alone 4 Now touching the second key namely the power of binding and loosing remitting and retaining sinnes it is as cleare that Christ gaue it indifferently to all the Apostles Matthew 16.19 For as Saint Matthew in his 16. Chapter sheweth that he said to Peter Whatsoeuer thou bindest on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest in earth shall be loosed in heauen Matth. 18.18 so in the 18. Chapter he declareth that Christ spake these very same words to all the Apostles saying Whatsoeuer ye bind in earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer ye loose in earth shall be loosed in heauen And likewise Saint Iohn in his 20. Chapter witnesseth that he said also to them all in generall Whose sinnes soeuer ye remit they are remitted vnto them Iohn 20.23 whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained Therefore it is manifest that Christ gaue this key also to all the other Apostles as well as to Peter And therefore it is which Saint Origine saith b Orig. in first Treatise on Matthew This saying to thee will I giue the Keyes is common to all the rest of the Apostles and the words that follow as spoken to Peter are common to all Likewise Saint Augustine saith c August 124. Treatise vpon Iohn When they were all asked Peter alone doth make answer and it was said vnto him And I will giue thee the keyes as though he alone had receiued authority to bind and loose whereas he had spoken that for them all and receiued this as bearing in himselfe the person of vnity Wherefore in another place reprouing those Romane heretikes of his time who would needs haue those words to be spoken to Peter alone and him to be the Rocke on which Christ said he would build his Church said d Augustine in his Booke of the troubles of the Christians Wretched men whiles in Peter they vnderstand not Christ that is the Rocke and whiles they will not beleeue that the keyes are giuen to the Church they haue quite lost the Keyes out of their hands e In his Treatise vpon Iohn For said he if this was said onely to Peter to thee will I giue the Keyes thou the Church hath them not And thus much touching the second point But now before I come to the third point I must craue pardon to digresse a little for that because the Pope challengeth from the authority of the keyes to haue an absolute power to forgiue sinne and to giue the kingdome of Heauen I thinke it very needfull to open that mistery of the vse of the Keyes and how farre their powers doe extend 5 Thou knowest Christian Reader that the vse of Keyes are to open and to shut to let in and to keepe out such as are not meete to come in Now from these metaphors and their properties haue the spirituall keyes their titles and resemblances of properties and doe in this manner both open and shut to wit by the sentence of the Law to shut the locke of excommunication against open offenders and by the sentence of the Gospell to open it againe to those that openly repent confesse their sins And this is it which their Haymo saith f Haymo in Homely vpon the feast of Peter and Paul By Keyes we must vnderstand knowledge and power to discerne between good and bad that those whom thou seest to abide in the true faith thou shalt iudge them worthy of Heauen and those whom thou seest to depart from the true faith thou shalt iudge them worthy of hell fire The Bishops saith he g Ibidem binde men when they separate them from the society of the Church and keepe them from receiuing the body and bloud of Christ he looseth them when as after repentance made he receiueth him in againe into the fellowship of the Congregation and admitteth him to the Lords Table And this is now all the power the Church hath by the two Keyes as for sinne Christ himselfe hath said Matthew 16.19 18.18 it is both bound and loosed in heauen by God himselfe Howbeit we denie not that it is done
the Church hath none other head but Christ yea as well that part that is Millitant as that that is Triumphant and both together because they both make but one Church And therefore writing to the Church of Corinth in his 2 Epistle 11. chapter 2. verse he said thus vnto her I haue prepared you for one husband to present you a pure Virgin to Christ And to the intent that all might know that the Church Triumphant and the Church Millitant hath both but one and the same head hee writing to the Church of Ephesus chapter 1.20.21.22.23 said thus vnto them of Christ God hath set him at his right hand in heauenly places farre aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery Name that is named not in this world onely but also in that that is to come And hath made all things subiect vnder his feete and hath giuen him ouer all things to be the head of the Church which is his body euen the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things And to the Colossians chapter 1. verses 16.17.18 thus For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for him And hee is before all things and in him all things consist And hee is the head of the body of the Church hee is the beginning and the first begotten of the dead that in all things hee might haue the preeminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell By which it is manifest Christ Iesus alone is the head of the whole Church The Pope cannot claime antiquity of Bishopricke from Peter because Peter was not the first bishop but Iames. and not Peter and therefore the Pope cannot rightly claime the vniuersall headship from him If Peter had beene the supreame head of the Church why was hee not then the first Bishop of the Church but agreed with Iames and Iohn to make Iames the Iust the first Bishop as Clement the first witnesseth in these words * Clement lib. 6. Hypotip Ierusalem the most ancient mother church and not Rome Peter Iames and Iohn after the Assumption of our Sauiour challenged not this prerogatiue vnto themselues but appoynted Iames the Iust Bishop of Ierusalem And as these words of Clement proue Peter not to be the first Bishop so doe they proue Rome not to be the first Church where the first Apostolicall Bishop was placed but Ierusalem therefore not Rome but Ierusalem must needes be the most auncient Apostolike Church 14 That must needes be the most auncient Apostolike Church whose ministers Christ himselfe appointed the Apostles first to be which was the Church of Iewrie as appeareth by S. Mathew chap. 10.5.6 where after he had repeated the names of the twelue Apostles which Christ had chosen said These twelue did Iesus send forth and commanded them saying Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter yee not but goe yee rather to the lost sheepe of the bouse of Israell Therefore the Church of Ierusalem was the most auncient Apostolike Church and not the Church of Rome which was the chiefe of the Gentiles 15 Againe that Church must needes be the Mother of the most auncient Catholique hâ—urch in which Christ himselfe first planted the Faith and Religion which should be Catholique and by the meanes of whose Ministers the Catholique Church should receiue it which Faith and Religion Saint Mathew chap. 26.55 and Saint Luke chap. 21.37.38 witnesseth Christ taught vnto the people daily in the Temple of Ierusalem and commaunded her Ministers the Apostles to publish the same afterwards to the vniuersall world Mathew 28.19.20 therefore Ierusalem and not Rome is the Mother of the most auncient Catholique Church 16 MoreoueÌ„r There was no Romish Church at all 14. yeeres after Peter was called to be an Apostle Ierusalem must needs be the mother Church of all Christian Nations for that in her all the Apostles receiued the holy Ghost and the gifts of tougues that euery Nation might be taught by them in their owne language what to beleeue and doe to be saued the which they had largely put in practise during well-neere foureteene yeeres immediately after their calling before Peter came to Rome For they cannot denie but that Peter came not to Rome till the second yeere of Cladius the Emperour which was in the yeere of Christ his incarnation 44. Before which time Peter planted many Churches in diuers Coasts For themselues affirme in their Rozarie that before he came to Rome hee spent his time preaching in Iewry Syria Antiochia and other places Many Churches were planted in the world before Peter came to Rome Therefore seeing that besides those other Churches which were planted by the rest of the Apostles Peter planted many before he planted a Church at Rome it is cleare that when as he had planted a Church in Rome shee could be but one of the Daughters and not the Mother of the most ancient Catholique and Apostolike Church 17 Lastly it must needs be the most ancient Church and the Mother of all the Churches Millitant from which the Church Triumphant hath her name deriued but Saint Paul Galathians 4 and Saint Iohn Reuelations 21. sheweth her name to be deriued from Ierusalem therefore Ierusalem and not Rome was the Mother of all Christian Churches Millitant That is to say the onely figure of the vniuersall Mother for as Saint Matthew Chapter 23.9 sheweth the vniuersall Father to be not in earth but in Heauen so Saint Paul Galathians 4.26 sheweth the vniuersall Mother not to be in earth That must needs be the most anâ—iâ—nt Church Millitant troÌ„ which the Church Triumphant hath her name derâ—ued but in Heauen 18 And now Christian Reader as wee shewed thee at large in our fifth Chapter that before the yeere of Christ 607. there was no Popish Church in Rome and here that before the yeere of Christs incarnation 44. there was no Romish Church at all so will we now shew thee more plainly that after there was a Romish Church and that shee was become most famous for her Faith and Religion that yet euen then shee was not the Mother but a Daughter not the head but a chiefe member of the Apostolike and Catholike Church Tertullian who liued in the next age after the Apostles wrote thus b Tertul. de praescription centra Haereticos Runne ouer and behold the Apostolique Churches whereas the Apostles Chaires are yet still continued and whereas the Authenticall writings of the Apostles are pronounced sounding out the voyce and representing the face of each one of them The next Countrey to you is Achaia There haue you the Church of Corinth If ye be not farre from Macedonia there haue you the Church of Philippi and the Church of Thessalonica If ye may goe
THE POPES deadly Wound Tending to resolue all men in the Chiefe and principall Points now in controuersie betweene the Papists and Vs. Written by T. C. and published by Master Doctor BVRGES now Preacher to the English troopes in the Pallatinate 2 TIMOTH Chap. 3. Verse 8.9 As Iannes and Iambres withstood MOSES so doe these also resist the Truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the Faith But they shall preuaile no longer for their madnesse shall be euident to all men as theirs was REVELAT Chap. 18. Verse 2. It is fallen it is fallen Babilon the great Citie and is become the habitation of Deuils and the holde of all foule spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull Bird. REVELAT Chap. 14 Verse 9.10 If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receiue his marke in his forehead or on his hand the same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God LONDON Printed by T. S. for Nath. Newberie and are to be sould at the signe of the Starre vnder S. Peters Church in Corne-hill and in Popes-head-Alley 1621. To the Christian Reader HEE that vndertakes to commend another mans writings vnto the view and reading of men aduentures his owne reputation therein as Merchants doe their stocke in other mens ships And there be two sorts of men that doe and may aduenture more boldly then others either goods or credit First such as haue so much to spare as that the losse of their aduenture will not pinch them or such as haue so little to aduenture as no losse can hurt them much Yet is there a middle sort that doe aduenture in hope of good returnes J take my selfe a man not vtterly desperate yet of poore estate knowing nothing in my selfe that might procure respect vnto another mans writings vnlesse perhaps my acquaintance with many men of sundry places the purchase of my troublesome pilgrimage or the louing fauour which God of his goodnesse hath giuen mee with many far beyond my worth But if I had more reputation in the Church of God and my Countrey then euer J shall haue I would not feare to aduenture all mine owne praises in the praise of this little Booke and the Author thereof The Author thereof Master Thomas Clarke one of my parishoners in Sutton-Coldfield I know to be a man of much grauity piety and honesty for one of his sort to be admired for his vnwearied paines in reading such Authors as hee could gathering out of them the pith of their discourses or disputes and labouring to improue all not onely to the setling of his owne iudgement but also to the staying and satisfying of others popishly inclined by conference or by writing wherein also his successe hath exceeded the haruest of many other men better languaged and more learned then be Touching this his booke it is true that onely the moulding of the Arguments against Popery is his owne fitter perhaps for the vulgar sort then more exquisite pieces The matter it selfe is to be found in the writings of our learned Countreymen dispersed in large or many bookes whereof some are not so easie to be had But here is compiled and compacted together in this popular forme and in a stile so farre as I can iudge neither curious nor dissolute but well becomming the man and the matter The end and ayme of this good man I perswade my selfe to be honest and holy not applause of men nor gaine of money but a true desire to informe his countreymen that cannot or will not heare often or reade much in the knowledge of the truth which detayning or reclayming them from Popery or confirming them in true religion established in our Land might yeeld them better Christians better Subiects better Neighbours Many haue long called for this Booke vpon sight of some part of it or report of others these I suppose will gladly reade it such as neuer heard of it or of the man may please to make a tryall whether or no they may finde in it that which may refresh the memory of learned and diligent men in much breuity or bring light vnto the ignorant with as much perspicuity which is I confesse my opinion of the Booke God quicken vp our hearts to more zeale for the Gospell and against popery the zeale whereof in our aduersaries should prouoke vs to more zeale or will condemne vs though it helpe not them God also blesse this good old-Man that hath spent himselfe for common good aad blesse all meanes that may any way aduance the Kingdome of our Lord Iesus whether the scepter of Gouernement the sword of Warre the preaching of the Gospell or Pen or Print of wel-aduised and wel-affected persons Farewell Thine to serue thee in the Lord IOHN BVRGES Parson of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire and now Preacher to the English troopes in the seruice of the KING of Bohemia for the defence of the Pallatinate vnder the command of Sr. Horatio Veere Knight Lord General THE PREFACE TO the Christian Reader WEE reade Christian Reader in the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Thessalonians 2. cap. 3 verse of a generall apostacie or departing from the true Faith which the great Antichrist should bring to passe before the comming of Christ and before hee should be reuealed or made manifest to the world And wee read also in the 3. chap. and 10. verse of the Reuelation of S. Iohn of a generall temptation or triall that shall come vpon the world to trie them that dwell vpon the earth And in the 17. chap. wee reade by whom this temptation shall be made especially in the 4. and 5. verses where it is said of Romish Babylon that she offered to the world In a cup of Gold to wit in the golden name of Christ the abhomination and filthinesse of her fornication And in the 3. verse of the 18. chap. that she made all nations to drinke thereof And in the second verse of the 17. chap. that shee made the inhabibitants of the earth drunke therewith And therefore it is that the Angell in the 5. verse calleth Christian Rome Babylon The mother of whordomes and abhominations of the earth and for which as appeareth in the 2. verse of the 19. chap. the Lord hath condemned her Now by this filthinesse of her fornication all the learned doe know is meant her whorish religion as idolatrie superstition and heathenish worship which very many that are yet liuing doe know did ouerflow this Land a great part of the Christian world before the daies of King Henry the eight when as God had appointed the effectuall beginning of the reformation and restoring againe of the true Faith and Religion as may appeare by a Prophecie written in an olde booke I know not how many hundred yeeres agoe Intituled Stimulus diuinae contemplationis which saith After the yeere of Christs incarnation 1534. good Religion good Lawes good Peace together with Faith Truth and sound Doctrine shall returne into the world
forbid and which we ought all to pray God to auert For now we see is the time come for the fulfilling of this Prophesie Lord giue a blessing to my labour and open the eyes of the blinde But now what good effect can wee looke to haue that the fruit of this our labour should any thing at all preuaile to conuert any Papists seeing we finde in the 16. Chapter 10. Verse and 9. Chapter 20.21 Verses of the Reuelation that neither the Word of God nor the iudgements of God shall conuert them surely none were it not that the Lord in the 4. Verse of the 18 Chapter had reuealed that euen to the finall destruction of Babylon he hath yet reserued some to himselfe of which sort therefore we hope it will take effect in some but for the rest we haue had sufficient experience that the more plainer and clearer the truth is made vnto them the more they will labour with their cunning shifts and sophisticall arguments to obscure it yea and if it be possible they will make it seem vntruth Howbeit euen hereby they most euidently declare themselues to be of the fellowship of those Antichristians whom S. Paul 2 Thessalonians 2 chap. sheweth the great Antichrist shall so strongly delude that they shall delight rather to beleeue his lies then Gods truth And that it may appeare to the Reader they are indeed the same what can make it more apparent then their apposing themselues against the Doctrine of Christ himselfe For whereas the Prophet Malachi chap. 4. fore-told of Elias that was to come and that our Sauiour Christ Matth. 11. expoundeth that to be meant of Saint Iohn Baptist in saying of him This is that Elias that was to come Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare They sticke not to appose themselues against his plaine exposition and constantly affirme that the same Elias is yet to come Also notwithstanding the Euangelist Saint Luke in his first chapter 17. Verse sheweth Iohn Baptist to be the same of whom Malachi fore-told who as hee saith Came in the spirit and power of Elias to prepare the way for Christ They say that the end of his comming is to appose himselfe against Antichrist And this is done to make vs beleeue that Antichrist is not yet come But in the meane time their affirming Elias to be yet to come which should come but once and that onely to manifest the Messias to bee verily come What is this but by a consequent to affirme that the Messias is yet to come and so our faith in him that is come is made voyd and of none effect Againe whereas our Sauiour Christ as appeareth Matthew 24. saith And this Gospel of the Kingdome shall be preached through out the whole World for a witnesse to all Nations and then shall the end come They peruert both words sense say And then shall Antichrist come And this also is done only to make men beleeue that Antichrist is not yet come that no man should once suspect the Pope to be he albeit the truth forceth all men to beleeue the contrary But it may well appeare they meane nothing lesse then that the truth should come to light for then N. D. the Authour of the Ward-word in alledging the 8. Verse of the 11. chapter of the Reuelation to proue the seat of Antichrist to be in Ierusalem would not haue taken out of the Text the word Spiritually which all men may see the holy Ghost put in purposely to preserue the sense that he might adde a contrary to wit such a sense of his owne as should shadow Rome for appearing to be the seate and the Pope from being Antichrist I say if hee had beene willing the Reader should haue beene resolued by truth he would neuer haue done it But what hath he gotten by this his adding and deminishing too and from the words and sense of that Prophesie let him looke into the 18. and 19. Verses of the 22. chap. of the same Booke and he shall finde it to be no lesse then eternall damnation both of body and soule because it is wittingly done Againe if he had beene willing that men should haue beene resolued by the truth he might more easily haue found out the seate of Antichrist to be in Rome then in Ierusalem because the 17. chapter of the Reuelation sheweth it to be in the Citie with seauen hills and which raigneth ouer the Kings of the earth but Ierusalem was neuer described by seauen hills nor euer raigned ouer the Kings of the earth nor any other Citie in all the world but Rome therefore not Ierusalem but Rome is the seate of Antichrist Againe if he had been willing that the truth should haue resolued the Reader who hee is that is in deed and truth the great Antichrist hee would neuer haue wrested and falsified so many places of Scripture as appeareth in his Ward-word Page 91.92 he hath done wittingly to proue him a Iewe and to dominiere onely ouer that one Nation of the Iewes I say if hee had beene willing that men should haue beene resolued by the truth he would neuer haue done it If he shall charge vs with doing him wrong for saying hee hath wrested and falsified the places he hath cited I say againe not any one of his places doth proue the point if it did then hee hath done himselfe the wrong for that after so many places cited hee bringeth in the 5. Verse of the 13. chapter of the Reuelation which being vnderstood as he would haue it of Antichrist the three next Verses following proueth him a Gentile and a Roman vnto whom as the Text saith Power was giuen ouer euery kindred tongue and Nation and whom the World worshipped So that here he hath vtterly shamed himselfe for that this Text as he vnderstandeth it proueth all his former obiections but Antichristian illusions and fond fables Againe if he had beene willing that the Reader should haue beene resolued by the truth hee would not haue laboured to haue enduced him to beleeue that Antichrist should seduce the Iewes that they should receiue him for their Messias and Sauiour seeing he cannot proue by any one place of Scripture from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of the Reuelation that there shall be any other translation or alteration of the Iewes state to come but onely that in the 11. to the Romans which Saint Paul sheweth shall be their conuertion to Christ and the same to continue to the comming of Christ to iudgement Againe if he had beene willing men should haue beene resolued by the truth hee would neuer haue expounded the Image of the Heathenish Roman gouernement to be a painted picture or a carued Image the likenesse of some kind of cattell or beast onely to blind the World that men should not see the Popish gouernement to be the Image Howbeit let them looke into the 8. verse of the 14. chap. and they shall see and
and most auncient Church had but two Sacraments How the other fiue crept into the Church That the Masse by their owne confession was made by diuers Bishops of Rome long after the Apostles That it tendeth to the vtter dissoluing of the whole Harmony of the Scriptures both Propheticall and Apostolicall the ouerthrow of the power of Christs death and passion and the casting mens mindes into a doubtfull wauering of their saluation 10 That the words of Christ touching the eating his flesh and drinking his bloud as also his other words concerning the sacrament are but figuratiue speeches 11 That wee ought to pray to God alone and not to Saints And to worship God alone and not Saints That none can be mediatour betweene God and man but onely he that is partaker of the natures both of God and man 12 That the originall authours of the doctrine of Purgatory were the Heathen Philosophers How it doth confound the iudgement of the Popish writers and how it doth deny the bloud of Christ to be sufficient for the purging of sinne The Chapter of Conclusion sheweth that we are iustified in the sight of God by faith onely without workes That we possesse Heauen only by the meanes of faith and being there the fruits thereof are rewarded with the degrees of glorie That the high way to damnation is to seeke saluation by merites The Popes deadly wound Tending to resolue all Men in the chiefe and principall Points now in controuersie betweene the Papists and Vs. CHAPTER I. This Chapter tendeth to resolue all men that notwithstanding both Protestants and Papists professe but one God one Faith one Baptisme and one Lord Iesus Christ that yet there is so great a difference in the manner of their profession that it is not possible that they should be combined and conioyned together to make one and the same true Church of Christ 1 IT hath beene imagined Christian Reader that forasmuch as the Papists and wee professe one and the same God c. there might well be an vnion betweene vs and them to make one and the same Vniuersall Church but I trust through the helpe of Gods spirit it shall be made manifest to the whole Church of God that it is no more possible then by mixing with the puritie of the Gospell the Abomination of desolation by which Saint Hierome saith a Hierome in his booke vpon thâ— 24. of Saint Matth. w. We may vnderstand all manner of peruerse and false doctrine there can bee made one and the same true Christian Religion True it is that many notable Heretikes of former times haue professed one and the same God with the Church and as Saint Chrysostome saith * Chrysostome of the Worke vpon Matth. Had gotten the notes and markes of the true Church to wit sayth he Churches the Scriptures of God Bishops and other orders of Clarkes and likewise Baptisme and the Sacrament of Thankesgiuing and to conclude Christ himselfe but yet as he sheweth that the true Church of Christ would not admit them into the fellowship thereof nor take them for true members of the same The reason was for that with their profession they mingled such erronious opinions of God as made him no God according to that which Saint Hilary saith b Hilary in Ps 1. To deuise fancies of God is as horrible as to say there is no God 2 For wee beleeue and professe but one diuine God according to Deuter. 4.35 and one mediatour betweene God and man Euen the man Christ Iesus according to Saint Paul 1. Tim. 2.5 The Papists professe that the Lord he is God but not God onely and that Christ is mediatour but neither wholly nor only as this first Chapter shall plainly demonstrate from their owne Doctors for one writeth thus c Fel. in cap. ego N. de iureiur The Pope hath the place vpon earth not of a pure man but of a true God The Bishop of Aeix saith d Contr Bassinet vt Hist. Gallica Our holy Father the Pope is an vndoubted and true God on earth In their Extrauagants he is termed e Extra coment in glossa Our Lord God the Pope besides their Councell of Trident f Trident. in sexto de lect decreed him to be God In the Councell of Lateraine one saluted the Pope with this title g Latr. sess 4. Thou art another God on earth which the Pope accepted as his due euen as Pope Nicholas seeking authority whereby he might claime that dignitie found these words treasured vp in the Popes Library * Nicholas Dist. 96. satis euidenter It is well knowne that the Pope of the godly Prince Constantine was called God To which words Augustine Steuche the keeper of the Popes Librarie added h Steuche libr. Donat. Constant. pag. 141. Dost thou not heare that the highest Bishop was called of Constantine God and that he was taken for God and worshipped as God with diuine honour Whereby it plainely appeareth that this title is not giuen him of flatterers against his will neyther fell it out of their fingers rashly or by chance but with good consideration and therefore they ascribe also vnto him the great power and authority not of a terrestiall God but euen of a celestiall and that in foure respects 3 First in graunting to him as large commaund as to God himselfe for thus they write i Extrauag De translat-Episcopi Quinto Hostin Sinne excepted the Pope in a manner may doe all that God may doe Againe k Counsel Lat. Leo. 10. In the Pope there is all manner of power aboue all power as well of heauen as of earth Also l Extrauag De Constitu lib. Statuta The Pope hath power ouer the Angells both good and bad And m Agrippa de vanitat Scient The Pope hath power to command the Angells and hath power ouer the dead Againe n Baldus in li. Barbarius De officio praetoris The Pope is all and aboue all Furthermore o L. Sacrilegij c. de crim sacril ind c. Ecclesia vt tit pend It is sacriledge to doubt of the Popes power * for he is the cause of causes therefore we must make no question about his power seeing there is no cause of the first cause Lastly p In Bull. Clem. 6. in Ant. Flo. The Pope hath so great power both in Purgatory and also in hell that he may deliuer by his Indulgences place in the heauen and habitation of the blessed as many Soules as he will So that in his power of commaunding hee is made equall with God as if hee might be bold to say with our Sauiour Matth. 28. All power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth 4 Secondly they match him with God in giuing him priuiledge and exemption from all censure saying q Dist. Satis lib. Don. Constant. pag. 141. The Pope cannot at all be eyther bound or loosed by the Secular power
who as appeareth euidently was called of the most godly Prince Constantine God seeing it is manifest God cannot bee iudged of men Another saith r Baldus in c. Eccles vt tit pend The Pope may doe all things aboue Law contrary to Law and without Law Moreouer Å¿ Bonis Distinct. 40. Si Papa If the Pope be found to neglect the saluation of his brethren vnprofitable and slacke in his office silent in that which is good hurtfull to himselfe and all others yea though hee leade with him innumerable soules by heapes to the diuell of hell yet may no mortall man finde fault with him or presume to reprooue him for so doing For as another saith t C. inter in corpor de translat Praela car Paris in conc 63. num 162. vol. 4. Those things hee doth hee doth them as God So that they say little lesse of him then what Saint Paul Rom. 9. saith of God Who art thou that pleadest against God Or that which Iob saith of God chap. 9. Who shall say vnto him What dost thou 5 Thirdly in authorising his Decrees equall with Gods saying thus v Alexander to Philip King of France That which the Pope doth is to be receiued as Canonicall Againe * Adrian caus 25. qâ—â—st i.q. generaâ—â— It is not lawfull to adde or diminish any thing the Pope hath done Also x Ibidem Whosoeuer shall violate or break the Popes Decrees shall be accursed Againe y Ibidem Who so offendeth in breaking the Popes Lawes shall neuer be forgiuen And lastly z Herâ—â—ans de poâ—â—â—â— papa cap. 23. The Pope is by power and vertue the whole Church wee may not swarue from his iudgement neyther to the right hand nor to the left * Iara in Deut. cap. 17. Though hee tell thee that thy right hand is thy left or that thy left hand is thy right hand such a sentence must bee held for good Thus are his Lawes in their account like those of which Christ speaketh in the Gospell Matthew 5. Whosoeuer shall breake one of these least commaundements and teach men so hee shall bee called the least in the Kingdome of Heauen 6 Fourthly in subiecting Gods word and holy Scriptures vnto his censure as thus a Summa Angelan Dist. Pap. The Pope may dispence for any Commaundement of the Old or New Testament b 6. q. 1. Quicunque in glossa The Popes priuiledges may be graunted against the Lawe of God c Nicola Cusan ad Bohaemos epist. 2. There be no commaundements of Christ in the Gospell but such onely as are taken and holden by the Church d Syluester Prierias contra Lutherium The doctrine of the Scriptures take their force and authority of the Pope and his doctrine e Ibidem The authority of the Church of Rome and of the Popes is aboue the authority of the Scriptures Lastly f Pighnus in contro De Ecclesia The Scriptures are a nose of waxe a dead letter and dumbe Iudges Whereupon another sayth g John Maria verracties Editius est Anno 1561. Wee most humbly confesse that the authority of the Church is aboue the authority of the Gospell 7 So that by all these testimonies out of the mouthes of their grauest Writers wee see plainely that the Romish church holdeth and esteemeth the Pope to be not a terrestiall Good but rather a celestiall God For in that they will haue him called God in a diuine sense and taken not for a pure man but for a true God and will haue him to be worshipped with diuine honours as God and to haue power in heauen earth and hell ouer Angells Diuells and men and to be able to deliuer from hell and to giue the kingdome of heauen and free him from all censure and controlement of any and make his Decrees not onely equall with Gods but aboue them they will haue him to bee a celestiall god euen in the highest degree For it is cleare that his Lawes and decrees that are the most highest aboue all lawes and decrees is the most highest aboue all gods And heerein they prooue him to be indeede that great Antichrist The man of sinne mentioned by Saint Paul 2 Thes 2. 2. Thessal 2. That should sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe that hee is God and exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped That is not onely aboue all Princes and Maiestrates which in some sense are called Gods but aboue the three persons vnto whom all diuine worship and honour is only due and so we may conclude but they say no and who then shall be Iudge betweene vs that shall these sixe vnpartiall Iudges Ioacham Abbas Iraeneus Anselmus Saint Hierome Gregory the Great and Erasmus Ioacham saith h Joacham Abbas Hee it is that exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped which is called Holy Lord and most Holy Pope Iraeneus sayth i Iraeneus lib. 5. lest chapter saue one Antichrist notwithstanding he be but a slaue yet he will be worshipped as if he were God and proclaimed as a King Anselmus sayth k Anselmus 2. Thessal 2 Antichrist shall faine himselfe to be holy that hee may deceiue men vnder the colour of holinesse Yea and hee shall call himselfe God and shall cause himselfe to be worshipped and shall promise the Kingdome of heauen Saint Hierome sayth l Hierom. in Zachar. 11. This shepheard is so wicked that hee is not called a worshipper of Idols but an Idol it selfe because he calleth himselfe God and will be worshipped of all men Gregory the Great sayth m Gregory in his 25. booke vpon the 34. 14. chapter of Iob. Whereas hee is a damned man and not a spirit liuing he faineth himselfe to be God To conclude Erasmus sayth thus of the Pope n Erasmus vpon the 16. hap of the Râ—u lat 2. Sect. That beast at Rome of whom we spake before is the very right Antichrist which worketh against the Gospell of Christ. And yet for a more full resolution that the Pope is the same great Antichrist which Saint Paul calleth The man of sinne and sonne of perdition that should exalt himselfe aboue God their Saint Hildigard a Nunne o Hildig in her third â—ook the 11. Vision giueth the Pope these very same titles The man of sinne and sonne of perdition And their prophâ—â— Paracelsus in his twelft figured Prediction directed to the Pope prooueth him also to be the same For saith â—â—e p Paras 12. Prediction Thou hast lifted thyselfe on high And a little after Thou hast exalted thy selfe aboue God and he shall returne vnto thee the reward thou hast sought Now then whereas some haue doubted whether the Pope be that great Antichrist for that the great Antichrist should come vnto such an exceeding great height of pride and vaine-glory as that none before him could neyther after
him should euer possibly attaine vnto heere by this plaine demonstration they may bee resolued for that they find not any-where in all the Scriptures nor by any auntient Writers that any man nay that Lucifer himselfe euer aspired to mount vp to that great height of dignitie as they see here the Pope hath done And therefore it is which their Saint Bridgit in the person of Christ sayth thus to the Pope q Bridget in her first booke 41. chap. Thou art worse then Lucifer Wherefore to professe one God after this Antichristian manner namely to haue the Pope and euery Pope in his time and place to be Not a pure man but a true God To be the cause of causes and consequently an eternall God To haue power to fetch out of hell as many soules as he will and place them in heauen and consequently to be an almightie God To haue power ouer the Angels in heauen and his Lawes and Decrees aboue the Lawes and Decrees of God and to be said of him The Pope is all and aboue all and consequently the highest God of all is as Saint Hilary sayth r Hilar. in Psa 1. To deuise fancies of God and as horrible as to say there is no God and doubtlesse as in plaine and expresse termes to deny God For it is cleare that if there be any more celestiall Gods then one there is iust none at all And thus much to shew how little the Papists agree with the Protestants in the profession of one God now let vs see how they doe agree in the profession of one Sauiour and Mediator Iesus Christ 8 VVe Protestants professe as is sayd one onely Sauiour and Mediatour both of redemption and intercession euen Christ Iesus Diuers of the Popish writers seeme to holde the letter of the Scriptures that there is none other name whereby we are saued but onely by this name Iesus But as Saint Hilary foretold of Antichrist s that Hee should be contrary to Christ vnder a colour of preaching the Gospell so that our Lord Iesus Christ shall then be denyed when a man would thinke he were preached Euen so falleth it out with the Romish profession whereby hee is as plainely denyed as he was of the false Apostles in the time of Saint Paul who taught Christ to be the Sauiour but not truely partly by denying some vertue of his passion and partly coupling others with him as fellow-Sauiours in like manner as the Popish writers doe For they distinguishing sinnes into originall and actuall hold and write t Thó of Aquin. de Venerabil sacra Alter cap. 1. Catharinus De Jnâ—ruento sacrificio Noui. that Christ saued onely from the guilt of originall sinne that is of that one transgression of Adam which we our selues neuer committed in act and left vs guilty of all our transgressions which through our whole life we commit which is as much as if one had payed a penny for his friend which lay in prison for more then he was euer able to pay 9 The holy Apostles Saint Paul and Saint Iohn vnpartiall Iudges in this question teach otherwise Rom. 5.16 Paul in the 5. to the Romaines sayth plainely that Adams transgression was one and spread ouer all to condemnation but the gift of God through Christ is in iustification of many offences vnto life eternall And vnto Titus thus he writeth Tit. 2. vers 14. Christ gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeeme vs not from originall sinne only but from all iniquitie And so Saint Iohn 1. Iohn 1.7 The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne By which it is most euident that the Romish Doctors are worthy to bee accounted among the false Apostles which for their worldly gaine and filling their bellies avowe in writing v Card. Allen. in Fulk pag. 154. That by the great wisedome of God the power of Christs death was limited and full power left to the Church and principall Pastours thereof to release sinne and that * Ibidem the death of Christ doth not discharge vs of satisfaction for our owne sins and of procuring our owne saluation by good workes Hereupon they haue found out and doe openly professe many Sauiours for actuall sinnes whose number may bee reduced into fiue heads 10 The first is of the Saints whereof some are truely Saints but abused by them and set vp to be Sauiours others are counterfeit and of their owne canonizing of whom we may well doubt whether they themselues be saued or no seeing Pope Gelasius sayth x Gela. in the 2. Canon de coâ—secra dist 1. cap. Placu Churches are built in their names who for ought I can learne were not altogether good and faithfull men Of the true Saints they haue specially abused the blessed Virgine whom they thus extoll y Lipomanus pag. 289. Behold how mighty is the Mother of God and how no man can be saued but by her Againe z O happy Mother which doest purge vs from our sinnes Yea more abusedly a Wee must flee from the court of Gods iustice to the court of his Mothers mercie For no mercie commeth from heauen to the earth but what passeth through the hands of Mary shee is the mediatour of our saluation iustification reconciliation and participation Againe b In a prayer Thou art the mediatour of God and man Also c In a prayer Our hope and trust is in thee O blessed Virgine Mary defend vs euerlastingly And againe d Thou art the Lady of Angells thou art the Queene of heauen commaund thy sonne shew thy selfe to be a Mother To conclude the Scriptures and Prophecies spoken of Christ are by them applyed vnto her e Come vnto me all yee that are weary and laden I will ease you Math. 11. I am the doore Iohn 10. c. The rest of the Saints are lesse mentioned or not so often in their Liturgies but no lesse extolled f In Liturgie They call Mary Magdalen The purchaser of their saluation They say g In a prayer By Saint Swithen our sinnes are done away And of the whole multitude in generall how they beleeue it appeareth in their Masse booke first where they pray * In the Masse booke That by the merits of all Saints they may receiue remission of sinnes Secondly in their Iesus psalter where they desire the Patriarkes Prophets Apostles Euangelists Martyrs Confessours Virgines Widdowes Matrons and Innocents to offer them their merits And that by the merits and intercession of Peter Paul Iohn Augustine Anne Katherine Barbara and all other Saints that hath bin or yet are to come they may obtaine Gods mercie 11 Concerning their new coyned Saints Founders of certaine Sects among them Augustine Dominicke Francis Becket Swithen and others they write so honourably of them pray so confidently vnto them extoll them with such prayses and seeme to beleeue so certainely in them that not onely all the other Saints but
euen Christ himselfe seemeth to giue place to these and these mens rules and orders be preferred aboue the Gospell Dominike say they h Anth. bishop of Florence in hiâ—â— Par. 3. tit 23. 24. shead his bloud daily both for those that were conuersant in earth and for those that are in Purgatory and therefore it is that they also say their church singeth thus of Dominike i Pag 187. O wonderfull hope that thou hast giuen Of Frances thus k Conformities Frances whom typicall Iesus wee call the Captaine and Ruler of Minorities all graunt vs in heauen places perpetuall And they say that whereas Christ endured the torment of nayles in hands and feete but a few houres hee endured nailes in his hands and feete for vs full two yeares Of Becket thus l Becket in a prayer booke By the blood of Thomas which for thee he did spend make vs O Christ to climbe whither Thomas did ascend Of Swithen they say m In Liturgy By him our sinnes are done away 12 Thus doe they make many mediatours of Redemption vnto whom may be added their faith in the Pope and his pardons For he whosoeuer for the time being is in the second ranke or order of whom they write and beleeue that he is a Sauiour as Simon Begnius Bishop of Modrusia sayd thus to Pope Leo n Concil Later Sect. 6. pag. 601. O blessed Leo we haue looked for thee to be our Sauiour Neither is this pressed vpon him but willingly receiued as his due as may appeare in that the Pope himselfe suffered the Ambassador of Cicilia to lie prostrate on the ground before him and to pray o Paulus Aemilius lib. 7. O thou that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs Thou that takest away the sinnes of the world giue vs peace And to proue that the Pope is of sufficient power to saue an other writeth thus p Bull of Clement the 6. and Anthon. of Fleâ— The Pope hath so great power both in Purgatory and also in Hell that hee may deliuer by his Indulgences and place in heauen as many soules as he will Thus they avowe not onely that euery soule must be saued vnder the Pope but that the Pope must be their Sauiour Neither hee himselfe alone but those also that he will authorize For as one saith q Cardinall Allen in Fulby answere to a false catholike p. 71. The chiefe and principall Pastors by their soueraigne authority may wholly discharge offenders from all paines to come And yet further that Christ might bee quite shut out and there might be many Aberrations they haue set vp for Mediatours and helpers vnto saluation Images prayers to Images Dirges Almes-deedes and Purgatory Vnto the Image of the Crosse thus they pray Å¿ In a prayer booke All haile O Crosse our onely hope in this time of thy passion in faithfull people grace increase and graunt of sinne remission 13 Also notwithstanding hee whom they faine to be their Founder 1. Pet. 1.18 Saint Peter sayth Wee are not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold but with the pretious blood of Christ Directly contrary they teach and say t Allen in Fulke pa. 202. 174. By almes we may redeeme our sinnes and theirs that are in Purgatory also And againe u In thâ— same booke pa. 239. Good workes cleanseth before hand deliuereth the soule from death and lifteth it vp to eternall life And lastly * Ibidem Regard not the iangler that will say good works do not purge sin and winne heauen 14 Last of all to the intent that we should finde more sufficiencie else-where then in Christ they further write x Allen in Fulke pag. 202. The Sacrifices done by vs that are aliue do wipe away the sins of those that be dead Againe y The Popish Doctors The sacrifice of the Masse doth take away the sinnes of the quicke and dead And againe z Allen in Fulke 92. Purgatory paynes doth not onely serue Gods iustice for the punishment of sinne but also cleanseth and quallifieth the soule of man defiled Moreouer a Allen pag. 133 In Purgatory we must be holden from life and libertie till we haue payed the vtmost farthing the toleration of which bonds shall recompence the debt And to knit vp all in a word to the Image of Christ they haue intituled a prayer beginning thus b In a prayer booke O Maker of heauen and earth King of Kings and Lord of Lords which of nothing diddest make mee to thine owne similitude and likenesse and diddest redeeme mee with thy owne bloud whom I a sinner am not worthy to call vpon I desire thee c. And so forwards for all things needefull both for soule and body 15 Wherefore then if the doctrine of the Church of Rome be true namely that Christ by his death and bloudshedding saued vs but from the guilt of that one sinne of Adam and that wee are saued from the malediction of the multitude of all our transgressions by the Popes and their principall Pastours and by the infinite number of true and false Saints and so many names of other means How doe they truely hold that which Saint Peter saith Acts 4.12 Acts 4.12 That among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued but onely by the name of Iesus Or which the Prophet Esay in the person of Christ saith 63.3 Esay 63.3 I haue troden the Wine-presse alone and of all people there is none with me Or if Christ cannot or doth not saue without all other or other helpes why then said the Authour to the Hebrews 1.3 Hee hath purged our sinnes by himselfe Hebr. 1.3 Acts 13.39 Or why said Saint Paul thus of Christ Acts 13.39 By him euery one that beleeueth is iustified Or why did the Angell commaund the Virgine to call her Sonne Iesus but because as he said Math. 1.21 Matth. 1.21 He should saue his people from their sinnes If he then he alone and why then should wee seeke for so many he and she Sauiours Wherefore howsoeuer they seeme in the outward letter of the Scriptures to confesse Christ to be the onely Sauiour yet wee see it is none otherwise then they confesse God to bee the onely God which is instead of one to haue many To conclude it is a true consequent that so many Sauiours so many Christs so many Christs so many faiths so many faiths so many baptismes Therefore whether professing one God one Lord Iesus Christ one Faith and one Baptisme after this Antichristian manner be to hold the foundation sound or not soundly and vtterly to ouerthrow the foundation let the Christian Reader iudge as also whether there bee so neere a coniunction in our profession that they and we may be combined and conioyned together to make one and the same true Church of Christ as also whether this be
in the Romish iurisdiction is that verie same seducing Antichrist Yea doubtlesse the same which not Iewes hereafter but as the middle part of our former Chapter proueth Christians long since haue receiued for their Messias and Sauiour seeking remission of sinnes and euerlasting saluation at his hands And therefore seeing the great Antichrist is a Christian and receyued of Christians for their Messias Bellarmine may verie well say it is not likely that the Iewes vnto whom the verie name of Christians is odious should receiue the Popes for their Messias who carrie the name of Christians nor that they should receiue the great Antichrist for their Sauiour THE THIRD OBIECTION 9. The Doctrine and Gospel of Christ must be first preached to all Nations before the true Antichrist come Matth. 24. and 2. Thes 2. and so the consent of old Doctors vpon the same place doe agree which thing is not yet fulfilled as S. Augustine in his time did largely declare Epist 80. and we also shew in ours much more by the vast infidell Countries daily discouered THE ANSWERE 10. Behold Christian Reader how to shaddow the Pope from being reuealed to be Antichrist he proceedeth in peruerting the Scriptures For whereas in the 24. chap. of S. Matth. â—4 14 Matthew Christ said This Gospel of the Kingdome shall be preached through the whole World for a witnesse vnto all Nations and then shall the end come Hee thus peruerteth both words and sence and saith And then shall Antichrist come And this commeth to passe onely by his misse-vnderstanding these wordes that follow in the Text When yee therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the holy place c. For this he vnderstandeth to haue beene spoken of Antichrist whereas it is cleare that it is meant of the Idols which the Romans should set vp in the Temple and that Heathenish worship which those Gentiles should spread ouer all Iewrie whereby the Doctrine of the Gospel should be most horribly corrupted immediately after the death of Christ when as the daily Sacrifice should cease according to that Prophesie of Daniel 12.11 And hereof it is which S. Chrisostome saith thus o Chrisost in his 40. Hom. vpon the vnperfect worke of Math. When you shall see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place that is saith he when you shall see the vngodly heresies which is the armie of Antichrist stand in the holy place of the Church in that time let him that is in Iewrie flee vnto the Hils that is saith he let them that be in Christendome resort vnto the Scriptures And for Antichrist not comming before the Gospel be preached to all Nations that proueth nothing that he is not alreadie come seeing the Gospel hath alreadie beene preached to all Nations For not onely the Apostle S. Paul saith of the Apostles vniuersall preaching Romans 10.18 No doubt their sound went out through all the Earth and their wordes to the ends of the World but they themselues in their Rozarie most euidently declareth that they did preach all the World ouer For there say they Peter first preached in Iewrie then in Syria Antioch and other places and last of all in Italie Andrewe in Achaia Iames the Great in Spaine Iohn in Asia Thomas in India Iames the Lesse in Ierusalem Philip in Phrigia Bartholmewe in Scythia Matthew in Aethiopia Symon in Persia Thadeus in Mesopotamia Matthias in Palestina Paul in most parts of the World Againe he citeth the â— Thessal 2. in which there cannot be found any one word that doth proue his Assertion But this I finde in the 7. verse by the iudgement of Tertullian Saint Ambrose S. Augustine and those wordes of S. Hierome before cited p Hierome vnto Algasia The Roman Emperour which now keepeth all Nations in subiection must first be ouerthrowne and then shall Antichrist come the Fountaine of Iniquitie that the time of Antichrists comming was then when the Emperour of Rome was remoued out of his place to Constantinople and the Empire brought to confusion which time they know as well as wee was betweene the raigne of Augustus and Carolus Magnus For in that 300 and odde yeares space to wit from about the yeare of Christ 500. to 800. by sedition the Empire stood void Palmer as both Euagrius and Palmar witnesseth q Euagrius lib. 2. cap. 16. Chronic. in which compasse of time as Erasmus testifieth * Erasmus vpon the 13. cap. rose vp in Rome that spirituall Beast resembling Christ the Lambe mentioned in the 13. chap. of the Reuelation vnto whom as the Text declareth power was giuen ouer Nations Kingdomes and as the Popes Kallender declareth that by the meanes of Phocas the Emperour which murthered his Predecessour Boniface the third Bishop of Rome of that name obtayned that vniuersall power euen to be called Vniuerfall Bishop and in stead of Christ to be Head of Christs vniuersall Church Therefore we see it euident that in this Boniface was Antichrists first rising But they say no and who then shall bee iudge betweene vs that shall their S. Vincent and the great Bishop of Rome Gregorie Saint r Vincent in 〈◊〉 Treatise of the end of thâ—â—orld Vincent prophecied of the falling from the true Catholick Faith and of the comming of two kindes of Antichrists The one hee called a Pure Antichrist to wit an open professed aduersarie of Christ which all men know is the Turke For he proclaymeth open warre against both sorts of Christians therefore hee calleth him pure because he is without hypocrisie or colour of fayned friendship The other he calleth a Mixed kinde of Antichrist and this shall bee saith he an euill Pope made by a certaine euill Prince of great power who shall place his euill Pope in the field or plaine of the Prouince of Babylon because there shall bee nothing then but confusion vnto this mixed Antichrist saith hee many Princes shall adhere Gregorie when he perceiued by Iohn Bishop of Constantinople that an Vniuersall Bishop should be made in that Moricius the Emperour maintayned him in that vngodly Title of Vniuersall Bishop which he tooke vpon him said he Å¿ Gregorie in his 34. Epist What else is signified hereby but that the time of Antichrist is at hand t Lib. 4. Epist 38. The King of Pride is at hand and an armie of Priests is prepared which is a wicked and an horrible thing to be spoken And indeed that all men might clearely discerne him when hee was come he thus described him vnto them saying u Ibidem Hee is Antichrist that shall claime to be called Vniuersall Bishop and shall haue a guard of Priests to attend vpon him And about two yeares after Gregories death this Boniface was so exalted Now then forasmuch as all the successours of Boniface from time to time haue claymed and retained both the Title and Dignitie as their right and due though many Nations
2. said Antichrist shall sit as God But I demaund how this can be said to be the Temple of God where God neuer sate ne put his name ne was serued but should be built onely for that great Idol Antichrists vse S. Augustine saith a Augustine de Ciuitate Dei 〈◊〉 20. cap. 19. The Temple of an Idoll or of a Deuill the Apostle would neuer call the Temple of God And therefore seeing as we heard before S. Hierome said that by the Temple is meant the Church this can neither bee that Temple in which S. Paul said Antichrist should sit as God nor Bellarmines Iew be that Antichrist which Saint Paul meant should sit in the Temple of God Now therefore the question is whether the Pope of Rome be hee which S. Paul said should sit as God in the Temple of God exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped They say no wee say yea and who then shall determine the matter that shall foure of their owne side Bernard Ioacham Abbas Paracelsus and Auentine Bernard bewailing the state of the Church vnder the Popes of his time saith b Bernard Serm. 6. in Psalm 91. There remayneth nothing now but that the man of sinne bee reuealed euen the sonne of perdition which is not onely changed into an Angel of Light but is exalted aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped Ioacham sheweth plainely in diuers places of his Writings c Ioacham in his Commentarie vpon Jeremie besides other places in diuers of his Predictions That hee it is which exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped which is called holy Lord and most holy Pope Their Paracelsus wrote thus to the Pope d Paracelsus in his 12. sigured Prediction Behold thou hast lifted vp thy selfe on high but it is not thy place neither shalt thou abide aboue And a little after Thou hast placed thy selfe aboue God Their writer Auentine saith thus of the Pope and euery particular of them e Auentine in his Chron. printed at Ingolstade anno 1554. They sit in the Temple of God and they bee exalted aboue all that is worshipped Hee which is the seruant of seruants doth couet to be Lord of Lords as if he were God He speaketh great things as if he were God He changeth Lawes he establisheth his owne he robbeth he spoyleth he couseneth he slayeth that wicked man whom commonly they call Antichrist in whose forehead is a name written a name of Blasphemie I am God I cannot erre He sitteth in the Temple of God and beareth rule farre and wide And thus we see the matter determined by these foure vnpartiall Iudges and the question fully resolued that the Pope is that great Antichrist the Man of Sinne which S. Paul fore-told should Sit as God in the Temple of God exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped And this may also suffice for the answering the third place which hee citeth out of that 2 Thes 2. to haue proued the seat of Antichrist to be Ierusalem Now to the second place The second place which hee citeth is the seuenteenth Chapter of the Reuelation then which he could not haue brought a more plainer place to proue the contrarie For in that the Angel calleth that Citie which he there speaketh of The great Citie which raigneth ouer the Kings of the earth He did not onely cleare Ierusalem for that it neuer raigned ouer the Kings of the earth but also certifieth vs that he meant Rome because Rome onely raigned ouer the Kings of the earth and the Emperour of Rome was then Emperour of the World Againe for as much as the Angel noteth out that Citie which S. Iohn there speaketh of by seauen Hills whereon it is built He not only cleared Ierusalem but also assureth vs that he meant Rome And all that are of any reading doe know that Ierusalem was neuer described by seauen Hils and that Rome and none other City in all the world is so described as Rome is by the names of these Hils Capitolinus Palatinus Auentinus Cicilius Scuen Hills Exquilinus Veminalis and Quinalis So that forasmuch as that Citie mentioned in the seauenteenth Chapter is distinguished from Ierusalem by those two speciall notes namely by raigning ouer the Kings of the earth and by being built vpon seauen Hils it is cleare without all contradiction that Rome onely is that place where the great Antichrist should pitch his Kingdome and consequently that the spirituall gouemour thereof and none other is he But they say no and who then shall be ludge betweene vs that shall their Abbot Ioacham Erasmus and their Bishop Cataldus Finius Ioacham writing vpon that seauenteenth Chapter of the Reuelation saith f Joacham The verie Text it selfe doth teach that the Woman begilded with gold and which committeth spirituall fornication with the Princes of the earth is the verie Church of Rome Erasmus writing also vpon the same Chapter saith g â—rasmus Sect. 3. These Hills agree with the hills of Rome Againe The woman in the great Citie is he which hath exalted himselfe for a Bishop ouer all Bishops and that raigneth ouer Emperours and Kings sitting also in the place of Christ And in the Chapter going before thus h Erasmus That beast of Rome of whom we spake before is the verie right Antichrist which worketh against the Gospel of Christ Cataldus saith i Cataldus Bishop of Trent in a Prophesic of his Rome is Babylon the damned pit of Priests And how then can Bellarmine with any credite or shew of truth say that Antichrist shall pitch his Kingdome in Ierusalem or that the Pope is not he THE SIXT OBIECTION 17 Three principall heads of Antichrists deuillish Doctrine when he commeth are plainely gathered out of holy Scripture The first that he shall denie Iesus to be Christ 1. Iohn 2. cap. 22. and consequently deny Baptisme and all other Sacraments and Doctrines brought in by Christ The second that he shall teach himselfe to be Christ and the Iewes shall beleeue him Iohn 5. The third that he shall affirme himselfe to be God and so require to be adored for God 2 Thessal 2.4 But the Popes of Rome doe not teach these poynts of Doctrine hetherto and therefore cannot be Antichrist THE ANSWERE 18 The former Chapter plainely proueth the Popes of Rome to teach all these three poynts of Doctrine and therefore Bellarmine himselfe must graunt the Pope and euery Pope in his time and place to be that Antichrist THE SEVENTH OBIECTION 19. Againe the Scripture teacheth vs that Antichrist when he commeth shall doe many wonderfull miracles in the sight of men Matth. 24. and 2. Thessal 2. and some of those miracles are specified Apoc. 13. to wit that he shall make fire descend from heauen and the Image of a beast to speake and saine himselfe to die and rise againe But these miracles no Pope hitherto hath
vnto them on their bare knees lifting vp both eyes and hands vnto them and putting forth their voyces vpon them with many deuout prayers amongst which this prayer to the Image of Christ a In a prayer booke O maker of heauen and earth King of Kings and Lord of Lords which of nothing diddest make me to thine owne similitude and likenesse and didst redeeme mee with thine owne bloud whom I a sinner am not worthy to call vpon I desire thee c. And so forwards for all things needfull both for soule and body And that indeed it may appeare that this prayer is not made vnto Christ by the Image but euen to the very Image it selfe this Title ouer head A prayer to the Image of the body of Christ doth make it most manifest Therefore whether this be no more to take the Image for God then dogges doe take those Images for the creatures themselues or whether it be possible for people to vse greater meanes or to make a more manifest apparence that by a consequence they take it for God Let the vnpartiall Reader iudge But it is cleare by their common practise that they are of that sort of counterfeit Christians who in Saint Augustines time would haue cloaked their Idolatrie with cunning speeches whom notwithstanding he thus reproued for Idolaters saying b Augustine in his Sermon of the words of Christ in Mat. Let them not say to me they take the Image for no diuine power they know it not to be God I would to God saith hee they so knew it as wee know it but what they haue and what they doe about it the Altar beareth witnesse Wherefore let them say what they will and shaddow their damnable idolatrie as closely as they can vnder the mysterie of iniquitie here in this life their practise shall sufficiently prooue at the day of iudgement whether they be Idolaters or no and whether they be not of that sort which Epiphanius speaketh of * Epiphan lib. 3. in oratione de Fide Catholica Which abhorre the sight of Idols and yet fall downe and worship them 4 The second reason whereby they would proue themselues no Idolaters wee heard to be this namely They worship not the Image but God by it to which wee answere To worship God by an Image is flat Idolatrie and a breach of the second Commandement which vtterly forbiddeth any at all to be vsed in any part of Gods worship in that it forbiddeth any at all to be made for Spirituall vse Therefore it is cleare that if God had not accounted it Idolatrie to be worshipped by Images hee would not haue said Exod. 20.4 Exodus 20. Thou shalt make thee no grauen Image Neither would he haue said Deut. 27.15 Deuter. 27. Cursed be the man that shall make any carned or molten Image which is an abomination vnto the Lord. Therefore seeing the Image maker is accursed and the Image it selfe abominable it must needes be an accursed and abominable Idolatrie to worship God by an Image Also forasmuch as the Lord accounteth the Image abominable and the maker accursed they must needes be abominable and accursed that will compell him to be worshipped by it Yea doubtlesse and they also must needes be abominable and accursed which allow accursed and abominable Images to be holy monuments in the Church and profitable as true Teachers of the ignorant seeing the Lord by the Prophet Ieremie chap. Ieremy 10.8 10. hath said thus of those that make any such reckoning of them They altogether dote and are foolish for the stocke is a Doctrine of vanitie And seeing also by the mouth of the Prophet Habakkuk chap. Habak 2.18.19 2. he hath said What profiteth the Image for the maker thereof hath made it an Image and a teacher of lies Nay seeing he hath also by the same Prophet denounced an euerlasting woe against all those that desire such Teachers saying Woe to him that saith to the wood Awake and to the dumbe stone Rise vp it shall teach thee As also seeing their owne Canonicall Scripture the 15. of Wisedome sayth thus of them and their Images Wised 15.5.6 Whose sight stirreth vp the desire of the ignorant so that hee coueteth the forme that hath no life euen of a dead Image they that loue such wicked things are worthy to haue such things to trust vnto and they that make them and they that worship them and they that desire them That is Esay 57.13 they all are worthy to haue no better helpe in the great day of neede then can come from those Images Therefore the Lord by the Prophet Esay chapter 44. Esay 44.11 hath thus denounced the definitiue sentence against the whole fraternitie of them saying All that are of the fellowship thereof shall be confounded To wit all that * Esay 45.16 make Images for spiritual vses all that vse them as Lay mens bookes to stirre vp their deuotion all that worship God by them all that worship them for God or that vse them in any part of Gods worship or doth but desire them liuing and dying in the same minde shall at the last day be confounded together in the Lake of fire burning with brimstone Reuel 19.2.20 and 21.8 and 22.15 as appeareth in the 19. chapter of the Reuelation and also in the 21. and 22. chapter and Psalme 97. Esay 45.16 verse 5 This diuellish deuice Christian Reader of worshipping one by another was both the father and mother of the whole worlds Idolatrie which as the fourteenth chapter of Wisedome sheweth came first vp in this manner Wisd 14.14 15 When a father mourned grieuously for his sonne that was taken away sodainely he made an Image for him that was dead whom now he worshippeth as a God and ordained to his seruants ceremonies and sacrifices thus in processe of time this wicked custome preuailed and was kept as a Lawe and Idoles were worshipped by the commaundement of tyrants So that hereby we see how Idolatry first crept in among the Heathen which afterwards was imitated amongst the Iewes and after them among the new conuerted Christians as we shall prooue heereafter In the meane time as we see by this first deuice how Images came in time to be worshipped for God among the Heathen so let vs see also what good effect the practise thereof hath wrought among the Papists which we shall finde made manifest in the tenure of the Doctrine of the Romish Church in which it is thus written c In the false Councel of the Greekes Citantur inlibro Caroli Magni Hee that feareth God adoreth an Image as hee would adore the Sonne of God Againe d Tho. Aquin. part 3. quest 25. Since Christ is adored with diuine honour it followeth that his Image must be adored with the selfe-same diuine honour And againe e Iacob Nanclantus in Epist. ad Rom. cap. 1. Wee must therefore confesse that the faithfull in
they may after feare or feare those things which they haue framed And then deriding them with the words of their common answere he sayth No forsooth say they we feare not that but them after whose Image they be made and to whose names they beconsecrated Againe whereas they doubted their religion to be void without Images he thus resolueth their doubt p Lactant. lib. 2. cap. 19. Out of all doubt where there is an Image there is no religion If then where an Image is there true religion is not and that in the Popes iurisdiction euery Church is full of Images it is cleare that in all Churches within the Popes iurisdiction true Religion is not and consequently no religion And this is it whereof their Saint Hildegard thus foreshewed would come to passe saying q S. Hilde gard a Nunne lib. 3. Vision 11. Sciuias In the Apostolicall Order to wit saith she of the Romaine Sea no religion shall be found To be briefe Saint Augustine by rendering this reason why that sort of counterfeit Christians were so addicted to Images saying r Augustine in his booke against Admantus the 13. cha They would seeme to fauour Images to make the Heathen to thinke the better of their most miserable and lewd Sect plainely proueth the Papists to be not true Catholiques but most miserable and lewd Sectaries who wee see had rather ioyne themselues with the barbarous Heathen in their damnable idolatrie and superstition then with true Christians in the sinceritie and puritie of the Gospell of saluation And thus much touching the third and last illusion 9 But now forasmuch as they haue induced the ignorant to beleeue that in this their manner of worship they please God well it is our parts and duties to make knowne vnto them how it pleased God in them of olde time that so thereby they may the better iudge how themselues therein please God Exo. 32.27.28 The thirty two chapter of Exodus plainly declareth that the Israelites who acknowledged the true God for worshipping an Image were slaine in one day three thousand The tenth chapter of Hosea Hosea 10.1 to the 8. declareth as plainely that because the peoples hearts were diuided in affection betweene God and Images the Lord caused the Prophet to denounce such and so great desolation to come vpon them as that they should wish the hilles and mountaines to fall vpon them Also the first chapter of Zephaniah declareth Zephan 1. cha 1. to the 5. that because Iuda and Ierusalem had imparted the worship of God to the Hoste of heauen and his glorie to the idol gods in swearing by the Lord and by Malcham as the Papists doe By God and By the Roode By God and By the Masse the Lord threatned to destroy all things vpon the earth all things in the Sea the foules of Heauen and the inhabitants of the Land So then by this the most ignorant may euidently perceiue how in this their manner of idoll worship they please God 10 And now for that the Romanists are found Idolaters in the highest degree in that so directly contrary to the reuealed will of God and knowledge of his expresse Lawe which the Heathen had not make a Stocke and a Stone God in giuing vnto it the same diuine worship and honour that is due to God himselfe who hath sayd by the mouth of the Prophet Esay chap. Esay 42.8 42. I am the Lord and my glory will I not giue to any other neyther my praise to grauen Images and also in praying vnto it for all things needfull both for soule and bodie and that also this idoll-worship was established by Pope Gregorie the third then head of their Church and maintained euer since by his successours Bishops of Rome it is cleare that the Church of Rome is that idolatrous Church professing Christ which in the 17. Reuel 17.4.5 chapter of the Reuelation is said to be the Whore of Babylon offering to the world in a golden Cuppe to wit in the name of Christ the abomination and filthinesse of her fornication Reuel 19.2 And in the nineteenth chapter to be condemned for corrupting the earth with her fornication But lest for all this they should with impudent and brasen faces still face it out and deny it Let them heare how it is confirmed by their owne Writers Ioacham Abbas speaking of the corrupting of doctrine by the Priests of Rome sayth Å¿ Joacham vpon the 37. chapter of Ieremy They neglect Incense and Myrrhe but they seeke after Golde that they may with Babylon the great Lady of the world fill vnto men wine in a golden Cuppe to infect their followers with their abomination And vpon the seuenteenth chapter of the Reuelation hee speaketh yet more plainly and saith t Vpon the 17. chapter of the Reuelation The very Text it selfe doth teach how that the woman beguiled with golde and which committeth spirituall fornication with the Princes of the earth is the very Church of Rome which Babylon-like playeth spiritually the whoore with stockes and stones Againe hee saith of the whole Clergie of Rome v Vpon the 21. chapter of Ieremy They are Idolatrous Pastors and Prelates Againe he saith * Vpon the 1. and 2. chap. of Ieremy As Solomon in his olde age fell into Idolatry so hath the Church of Rome done And therefore it is which Robertus the Dominican Frier saith thus of the Romish Church in the person of Christ x Robertus in his 12. sermon Like an adultresse thou hast forsaken mee and hast ioyned thy selfe vnto strangers And of which their Paracelsus concludeth thus y Paracelsus in his 4. figured Prediction The whoore hath diuided her loue 11 So that the Romanists and Papists being thus so plainly proued Idolaters in worshipping God after the manner of the Heathen which he commanded his people the Iewes they should not doe if they would looke to continue in his fauour and to auoide his iudgements Deuter. 12. this maketh that good which wee affirmed in the beginning of our first Chapter namely that it is not possible that they and wee should be combined and conioyned together in Religion to make one and the same true Church of Christ For as the Apostle Saint Paul saith 2. Corint 6. 2. Cor. 6.16 There can be no agreement betweene the Temple of God and the Temple of Idoles Therefore it behooueth vs to looke warily vnto our selues that we be not deluded by their craftie and subtile arguments to be seduced to their idolatrous religion And thus much for the satisfying the Reader in this point also CHAP. V. Tending to resolue all men that for the first 606. yeeres next after Christ the Papists had no Church neither could haue because till then it had no vniuersall Pope to make it a Popish Church Neither was that first Church of Rome which Saint Peter planted the Mother but one of the Daughters of the Mother Church in which
1. Inocentius 3. Nicholas 5. Anastatius 1. Damassus 1. Alexander 3. Calistus 2. Lando 1. Leo 8. Vrbanus 3. Pius 1. Iohn 7. Victor 1. Clement 3. Paul 2. Leo 5. Steuen 8. Gregory 9. Xistus 1. Steuen 6. Nicolas 2. Inocentius 4. Inocentius 7. Iohn 8. Alexander 1. Haedrian 5. Alexander 5. Leo 6. Gregory 6. Iohn 17. Pius 2. Steuen 7. Victor 2. Nicolas 3. Iulius 1. Martinus 3. Vrbanus 1. Martin 4. Leo 9. Agapitus 1. Paschalis 2. Honorius 4. Â Iohn 9. Gelasius 1. Nicholas 4. Â Leo 7. Gallistus 1. Calestinus 4. Â 2 These euen from the very time of the decease of their predecessour and head began to put in practise their Antichristian authority receiued from him for the subduing of all Churches that did resist them amongst which the Church of Rauenna was one which as the Popes Decretall testifieth thought scorne to be brought in subiection to Rome neuerthelesse the same Decretall declareth that in the end Pope Domnus made her to yeeld And this was about 64 yeeres after the first vniuersall Pope Also the same Decretall declareth that the Church of Aquila resisted but yet about some 20. yeeres after the other Pope Sergius got the victory and forced her to yeeld And thus did they continue vanquishing all Churches in the West part till neere Luthers time But yet not so but that maugre the heads of all the Popes we had a Church continued in the Romish iurisdiction till within some 20. yeeres before Luthers rising though not alwaies a standing state but a dispersed company scattered here and there by meanes of persecution Reuelat. 12.14.15.16 wherein that prophecie was fulfilled Reuel 12. which testifieth that in the time of Antichrists reigne the Church of Christ within his dominions should be driuen into the wildernesse of this world and great floods of persecution sent after her to ouerwhelme her but as the Text saith The earth opened her mouth and swallowed vp the floud That is she was preserued by meere temporall and earthly people for amongst the spiritualtie both she and her seed were holden as heretiques and that chiefly for these causes First for that when as they saw that vniuersall dominion which the Pope had gotten ouer the Clergie they affirmed him to be that Angell of the Bottomlesse Pit prophecied of in the 11. verse of the 9. chap. of the Reuelation that should attaine to be king of the Clergie whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greeke named Appolyon which in English signifieth a destroyer Secondly for that when as they saw the Pope to bring into the Church and establish for Principles of Religion his Heathenish vnwritten verities The Pope reuealed himselfe to be Antichrist and those olde heresies wherewith the false Apostles and other Heretiques had corrupted the puritie of the Gospell and that he did offer them to the Church in the name of Christs Gospell they affirmed him to be that whore of Babylon foretold in the 4. verse of the 17. chap. of the Reuelation that should offer to the world The abhomination and filthinesse of her fornication in a golden Cup to wit in the name of Christ Thirdly for that when as they saw the Pope gotten aboue the Secular powers and that Emperours and Kings did yeeld him such subiection as to fall downe before his footstoole to kisse his feete to carrie him vpon their shoulders to leade his horse to hold his stirhop whiles hee gets on horse-backe yea euen to become his Vassalles they affirmed him to be the same great Antichrist mentioned in the 13. verse of the same chap. vnto whom the Text declareth The Kings of the earth should giue their power and authoritie Fourthly for that when as they saw the Pope to be come to that great height of pride as we plainely did demonstrate in our first Chapter namely to take vpon him the title of God and to suffer himselfe to be called our Lord God the Pope An vndoubted and true God on earth And to suffer men to prostrate themselues before him and to crie vnto him O thou our Sauiour which takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs. And to exalt his power ouer the Angels in heauen diuels in hell and ouer the dead and his decrees aboue the decrees of God and to haue power to fetch out of hell as many soules as he will and place them in heauen they affirmed him to be same Man of sinne and sonne of perdition foretold by S. Paul 2 Thes 2. That should sit as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe to be God and exalting himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshiped Lastly for that when as they saw that with tooth and naile he laboured to frame and fashion all things to the similitude of the first beast The Heathen Empire they affirmed him to be that second beast mentioned in the 11. and 12. verses of the 13. cap. of the Reuel which should arise in the Romane kingdome after the Romane Emperours of whom S. Iohn saith thus And I beheld another beast Reuel 13.11.12 comming vp out of the earth which had two hornes like the Lambe but he spake like the Dragon and he did all that the first beast could doe before him and hee caused the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast That is by bringing them to honour reuerence and obserue all the former Heathenish and Idolatrous ordinances set vp againe by him Whereunto because that part of our Church among them would not yeeld it grew into contempt with them and was most grieuously persecuted and the faithfull Christians driuen from place to place and from countrie to countrie being of the most part among them taken and holden for notorious heretiques such as they hold vs to be at this day And because they grounded all their assertions vpon those and such like places of Scriptures whereby the Popes calling began to be called into question the Scriptures were forbidden to be written any longer in a knowne tongue and for that cause also it was that they so blasphemously depraued the Scriptures calling them c Pigghius Hierar lib. 3. cap. 3. fol. 203. A nose of waxe an inkie letter a dead letter and a blacke Gospell and that they are none otherwise to be vnderstood then the Pope and his Church will interpret them and that they must follow the Church and not the Church them and that the authority of the Pope and Church of Rome is aboue them Asoius Hosius Hence it was also that Lay men were forbidden to reade the Scriptures perswading them that they did but leade men into errour and that ignorance is the mother of deuotion howbeit all this did nothing preuaile for the faithfull in euery Coast and Countrey among them did the more diligently follow Christs commandement Iohn 5. Search the Scriptures Ioh. 5.39 and that euen in the greatest heate of persecution which was
approued of the Popes supreame titles and authorities See the next Chapter 19. Section whether these words doe not concerne the Bishop of Rome as well as others 11 About the yeere of Christ 410. liued Saint Chrisostome who finding the Bishop of Rome to exalt the City of Rome in excellency of dignity aboue all the Cities in the World to plucke downe her proud Peacockes-tayle wrote thus in disdaine of her pride q Chrisostome Hom. 35. the 40. distinct Multi Our Citie of Antioch is most deerest to Christ aboue all others And like as Peter did first preach among the Apostles so among Cities this had first of all the name of Christians as a certaine wonderfull Crowne and no Citie in the World hath this besides no saith hee in scorne of Rome not the Citie of Romulus Againe in that booke called Opus imperfectum which goeth vnder the name of Chrysostome the vnlawfulnesse of the Popes supremacie is in these words made manifest r Hom. 3. ad Pop. Antiche He that seeketh primacie in earth in heauen he shall finde confusion and he that doth but once intreat of primacie is not worthie to be numbered amongst the seruants of Christ Now then if the Pope for seeking supremacie in earth shall find confusion in heauen and is not worthie to be numbred amongst the seruants of Christ because of his horrible ambitious pride how is that true that all Councels and Fathers euer approued of the Popes vniuersall supremacie 12 About the yeare of Christ 431. there was a third generall Councell holden of two hundred Bishops in the Citie of Ephesus where for the preseruing the priuiledges of the other Patriarkes and prouinciall Bishops it was thus decreed ſ Councel of Ephesus last chap. It seemed good to the holy vniuersall Synod keeping to euerie Prouince pure and sound their priuiledges which by auncient custome and from the beginning belong to the same Wherefore the Patriarkes of Ierusalem Antioch and Alexandria hauing had by auncient custome the same prerogatiues which they had with Rome in the vniuersall gouernement by vertue of this Decree wee see they shall haue the same priuiledges to continue still and all Prouinciall Bishops vnder them as they had at the first by their ordination And where then as yet is to be found the Bishop of Romes singular dominion ouer all 13 About the yeare of Christ 451. the fourth generall Councell was holden by sixe hundred and thirtie Bishops in the Citie of Chalcedon in which it was thus decreed t Councel of Chalcedon chap. 28. Our fathers worthily gaue the first place of honour to the Sea of olde Rome because that Citie then raigned and vpon like consideration the one hundred and fiftie Bishops in the royall Citie of Constantinople hath giuen the like degree of honour to the same Citie being new Rome Wherefore then seeing the highest degree of honour that was giuen to the Bishop of Rome was 〈…〉 sit highest in Councels and Assemblies and that not of any right from Peter but onely because his Sea was the most auncient seate of the Emperour and that after the same Emperour was remoued from Rome to Constantinople for the same cause the like degree of honour was giuen to the Bishop of Constantinople and also for that little degree of honour seeing it was not established to the Bishop of Rome till the Councell of Nice which was aboue three hundred yeares after Christ how can that bee true that from Christ and Peter the Pope had not only the chiefest place but was Prince and ruler ouer all 14 About the yeare of Christ 540. there was a fift generall Councell holden at Constantinople in which also it was thus decreed u Councel of Constantinople chap. 35. Renewing those things which were ordayned by the one hundred and fiftie Fathers which were assembled in this Citie and by the sixe hundred and thirtie which were gathered together in Chalceden wee decree that the Sea of Constantinople haue like and equall dignitie with the Sea of old Rome So that hereby we see still continued and confirmed the Bishop of Constantinoples equallitie with the Bishop of Rome onely whensoeuer it should happen that they were both in place the Bishop of Rome should haue the highest place But I demaund what was here now for him to challenge an vniuersall dominion by It is one thing for some one Noble man to haue that honour in Councels and Assemblies to sit in the highest roome and another thing to take vpon him therefore to be supreame head of all the Kings Dominions if any should bee found so presumptious should he not soone be conuicted of high Treason yea verily and well worthie Also what is here to be found by these Councels and Fathers to proue the Popes vniuersall supremacie approued of by generall consent or not the contrarie Againe if the truth thereof would haue serued their turne what needed they then to haue sought such shifts by flat forgeries as they haue done For whereas these words are further added in that Cannon Forgerig And in ecclesiasticall matters the Sea of Constantinople bee aduaunced as farre forth as the Sea of elder Rome The Popes Lawe hath put in bee not as appeareth in Distinction 22. Renouantes turning the affirmatiue into a negatiue thereby vtterly peruerting the true sense to their great shame Againe because some when they were excommunicated in Affrica to shift off their punishment appealed to Rome the Councell of Affrica made this decree * Caus 2. quaest 6. placuit If any within Affrica offer to appeale ouer the Seas let none within Affrica receiue him to the communion they haue foysted in these words Except they appeale to Rome And so that which the Councell did to keepe men chiefly from Rome their Law peruerteth to draw them to Rome Caus 2. quest 6. placuit Againe whereas to draw vniuersall authoritie to Rome for the hearing all appeales Zozimus then Bishop of Rome when the Councel was holden at Affrica Councell of Affrica chap. 101.102.103.104.105 whereat Saint Augustine was present alledged for himselfe a Cannon of the Councell of Nice But the Councell withstanding his claime of vniuersall authoritie answered We haue the Councell of Nice in which wee finde no such Cannon And therefore Alypius who was also present at the same Councell being then Bishop of Tagasta finding himselfe greatly grieued at such iugling by the Bishop of Rome said thus x Councel of Carthag 6 chap. 4. This thing moueth me much that when we laid together and examined the originalls of the Nicene Councell written in Greeke these things concerning the superioritie of the Pope we found not there And thus Christian Reader thou seest that saying of Bellarmine to bee but a fond fable to wit that all the Christian World ouer the Popes vniuersall supreame authoritie was approued of by all Councels and Fathers Now it remaineth that wee answere an Obiection which the Iesuites
fall before any of the rest tooke the more care of him and paines with him and vsed greater motiues to incourage him to constancie it doth not therefore follow Peter Peter none but Peter Nay we see it most euident to be altogether no such matter onely it was a subtill illusion whereby they did cunningly conueigh all power in the Romish iurisdiction to the Pope and by which they labour still to retaine it and not onely that power which they faine Peter to haue had aboue the other Apostles but euen that also which God himselfe hath aboue all for thus doe they write * See Chap. 1. Sect. 3. In the Pope there is all manner of power aboue all power as well of heauen as of earth Againe * Ibidem The Pope hath power ouer the Angels both good and bad Againe * Ibidem The Pope hath power to commaund the Angels and hath power ouer the dead Againe * Ibidem The Pope hath so great power both in Purgatory and also in Hell that hee may deliuer by his Indulgences and place in the heauen and habitation of the blessed as many soules as he will Againe * Ibidem The Pope is all and aboue all By which what else will they proue but that the Pope is the God of all power and consequently an almighty God Moreouer thus doe they write * Ibidem It is sacriledge to doubt of the Popes power for he is the cause of causes therefore we must make no question about his power seeing there is no cause of the first cause And hereby they will proue him to be an eternall God But forasmuch as they fain the Pope to haue receiued al his power from Peter let them shew vs first in what place of Scripture they find Peter to haue receiued this power froÌ„ Christ secondly where any of all the Apostles haue thus written of Peters power if they can shew none then it is certaine Peter neuer had that power and therefore the Pope could not receiue it from him and yet notwithstanding doe they further write thus * Cha. 1. Sect. â— The Pope hath the place vpon earth not of a pure man but of a true God Againe * Ibidem Our holy Father the Pope is an vndoubted and true God on earth Therefore * Sect. 4. Those things hee doth hee doth them as God * Sect. 2. And is to be taken for God and worshipped with diuine honour as God And to ratifie the truth heereof they close vp the whole with this title * Sect. 2. Our Lord God the Pope Therefore forasmuch as none is to be found in any part of all the Christian Churches in the vniuersall world that doth claime to himselfe the essentiall properties and prerogatiues of God but the Pope it is without all contradiction none but the Pope is that Antichrist The man of sinne and sonne of perdition fore-told by Saint Paul 2 Thessalonians 2. That should sit as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe to be God To be briefe as they cannot shew any one Scripture by the authoritie whereof the Pope may iustly claime from Peter these essentiall prerogatiues of God or the title of God so can they not shew by any one place of Scripture that Christ cuer gaue to Peter any such titles or dignities as the Pope yet further claimeth from him as to be called the Vicar of Christ Supreame head of the Church or Prince of Priests Nay albeit the contrary may be directly proued in that when as the strife was risen amongst the Apostles about supreame principalitie Luke 22. Christ himselfe tooke in hand the matter and thus resolued them saying Luke 22.24 Matth. 20.25 Marke 10.24 Matth. 20. Marke 10. It shall not be so among you but whosoeuer will be great among you shall be your seruant and whosoeuer will be chiefe of you shall be seruant to all the rest yet will they haue Peter to be the Prince of all the Apostles that so they might deriue that dignitie to the Pope to make him Prince of all Priests Therefore for the knitting vp of all that hitherto we haue intreated of and the manifest opening and clearing of the whole matter and of all that we haue said concerning this point this I say that forasmuch as wee haue proued this maine fundamentall principle not to stand vpon a sound ground whatsoeuer is built thereon can not stand For seeing Christ gaue no greater principalitie to Peter then hee did to any of the other Apostles it was not possible that Peter could be the supreame head of Christs vniuersall Church And that it may also appeare how vnlawfull it was for Peter or any but Christ alone so to be Gregory the Great Bishop of Rome himselfe plainely proueth from Saint Paul as may appeare where hee reprehending Iohn Bishop of Constantinople for attempting to be supreame head of the Church gaue him to vnderstand that therein he declared himselfe to be the fore-runner of Antichrist And to shew him that he was neuer able to answere that iniurie done to Christ he demaunded of him this question saying z Gregor lib. 4. Epist. 38. If Saint Paul would not haue the members of the Lords body to bee subiect to any head but to Christ no not to the Apostles themselues what wilt thou answere to Christ the head of the vuiuersall Church at the last iudgement that thus goeth about by the name of Vniuersall Bishop to make all his members subiect to thee Whom doest thou immitate in this so peruerse a name but Lucifer that would haue beene head ouer all the Angels in heauen By which hee proueth this saying of Cardinall Cusanus a Cusanus ad Bohemos epist 2. The members vmted to the Chaire ioyned to the Pope make the Church to be but an Antichristian delusion and the Pope for taking vpon him to be supreame head of Christs vniuersall Church to be that great Antichrist which the Church of Rome should take for her other husband besides Christ whereby she should proue her selfe to be indeed the whoore of Babylon mentioned by the Angell in the seauenteenth chapter of the Reuelation For it is manifest by Saint Paul Romans 7.2 That she that hath two husbands at once is an whoore And therefore this maketh the case to stand cleare that Rome cannot be the Mother of all Christian Churches vnlesse wee may conclude that all Christian Churches are the children of an whoore which God forbid 13 The Church of God vnder the Law The Church vnder the Law had God onely to her husbaÌ„d as the Church vnder the Gospel hath Christ onely had none other Head or husband but God himselfe as appeareth by the Pâ—ophet Esay 45.5 where hee said to the Church of the Iewes Hee that made thee is thine husband whose name is the Lord of Hostes So by the words of Saint Paul it appeareth as plainely that vnder the Gospell
not write soundly For albeit the Law of Nature by the wonders of heauen and earth did teach them that he that was the Authour of them was mightie and to be loued and feared aboue all yet were they ignorant how to loue and feare him aright Also notwithstanding they had learned by the Law of Nature that for those that did loue and feare him he had prepared a place of eternall ioy and for those that did nor a place of perpetual paine and that the pures could neuer ascend into his glorious presence vntill they were made purer by some kinde of purifying yet for want of true knowledge they conceiued of these things but imperfectly and did but meerely coniecture For howsoeuer it be true that God hath prepared a place of ioy for those that loue and feare him and also a place of punishment for those that doe not and that the best and purest can neuer come into his presence vntill they be made purer by a more perfect purging yet they beeing ignorant of the bloud of Christ by which we should be purified dreamed of a third place in which we should be purged 2 Now the chiefe of these Authours as Tertullian writeth a Tertullian in his Booke De praescriptionibus aduersus haereses and in his booke De anima were Pythagoras Empedocles and Plato Hence it was as Irenaeus testifieth b Jrenaeus lib. 1. cap. 24. that Carpocrates hauing learned out of Plato his Philosophie that mens soules after death must be purified inuented a kinde of Purgatory and out of the opinion of Pythagoras sought to proue it by these words of Christ Matth. 5. Thou shalt not come forth till thou haue paid the vtmost farthing By which we see who were the first founders of Purgatory and also the first place of Scripture that was brought to confirme the Doctrine and to proue a third place for the purifying of soules from sinne Now let vs try out the true sense of that Scripture to see if by it such a place can be proued 3 Our Sauiour said Thou shalt not come forth till c. Matth. 5.26 Vpon which word till because the Papists also inferre that Christ meant that in time he should pay the vtmost farthing and then come forth wee will by another like place shew the word till doth not alwaies import a time following wherein the contrary may be affirmed As when the Lord said to Iaakoh Gen. 28.15 Gen. 28. I will not forsake thee till I haue performed that I haue promised thee Now if this word till doth alwaies intimate a time after wherein a contrary may be concluded then after the Lord had performed his promise to Iaacob he forsooke him But as the Scriptures declare God did neuer forsake him so Christs word till doth not import a time when the debter should pay the vtmost farthing and then come forth but that because he could neuer be able to pay it hee should neuer come forth For if Christ had meant that men could pay the vtmost farthing due for sinne and so release their soules this had beene against himselfe for then what need had any of his paying any one farthing for them Therefore it is cleare that by paying the vtmost farthing Christ meant the euerlasting punishment that should neuer be paid And this is it which Saint Hierome vpon the same Scripture saith c Hierome in his first booke chap. 1. vpon the Lamentation of Ieremy Christs meaning is that hee shall neuer come out for that hee must euermore pay the vtmost farthing whilest he suffereth euerlasting punishment And thus Christian Reader thou seest that by the true sense of those words of Christ they cannot proue a third place Howbeit euen after this manner doe they also wrest diuers other places of Scripture to proue if it were possible a third place euen to the confounding of the whole harmony of the Scriptures which by the expresse names of heauen and hell do assigne but two places and by not any where naming Purgatory deny any such purging place to be 4 In the sixteenth Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospel Luke 16.22.23 our Sauiour Christ speaking of the rich Glutton and of the poore Beggar saith And it was so that the Beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome The rich man also died and beeing in Hell in torments hee lift vp his eyes and saw Abraham a farre off and Lazarus in his bosome By which words wee see there is but onely two places into which the soules doe passe presently after death namely either into hell or into Abrahams Bosome which is a resting place in heauen for the soules of the faithfull and not a place of pleasure in hell as the Papists dreame Matth. 8.11 For as Christ himselfe saith Matth. 8. Many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of heauen Now if Abraham be in heauen Abrahams Bosome must needes bee in heauen Abrahams bosome Therefore there is but onely two places heauen and hell And this is manifestly proued also by these words of Salomon the Wise which saith Eccle. 11. Eccle. 11.3 If the tree fall towards the South or toward the North in the place that the tree falleth there shall it be To wit abide for euer Now as by trees the learned doe agree is meant people so doe they conclude that by South and North is meant heauen and hell therefore there is but two places Wherefore howsoeuer the iudgement of some of the ancient Fathers was confounded in this Heathenish Doctrine of Purgatory and that Saint Augustine himselfe had doubted of a third place yet by these his owne words he sheweth to all men it was but his errour for saith hee d Augustine in his Sermon of time the 232. Sermon Let no man deceiue himselfe there are but two places as for any third there is none at all he that raigneth not with Christ shall perish with the Deuill without any doubt Againe hee saith e In his 18. Sermon of the words of the Apostle There be two habitations or dwelling-places the one in the fire euerlasting the other in the Kingdome of heauen that neuer shall haue end Againe he saith f In his 5. book Hipognostichon The first place the Catholique faith by Gods authoritie beleeueth to be the Kingdome of heauen The second place the same Catholique faith beleeueth to bee hell where all runnagates and whosoeuer is without the faith of Christ shall taste euerlasting punishment as for any third place wee vtterly know none neither shall we finde in the holy Scriptures that there is any such So then by this we see the case is very cleare there is no third place and consequently no Purgatory 5 Secondly to proue yet a third place Reuelation 6.9 they obiect those words of Saint Iohn in his sixt Chapter of the Reuelation where he saith
to wash away our sinnes And how then after this life can we helpe our selues in Purgatory So that by this wee see how friuilous and vaine the doctrine of Purgatory is and also how fantasticall their Purgatory Proctors are especially their Cardinall Allen Cardinall Allen in D. Fulkes answere to a false Catholique who in so many places of his Booke affirmeth that wee are purified in that fire as gold is in the Furnace That by suffering the paines of Purgatory we are made perfect That by suffering the torments of Purgatory wee doe satisfie Gods iustice for sinne which how true it is let vs consider a little further and how it will stand with the truth of the Scriptures 11 First to beate them with their owne rod Wisedome 3.1 their owne Canonicall Scripture the third of Wisdome saith The soules of the righteous are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them Now if no torment shall touch their soules how can Purgatory fire purifie them as fire purifieth gold or they be made perfect or satisfie Gods iustice by suffering those torments which shall not so much as once touch them The 16. Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospell declareth plainely Luke 16.23.24 25 26. that those sinners that are not forgiuen in this life cannot after this life be discharged by paines and punishments And hereof it is which Iustinus Martyr writing vpon the same Chapter saith * Iustinus 2.60 to Orthodosâ—â—s This is a plaine and manifest doctrine of Diues and Lazarus by which is taught that after the departing of the soule from the body men cannot by any meanes bring profit or commodity vnto them And as touching those that are forgiuen in this life Saint Chrisostome saith as plainely x Chrysost in â—is â—4 Hoâ—â— vpon Genesis Where there is forgiuenesse there is no punishment Also forasmuch as Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5. speaking of the generall resurrection saith Euery man shall then receiue the things which are done in his bodie according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill I would haue them to shew me but some one place either in the Old or New Testament that doth testifie that God hath appointed such a punishment for the soules in the meane time as shall set the bodies free for the punishment due for that they had done and forced their soules to doe If they can shew me none then it is certaine that there is no such punishment ordained of God and consequently no such place of punishment And therefore all these circumstances duely considered what reason haue wee to beleeue their old Philosophicall doting doctrine of Purgatory Yea or why should we beleeue that the soules of the righteous goe thither immediately after death seeing the Preacher declareth plainely Eccle. 12.7 Eccle. 12. that they goe presently to heauen For saith he And dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit returne to God that gaue it Luke 16.22 And seeing also Saint Luke in the 16. Chapter of his Gospell saith of Lazarus And the beggar died Luke 23.43 and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome which we shewed to be the celestiall Paradise in Heauen And seeing Christ also said to the good thiefe This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Nay seeing the Bishop of Rome himselfe saith euen Gregory the Great y Greg. in his 4. Bookes of Dialogues 25. Chap. It is most certaine that the soules of the righteous being loosed from the flesh are receiued into the heauenly seates Now then if that be true that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre then the Papists although they will not beleeue Salomon nor Saint Luke nor our Sauiour Christ yet dare they not surely but beleeue the Pope of Rome that the soules of the righteous presently after death goe straight to heauen from whence they will not say they returne downe into Purgatory therefore it is cleare there is iust no such place at all 12 And thus Christian Reader thou hast seene most manifestly confuted Cardinall Allen in Fulke to a false Catholique that fond fable of Cardinall Allen Pag. 178. where he basheth not to say that all the ancient Fathers agreed in one for the approbation of the doctrine of Purgatory whereas we see that it was not possible for any of them to speake more directly and expresly with it then these their testimonies are against it and that howsoeuer that heresie mingled with the truth did wonderfully confound some of their iudgements so as that the best learned of them could scarcely tell how to conclude of the matter yet these their testimonies may absolutely resolue vs how wee are to conclude thereof Neuerthelesse let men vary neuer so much the truth is consonant and agreeable to it selfe neither neede any to differ therein if they will square their doctrine by Saint Pauls rule Romans 12. namely Rom. 12.6 that it agree with the true proportion and analogy of faith But how this doctrine of Purgatory doth agree therewith these three principles collected out of the said Booke of Doctor Fulkes answer to Master Allen will make it plaine First in Page 92. Allen saith Cardinall Allen in Fulke Purgatory paines doth not onely serue Gods iustice for the punishment of sinne but also cleanseth and qualifieth the soule of man defiled Secondly in Page 154. he saith The death of Christ doth not discharge vs of satisfying for our sinnes nor of any other good worke whereby a man may procure his owne saluation Thirdly in Page 133. he saith In Purgatory we must be holden from life and liberty till we haue paid the vtmost farthing the toleration of which bonds shall recompence the debt Now how this doctrine can stand with the true proportion and analogy of faith in Christ or not altogether withstand it The doctrine of Purgatory against the faith let the discreet Reader iudge For if Purgatory paines doe serue both for the satisfying of Gods iustice and also for the purging of our soules from sin that Christ by his death did not so satisfie for them but that we our selues must make a better more perfect satisfaction euen to the vtmost farthing or be holden in Purgatory for euer from life and liberty what hath Christ done for vs and to what purpose at all serued his death and bloud-shedding or what doth faith in him auaile at all 13 But seeing the doctrine of Purgatory is such as cannot stand with the true proportion and analogy of faith it is cleare it is not grounded vpon the truth of Gods Word but vpon the opinions of those faithlesse Philosophers who as we said for want of Gods Law and Testaments and the rule of his truth to haue enlightened their iudgements did but by the rules of the Law of nature meerely guesse at this point as they did of God and other diuine things whose fantasies Saint Paul Colos 2 8. Colos 2.8 forbiddeth vs to
as the mouth of a Lyon The spirituall Beast is onely said to haue two Hornes like the Lambe Vnder the first Beast Verse 11 was our Sauiour Christ and all his Apostles put to death as also many thousand Christians after them and almost all the Bishops of Rome for the space of neere three hundred yeares This corporall Beast was Heathenish Rome and Regiment which the Papists would make the World to beleeue the Angel in the seauenteenth Chapter onely called Babylon 2 The first Beast wee see is set forth in a visible shape to our corporall eyes the second in no shape therefore to be discerned with spirituall eyes onely it is said to haue two Hornes like the Lambe that is to say to seeme to haue the two Testaments the Law of God and Gospel of Christ to be the onely strength of his Kingdome and Priesthood as Christ himselfe had By which it is certaine that by this second Beast so resembling Christ is meant Christian Rome and her Regiment Now the first beast they confesse was well worthie the name of Babylon for that it did as well resemble old Babylon in tyranny Idolatrie and all manner of abominations as if it had beene the verie same therefore if wee can prooue that the second beast became so liuely to resemble the first beast as the first beast did the first Babylon then the case will stand cleare that the second beast is as well worthie the same name Now for proofe hereof what better Author can wee bring then the Angel himselfe who of the second beast saith thus * Some of our Writers haue doubted that because it is said he did all that the first beast did before him or in his sight that this cannot be meant of the Popes spirituall Regiment but the 20. verse of the 19. Chap. will shew them it is And he did all that the first beast could doe before him and he caused the Earth and them that dwelt therein to worship the first Beast that is commaunded all vpon the earth within his Dominions to lay to their helping hands with him to bring the Christian state into the first beasts forme and order and also to bring all the inhabitants within his iurisdiction to conforme themselues in reuerence and humble obedience vnto the same and so to worship the first beast in honouring his old Heathenish Ordinances by which it is without all contradiction the second beast is no whitlesse worthie the same name 3 But yet for more plainer proofe that by the second beast is meant the spirituall Regiment of Christian Rome let vs heare how Erasmus doth interpret those words of the Angel in the thirteenth Chapter his words bee these a Erasmus vpon the 13. Chap. 5. Sect. When as the Roman Kingdome after the time of Iulianus began to be diuided into East and West and to diminish for a season then began a new Roman Kingdome and iurisdiction namely the Popes pompe And a little after b Jbidem This Kingdome of the Papists tooke vpon it all the power of the first beast the Roman Emperour and compelled the Christians to Idolatrie and seruice of false gods vnder a pretence of honouring Christ and Saints By which it is most apparant that by the second beast is meant the Popish Christian Regiment of Rome And this is very sufficient for the prouing that by the two beasts in the thirteenth Chapter is meant the Heathenish Roman Regiment and the Popish Christian Regiment Now it requireth that we proue also whether by the beast mentioned in the seauenteenth Chapter which the Angel called Babylon the Mother of whoredomes and abominations of the earth bee meant Heathenish Rome and her Regiment vnder the Pagan Emperours or of Christian Rome and of her Regiment vnder the Popes 4 Erasmus hauing discoursed at large of the matters contained in the thirteenth fourteenth fifteenth and sixteenth Chapters comming to the seauenteenth Chapter he saith thus c Erasmus vpon then 7. chap. Sect. 1. One of the seauen Angels which spake of the second Kingdome and of the iurisdiction of Rome and of the beast with two Hornes commeth now againe and will speake more plainely So that he giueth vs to vnderstand The spirituall beast in the 13. chap. and that in the 17. chap. are one that the same beast in the thirteenth Chapter and that in the seuenteenth Chapter are both one Now we heard before by what sufficient arguments hee proued that by the second beast was meant Christian Rome and her Regiment but let vs also see by what inducements he is lead to affirme that that beast in the seauenteenth Chapter is the same The first motiue I take to bee this namely for that the same beast which the Angel in the fift verse called Babylon the Mother of whordomes and abominations of the Earth in the 8. verse he saw he had expounded to Iohn to be a Citie Euident notes to proue Christian Rome Babylon and in the ninth verse to be that onely Citie that compasseth within her seauen speciall Hills which was sufficient to perswade him that by the beast in the seauenteenth Chapter the Angel meant Rome Secondly to induce him to vnderstand that the Angel meant Christian Rome he saw the Angel spake of Romes estate in her latter daies for that so soone as he had declared vnto Iohn the beast to bee a Citie and with one and the same breath to adde these words which raigneth ouer the Kings of the Earth And also for that he saw him to preuent Iohn before in the twelfth Verse for vnderstanding them of Kings in his dayes in saying thus of them Which yet haue not receiued a kingdome but shall receiue power at an houre with the beast As also for that by these very words he declared vnto him that he did not speake of the first beast because that beast was then in his full power and raigned ouer both Iewes and Gentiles 5 Thirdly for that hee saw the Angell had declared vnto Iohn that those Kings which afterwards should rise vp with the beast should continue with her to the end of her dayes and should grow into so great hatred against her that they should pursue her to her vtter destruction For as in the twelfth verse he described those Kings by the similitude of tenne hornes so in the sixteenth and seuenteenth verses hee said vnto Iohn thus of those hornes And the tenne Hornes which thou sawest vpon the beast Reuelat. 17. are they that shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire for God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to doe with one consent for to giue their kingdome vnto the beast vntill the words of God be fulfilled Fourthly the fourth verse of the seauenteenth Chapter inforced him to vnderstand the beast which the Angel there calleth Babylon the Mother of whordomes and abominations of the Earth to