as easie to be intreated now in heauen as he was upon earth when he did not reject Marie Magdalen that had seauen divels the woman of Canaan whom he rebuked by the name of a dog nor the man possessed with a legion Secondly how do they acknowledg him to be full of truth when they say that his H. word doth not contain all truth but it must be pieced out with the traditions Canons and expositions of their Church 3. How do they acknowledg him to be our wisdome Scriptura seipsam exponit Chris Aug 2 Tim. 3. when they will not haue his word to be sufficient to interpret it self and to instruct us make us perfect in all good works but we must resort to the Church and receiue her judgment from the mouth of their Pope 4 How do they acknowledge our Saviour Christ by himself to haue purged all our sinnes when they say that we must satisfie by good works in our life and after our death we must go to Purgatorie 5 How do they acknowledg him to be our justification when they say that we are justified before God by our good works and not onely by faith in his death and passion although it be written if thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and belieue in thy heart Rom. 10. Hebr. 10. that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt be saved 6 How do they confesse him to be our sanctification or that by one sacrifice he hath consecrated for ever them that are sanctified when as they teach that there must be offered up dayly sacrifices for us in the Masse And lastly how do they accept him for their Redeemer which affirm that our poenarie works Concil Trid. ses 14. Bellarm. de paenitent l. 4. truly properly do satisfie God for the guilt of our punishment which after the fault forgiuen remaineth to be expiated But these points with many others which may be produced to proue that the Pope and his Church if not expresly yet by consequence which is equivalent doth deny the fulnes of all graces to be in our Saviour Christ I leaue to our learned Divines of whom some haue urged these things alreadie and others I doubt not will prosecute them more at large hereafter The summe of all this may be reduced to this Problem Whether any may more properly be called Antichrist or may be called an adversarie to Christ then he that thus denieth the graces of our Saviour Let us come to that which is not onely easie to our understanding but evident to our senses which may be seen with our eyes and felt with our hands For if we take the name of Christ here as he is in the sacrament who hath been a greater enimie to Christ theÌ„ the Popes one of them poysoning it another casting it into the fire all changing adding or diminishing it But take the name as it is communicated to Kings Priests and Prophets and so Antichrist to be an enimie to them I demand who hath in secret as Antichrist must be deceiueable been a greater enimie to all christian kings and Princes then the Popes sometimes incensing them to fight with Pagans and Saracens abroad as de did Godfry of Bulleyn many Princes with him in the meane space neglecting their Christian subjects at home our king Richard the first and the Emperor Frederike sometimes stirring up seditions and rebellions at home as he did against the Emperor Henry the IIII. Henry the IIII. king of France and Queen Elizabeth sometimes ministring occasions to make wars betwixt themselues as Pope Iohn did by crowning another Emperor while the first was living sometimes by giving away their kingdomes as Navarre and England sometimes leaving them destitute of succour and open to the universall professed enimie of all Christians the Turke as they did the Grecian Emperors sometimes setting secret Traitors to murder them and sometimes procuring open enimies to invade them ever excommunicating cursing and interdicting one or other of them Let the histories of late times be perused and see whether their ende and drift hath not been continually for these 900 yeeres and upwards to maintaine and advance their own power riches jurisdiction and preeminence by holding christian princes alwaies obnoxious to them and to make them obnoxious and to keepe them under awe by such meanes as aforesaid So likewise for Priests and Prophets is he not an adversarie to all that will not submit themselues unto him as namely to the Greek Church and all the bishops and learned pastors of the same to the godly Valdenses Albigenses Wicklevites and others Lastly if we take the name of Christ here for his mysticall body which is the Church this is also a speciall note of Antichrist For so it is plainly said that the woman was drunke with the bloud of Saints and Martyrs And who hath shed more bloud of godly men professing the word of Christ Iesus then the Popes haue done for these last nine hundred yeares I referre my self to the histories and Chronicles of those times See Abbâ—t demonst antich In that one warr which they caused Christian Princes to undertake for Ierusalem under Godfry of Bollen it is recorded that there were slayn two thousand millions of Christians In Merindall Cabriers and other places held by the poore Valdois they murdered all men women and sucking children In the Massacre of France Anno 1572 within eight daies were murdered a hundred thousand beside many other at other times in England and else where So that howsoever we take the name of Antichrist either as Vicar to Christ or as adversarie eyther denying his graces or suppressing his Liuetenants and ministers or persecuting his members I finde this name most agreeable to Rome and I demand Whether it can be so well applied unto any other But here will be demanded of me a question how this name Ho Antichristos that Antichrist as they expound the Greeke Article which they would perswade is to be understood of one man can be applied to a succession of men especially seeing some of the Fathers seeme to speake of him but as one man For the Fathers to clear that first it must be confessed that quaestionibus non dum motis Pâ—â—k in Prob. they spake sometimes impropriè incautius as Bellarm. confesseth or securius as S. August sometimes Rhetoricè as S. Ierom. sometimes populariter as others do affirm This question concerning Antichrist was not appointed for them but for us upon whom it must needs be confessed that the uttermost ends of the world are fallen neither did they much labour in it And yet we see not all of them runne in one straine Hilarie seemeth to speak more largely He that refuseth the judgment of the Scriptures Antichristus est Chrysoft in opere imperfecto doth not restraine himself to one man but we sayth he videmus abominationem desolationis jam stantem in loco sancto id est populum Antichristi in
of the city who as he said before were fled ex urbe i. polit others as Aristotle c. take a city which they call Polis the word used here by the Apostle to consist of a multitude of men gathered together under the same lawes and government which is also called universitas or respub de civ dei Cic. in somn Iustaâ— l. 2. and so S. Augustin in some places Some others also measure a city by the extent of her dominion liberties and franchises Now these and other circumstances being considered I seek for a city wherein all concurre to make it great for the first I aske whether ever anie citie haue had a téstimonie of greatnes like to that which Lucan thus describeth Vrbem populis victisque frequentem Gentibus generis coeat si turba capacem Humani Lucan 1 1 A Citie populous full of conquered nations and able to receaue all mankinde if they should come together I thinke it cannot be denyed but this was a verie great citie vâ—bis appellatio muris Romae contineutibus aedificiis finitur LL. de verb. Sig. that was able to receaue humanum genus all mankind And yet that we may see plainly that he meant it of the citie as it consisted of walles and buildings he nameth it first urbem and then goeth forward Cum pressus ab hoste Clauditur externis Romanus miles in oris Effugit exiguo nocturna pericula vallo Tu tantum audito bellorum nomine Roma Desereris nox una tuis non credita muris What cittie in the world was like to this great cittie Rev. 18 18. truly therefore sayth our divine Apostle But this was poeticall and hiperbolicall may some say let us heare a testimonie historicall Although I thinke that learned poet would never haue beene so bold or impudent to giue such an attribute of greatnes to Rome if it had not been a verie great cittie and doubtlesse the greatest then known in the world yet let us heare Historians Truly Lipsius out of Martinus Polonus and Pliny sayth the walles of Rome were first xlij miles in compasse and out of Vopiscus de magnitud Rom. Blondus in Romanist that they were afterwards enlarged to 50 miles compasse but of the suburbes si quis intuens magnitudinem Romae velit exquirere frustra eum fore haesurum ubi desinat urbs ubi incipiat ex Dionis So it was a great cittie within the walles Herodot l. 1. and a greater without It seemeth indeed by Herodotus that the walles of old Babylon were 160 stadia on everie side square but note that Babylon was all within the walles and so Rome in respect of her suburbs buildings adjoyning was much greater as by this testimonie of Lipsius out of Dionis appeareth Might not this then well be called Babylon the great in respect of the other But heare what Pliny saith both of Babylon and Rome Of Babylon first he sayth Plin. lib. 3. Babylon sexaginta millia passuum amplexa muris Of Rome Effecit passuum per directum xxx millia DCC LXV which xxx miles and three quarters being taken for the diameter must make the circumference to be at the least 92 miles which is farre aboue the reckning of Lipsius And yet saith Pliny farther Ad extrema verò tectorum cum castris praetoriis a Milliario in Capite Rom. fori statuto per vicos omnium viarum mensura colligit paulò amplius septuaginta millia pass And if that be taken for the Diameter of Rome and the suburbs then must the compasse be almost 200 miles Quo si quis saith he againe altitudinem tectorum addat dignam profecto aestimationem concipiat fateaturque nullius urbis magnitudineÌ„ in toto orbe potuisse comparari And it is also to be observed what the same Pliny writes of Babylon Plin. lib. 6. in the time of Vespatian that it was then brought to solitude being exhausted by the vicinitie of Seleucia which was built for that purpose And this was before the exile of Iohn in Pathmos where he saw the Revelation and therefore this great cittie could not be literall Babylon or Babylon in Chaldea which then was not great but mysticall Babylon that cittie Rome which was then at the greatest Let us goe to the next consideration where a cittie is said to consist of a multitude or societie of men gathered together and we shall finde a far greater cause to aske the question of our Prophet what cittie was ever like it for what cittie in the world can we finde so famous for number of Tribes and multitude of citizens as Rome Livy Alex. ab Alex. l. 1 c. 17. The Tribes of Rome were at the least fiue and thirtie everie one consisting of many thousand citizens whereas the two kingdomes of Iudah and Israel had but twelue yea the mightie kingdome of Persia which afterwards grewe so great had but twelue in the beginning Herod 1. Xenoph. Grop l. 1. Liv. l. 10 in fiue 1. belli Punici lustro undeuicesimo Tacit. An. 11 Fasc Temp. The number of Roman Citizens in their weake estate was found to be aboue two hundred and fiftie thousand but in the Emperor Claudius his time it is said to haue been aboue threescore eight hundred thousand and so in Augustus time in which number women children servants and forriners not infranchised though inhabiting were not conteyned What cittie therefore was ever like to this great cittie Againe if we consider the extent of her franchises and liberties not onely the Volsci Hernici Lucani Appuli Campani Cic. offi 1. Hetrusei and other nations of Italy but the Transpadani and Transalpini the Gawles and Spaniards were receaved into the freedome nor the Europeans onely but those of Asia S. Paul borne at Tarsus in Cilicia averreth himself before a Roman Iudge to be a citizen of Rome free borne Act. 22. And for her dominion it seemeth to be true that the Poet sayth that the cittie of Rome was as great as the world Gentibus est aliis Tellus data limite certo Romana spatium est urbis orbis idem So againe Roma armis terras ratibusque subegerat undas Atque iidem fines urbis orbis erant So Dionisius Halicarnasseus calleth it Vrbem terrae marisque dominam Claudianus Cuncti gens omnia sumus many like other sentences do we meet with in their bookes Neither was this the opinion of the poets or vulgar onely but their learned lawiers in the end grew to be of the same judgment Panorm Vbi Caesar ibi Roma wheresoever Cesar is there is also Rome What cittie therefore was ever in the world in greatnes like to this The use that is commonly made of this consideration is none other but to admire and extoll the majestie of Rome as Lipsius doth in admirandis de magnit Romana but the true and worthie use thereof is to acknowledge the
the description also of this beast here is almost the same with that which is expressed in the 17 chap. of this Book I ask then what kingdome or Empire can be understood in this place Surely he that will say that this beast here and the beast in the 17 chap. do signifie any other kingdom beside Rome must produce some other great Empire to whom the seaven heads and the other attributes there given unto it may be applied aswell as to the Roman which no man yet could ever do Let us therefore see the description of this mightie Empire comparatiue and wherein it doth agree or differ from that which is described by the Prophet Daniel and by this our Euangelist in the 17 ch The fourth Beast saith the Prophet comming out of the sea was fearfull and terrible and verie strong It had great Iron teeth it devoured and brake in peeces and stamped the residue under his feet it was unlike the other beasts for it had ten horns there came up among them another little horne before whom three of the first hornes were plucked away and in this horne were eyes like a man and a mouth speaking presumptuous things And this fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdome and shall be unlike to all kingdomes and shall devour the whole earth and tread it downe and breake it in peeces and the teene hornes out of this kingdome are ten kings and another shall arise after them and he shall be unlike the first and shall subdue three kings And shall speak words against the Most High and think that he may change times and lawes and they shall be given into his hands untill a time times and half a time But the judgment shal sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end This is Daniels description of the fourth Monarchie Let us heare again how the Euangelist describeth it in the 13 chap. I saw a beast rising out of the sea having seuen heads Rev. 13. and ten hornes so Daniell and upon his hornes ten crownes upon his heads the names of blasphemie And the Beast which I saw was like a Leopard and his feete were as the feete of a Bear his mouth as the mouth of a lyon and the dragon gaue him his throne and great authoritie and I saw one of his heads as wounded to death but the deadly wound was healed and all the world wondred and followed the beast and they worshiped the dragon which gaue power to the beast saying Who is like to the beast who is able to make warre with him so Daniell it shall devour the whole earth c. And there was giuen unto him a mouth that spake great things blasphemies power was giuen him to continue 42 months And he opened his mouth in blasphemie against God to blaspheme his name his Tabernacle and them that dwelt in heauen And it was giuen unto him to make warre with the Saints and to overcome them and power was giuen him over everie kindred tongue and nation Therefore all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the booke of life of the lambe which was slayn from the beginning of the world In the 17 chap. of the Revelation it is thus The woman sate upon a scarlet beast full of names of blasphemie Rev. 17. which had seuen heads and ten hornes so in the former prophecies And the beast which thou hast seene was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomlesse pitte and shall goe into perdition And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is Here is the minde that hath wisdome The seuen heads are seuen mountains they are also seuen kings fiue are fallen one is another is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space And the beast that was and is not is the eight is of the seuen and shall go into destruction And the ten hornes which thou sawest are ten kings which yet haue not receaved a kingdome but shall receaue power as kings at one houre with the beast These shall haue one minde and shall giue their power athoritie to the beast These shall fight with the Lamb and the Lambe shall overcome them the ten hornes shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and shall burne her with fire They that be of indifferent Iudgment may see in that Prophecie of Daniell many things that cannot be applyed to Antiochus or to the kingdome of the Seleucidae Vide Brightmâ— in Dan. 11. As first the great power of this fourth kingdome which the Prophet setteth forth in more terrible dreadfull manner then any of the former But was the kingdome of the Seleucidae more terrible or more powerfull then the Assirian and Caldean the Median and Persian or the Grecian Monarchie was Antiochus any way comparable to Nabuchadnezzar Cyrus or Alexander Did he devour the whole earth Also this fourth kingdom shall think to make changes of times or lawes Dan. 7. c. did Antiochus so Besides by the words of Daniel it may seem that the fourth kingdom shall continue untill the finall judgment which cannot agree to the Seleucidans Letting therefore that opinion passe as a Iewish conceit approved by none of the ancient that I can finde Hieron in Daâ— but Porphyry some few of late that are too much addicted to the Rabbins I thinke there is litle doubt to be made but although some things may be applyed to Antiochus Hieron in Dan 2 4. Quartum regu perspic ue pertinet ad Rom. August Nich de Lyra. Antoninus Marsil Fic Sleidan Napier in Apoc. Abbat demonstr Antâ—chr Pâ—raeus Not. Geneven c yet this beast here signifieth the Roman Monarchie and the little horne signifieth Antichrist shadowed in some things by Antiochus And so I finde the opinion of the ancient and best interpreters Then to goe forward and see what points these two excellent and divine Prophets apply to the Roman Empire and wherein they agree or differ And truly to my understanding they seeme to agree in seuen points verie materiall 1. In the rising of this beast which both affirm to be out of the sea 2. In the name a Beast that is a Kingdom as the Angel expoundeth it not one King individuall although if he did say a King we may understand well enough the whole succession as where he saith Thou o King art that head of Gold 3. In the attribute which they give unto him Great strength and power unmatchable and unresistable 4. In his disposition most cruell and bloudy 5. In the instruments of his power Ten horns that is ten Kings 6. In his Warre against the saincts prevailing against them 7. In
his Blasphemie against God Vpon which 7. considerations I demaund whether we may not safely coÌ„clude with S. Hierom S. Augustine and the other excellent expositors above cited that this Kingdom perspicuè manifestly doth belong to the Romans which is also here proved by these seven Attributes 1. His rising out of the sea of great commotions in the world like others 2. A politick state or kingdom like the others 3. More powerfull then any other for none overcame the whole earth like the Romans none had power over all kinreds tongues and nations like to them 4. None so cruell and bloudy 5. None had so many great Kings at command 6. None raised so great persecutions against the saincts and true Church of God 7. None have beene so blasphemous against God as they whereof hereafter These Attributes therefore seeme to be applyed to the Roman Empire as one body Now let us see the singularityes wherein every one of these three prophesies differeth from the other and consider whether they also do not properly belong to Rome The singularities in Daniel are such as being well considered seeme to declare unto us that it was the intention of the Holy Ghost not onely to represent unto us the Roman Empire and therein Antichrist afarre of But to shew us also a Type of Antichristian impiety in Antiochus that was then to come neare at hand both being enemies to the Church it could not be but that one should be like the other in somewhat And in the Roman Empire also to note that State wherein it stood before the Caesars and therefore tempereth his words somtimes more significantly to expresse the truth sometimes more properly to shadow the Type A thing not unusuall in sacred prophecies Aug. de civ dei lib 17. For so David speaking of our Saviour in his owne person I have sworn once by my Holynes that I will not faile David Psal 89. his seed shall indure for ever c. which properly belongeth to Christ yet addeth these words more proper to himself Thou hast broken the Covenaunt of thy Servant Let Theologians coÌ„sider the pâ—aces where David prâ—yâ—th God to confound oâ— destroy his enemies thou hast broken down all his wals c. So God in pronouncing his judgment upon the Serpent useth these words most significantly to foreshew that our Saviour should overcom the Divel The Seed of the woman shall breake the Serpents head yet these words in the same place upon thy belly shalt thou goe and dust shalt thou eate seeme more proper to the materiall serpent So it seemes in this prophesy Daniel though he speak principally of the fourth great kingdom more powerfull than any of the rest which was the Roman yet he inter-laceth somewhat concerning Antiochus the Type being though not a Roman yet an enemie of the saincts but more applyable to Antichrist the great enemie as may appeare by these seven particulars or singularities 1. In that he doth not resemble this fourth kingdom to any beast as he did the first to a Lyon The second to a Beare The third to a Leopard but of this he doth not shew of what certaine form or shape it was but onely that it was unlike to the foâ—mer most strong terrible whereupon I ask how this can possibly be applyed to Antiochus who had but a peece of Alexanders Empire and whether it do not lively expresse unto us the Roman state before it was setled in the Caesars when it had gott the Monarchie of the world as Polyb affirmeth yet had no certain form of government but was sometimes ruled by Consuls sometimes by Dictators sometimes by the Senate somtimes by the People sometimes by the Opimates Patritii sometimes by the turbulent Tribunes and seditious multitude But in the time of S. Iohn this Empire was grown to a certain though a monsterous form under the Caesars therefore we see it by him more certainly described The second singularitie in Daniel is that it is sayd to haue ten hornes which are not here said to be crowned as they in the Revelations And this much more properly signifieth the kings subject to the Roman state who made kings their ministers and servants then to the Selucidan Princes which were absolute kings crowned acknowledging no Superiour But in the Revelation these things signifyed by the name of hornes are said to haue crownes by certaine notes distinguished from the other Whereof hereafter The third singularitie in Daniel is that among these kings there arose another unlike the first And this seemeth to prefigure Antichrist whose kingdome is indeed most unlike to any of the other kings can not be applied to Antiochus The fourth note in Daniel is that before this litle Horne or king three other kings were plucked away which by some Interpreters is very hardly drawen to Antiochus but if we consider the Roman Antichrist it will appear to be easily applied and truly fulfilled For it is manifest that the Romans draue first the Grecian Empires secondly the French and thirdly the Germans out of Rome and Italy as shall be shewed hereafter So those three kings were plucked away to make roome for this little horne As for the Exarch of Ravenna which was but the Emperors Vice-Roy I cannot afford him the qualitie or title of a king and for the Lombards they never setled their state in Rome The fifth singularitie in Daniel is that this king coming up last spake presumptuous words and blasphemies And this I call a singularitie in Daniel For although blasphemie is attributed to this beast by S. Iohn also yet here it is sayd onely to be in his words but by S. Iohn in his names Now this was fulfilled in Antiochus much more it is in Antichrist as it is noted in the Revelation The sixt singularitie is that this little horne shall destroy the saints and faithfull servants of God and this was partly done by Antiochus but much more prophecied and performed by Antichrist of whom it is said Rev. 13. that he shall make warre with the Saints and overcome them The seuenth is that this little horne shall thinke to change times and lawes things which God hath specially reserved to himself Litle of this doe we read to be done by Antiochus and indeed in such things what could one man doe Lawes can verie hardly be changed in a short time but to alter times in a short time is impossible But this is verified fully in the Roman Antichrist as shal be shewed hereafter Probl. 6. Having therefore thus observed the singularities of the prophet Daniell in describing the Roman beast especially before the Caesars Let us now see the singularities observed by our Apostle describing it in the 13 chap. under the Caesars and in the 17 under Antichrist First in this 13 ch this Empire is represented under a certain form like a Leopard which Daniel doth not say 2 It hath seauen heads expounded to
upon weake foundations or to make long work of that which is readie at hand I desire thee to consider of the termes of this disputation ut constet quid sit id qou de agitur First I say I desire to know whether thou dost hold that there is a Rule of the Catholike fayth whereby to judge of Heresies which rule ought to be certaine and knowne to us as not onely the Fathers De verbo dei l. 1. c. 2. but we at this day do all agree and Bellarmine the great Champion of the Romish Church affirmeth For sayth he if it be not knowne it connot be a rule unto us and if it be not certaine it can be no rule at all So sayth the Scripture Prov 22 21 The words of trueth are certaine and therefore was the Scripture written Luc. 1.4 that we might knowe the certaintie of that we haue learned Secondly Summa provi dentia carere fuco voluit ca quae divina sunt ut omnes intelligerent quae ipse omnibus loquchatur Lailant De verbo dei l. 3. c 2. 2 Tim. 2. I aske how it is knowne whether it be not knowne according to the literall sense out of which effectuall arguments ought to be drawne as we also are agreed For certaine it is sayth the same Bellarmine that that sense which is immediately gathered of the words is the sense of the Holy Ghost which I thinke he intendeth so as it stand with other plaine places For in the Word of God no contradiction is to be admitted God cannot denye himselfe But the senses mysticall and spirituall which may be gathered out of the Scriptures are various and therefore cannot be used for arguments to confirme points of Fayth because we are not certaine that they are intended by the Holy Ghost as the said Bellarmine affirmeth out of S. Augustine Lastly then it resteth to know what that rule is and where to be found Of which because thou mayst see that I will not hide or disguise any thing from thee I finde four opinions Whereof none in my understanding can justly be reproved for they all agree together in substance The first is of the most ancient Tertullian De praescript who goeth no further for the rule of fayth then to the Vulgar Creed The same as it seemeth is followed by Diony Ar. commonly called the Creede of the Apostles which sayth he amongst us hath no questions but such as Heresies bring in and make Heretikes To know nothing but this is to know all that we ought to know And they that do not beleeue this are not faythfull are not Christians are not to be admitted to dispute of the Scriptures sayth he In Enchirid. ad Laur. The second is that of August who affirmeth this rule to be conteyned in the Creede and the Lords prayer For sayth he therein is the whole summe of all Christian religion namely whatsoever concerneth fayth hope or charitie A third opinion is that of the common Catechistes which adde to the two before named the Decalogue and the doctrine of the Sacraments The fourth is that which is now commonly imbraced which maketh the Scripture in generall to be the rule of fayth And in this Bellarmine also consenteth My question therefore is whether thou do not approue these rules or any of them if thou do and do acknowledge that these Rules or any of them be certeyne and knowne to us and to be litterally understood as Bellarmine confesseth it followeth then to consider who by these Rules shall be said an Heretick and whether that be not clearly defined unto us by Moses S. Iohn Deut. 12. Rev. 22. and S. Paul to be such a one as doth adde any thing to the true fayth expressed in these Rules Tit. 3 10. or taketh any thing from them and will not be reformed by due admonition To this agreeth Vincent Lirinen c. 32. Christi Ecclesia sedula depositorium apud se dogmatum custos nihil in iis unquam permutat Haeresis graece Electio latine est sententia humano sensu electa verbo dei contraria palam docta pertinaciter de sensa Grossetest Episâ— Lincoln in Mat. Paris nihil minuit nihil addit Then to the point I aske first concerning that Article by the councels aforesaid decreed That the holy Catholike church being the body of our Saviour Christ represented in a generall Councell is aboue the Pope and hath authoritie immediately from Christ unto which the Pope himselfe as a member to the whole ought to obey whosoever denieth that verily is an Heretike Doth not the Pope as I said and haue not all the Popes since the making of that decree mainteyned themselues to be aboue the generall Councell and so denyed that veritie and that no decree of a generall Councell is able to binde them neither is lawfull if it be made without the authoritie of the Roman Pontifex Aske Bellarmine their Advocate Do they not maintaine that he is the head of the Church that he cannot erre in matters of fayth and that all are bound to obey him ex necessitate salutis Are these things expresly and literally to be found in the Creede the Lords prayer the tenne Commandements the Sacraments or any part of the Scripture If they be why did all the Christian Churches of Europe so manie times determine against these Prerogatiues of the Pope If not then whether are not these most great additions to that Rule to which none must adde and from which none must deminish If we will truly judge of the greatnes of this Heresie let us consider the greatnes of the buildings erected upon it For great buildings must haue great foundations First therefore upon this Supremacie over the Church of Christ represented in the generall Councell they haue grounded their absolute power to call beginne determine ende prorogue and transfer generall Councels at their pleasures and also to confirme and allow or to abrogate and disanull them Which point if it be granted they are sure that nothing can be determined against them in any such Councell Then an absolute power over all not onely Bishops and Prelates but kings and princes will easily be inferred For it standeth with reason that he who is aboue the whole is aboue everie parte in toto pars continetur Then followeth their power to adjudge and condemn that for Heresie whatsoever he thinketh fit Then the power to excommunicate Nations and Countries to depriue and depose kings and princes to giue their lands for an Heritage to whom they will And in a word their absolute Anomy and lawlessenes that no man may judge of him no man may dispute of his judgment or call it in question though he draw millions of soules with him into hell a prerogatiue which the Scripture never intimateth to be claymed by any but Antichrist and never claymed by any but the pope wherein all the authoritie power and states of Christian