word thought such a boundance of wealth to be very pernitious As Tacitus writeth that Aleius Capito and Lu Aruntius to keepe in the ouerflowing of Tyber they would diuert the fluds and streames whereby it did swell to that height that Tyber being cut off from the neighbour riuers might flow as with lesse glory so with lesse danger Ana 1. The Christian world seemeth to haue taken the same counsell to moderate the hurtfull abundance of the Tiberine Bishop so that Bellarmine may seeme to cast a needlesse doubt of the entrance of Antichrist of whose ouerthrow we so carnestly thinke We haue heard the mans first demonstration let vs consider of the second which is thus concluded CHAP. XXX Of the second token going before Antichrists comming IF the Romane Empire be not yet vtterly ouerturned so that it hath not lost the name of the Romane Empire Antichrist is not yet come But the first is true Therfore the second is true Or thus If before the comming of Antichrist the Romane Empire was to be diuided into ten Kings whereof none shall be called the King of the Romanes Antichrist is not yet come But the Antecedent is true Therefore the consequent is true Let vs see the strength and sinewes of this wonderfull demonstration wherin they so greatly triumph although in opening of the prophecy it is sufficiently before refuted the assumption whereof they go about to strengthen on euery side This is the assumption But the Romaine Empire is not yet vtterly ouerturned so that it hath lost the name of the Romane Empire Which they proue because the Romane Empire is to be diuided into tenne Kings whereof none is called the King of the Romanes They endeauour to strengthen either part out of the 2. Daniel 2.32 and seuenth of Daniel and 17. of the Apoc. in the 2. of Daniel they say is described a succession of 4. Kingdomes to last vnto the worlds end by the Image hauing the head of gold the brest of siluer the belly of brasse and the feete of iron The head of brasse signifieth say they the Kingdome of the Chaldees the brest of siluer the Kingdome of the Persians the belly of brasse the Kingdome of Alexander and the Grecians the feete of brasse the Kingdome of the Romanes the 2. feete the easterne and the westerne Empire of the Romanes Now as 2. feet haue 10. toes say they which are not feete So the Romane Empire shall bee diuided into 10. Kings whereof none is or is called the King of the Romanes The very same 4. Kingdomes Dan. 7. are described by 4. beastes a Lyon a beare a Leopard and a fourth without a name hauing 10. hornes whereof none is or is called a beast But this beast they say signifieth the Romane Empire and the 10. hornes 10. Kings which shall diuide that Empire Which they proue out of the 17. of the Apocalips where Iohn describes the beast with seauen heades and 10. hornes vpon whom the woman sate For the Angell say they doth so interpret The woman is a great city which sitteth vpon 7. hills that is Rome The 10. hornes are 10. Kings which shall raigne at one time and shall hate the whore c. By which wordes the Angell doth signifie that the Romane Empire by them shall be diuided and desolated so that it shall not retaine the name of the Romane Empire But that Antichrist is not as yet to come it is openly euicted out of Daniel cap 7. vers 14. the ten hornes are the tenne Kings of that kingdome whereof wee haue spoken hitherto And another say they shall rise after them Dan. 7.24 to wit Antichrist and he shall be more potent then the former and shall subdue three Kings and hee shall vtter speech against the most highest and shal tread vnder foote the Saints of the Almightie and shall imagine that he can change times and lawes and they shall bee deliuered into his handes for a time times and halfe a time And this they proue out of Hirom who addeth that a leuenth little King shal arise who shall ouercome three of the tenne Kings Yea Bellarmine goeth farther and out of the 11. Chapter vers 21. and in his place shall stand vp the most vile concludeth that Antichrist rising out of a base place shall by fraud and deceit get the Kingdome of the Iewes and shall not sight onely with three Kings of Egypt Libia and Ethiopia and shall enioy their Kingdomes themselues being vanquished but shal also make slaues seauen other Kings and shall haue the gouernment of the whole world 3. yeares and a halfe and in the meane time shall oppresse the Christians with an innumerable armie and these are the warres of Gog and Magog By all which prophecies of Daniel and Iohn concerning the Romane Empire and Antichrist together with the extent of his Kingdome beginning end and continuance thereof all as he thinkes so fitly agreeing betweene themselues hee peremptorily concludeth that Antichrist is not yet come Whereby there is a greater charge necessarily imposed vpon vs to looke diligently to the expounding of Daniels prophecie as wee were carefull formerly of expounding of Iohns prophecie So the argument shal be well satisfied when I shall confer the historie with the prophecie and set in order things confused and make plaine thinges obscure and shall compare Testament with Testament booke with booke chapter with chapter verse with verse neither will I adde a long Commentarie to a cleare text nor too short a Commentarie to an obscure by this meanes I shall neither admit superfluities or omit necessaries Especially when the prophecie is as a riddle which being darkely in many wordes set downe by the Prophet cannot be made plaine in a few wordes by a Doctour which doth rather require a Prophet to be the interpreter till euent hath made it plaine Wherein the Papists but chiefly Bellarmine must deale more fauourably with vs who hath reiected 12. Fathers in this cause if we likewise doe reiect the same and among them Ierome chiefly so it be without touch of his reputation seeing Austen saith that prophecies may sooner bee accomplished then vnderstood and doth sometime require that naked authorities being laid aside the matter with the matter and the cause with the cause and the reason may striue with the reason Ireneus saith that prophecies till they bee performed are to bee counted doubtfull riddles Irene lib. 4. ad ver heres c. 43. wherein Bellarmine shall not grant lesse to vs then he taketh to himselfe who when hee seeth his Master the Pope to bee pincht and stonge by Ireneus Bellar. de Pon lib. 3. cap. 18. makes this answere to serue his turne Ireneus saith he thinkes it a surer way and lesse dangerous to expect the fulfilling of the prophecie then to suspect it And the Papists seeme to haue learned this modestie out of Daniel who prophecing of other things as wee shall proue of Antichrist as the Papists thinke
say that the words are shut and sealed vp to the time appointed Who if we grant to haue foretould of the Romane Empire and of Antichrist he will neither much hurt our cause or helpe theirs For if Daniels fourth beast be the state of the Romane Empire and the 10. hornes the tenne Kings among whom it shall bee diuided and the eleuenth horne springing thence be Antichrist assuredly the Pope who is raised out of the fall and ruine of the Empire is Antichrist Here if you please I will consider of all those places alleaged by Bellarmine and search-out how they agree within themselues and how with the text Bellarmine saith that the fourth Empire Bellarmines contradiction which he taketh to be the Romane shall last to the worlds end And yet hee saith that the Romane Empire shall be vtterly destroied before the comming of Antichrist who shall raigne three yeares and a halfe How can hee then alleage it for a truth that the Romane Empire shall last to the worlds end I send this great Chrisippus againe to Aristotles Analytickes whither some time he sendeth others without cause that when he hath reuiewed them he may teach vs how two contradictions can be true at one time The Romane Empire shall last to the worlds end The Romane Empire shall not last to the worlds end for it must haue the finall destruction at the comming of Antichrist who shall raigne three yeares and a halfe Now let vs consider how Bellarmine and Daniel doe agree Many of our age and those very learned who seeme very exactly to search into Daniel do thinke that the fourth Empire which many other without doubt as well learned as they doe take for the Romane Monarchie was the Kingdome of the Seleucides and the Lagides in Siria and Egypt The exposition of the 7. of Daniel as they afflicted Iury hembd in betweene them and therefore designed to be more terrible then the three former because more dangerous to Iury. And that the ten hornes were ten Kings of Siria Egypt who did successiuely oppresse the Iewes and that Antiochus Epiphanes was the tenth and last who more then the rest did plague them most cruelly and that therefore he was the type of Antichrist who should no lesse afflict the Christians and not Antichrist himselfe as Bellarmine dreameth Let vs if you please alledge some of the reasons drawne out of the Text. Reasons th t Antichrist is not properly in Daniel 1 The fourth beast was a kingdome to be abolished before the comming and raigne of the Messias as the Prophet teacheth cap 7. v. 11. 26. 27. which is true of the kingdome of the Seleucides false of the Romane 2. The fourth beast did make warre with the Iewes and did greuously oppresse them did hinder the worship of God not onely before the comming of Christ but before the purging of the Temple and the restoring of the Iewish worship by Iudas Machabeus cap 7. v. 25. 26. 27. which agreeth with the kingdome of the Seleucides not with the Romane 3. Ten hornes and no more did belong to the fourth beast that is ten Kings I will name them anon who did oppresse Iurie with their tyrannie which being vnderstood of seuen Seleucides and three Lagides is very true of the Romanes very false who after they got the gouernment of Iurie were more then ten 4. Besides those Kings did succeed one another orderly in the same kingdome this is true in the seuen Seleucides and three Lagides but not in them who after descended from the Kings in the Româ— Empire who at the same time did raigne in diuers Prouinces as the Aduersarie himselfe confesseth 5. Lastly the Leopard cap. 7. signifying the Graecian Empire is shadowed by the Goate cap 8. which appeares by that that as the Leopard is said there to haue had foure heads so the Goate when his great horne was broken of Alexander foure hornes are said to succeed in his place i. foure Princes among whom the Empire of the Goate was diuided which to the Romane Empire agreeth not but to the Greeke it doth Alexander and his foure Princes For after Alexanders death Ptolomey the sonne of Lagis held Egipt Philip Alexanders brother Macedon Seleucus Nicanor Syria and Babylon Antigonus Asia the lesse these were Alexanders foure Princes as Hierom obserueth If it bee demanded how the two feet prophecied of by Daniel What is ment by the 2 feete and 10. toes which in Bellarmines iudgment doth fitly resemble the Rom Empire diuided into the East and West from whence ten Kings as ten toes did proceede I answer from those foure Princes of Alexander two of them that is Seleucus Nicanor and Ptolomey Lagis were the most potent who brought the other four Kingdomes by mutuall warres vnder their subiection from him the kingdom of the Seleucides and the kingdome of Syria in the North from this the kingdome of the Lagides and of the Kings of Egipt in the South did descend and both these did with their invasions greatly afflict the Iewes placed in the middest These were the two feet which did so miserably trample vpon the Iewes from whence did spring out ten Kings as ten toes which Daniel describeth cap 11. Daniels litle horne who it is for the three Lagides descended from Ptolomie the seuen Seleucides from Seleucus and from thence in the end of the kingdome of the Selcucides ouer the Iewes a litle horne sprouted out cap 7. 9 that is a King with a bold face that is The ten hornes Antiochus â—piphanes the tenth horne cap. 11. properly and liuely described 1 Ptolomie Lagis The first horne of the fourth and namelesse beast Ptolomie Lagis King of the South .i. of Egipt is described v 5. then Seleucus Nicanor the most puissant of Alexanders Princes v 11. 2. Seleucus Nicanor 3. Antiochus Soâ—er 4. Anâ—iâ—chus Theos the King of the North is the second horne for hee preuailed against Ptolomie and recouered Iurie and all Siria from him and gouerned there himselfe Him did Antiochus Soter the third horne succeed whose sonne Antiochus Theos the fourth horne that he might establish a league betweene himselfe and Ptolomie Philadelphus King of Egipt v 6. tooke Bernice Philadelphus daughter to wife that thereby he might fulfill that part of the Prophecie of the two feet one of yron thother of clay that they should mingle themselues with mans seede and yet should not grow together Dan 2. v. 43. the prophecie was proued true by euent for Antiochus Theos had already Laodice another wife aliue 5. Seleucus Callinicus of whom he begat Seleucus Calinicus the fift horne who slew Bernice her sonne and seruants Antiochus Theos was poysoned by Laodice his wife and Ptolomie v 7. Bernices Father presently after the mariage died for griefe 6. Ptolomie Euergetes But in his place arose Ptolomie Euergetes the sixt horne who being of the same race with Bernice .i. her Brother made warre vpon
of those ten hornes which in his time had not attained the Kingly soueraignety Daniel speakes of the ten kings of the race of Seleucus and Lagis who by turnes successiuely succeeded one another in the Kingdome Iohn speakes of tenne Kings among whom the Romane Empire was to bee diuided who gouerned at one time in diuers prouinces Daniel tels vs what the little horne which was the tenth did doe to the three next foregoing without mention of the rest Iohn tels vs what the ten hornes shall doe to Antichrist which is not one of the tenne hornes but one of the seuen heads of the Beast Daniels king is a tenth horne pointing out one singular man Iohns king is not to bee accompted an eleuenth horne but a head and signifies not one singleman but a state Daniels tenne hornes rose out of the ruines of the Macedonian Empire Iohns ten hornes out of the ouerthrow of the Romaine Empire So that there is no likenesse betweene Daniels hornes and Iohns Dan. 7.8 but that in either of them they were ten Daniels ten hornes if you consider the chronologie were broken fell off many ages before Iohns ten hornes did appeare that is before they receiued kingly power with the Beast the Romane Empire being destroyed Those ten hornes if you consider cosmographie beare rule in Syria and Babylon out of these ten hornes wherein a certaine number is set for an vncertaine as our men haue prooued one had the Kingdome of France another of Spaine another of Great Britaine and other in other nations and kingdomes Those ten hornes after the captiuity and before the comming of Christ did oppresse Iury scituated betweene them These hornes being conuerted by Christ triumphing in the heauens shall at the last wound and strike thorow that double horned Beast of Rome O cunning Chronologie and skilfull Cosmographie BELLARMINE that can so well distinguish the places and times of each prophesie CICERO did in open place iestingly taxe a certaine Poet Bellarmine well compared who was very foolish in the iudgement of others but very learned in his own that in one place made Euripides and Menander and in another Socrates and Epicurus haue conference together whose liues were seuered not by many yeares but many ages and that he had many Schooles in the world that had as little learning as himselfe He did as wittily sport at other writers who said that Numa was Pythagoras scholler when Pythagoras was borne diuers ages after Numa But another most pleasantly said that by the ignorance of a foolish Historiographer he was made a Babilonian of a Grecian and that his Countrey being cut off from Hellespont with the very wales and towers and people were carried into Mesopotamia These mens ignorance Bellarmine seemeth very well to expresse who brings in Kings of Siria long dead conuersing with many Kings of Europe borne a thousand yeares after transporting Europe into Asia Absurdities out of Bellarmines interpretation and Paris to London and the seates of other Kings and Princes who fell from the Romane Empire together with their subiects into Hierapolis and Babylon That I can hardly refraine from crying out that this learned Historiographer will one day bring to passe that The Parthian shall drinke Araris the German Tygris A man may easily slippe in the mistaking of a yeare or yeares but it is a foule fault to confound an age or ages together which this learned Doctour hath committed But I know his answer that he had rather erre with certaine fathers then hould a truth with vs. Let vs now see the returne of that terrible demonstration fetcht out of Daniels corrupt interpretation If the Romane Empire bee not as yet altogether ouerthrowne Antichrist is not yet come For the destruction of the Romane Empire is a certaine token fore-running the comming of Antichrist as it appeares out of Daniel who speakes neuer a word either of the desolation of the Romane Empire or of the comming of Antichrist But the Romane Empire is not so vtterly ouerthrowne Therefore Antichrist is not yet come The generall ouerthrow of the Romane Empire hee thus proueth out of Daniel If before the comming of Antichrist the Romane Empire be to be diuided into ten Kings whereof none is or is called the King of the Romanes then Antichrist is not yet come For the generall ouerthrow of the Empire is not come because the name remaineth The first is true Therefore the last is true He proueth the assumption out of Daniel What be the two feete and ten toes out of the first vision of the 2. feete and out of the second of the ten hornes of the beast without a name For as two feete haue ten toes which are not feete and as the ten hornes are not the beast so the Romane Empire shall be diuided into ten Kings whereof none is the King of the Romanes O full wittily as hee thinkes But Daniels two feete are not the esterne and westerne Empires of Rome but Ptolomeus Lagis and Seleucus Nicauor Alexanders Princes as I said before And the ten hornes of the beast are not ten Kings rising out of the ruine of the Romane Empire but ten Seleucides as toes springing out of those feete after the destruction of the Macedonian Empire whence foure hornes arose in Alexanders place as I shewed before which fell afterward to bee two feete Hath not Bellarmine prooued the assumption doubtely well out of Daniel But he hath shewed it I warrant you better afterward out of Iohn For those ten hornes in Iohn are ten Kings among whom the Romane Empire is diuided I grant it Neither so shall I loose the cause But that is not set downe by Iohn which Bellarmine addeth whereof none is or is called the King of the Romanes The cleane contrary is set downe by Iohn as I prooued before As the Romane Empire was to be taken away as Paul taught Why the Romane Empire restored so farre forth as it hindered the reuealing and gouernment of Antichrist So a new Empire as the picture of the old was to bee restored of the land-beast chap. 13. i. of Antichrist that the whore of Babylon might sit vpon her backe chap. 17. One of the two heades of the sea-beast i. the westerne Empire of Rome dead in Augustulus reuiued in Charles by the land-beast that is Antichrist got life againe and gathered strength and therefore it was not finally ouerthrowne The image of the first beast recouered life and voice and therefore did not altogether loose her power and name The image of the old Empire got life againe the name remained the thing it selfe perished not but past ouer from the chiefe secular Prince to the chiefe spirituall prince as Aquinas teacheth So as Antichrist was the last state that held the Romane Empire without the name of the Romane Emperour as Bellarmine confesseth Therefore the Pope did transfer the Maiesty and the power of the Romane Empire to himselfe and hath left a
erre greatly It was their office to discerne the leprosie the Magistrates to separate lest they should faint others That we may therefore vrge this figure against you It is the duty of Princes to separate the leprous that is hereticall Popes rather then of Popes to separate hereticall Princes But whereas you said the person of the King was stoutly assalted by Azaria and 80. other Priests and by violence cast out of the Temple that is an error far more dangerous For they did not violently cast him out but as the text hath it they caused him to make hast to go out of the temple no force at all being attempted For it followeth because the Lord stroke him he was forced of his owne accord to depart And so the word signifies and so your vulgar translation hath it which you call Ieromes he made hast to go foorth 2. Chron. 26. The Iesuits violence taxed But this error hath brought forth that dangerous sin Saturnine by the helpe of your conclusion as it were by the aide of a Midwife For you conclude it is a manifest example that it is lawfull for Priests by force of armes and by violent meanes to represse the wickednesse of Kings Azarias I confesse and the other Priests did resist the King but with words not with weapons And because he had broken the Law by burning of incense they did as it was meete sharpely reproue him neither did they forceably rush vpon the Magistrate or lay strong hand vpon him to driue him out of the temple much lesse out of the kingdome But your men Saturnine go further and from admonition fly to rebellion from reprehension to force from reprofe to armes being cousoned and deceiued by the false interpretation of this and the like places § 37 Here I appeale to you Princes neither to you only who haue departed from the Pope but to you who cleaue vnto him ☜ How long will ye suffer these martiall and swaggering Priests to abuse your patience how long shall this superstitious madnesse deceiue you An Ap strophâ— to popish Kings how long shall this wolâ—ish fearcenesse vnder sheepes cloathing assaile you how long shall they couer their detestable rebellion against kings vnder the cloake of religion And as if they fetcht poyson from heauen as Hercules Aeteus in the tragedie abusing the authoritie of holy Scriptures and examples of holy Priests gather force against your sacred persons and opprobry to your Maiesties This is said Saturnine to chaffe with vs not to dispute § 38 with vs. But marke the reason if you please why Ozias the king was stroken with the leprosie because he presumed to execute the spirituall and priestly function whereof you haue ordained your Kings supreame Gouernours I marke it well said Patriotta and when we maintain that it is lawfull for our Princes to preach the Gospell to baptise to minister the supper of the Lord to forgiue sinnes then cast vs in the teeth with Ozias pride and plague In the meane while learne that it is not for priests but kings to beare armes and the kings of Iuda who vsed the temporall sword to restore the truth and suppresse error which Dauid Iehosophat Ezekias Iosias were said to haue done got great fauour with God and great honour with men But wee when wee are iustly displeased with you whenas like seditious tribunes you stirre vp the commons against Kings and call them to armes wherewith they may vanquish the professours of the Gospell as occasion is offered then here I pittie you exceedingly that from Azarias example peeuishly vnderstood and wretchedly drawn to your purpose you draw from an idle figure so slender an argument of your out-rage that there appeareth neither probabilitie in the Antecedent or necessitie in the consequence And whereas you said that Athalia was depriued of § 39 her kingdome and put to death by Iehoida the priest with the forces of the priests and people Athaâ—â—â— iustly deposed but not by the Priest Ioash the right heyre whom hee preserued in the temple being proclaimed annointed and crowned king you held that the Pope might likewise rightly depriue a lawfull king for heresie both of his kingdome and life it doth lay open apparantly the wretchednesse of your cause For what can you say else then that a wicked woman who flew all Ochasias the kings ofspring one sonne only excepted and did vniustly vsurpe the kingdome was surprised and punished by the vndoubted and lawfull heire of the crowne the king being proclaimed and annointed and the crowne set on his head by the consent of the whole kingdome as you your selfe haue confessed But Iehoida the high priest commanded to put her to death not the king True but hee commanded it by the authoritie of the king not his own But the king you say was but a childe of seuen yeares of age but hee was no lesse a king at seuen yeares then if he had beene of seuentie yeares For age cannot take away the right of a kingdome which bloud hath giuen him Iehoida had Gods law mans law to approue his action But Iehoida when he commanded Athalia to be slaine in the kings name did it both by Gods law and mans law First he preserued the young king in the Sanctuarie being kept from the rage of Athalia and nourisht him secretly in the Lords house Againe hee was the chiefe of his Tribe as others were of theirs that hee might arrogate so much to himselfe as others might in the nonage of the king to pacifie the kingdome and to take vengeance vpon the vsurping Queene for the cruell tyrannie against the kings progenie Besides that his wife was the kings Ant and he was his neerest kinsman and therefore was bound both by the law of nature and nations to defend the kings right his age and innocencie Last of all whatsoeuer hee attempted was with the Kings authoritie and with the common counsell and consent of all the nobility For he conuented all the captaines and cheife Fathers of Israel vnto him into the house of God and made a couenant with them and exacted an Oath of them in the house of God and shewed the kings sonne vnto them And so being not only the high priest but chiefe also of his Tribe and neerest allie to the king nor with his owne but with the common counsell and consent of the Peeres nor commanded with his owne but with the kings authoritie that wicked Athalia iniustly vsurping the kingdome the kings ofspring being first murthered and extinguished to be cast from her kingdome and of her life What is this to the Pope to depose a lawfull king to be murthered by a rebellious people being first by excammunication deposed from his kingdome And whereas you bragge of Elias zeale who did not § 40 only answere king Ahab very stoutly but slew 400. Elias killed not Baals Priests of Iesabels false Prophets you tell vs of the act but you cunningly conceale
strange diuinity and to abandon Christian Princes are Synonamaes or all one with the Papists To binde Kings and to binde Scepters is all one To exclude a King out of the Temple and take from him his kingdome and life be Synonomaes with you O diuine and admirable power of excommunication which brought in not onely a new Grammer but a new Logicke also into Diuinity All Princes ought to bee taught of the high Preist therefore deposed They may be shut out of the kingdome of heauen therefore out of their earthly domimions Princes ought to obey the wholesome doctrine â—aught by their Pastors therefore if they refuse it they may rightly bee cast off by them The condition of Princes is very hard But what shall they doe excommunication can do thus much if we beleeue Saturnine But you haue other Catholike Doctors as I heare honester men a great deale who weaken and take away the edge of excommunication for bringing foorth such monstrous effects § 55 For that I may say nothing of Austin who thought that excommunication was very sparingly to bee vsed against Princes August cont Epist Parmen lib. 3. cap. 2. and when it were it was not to roote them vp but to correct them that we may omit Bernard De consid ad Eugen. lib. 2. who was not afraid to tell Pope Eugenius Therfore your power is ouer sinnes not ouer possessions because for them not for these you haue receiued the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen Thomas Aquinas your Angelicall Doctor sayd that excommunication is one thing and rotting out is another which we finde written in an Epistle of Pope Vrbane recorded in the canon Law whereof hee alleadgeth a reason out of the Apostle who sayth that one excommunicate is to that end so dealt withall Decret 2. part caus 4 qu. 3. cap. 37. that his soule may be saued in the day of the Lord. It is vsed then for correction not for destruction for excommunication is discipline saith Pope Vrbane not a rooting vp Either of them both a Canonist and a Preist seemed to borrow the distinction out of Austin So hee writeth that excommunication is not the taking away anie mans priuate goods which the transgressour of the Law did formerly possesse but it was the taking away of the publike goods which he was to receiue from the Church and the receiuing of the Sacraments The force of excommunication Therefore excommunication is of force if you may beleeue your owne men to shut a King out of the Church not out of his Kingdome to depriue him of the Sacrament not his Scepter to seuer him from the Communion of the faithfull not from the obedience of his subiects to saue his soule not to destroy his body to remooue him from the confines of the Kingdome of Heauen till he repent not to driue him out of his territories or to loose the raines of obedience from subiects or free them from their sworne fealty As Ludonicus Richeomus hath it in his Apologeticke These agree with the canon Render saith Christ to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods Which bee Caesars his scepter crowne and sword which be Gods our faith worship inuocation and all our spirituall obedience Matth. 22. Christ therefore saith render to Caesar his scepter his crowne his sword what say you Saturnine let him take away from Caesar being excommunicate his scepter his crowne his sword bee these your Synonimaes to render and to take away Christ if he had pleased could thus haue excommucate Tiberius and obtained of his father an army of Angels to haue cast him out of his throne He would not for he came to giue an heauenly crowne not to take away an earthly crowne When a certaine man sayd to him Luc. 12. Master command my brother to diuide the inheritance with me the Lord answered who hath made mee a Iudge betweene you Christ thought that the power of diuiding a priuate inheritance belonged not to his vocation who therefore could appoint the Pope to be a Iudge Distributer of kings crownes Christ being demanded of Pilate what kingdome he layd claime to answered my kingdome is not of this world but you Saturnine with the turn of a key which others receiued as well as Peter haue deliuered all that belongs to Caesar to the Vicar of Christs disposition forsooth Therefore what Christ could not doe can the Vicar of Christ do That which the Lord himselfe would not vndertake shall a seruant take vpon him Peter was a simple scholler to Christ belike whom § 56 you doe make to be your founder What Peter did to Princes for hee did not cast Nero out of his throne with a thunder bolt of excommunication he did not forbid Christians from taking the Oath of Allegeance or free them when they had taken it he did not dispose of his kingdomes and dominions hee did not arme the seruants against their master or stirre vp other Princes against the Emperor Hee taught that the glory of Martyrdome was to bee sought after by suffering not the infamie of rebellion by resisting cheefely by Bishops to whom hee hath committed the power of perswading not enforcing the duties of teaching not of fighting the vse of prayers not of weapons Shall it bee lawfull for the Popes successour which was not lawfull for his founder did not Peter vnderstand what it was to feede sheepe did he not learne what it was to binde and to loose did he not know the power of the keyes Belike hee had not met with your dictionary He could with his word as well haue strucken Nero as he strucke Ananias but he following his masters steps yeelded simple obedience to Nero as he had yeelded to Tiberius § 57 Whose successours they were so farre from resisting the Emperours How Peters successorus vsed Princes the seruants their masters that for 300. yeers euen to Syluester they did patiently submit themselues to Pagans as Martyrs and for 300. yeeres to Boniface they did humbly obey both Christian Catholike and Hereticke Princes as beads-men and for 400. yeeres to Gregorie the 7. they did obey them euen in their absence somewhat tolerably as free-men For the times of the Empire were diuers as the times of the Church were as the qualities of Emperors were diuers so of Bishops while the Emperour was but one and present the Bishop was of small reputation but when hee was absent and diuided hee grew great the Imperiall spoiles being left in Italy whereby the master being somewhat weakned and cast off the seruant began to grow lustie and stout and I wish he would leaue off to continue so still Lest happily the King of birds doe come And take his feathers from this ietting Iay Whereat the rest may doe naught else but laugh To see stolne feathers taken thus away For surely it was not thus from the beginning that the staffe should resist the sword the crosier
the scepter the myter the crowne No maruell you say for then the Christian Byshops wanted temporall forces They might wel haue excommunicated and deposed Princes Ala contâ—exec Angli inst pa 167. if the Church had had power enough to resist As two great Masters of not building vp but of destroying diuinitie haue taught Alan and Bellarmine Bellar de Rom. Pont. lib. 5. cap. 7. So I beleeue the Apostle Paul when he saw the antient Christians to be few in number and weak in power § 58 taught them then not to resist the power How Paul vsed Princes belike he serued the time not the truth when he taught that subiects should be subiect to Nero for conscience sake For when they were encreased in number and power if wee beleeue these Cardinalls they should no more suffer as patient Martyrs but take vpon them like boasting souldiers For so they haue corrected the Apostles discipline with their worthy interpretation and put out the crowes eyes as the prouerbe is and haue wisely altered the rules of the holy Ghost which ought to be perpetuall and immutable to the practise of the Church as the case required But one thing I doubt much they cannot wipe away It is damnation to resist the power saith the Apostle Moses what is it then to lay violent handes vpon him Moses forbad that the people should not speake euill of their Gouernour would hee haue suffered Salomon if they could to resist him Salomon forbad that none should curse the king secretly in his conscience did hee grant by force to cast him off if they had might to do it Iudas Iudas the Apostle did stile them fitly Dreamers that spake ill of gouernment and despise such as bee in authoritie would he take these Cardinalls for holy Doctours who perswade the people to driue the king out of his kingdome if they can Let vs beleeue it if it be possible that Moses Salomon § 59 and Iudas the Apostle when they would haue the subiects tongues to bee tied vp they would leaue their hands to be loose Ieremy the Prophet exhorted the exiled Iewes that they should offer vp their prayers for the life of the King of Babylon Paul the Apostle did aduise the persecuted Christians to pray to God for the safety of Nero. Is it eredible that the Prophet and the Apostle for whom they would haue subiects praiers poured out that they would haue their blood to bee poured out vnlesse you thinke the Apostle was like to Charles the fift who commanded that publike prayers should bee made for the deliuerance of Clement the 7. whenas his owne legions kept him captiue I expect that the Cardinals doe thus expound the place of the Apostle to haue commanded them to haue prayed for Nero because they wanted force to resist which if they had got they might iustly haue gone from praying to violence and from orizons to weapons O warlike priests In the meane while what wrong do they offer to Peter and Peters successors who suffered death for Christ whom they insinuate not to haue wanted courage but power to resist And they make goodly Martyrs if when they died for the truth deliuered rebellious soules out of their afflicted bodies Tertul. in Apo. leget And I wonder that two so learned Cardinals were so ignorant of the historie to say that Christians might lawfully haue resisted if they had had strength when Tertullian doth alleage that they had power but might not lawfully resist Which if it may bee truely said of the second age after Christ how much more in the fourth fift and sixt age whenas Christians being graced by Princes and defended by lawes might professe the § 60 Catholike religion openly and freely It is an not able saying of Austen August in Ps 124. that the Christian souldiers did obey Iulian the Apostata their temporall Lord not because as these men dreame they wanted power to resist Christian souldiers obeyed Iulian. but for the Lord eternall For the souldiers in their warre against the Persians might easily haue surprised Iulian being farre from home Sâ—cra lib. 3. cap. 22. and succour But they were you will say Pagane souldiers Yea forsooth as Socrates tells vs the next day after Iulians death when Iouinian was chosen Emperour by them he refused that honor because he suspected the greater part of the armie to be heathenish all of them cryed out with one voice that they were Christians The Fathers writ against Iulian they fight not they vsed their pennes not their armes they strooke the Apostata with their arguments not with their weapons as they dealt afterward with Constantius and Valens hereticall Emperors But your Cardinals and Fathers do vndertake the § 61 businesse against Princes not with the penne but with the sword assoone as they bee denounced excommunicate for heresie and releasing their subiects from the Oath of allegeance tell them they may beare armes against them hauing beene sometimes their Princes and doe obtrude this as a principall head of Catholicke Religion making much for the saluation of their soules Although I haue lighted vpon some who before the sentence denounced by the Church hold that an hereticall Prince by right for the very act Caietane is to be remoued forcibly by the subiects But Caietane denieth that the subiects may be absolued before the sentence bee publickely denounced Very franckly that he will allow somewhat to an hereticall Prince But Alanus will haue all Heretickes not only after they be by name particularly denounced Alanus but by law and ipso facto as they say assoone as they beginne to appeare hereticall or be by law excommunicated should be put from their kingdomes For as Fame so Heresie Gathers strength by going forward Alanus is somewhat more earnest in the matter then Caietane who pronounceth that warre to be holy iust and honourable which subiects vndertake against their hereticall Prince and doth aduise the valiant Englishmen to take part with the enemie against the Queene But after our Cardinall had deliuered his opinion as Apollo from his three footed stoole Philop. 194. Philopater doth boldly affirme that it is an opinion certaine and of faith and vndoubtedly held of all the learned and agreeable to Apostolicall doctrine that euery Christian Prince if he flatly fall from the Catholicke religion and call others from the same to fall presently from all his power and dignitie by the force of Gods law and mans law and that before the sentence of the supreame Pastor and Iudge be denounced against him and that all manner of subiects are free from euery bond of Oath which they should by obedience haue performed to a lawfull Prince and that they may and ought if they haue power cast out from the gouernment of Christians such a man as an Apostata or Hereticke and a Renegate from Christ the Lord and an vtter enemie to the common weale § 62 There is an
Byshoppe of Rentzburge when he deliuered the bull against the prince All of them scoft at the mans impudency and disdainefully askt what that light headed and superstitious French man what the Rome-pope himselfe did in Germanie without the consent of the Germaine-byshops his colleagues They disdaine that discordes should be sowne that the libertie of Christians should bee opprest that the flocke of Christ redeemed by his blood should bee brought into slauerie by false Teachers And when the Legate would not giue ouer the Germane Byshoppes did not onely dispise his commandements but denounced a curse against him in all their Churches as an enemie to Christian peace and an Arch hereticke and pronounced him to be worse then any Turke Saracene Tartar or Iew. They did publickly likewise accuse the Byshoppe of Rome for attempting such matters among Christians which were against reason and the law of nations against the doctrine of Christ and which were not at any time done among the most sauage Tartars And as the Byshops so the nobles of Germanie did take in foule scorne so great a wrong offered by the § 116 Pope to the Emperour their Master to repell it conuented all the States wherein Eberhardus the Archbyshoppe of Salisburge a godly olde man when hee had knowne ten Romane-byshoppes and had diligently markt their practizes and dispositions vnder Fredericke the first Henry the sixt his sonne and Fredericke the second his Nephew for fifty yeares together that the chiefe byshoppe was wholy compounded of auarice luxurie contention warres discordes and desire of rule and so did decipher him for a rauenous wolfe in each part vnder a Shepheards weede and so liuely paint him out that although in other matters he were not a Lutherane in this one you would haue said he had beene almost Luther himselfe The old Catholicke fathers Oration is extant in Auentine a Catholicke Writer Auenti annal lib. 7. fol. 683. there you may haue it if you will read it § 117 That which the Byshoppes and Nobles of Germanie with the whole commons did with common consent against Innocent the fourth in the quarrell of Fredericke the Emperour the very same they did in the like quarrell of Lewes the fourth Emperour against Iohn the 22. that although they were released from the Oath of Obedience they did notwithstanding take the Oath of obedience to be faithfull to Lewes though hee were remooued and that they did by the iudgement of all the Doctours in both lawes Philip the faire the French King in a councell with full consent of the Nobles and Byshoppes did not only set at nought and despise the iniust sentence of the Popes depriuation sent out against him but brought all the kingdome from the Popes obedience and that hee might the better tame his pride he laid hold of the Pope kept him in durance so that within sixe weekes after in great anguish of soule hee gaue vp the Ghost Popes crossed by the French The pragmaticall sanction is well knowne which did of old infringe the Popes authoritie and all the canons of the Church of France that part which maintaineth the popish religion and all the decrees of the Kings parliament do so disanull the Popes power in excommunicating Kings and releasing their Subiectes from the Oath of obedience Tract inscript le Franc. Discours an 1600. that the very body of Sorbone and the whole Vniuersitie of Paris doe condemne the doctrine of the Iesuites as schismaticall and pernicious Neither Henrie the 8. onely Edward the 6. and § 119 Queene Elizabeth English practise against Popes whom you tearme Caluinists and Heretickes did by their lawes expell this vsurped authoritie of the Pope and punished by death the Abetters thereof but other Kings of England who raigned in the midst of poperie thought good to contemne the Popes censures and to suppresse the Actors therein by your Lawes The law of Edward the 3. 25 Edwar 3. doth it not seeme to bee made by a Caluinist which makes it treason to attempt and go about the death of the King to mooue warre in his Kingdome against the King or to ioyne with the Kings enemies in his kingdome or to giue them aide and comfort either within the Kingdome or without Doe you not see how that two hundred yeares before Queene Elizabeth was borne the Priests treason couered with the habite of religion by the Statute of Edward the third in euery branch of it as it were with lime twigges is met with and suppressed If to attempt the death of the King be treason therefore Greenway and other Iesuites who tooke counsell to destroy the King and kingdome had beene Traytors by Edward the thirds Law although Queene Elizabeth had made no such law If to raise warre against the King in his kingdome were then treason the priests were Traytors who stirred vp papists to take armes and to ioyne themselues with Catsby and Persie in the rebellion If to ioyne with the Kings enemie in his kingdome were then treason how can you then ye Iesuits auoide the sharpenesse of King Edwards law who being the instruments of sedition doe adheare to the Pope the Kings deadly enemie vnder the colour of religion If to aide and animaâ—e the Kings enemies either within his kingdome or without was treason at that time truly whosoeuer at this day vnder pretense of religion whatsoeuer do either solicite foraine Kings to inuade this Kingdome as Garnet Creswell Baldwine and others haue done or perswade the people to take armes to depose their King as Greenwell Hall and others haue vndertaken were Traytors although Elizabeth with her Caluinists had neuer made any law against them § 120 But King Edwardes law you will say doth not touch the people by name True But when the noble King remembred that the French King was stirred vp against Iohn King of England who had contemned the Popes censures that the Subiectes were incensed against their King the Barons and Byshops fell from him and were the Ministers of the Popes wrong that thereby hee might the better confirme his subiects in their obedience against the French the Spanish and the Romane and all others whatsoeuer froâ— whom he foresaw danger might come to himselfe and his kingdome and that he might decline the enuy of naming the Pope particularly made a generall Statute with the consent of the Byshoppes Baron and Commons without any exception of person or cause whatsoeuer wherein hee made him a Traytor whosoeuer did adhere to the Kings enemy in his kingdome or did aide or animate any either within his dominions or without who should moue warre against the King including by his generall word aswell the Pope as the Popes factours as if hee had expressely named them § 121 But in the 26. of Richard the second the Prelates Dukes Earle Barons and aâ—l the Commons of England the Clarkes and Lay people named the Pope when they all ioyned in a couenant of association with the
and liuely describe Antichrist that shall mysticallie giue life to the Beast rising out of the sea and mystically bring downe fire from heauen there they imagine such a hagge and as it were a bewitching Canidia which shall giue motion to woodden pictures life to the dead and speech to the dumbe and shall call downe for very true fire from Heauen What is meant by the ten hornes in Daniel There the ten hornes that are sprung out of the breach and ruines of the Macedonian Empire ten Kings seauen from Seleucus and three from Lagis who succeeded orderly one after another in the gouernment of Syria and opprest Iurie and were all dead before the comming of Christ What is ment by the ten hornes in the Apocalypse they take for ten hornes or those ten Kings who after the death of Christ rose out of the diuision and ruines of the Romane Empire that was to be dissolued many ages after who had the gouernment together with the beast neither did in order succeed one another in the same kingdome but gouerne in diuerse Prouinces at the same time Neither did destroy Iury being destroied already but shall subuert and ouerthrow the Romane Empire What absurdities follow by the Popish interpretation of Iohn as your men suppose but as the truth is the Popedome it selfe So that while your Doctors doe in the Apocalypse a bookefull of hidden mysteries follow after a literall and a proper sense marke I pray you what a pleasant and comicall Antichrist they haue imagined Whom S. Iohn doth terme a beast with two hornes they will make a horned beast indeed The two witnesses whom Saint Iohn calleth two Oliue trees and two Candlestickes if by the Letter they vrge them to be two men that is Enoch and Elias who must be slaine by Antichrist they will imagine a very terrible Antichrist that will kill Oliue trees and Candlestickes If the two witnesses shall cast out true fire out of their mouthes these fiery fellowes will suddenly consume Antichrist If Antichrist contrarily shall fetch downe true fire from heauen and giue life to Images as it were to so many Pigmalions which if you forget not they will cause to be worshipped they will bring a notable magitian vpon the stage so those prophane companions will cleane alter the Holy Ghosts most weighty prophecie into their owne ridiculous comedy Furthermore while they thus peruersly compare Daniels prophecie with Iohns Apocalypse they doe so confound not onlie things with things but ages with ages that vnlesse they raise dead men out of their graues or make Kings raigne before they were borne their interpretations can in no wise hang together At a word Paul the fift they must not bring backe the sunne fifteene degrees as in the dial of Ahaz but more then a thousand degrees that these may agree together Blessed Iohn of set purpose hath written Antichrist his mysterie Paul hath made a Commentarie How far Daniels prophecy reacheth for time Our men while they bring light to Iohns hidden mysterie out of Pauls commentarie your men doe bring darknesse out of Daniels prophecie all which be it spoken by those Doctors leaue who doe thinke otherwise if you onlie except the comfortable prophecie of the resurrection of Christ Chap. the 12. I can euict to haue been fulfilled within the compasse of seauentie yeeres if you reckon from that time wherin Ierusalem was taken by the Chaldees to that time wherein it was vtterlie ouerthrowne by the Romanes Wherefore let vs take the type of Antichrist if you please out of Daniel himselfe we shall find in Saint Iohns prophecy and Saint Pauls which your men do so much labor to obscure that they may vtterly peruert the state of the question CHAP. III. The state of the question and diuers significations of Antichrist FOr this is the whole question set downe by Becanus Bâ—can in spec Antioch refor c. 10. whether Antichrist properly so called shall come one â—â—an in his owne person Agreeable to that which Bellarmine had said before for either of them doe imagine that this Aduersarie shall be one singular person by reason of the addition of the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Antichrist for that article doth point out alwaies one that is singular hee is much deceiued For it doth often point out one kinde Antichrist not one singular person but a succession as in the same place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Fathers doe expound it and the Papists doe acknowledge it Hee that withstandeth Hee meanes the Emperour in generall not this or that Emperor And Matthew the 16 chapter vers 18. not only the article but the demonstratiue Pronoune is also added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby not onely one Peter though falsly is vnderstood of you but a succession of Popes Therefore the article doth either settle Antichrist in a succession or in that place doth not settle a succession in the Pope Choose of these two whether you will I perceiue that Becan and Bellarmine doe inquire after both first whether he be then what hee is Whether Antichrist bee foreshewed in the Scriptures no man doubteth whether hee can be pointed out in the world I will so cleare it that none shall doubt if first by inquirie wee finde out what hee is In the question what hee is as they make him one singular aduersarie by the addition of the article so likewise by the composition of the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They grant he is Christs opposite and aduersarie his Vicar they denie him S. Iohn saith that the Beast that came vp out of the earth which by Bellarmines confession is that Antichrist Apoc 13. had not two Lambs hornes but two hornes like a Lambe and spake like a Dragon A Vicar or substitute in apparance an aduersarie in truth as it is manifest by the definition of the thing it selfe and of the word For what can those two hornes of the Lambe signifie other then the two offices of Christ his priestly and his kingly office which the Beast imagineth that shee weareth in steed of the lambe whence I conclude The Beast is a counterfeit Vicar of the Lambe by the witnesse of Iohn Antichrist is that Beast by the testimonie of Bellarmine Therefore Antichrist is that counterfeit Vicar of the Lambe No Vicar saith he but an Opposite and an Aduersarie yea a Vicar to his person that he may be an opposite to his glory The diuers significations of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and an Aduersarie to his doctrine But that the composition of the name will not beare for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition is onely a note of Emulation and Opposition not so onely but of substitution and surrogation also For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not onely signifie a Captaine of a contrarie part but also a Propraetor who had the same authoritie in a Prouince that a Praetor had in a
Iohn 7 Now those ten hornes saith the Angell are tenne Kings vers 12. which as yet haue not receiued the Kingdome They be not then those tenne hornes whereof Daniel did prophecie whose kingdomes are at an end But they shall haue kingly power together with the beast that is with Antichrist which cannot be vnderstood but of the Proconsuls or Propraetors who were vicegerents to the Emperours in the Prouinces who together after the dissolution of the Easterne Empire had at that time absolute kingly authoritie with the Pope For while the Empire stood and flourished neither the Pope at Rome nor the Kings in the Prouinces did rule absolutely after it decaied both hee enioyed Rome and a great part of Italie and they enioyed the Prouinces And these tenne hornes together with the beast as Bellarmine confesseth it euent proues it Lib. 3. de Rom. Pont. cap. 13. diuided the Romane Empire betweene them Hence I inferre this At that time whenas Rome was accounted the Whore of Babilon by the Angell then the tenne hornes tooke absolute power with Antichrist But before Rome was Christian and Popish the ten hornes had not absolute power with Antichrist It followeth therefore that Rome not before it was Christian and Popish was accounted the Whore of Babylon by the Angell CAHP. XX. Wherein the qualities of the Whore of Babylon are described WHose glorious profession is fitly resembled to the golden cuppe of fornication It is said that Edward the 4. King of England had three Concubines the first very deuout the second very subtill the third very plesant The whore of Babylon alone doth expresse these three dispositions For what is more deuout what is more ioconde what is more wily shee hath a face none of her owne as her Husband Antichrist hath not For he doth alwaies weare a visard and therefore is a counterfeit Antichrist A whore not only for her carnall filthinesse but for her spirituall Idolatrie whereto she hath entised the nations with her allurements such as had to do with her She is therefore a blasphemous and filthy Whore more then that a proud couetous cruell whore And therefore she is said to bee decked with purple and golden attire inriched with the spoiles of all sorts and drunke with the innocent bloud of the Saints Note For what extremities soeuer impietie could effect by blasphemie or lust by laciuiousnesse or couetousnesse by rapine or pride by delicacie or crueltie by torture the same the Angell so long before foretould that the Church should endure by that whore of Babylon Neither if we grant that Ethnicke Rome from her cradell was Babylon because the beast is said to haue 7. heades any inconuenience will follow thereby Neither if wee shall say that the purple whore began then The Pope compared to Romulus when Romulus first founded Rome will it ouerthrowe the exposition of the Angell For it remained to bee that which she was in the beginning Yea a great deale worse when it was falsly Christian vnder Antichrist then heathenish vnder Romulus It is reported that Romulus was a notable theife a Deflowrer of Virgins a truce breaker a brother-killer and that hee founded Rome at the first by these sinnes But he was not so notorious for his theifts as this for his sacriledge Nor he so filthy for the forcing of Virgins as this for the worshipping of Images Nor he for his breaking his league with men as this with God Nor he such a spiller of his brothers blood as this of Christian blood What an one thinke we him to be who doth surpasse a theefe in robberie a deflowrer of Virgins in lechery a truce breaker in treacherie and a brother-killer in crueltie Therefore the Angell called the Bishop of Rome Babylon and the purple whore by a super excellencie The descripti of the Whore of Babylon For she was proude by the spoiles of Prouinces this by the spoiles of all Churches She was composed or carnall this of spirituall adulteries and whoredomes She brak her faith with men this with God Shee was enraged against the bodies of the Saints this against the soules of the Saints She dealt with the lambes of Christ by open force as a Lyons Whelpe this as a Foxe with her cunning did sauagely teare them in peeces and deuour them Wherefore let Rome if you will bee that whore of Babylon from the beginning certainely she could not make drunke 10. kings with the golden cuppe of her fornication before there were tenne Kings For while Ethnicke Rome did stand they were the Emperours subiects they were no kings They were kings vnder the Pope of Rome therefore by popish Rome made drunke to whom by an excellencie the name of that whore is giuen by the Angell Neither yet will I euer accuse that Bishoply Rome which suffred for Christ vnder the ethnicke Emperours For not Rome regenerated and suffering but degenerating and persecuting can properly be called that whore of Babylon Neither doe I wholy excuse the imperiall Rome Imperiall Rome not to be excused which vnder Constantine Theodosius and other holy Emperours professed Christ because Rome which was Babylon from the beginning did retaine in her bosome diuers reliques of the former paganisme and diuers seedes of the future Antichristianisme Because it is not necessarie that all that were of the same succession should be of the same affection No I would not exclude Paul the 5. himselfe from the hope of saluation if the wretched sinner would repent and returne vnto his God Hence certaine dispute against vs. Antichrist cannot be saued for he is the sonne of perdition as the Apostle teacheth The Pope may be saued by your owne confession The Pope therefore is not Antichrist Or thus It is not lawfull to pray for Antichrist It is for the Pope The Pope therefore is not Antichrist This obiection is a fallacie called the begging of the question For it doth presuppose Antichrist to be one singular man We contrary as by many reasons wee haue proued it If therefore they keepe them to the point and take the Pope collectiuely the assumption is false if they take him for this or that single man the assumption is true if the Pope repent But then there be foure tearms in the syllogisme For the Pope is otherwise taken in the assumption then in the conclusion For there it is taken for singular Popes heere for a succession of Pope But of this sophisme I haue spoken enough before CHAP. XXI How the Church of Rome may be said to be the Church of GOD. BVt heere is another doubt to bee resolued how the seate of Antichrist can be called that purple whore as Saint Iohn saith and temple and Church of God as Saint Paul saith For if Antichrist sit in the Church of God as I taught before and popish Rome be the seat of Antichrist as in many wordes I haue declared it seemeth that popish Rome is the Church of God I answere and
hath said or any Father hath said The Apostle hath taught that that which hindred must be taken out of the way and remoued out of his place so farre forth as it hindred the reuelation and domination of Antichrist hee did not teach it should be abolished and ouerthrowne as they say so that he should lose his name for the remouing of the Empire is one thing the abolishing is another The Roman Empire is not dissolued but diuided into 10 Kings The Emperour is gone out of the Citie of Rome the Rom Empire is dissolued and diuided into ten Kings therefore Antichrist is now come This is therefore the conclusion of all those Fathers whom I mentioned before Hee that held is taken away sayth Hierome Ad Geront de Monoga and doe we not vnderstand that Antichrist is neere at hand for so S. Iohn sayth the ten hornes shall receiue the Kingdome together with the Beast that is with Antichrist and the ten Kings shall diuide the Romane Empire among themselues the number of ten is often taken indefinitely You haue heard the prophesie marke the euent The tenne hornes haue receiued the Kingdome and haue diuided the Romane Empire among themselues together with the Beast that is with Antichrist by the confession of Bellarmine Therefore Antichrist is now come But the name of the Romane Empire is not abolished Neither ought it to be abolished for S. Iohn hath taught that the sixt head of the Sea-Beast that is the Empire The sixt head of the Sea-beast after it was deadly wounded should bee cured and healed againe not therefore to bee vtterly taken away and finished as they say so that it retaine not the name of an Empire Againe hee sets out the cause why the second Beast that is Antichrist should renew the image of the former Beast that the whore might sit vpon her as I haue taught and bee sustained by her And therefore the former Beast was not cleane to be taken away lest the latter being depriued of her stay should fall to the ground But how doth S. Iohn and S. Paul then agree An obiection ansvvered S. Paul saith that the Emperour must be taken out of the way that he might leaue Rome empty for Antichrist as the Papists expound it Saint Iohn sayth that the whore sitteth vpon the Beasts backe that is the Emperour that she might be vpheld by him How doe you reconcile these will you say if you vnderstand S. Paul to speake of the olde and S. Iohn of the new Empire S. Paul speaketh of the Empire which hindred or detained and of that onely for so he saith He onely that now hindreth shall binder till it bee taken away The old Empire did hinder Antichrist not the new S. Paul therefore spake not of the new Empire but of the olde S. Iohn speaketh of the Empire that carrieth the Beast that is so farre off from hindring it that it doth rather vnderprop and vphold it And to that purpose was the Empire renewed in the West The Empire renewed in the West to vphold the Pope that it might hold vp the Church of Rome S. Iohn therefore doth not in this place speake of the olde Empire but of the new But the Popish sort who thinke that not the Maiestie onely but the name of the Empire is to bee extinguished before Antichrist come doe seeme by obscuring the prophesie with certaine contradictions to delude their Auditours They say that the Romane Empire which now is shall continue to the end of the world by the prophesie of Daniel and the same men say that it shall be dissolued and diuided into tenne Kings Very foolishly they say it notwithstanding before Antichrist come As though tenne very potent Kingdomes could consist of the naked name and vaine title of an Emperour or that that could bee said of them should be vtterly abolished before Antichrist came which by them is sayd shall continue till the end of the world Wherein in the one they seeme to follow the madnes of Epicurus who seemes to make the world of moates as these men make ten Kingdoms of words For what is now the Romane Empire but a meere word In the other they shew their brains to be crackt who say that the Romane Empire that now is shall continue to the worlds end and yet shall bee vtterly ouerthrowen before the comming of Antichrist whom they say shall raigne three yeeres and a halfe before the end of the world In them both they shew their notable impiety who while they wrape and infold a most waighty prophesie of Antichrist within their impossibilities contradictions they prophane Gods Word and deceiue Gods Church The summe of all is gathered by the Apostle that the olde Empire is to be taken away and to be dissolued and diuided into tenne Kingdomes before that Antichrist should come that the new was to be restored and repaired being the image of the olde vpon whose backe hee should sit and aduance himselfe when he came CHAP. XXV How the old Empire was taken away THe olde Empire therefore whereof S. Paul spake which hindred the reuealing of Antichrist let vs consider how it was taken out of the way whereof we put two degrees First when Constantine the Great did translate the seat of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople Two degrees of the falling of the Empire the second after the diuision of the Empire into the Easterne and Westerne which did presently weaken them both and afterward dissolued the Westerne which was properly the Romane Empire it was first depriued the Easterne I meane of all the title and interest to Rome and Italy The empty seat of the Empire the Maiesty thereof diuided and diminished then first in the West and after in the East put out and ouerthrowen wee say to bee the two degrees of the remoouing of that obstacle which hindred the reuealing of Antichrist and his dominion in the city of Rome I trip ouer the history briefely they that will set faster footing may fetch it out of the fountaines themselues if they please I doe likewise set downe two degrees of the Reuelation of Antichrist One wherein he beganne to raigne Two degrees of reuealing Antichrist the other wherein hee beganne to bee acknowledged I note also two degrees of the Kingdome when it tooke vpon it the cheefe gouernment of the vniuersall Church Anno 607. when he was called vniuersall Bishop by Phocas that King-killer at that very time when Mahomet beganne so that Phocas the murtherer When Mahomet began the Vniuersall Bishop and wicked Mahomet may seeme to bee of one birth The winde of false doctrine and of Church-ambition did by stealth creep into the minds of certaine Bishops Socrat. li. 7. c. 11 who as Socrates is witnesse lifting vp themselues aboue the limits of their Priesthood into strange gouernment did striue about the primacie and superiority ouer all Churches and to that purpose Zosimus and Celestinus did
Seleucus Callinicus to reuenge his sisters death v 8. and vanquished him and being crowned King of Siria returned into Egipt with his spoiles and prisoners and hauing greater power then Callinicus enioyed Siria many yeeres and Iurie therein v 9. Wherefore the two sonnes of Callinicus Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great inuaded Siria and raised a cruell warre Ceraunus against Ptolomie Euergetes v 10. who being dead Antiochus the Great gathered great forces against Ptolomie Philopater the the sonne of Euergetes Of this Antiochus the great the Angell prophecieth from the 10. v 11. 12. verse to the 20. first of his warres with Ptolomie Philopater and those first prosperous wherein he recouered Siria then vnfortunate 7. Ptolomie Philopator wherein he lost it againe Here Ptolomie Philopator lifted vp into pride by this good successe was the seuenth horne and slew many thousands of the Iewes and therefore shall not alway preuaile v 12 13 14 15 16. After of the warres and victories of Antiochus the Great which hee got of Ptolomeus Epiphanes the sonne of Philopater and of the depopulation of the Iewes whence Antiochus the Great is the eight horne 8. Antiochus the Great He gaue his daughter Cleopatra in mariage to Ptolomie Epiphanes that hee might againe mingle the yron and the clay together but all in vaine according to the prophecie cap 2. when as hee pretended peace and friendship by that mariage but intended destruction to Ptolomie but all in vaine because Cleopatra tooke part with her husband against her Father Lastly v 17. of Antiochus the Great his inuading the Isles of Greece which he subdued v 18. and of the warres he made with the Romanes wherein hee gat great disgrace and of his ignominious death inflicted vpon him in a mutinie by sauage people for his sacrilege v 19. Into his roome succeeded Seleucus Philopator his sonne the ninth horne 9. Seleucus Philopator who did impouerish the people with greeuous impositions and emptied the treasurie and the Temple of Ierusalem and perished not by warre but by treacherie for Heliodore being suborned by Antiochus Epiphanes tooke him away by poyson Now into his place shall step vp saith the Angell a most contemptible fellow .i. there shall succeed Seleucus Philopator in the kingdome of Siria one very base in manners not in his Ancestors Antiochus Epiphanes the third sonne of Antiochus the Great the brother of Seleucus Philopator Demetrius Vnkle the tenth horne 10. Antiochus Epiphanes that litle horne so fully described by Daniel in the rest of the 7. and 11. chap for the Angell doth prophecie of his entrance deeds and end in the rest of the chapter of his entrance to note that he came not to the kingdom of Siria by any lawfull right of succession or election for Demetrius his Nephew was right heire of the kingdome but crept in by cunning and flatterie as a tutor and a gardian of the young Prince and a protector of the Kingdome in the nonage and absence of Demetrius sent to Rome for an hostage in his steed You haue the historie agreeing with the prophecie described both by others and especially by Iosephus Antiq. lib. 12. cap 1. Therefore Antiochus Epiphanes the tenth and litle horne out of small and weake beginnings vsurped the kingdome of Siria a man for his wickednes vile and contemptible who did breake off and cast away by his craft three of the former hornes in the Kingdom of Syria the father the brother and the nephew that he might attaine to the Kingdome And vttered speeches against the Almighty and so oft trampled vpon the Saints of God so that the times of persecuting the people of God Daniels country-men assigned to the little horne do precisely agree with the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes Foure degrees of deliuerance which are diuersly reckoned vp in respect of the beginning and ending for there are foure degrees noted of the deliuerance from the tyranny of Antiothus procured at foure seuerall times The first cap. 7. vers 25. when the worship of God was renewed and the Temple restored by Iudas Machabaeus for from the prophanation of the Temple which beganne the fifteenth of Casleu anno 145. to this reformation made the 25. of Casleu anno 148. three yeeres and ten dayes came betweene which space Daniel cals a time times a peece of time cap. 7. v. 25. The second degree when the Iewes hauing vanquished Antiochus draue his forces out of Iury and re-established the new reformation P◠Bell. I. de lib. 1. cap. 1. which happened 3. yeeres and an halfe as Iosephus obserues from the time when the daily sacrifice did cease which space Daniel cals a time times and halfe a time cap. 12. vers 7. The third degree is from the prophanation of the Temple to the deadly sicknesse of Antiochus which is contained by Daniel in 1290. dayes cap. 12. vers 11. The last degree is from the profanation to his death which happened 45. daye after and these daies are exactly cast vp by Daniel to be 1335. By all which it appeareth that Daniel did shadow out by the fourth beast not the Romane Empire but the kingdome of the Seleucides and the Lagides The disagreement of Bellarmine Daniel and that he described by the tenth and little horne not Antichrist properly but Antiochus Epiphanes And I pray you marke how ill Bellarmine agreeth with Daniel Daniel describeth a beast with a tenth horne Bellarmines beast hath an eleuenth Daniel speaks of ten Kings who successiuely did afflict the Iewes Daniels country-men Bellarmine speakes of ten Kings who together with an eleuenth at the same time did altogether beare rule in the world but in diuers places Daniel sets downe ten kings whereof the three latter were rooted out in the sight and procurement of the tenth the other sixe either all of them or most of them being dead before he was borne Bellarmine faines that three of them were slaine by him and seuen others subdued at such time as they were not in the world Lastly Daniel saith that his horne or king was broken off being infamous for his cowardly flight and being infected with a filthy disease after hee had tormented the Iewes the time appointed did miserably consume away and perish Bellarmine imagines his horne the Aegyptians Lybians and Aethiopians being vanquished and seuen other Kings subdued should get the monarchie of the whole world for three yeeres and a halfe O admirable Conquerour more renowned then the Antiochi Alexanders and Caesars ☜ Therefore we looke that Bellarmine shall play the Orator for Antichrist who may excellently set foorth these warres and victories as Cicero did Caesars No man hath so flowinng a wit so copious and eloquent tongue and stile who I will not say can paint and set out but point at and reckon vp thy worthy Acts Most Mighty Antichrist Neither could any man so soone passe thorow remote Kingdomes by
openly inuade the Church For such persecution becommeth Antichrist the Pope it becommeth not And why because there bee so many hypocrites and false brethren in the Church hee meaneth the Romane I grant it it is a defence full of truth The Pope that great hypocrite The Pope that great hypocrite must needes beget sons like himselfe arrant hypocrites and dissemblers But I feare I may not grant him that where hee saith that hypocrites and syncere Christians whom as chaffe and wheat Christ saith are not to bee diuided before the day of his comming Bellarmine affirmes that they are to be separated before the comming of Antichrist Hence thus I dispute When all hypocrites shall be made knowen Antichrist shall come When Christ commeth all hypocrites shall bee made knowen Therfore when Christ commeth Antichrist shall come Therefore Antichrist shall bee not a beast of three yeere olde but a beast of a day olde vnlesse he thinke that Antichrist shall come after the comming of Christ and the end of the world for that which hee addes in the end that there shall bee such a persecution vnder Antichrist that all the publike ceremonies and sacrifices of religion shall cease is a meere dotage He wholly forgets what is set downe by the Apostle that Antichrist shall be a notable hypocrite not an outward but an homebred enemy who with fained holinesse and sanctity shall entice and deceiue simple people as Acosta Viega Pererius Ribera foure principall Iesuits doe plainely set downe and by this meanes doe greatly weaken Bellarmines idle demonstration Which let vs waigh if you please The publike worship of God and the daily sacrifice of Christians vnder the persecution of Antichrist shall cease at that time when Antichrist shall come The worship of God and the sacrifice of Christians is not ceast Therefore as yet Antichrist is not come Hee prooues his poposition out of the 12. Dan. 12.5.11 of Daniel vers 11. from that time when the dayly sacrifice shall be taken away are 1290. daies where Daniel Bellarmine against Daniel if wee credit Bellarmine speaks of Antichrist Daniel himselfe gaine-saying it who expounds himselfe chap. 8. v. 11. chap. 11. vers 13. directly affirming that the daily worship of God shall bee taken away by Antiochus Epiphanes and his army speaking not of the daily sacrifices of Christians but of the daily sacrifices of the Iewes The manner of the Iewes was to offer sacrifice to God morning and euening which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sacrifice was taken away by Antiochus as Iosephus and the author of the first booke of Macchabees and Chrysostome plainely witnesse And to Daniel demanding when the end of these euils shall be God answers from that time When the daily sacrifice shall bee taken away and the abomination of desolation set vp whereof hee spake chap. 11. vers 31. that there should bee 1290 dayes to the restoring thereof and the deliuerance of the Iewes from Antiochus tyranny Of this restoring and deliuerance I shewed out of Daniel Diuers degrees of deliuerance that there were diuers degrees noted by Daniel at diuers times For from the hinderance of the worship of God to the first restoring of the same by Iudas Macchabeus the Prophet saith there were three yeeeres and tenne dayes which space chap. 7. vers 25. hee called a time times and a peece of time To the victory of Iudas Macchabeus when hee draue Antiochus forces out of Iury and so did establish the first restitution Daniel saith there was three yeeres and an halfe which space chap. 12. v. 7. he calleth a time times and halfe a time To the time wherein Antiochus strucken by the hand of God promised he would restore the Iewish religion hee vnderstands there were 1290. Bellarmine mistaken in taking away the daily sacrifice dayes to the time of his death 1335. in all which numbers the prophesies of Daniel and histories of Iosephus and the Macchabees doe very well agree I maruell the more that Bellarmine was so blinde in the prophesie and so ignorant in the history that he dreameth that the publike worship of God and sacrifice of the Iewes taken away by the most greeuous persecution of Antiochus within three yeere and a halfe should bee the like publike worship of God and sacrifice of the Christians taken away by the persecution of Antichrist three yeeres and a hafe before the end of the world Hee confirmes the assumption by experience which doth testifie that the publike worship of God was neuer taken away by the Pope that the sacrifice of the Christians neuer ceased He means the masse and other publique voluntary worships of the degenerated Church of Rome which the Creede shall make plaine to be neither worship of God nor the sacrifice of Christians So the proposition is fetcht out of the Scripture misunderstood the assumption is the begging of the thing in question And is not this a worthy demonstration CHAP. XL. Of the 5. note of the continuance of Antichrists kingdome Now to the 2. last signes following 1. The continuance of the kingdome of Antichrist 3. yeares and a halfe 2. The dissolution or end of the world fiue and fortie daies after And doe not these make as doughtie a demonstration as the former An impossibilitie The kingdome of Antichrist must last iust three yeares and a halfe All which time is not sufficient for the gathering of the Iewes together dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth much lesse for the building againe of the temple which is so defaced and raced that not one stone is left vpon another 2. Chr. 2.2 The 2. buildings of the temple described The first building whereof in great peace in great prouision of all necessaries by the most exquisite workmen the number of whom the scripture sets downe to be a hundred and fiftie thousand could not be perfected in lesse then 7. yeares by Salomon But the second reedifying of it being oft hindred by the incursion of a neere enemie and their own frights that often the worke was interrupted the high wales and the stately roofe vncouered and was not finished vnder 46. yeares Ioh. 2. And yet Bellarmine allots but three yeares and a halfe to so great a worke He doth to good purpose imagine Antichrist to be an Enchanter who can call foorth spirits out of hell and send them as Messengers Note being carried on the wings of the winde to gather the Iewes with all speede out of all the coasts of the world and after may hire Marlines workmen to carry stones and lay them artificially in the worke But that he should in the same three yeares and a halfe bring into captiuitie all Christians subdue 10. Kings get the Monarchie of the world is a tale so incredible that Turkes may laugh at and Christians abhorre Let him write this to his fooles whom he teacheth that faith is not in the vnderstanding but in a blinde
assent that they must receiue without search and enquirie whatsoeuer is offered to them be it neuer so incredible so it be in the name of the Church And marke at last what this Magitian hath brought to passe He hath brought in Bellarmine dancing in a circle For thus he makes him dispute for him Antichrist shall precisely raigne three yeares and a halfe The Pope spiritually hath raigned in the Church 1500. yeares neither hath any other beene taken for Antichrist which did raigne iust three yeares and a halfe The Pope therefore is not Antichrist And therefore Antichrist is not yet come The syllogisme may be thus resolued If neither the Pope nor any other raigned precisely so long then Antichrist is not yet come The antecedent is true Therefore the consequent Heere you see Bellarmine to bring the chiefe question in a round to prooue that which is in controuersie Bellarmine dancing in a round Antichrist is not yet come why so Because the Pope is not Antichrist The Pope is not Antichrist why so Because Antichrist is not yet come Behold the Cardinall dancing in a round He goes about to strengthen his proposition out of Daniel and Iohn mis-vnderstood to wit that Antichrist shall raigne iust three yeares and a halfe I haue euicted out of Daniel 7. v. 25. that a time times and a peecs of time i. three yeares and ten daies was that space wherein the prophanation of the temple and the hinderance of Gods worshippe was first committed by Antiochus as Iosephus the best interpreter of the prophecie hath numbred Archimedes himselfe could not haue set it downe better So much time past from the prophanation of the temple to the purging and reforming of the same made by Iudas Machabeus From that purging to the expulsion of the armie out of Iurie there are counted a time times and halfe a time Dan. 12. in which two numbers the 1300. daies mentioned chap. 8. vers 14. are contained when as that reformation well beganne was better established and setled from which time if you accoumpt to the sicknes of Antiochus there arise 1290. dayes chap. 12. 11. if to the death of Antiochus they amount in the Prophets account to 1334. chap. 12. 12. Bellarmines absurdities Now I pray let vs apply this notable demonstration of Bellarmine about the continuance of Antichrists raigne and we shall perceiue not onely how he agreeth with the Prophet but also with himselfe First those things that are to bee vnderstood literally and properly of the tyrannie of Antiochus who died so many ages before Antichrist hee takes it literally and properly for the Kingdome of Antichrist who shall raigne by his owne record in the end of the world But he alleageth alwaies Ierome who refers that place chap 8. of the daies 2300. to Antichrist which make sixe yeares and more How therefore doe they say that Antichrist shall rule 1260. daies which makes three yeares and a halfe 1300. daies and 1260. daies how doe they agree now whereas out of the 12. Chap they exactly define that Antichrists Kingdome shall endure a time times and a halfe time let them tell me how they can reconcile therewith 1260. daies wherein they say the Kingdome of Antichrist in Daniels iudgement must bee contained how can 1260. daies agree precisely with a 1290 They must deuise a new Arithmeticke and a new Logicke to make these numbers agree For whereas Bellarmine doth adde That Daniel after hee had said chap 12. that Antichrists Kingdome should endure 1290. daies hee addes presently that he is happie that doth expect and abide to those 1335. daies that is to the 45. daies to the death of Antichrist as he expoundes because Christ as hee thinkes shall then come to iudgement Daniel vtterly mistaken this is the dotage of a crackt braine as shall afterward be made as cleare as the light For the iudgement which Daniel mentions is not the last iudgement of the world but the temporall iudgement that shall consume that beastly Antiochus speaking so proudly Dan 7.11 whenas yet there is leaue granted to the other beast to continue after for a time and times The sixt and last signe But Bellarmine doth dreame that the end of the world shall be 45. daies after That we may come at last to consider of his sixt and last signe Bellarmine will seeme to be of Gods secret counsell Bellarmine wiser then Christ and against Christ who knoweth more then either the Angells or the sonne of man but that he will not acquaint vs with the day and houre but with the yeare wherein the world shall haue an end Yet he lately writes that 45. daies after the Scripture saith that the day of iudgement shall be put off and longer Therfore those daies that Christ promiseth shall be shortned for the elects sake Bellarmine that worthy Diuine saith shall be lengthned And those daies which Christ saith shall bee contracted for the comfort of the elect those hee saith shall be protracted for their torment Fie vpon such paltrie Diuines that doe shut vp those fountaines of comfort that Christ openeth for the good of his Children What greater comfort can possibly bee then the promise of Christ hat the day of iudgement shall be hastned for the deliuerance of Gods elect And yet this worldly Cardinal tels vs that it shal be put off for their affliction They shall be ignorant saith he that liue after the 45. whether that day shall be deferred any longer Hee knowes it is well with him in this world and liues in all delight and delicacie with that his latiall Iupiter the Pope ☞ but whether it will be so well with him in another world that he knoweth not And therefore he thinkes of the prolonging of this present world I thinke verily that if God would inuite him presently to his heauenly banquet he would craue as old as he is some more daies it may be some more yeare wherein he may pamper and cherish his olde carcase Mart. lib. 9. and would secretly answere with that prophane Martiall Seeke others for to feast with Iupiter aboue I heare vpon the earth my Iupiter will loue Heere they place their heauen they put farre from them that day of iudgement wherein they are to giue accompt of so many impieties against Christ and so many out-rages against Christian Kinges and people But let vs come to his argument wherewith he prooueth that we are not to expect Antichrist before his departure nor before the end of the world to looke for his comming Thus he argueth The end of the world is not yet come Therefore Antichrist is not yet come This shall bee their euerlasting argument while the world endureth thus will they argue for Antichrist this because Bellarmine thought to be very absurd hee doth alter the question and concludes thus That it shall not be long before Antichrist come For If it were long before Antichrist came the end of the world would be
long hence But the consequence is false Therfore the antecedent He proues his proposition out of the Apostle That Antichrist shall come a little before the end of the world and immediately before the second comming of Christ and then that ioyly fellow shall appeare whom the Lord Iesus shal consume with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his comming But the Apostle doth distinguish betweene the comming and the destruction of Antichrist betweene the substance of Antichrist and his appearance or reuelation betweene which and his destruction there is a great distance He lay close hidden in the daies of Saint Iohn Saint Paul as I haue said before he was therefore He did appeare after the remouing of the Empire for that did hinder that he might not appeare which happened not till many ages after Againe the Apostle distinguisheth betweene the consuming of Antichrist and his finall ouerthrow After he is reuealed he saith hee shall wast away by little and little with the spirit of the Lordes mouth but shall bee vtterly put out by the brightnesse of his comming Bellarmine a prophane Iester Heere let me a little touch Bellarmines prophane iesting Surely saith he the spirit of Christ must be very weake if it cannot dispatch Antichrist raging aboue a 1000. yeares And there it pleaseth him to distinguish betweene the word of God and his power As though there is not power in the word of God to weaken and breake Antichrist in peeces the force whereof the beast shall feele in his fall and destruction Now the thing is a working now Christ doth enfeeble Antichrist with his word afterward hee shall destroy him with his presence Hee shall kill him by weakening him that I may put off the Cardinals ridiculous distinction who doth thus distinguish Hee doth not say he shall weaken him but hee shall kill him And it pleaseth him to scoffe at vs when wee say that now Antichrist shall be ouerthrowne by the word of the Lord ☞ when as now the word of the Lord shall be ouerthrown by him May not a Christian and an old man and a Diuine blush for shame as for a Cardinall nothing will make him blush to sport and iest in a matter so weighty and serious As God himselfe so Gods word is eternall his Ministers Gods witnesses Antichrist could kill the word it selfe he could neuer kill which shall abide when he rots to nothing Yea truely as the word of God is a liuing word so the Ministers of the word Gods faithfull witnesses being slaine shall by the power of the word rise againe if not in their seuerall persons yet in a succession and kill this murthering Antichrist Christ therefore hath not a weake spirit but the Cardinall hath a weake braine who doth not as yet vnderstand the degrees and meanes which Christ vseth in the abolishing of Antichrist But he tells vs Saint Iohn saith that Antichrist shall come in the last houre What is ment by the last houre But he vnderstandeth the last houre to be all that time from the ascension of Christ to his second comming which God doth call an houre very short in respect of the Saints glory but very long in respect of their patience This testimonie I thus retort When that Antichrist commeth it shall be the last houre saith Iohn But Antichrists are now come meaning the whole bodie together with Antichrist that head which elsewhere he affirmeth is come Therefore now is the last houre And if then was the houre of the comming of Antichrist he is not to be destroyed three yeeres and a halfe before the end of the world CHAP. XLI Of the sixt and last Note BVt he proues it out of Daniel Cap 12.12 that after Antichrist hath raigned three yeeres and a halfe hee shall be destroyed 45 dayes before the day of iudgement For when he had continued 1290 dayes he addes happy is he that shall liue to see 1335 dayes Daniel mistaken This place is properly to be vnderstood of Antiochus of his death and of the deliuerance of the Iewes But grant that the place be to be vnderstood of the kingdome of Antichrist and the end of the world then it would follow Three absurdities first that the kingdome of Antichrist lasted not 1260 daies which make three yeeres and a halfe but 1290. Againe it followes that Antichrist is to be destroyed 45 dayes before the end of the world whom the Apostle saith must be destroyed at the comming of Christ Thirdly it would follow that the time of Christs comming should be knowne to men which Christ doth assure vs is vnknowne vnto Angells If these consequences be absurd then the Antecedent is absurd from whence they arise You haue Paul the fift Bellarmines six demonstrations making small proofe that Antichrist is not yet come Now seeing I haue dilated about Antichrist all the questions whether he be what he is of what kinde what is his kingdome and retinue what hee doth and wherein he is busied the name wherewith he is termed the marke wherewith he is branded What Antichrist is the seate wherein he ruleth the time wherein he is reuealed and withall what he is not It is not requisite that I tell you in many words who it is when you your selfe seeme to haue Antichrist wholy in your breast and to carrie him in your bosome Antichrists sufferings You haue heard what hee hath done now heare what hee shall suffer For wee are so farre from doubting of his comming that wee thinke of his destroying foretold of the Angells in Iohn Apoc. 14.7 The first Angell I saw saith he an Angell flying in the middest of heauen hauing the eternall Gospell to preach vnto them that are vpon the earth and to euery nation tribe tongue and people speaking with a loude voice Feare the Lord and giue honor to him because the time of his iudgment is at hand and worship him who made heauen and earth the sea and all that are therein This Sermon of the Angell what is it else but a briefe summe of all those Sermons which Luther and Caluin The Angell and the Protestants prâ—â—ch alike and other Preachers of the Gospell preached in all the coasts of the Christian world that they might bring the people to the faith of Christ the feare of God and the worship of him alone He onely that made heauen and earth is to be worshipped he only is to be serued God only made heauen and earth Therefore we must worship and serue God only This syllogisme of the Angell as a Ramme is aduanc't by our men to batter ouerthrow and expell out of the consciences of men all those forces of Idolls which Antichrist hath erected And there followed another Angell saying The second Angell Apoc 14.8 Babylon is fallen Babylon that great Citie is fallen because she hath made all nations drunke with the wine of the wrath of her fornication Here the spirituall fall
truth and power to be ouercome by errour and wickednesse Assuredly hee will neuer suffer it The Christians therefore haue no cause to feare the Pope hath no cause to insult For the Pope alone hath all the markes of Antichrist The Pope alone therefore is Antichrist CHAP. XLII The scope and conclusion of the whole worke I Haue finished the Glasse Paul the fift set before you to see your selfe before others to look on themselues wherein Antichrist is fully set downe as in preface Heere you may see contained his right and true marks the false being reiected and cast by Euery of them in seuerall and all of them ioyntly together doe prooue the Pope to be that great Antichrist Hence it followeth that Popery is Antichristianity What hee is and who he is appeares out of the preface What he doth and what he teacheth out of the Dialogue diuided into three bookes First comes vpon the stage Antichrist pragmaticall In the two other bookes Antichrist dogmaticall There he carries himselfe like a Rebell heere like a Sophister there he doth impaire the glory of the Empire heere the truth of the Gospell there hee doth vndermine the faithfulnesse of subiects heere the faith of Christians The first booke doth propound the rules and grounds of Christian fealty and obedience toward Kings against Christian rebellion shadowed ouer with a shew of Catholike religion The other two doe erect the foundation and pillers of Christian doctrine and faith against the Antichristian heresie compacted of twelue new articles of the faith brought into the forme of a creede by Pius the fourth whereupon I call it the Popes creede I doe solemnely professe that I am afaithfull seruant of Christ and the King I doe not take vpon me being the meanest and the least of all other to giue warning vnto Kings once already warned by the great King not therefore to bee warned of any but of Christ the King of Kings Let Iesus Christ therefore bee in our thoughts a while who although he be absent in body yet present in spirit hath an interest and being yea and a gouernment also in the spirits of all Christians and chriefly of all Princes his bountie is to be loued his maiesty is to be dreaded euen of Kings for as the powerfull gouernment of Kings is to be dreadfull to their owne subiects so the most powerfull gouernment of God is to bee dreadfull to Kings of God I say manifested in the flesh who being present with them in spirit seemeth thus to speake and complaine CHAP. XLIII THE PROSOPOPEY I AM not ignorant who am ignorant of nothing ô yee Christian Kings and Princes that the Byshop of Rome my Vicare as he calles himselfe my Aduersarie The Pope both an hereticke and traytor as he carries himselfe hath beene a Teacher of heresie in the Church and a Practiser of treason in the common-weale for these many yeares For euer since hee was made the vniuersall Byshop he hath done nothing else but corrupted my Gospell and peruerted your Empire And no maruell for out of the corruption of the Gospell doth follow the dissolution of the Empire For whereas I haue erected by the Gospell a twofould pillar of gouernment Authoritie in Magistrates and Allegeance in Subiects it is strange to see the Gospell peruerted in the mindes of men how each pillar of gouernment falles to the grounds The greatest fault whereof is in the Byshops treacherie and in your slothfulnesse that whereas I had submitted all Byshops vnder your power and iudgement you haue suffered one to fly out so farre aboue the rest that he dare not onely rebell against yours but against my Maiestie also That therefore the ancient dignitie of the Empire may be recouered being lost and for euer maintained being recouered my counsell to you is that the truth of the Gospell shaken and long weakened by the Popes tyrannie may at last be restored by your princely authoritie For what is more reasonable then that I should haue you defenders of my glory whom I haue appointed Ministers of my power And if it were in question heretofore whether that Byshoppe were that Antichrist He is so prophetically described by my beloued Disciples Iohn and Paul that now it is out of question seeing that euent hath laid open and made cleare the prophecie For all the partes of the prophecie are so plainely interpreted All notes of Antichrist agree with the Pope of the succession of the persons the nature and disposition of the King and kingdome the acts of the beast the impression of the Character the number of his name the scituation of his seate the time of his reuealing the cuppe of the whore the kind of his marchandise the fall of Babylon lastly the comming in and going out the birth and death of Antichrist the last answering the first and the middle answering both with such a consent and barmonie inferring things to be fulfilled by things that are fulfilled that I could not haue made it clearer if I had named the Byshop of Rome himselfe And Antichristianity is well defined by my Apostle to be not iniquitie but the mysterie of iniquitie For if Antichrist had appeared to you in his owne likenesse you needed not to haue beene so carefull about the businesse Now that hee doth insinuate himselfe with a counterfet holinesse and a dissembled sanctity how many millions of innocent men hath he cosoned and deceiued with his hidden mysticall wickednesse But let the visard be taken off from this hidden Antichrist then none can hereafter be deceiued but he that will wittingly and willingly be deceiued Beware therefore that the old trickes and stratagemes being laid open beguile you no more He faineth himselfe to be the Prince of the couenant and yet he hath altered my couenant Hee pretendes himselfe to be a Keeper of my will and testament and yet he hath not only raced and defaced my testament The Pope hath altered Christ his Testament and brought in a new but hath foysted in one of his owne He termes himselfe the foundation of the Church and chalengeth to him my peculiar title and yet hee doth with cunning deuises subuert and ouerthrow my Church He makes a shew of great zeale to my crosse and yet doth annihilate the power of the crosse The holy Scripture makes mention of Gods double gouernment the Legale and Euangelicall The legale which hath the condition of working annext vnto it do this and thou shalt liue Ierem. 31.31 Heb. 8.5 ad finem The Euangelicall requireth the condition of beleeuing Beleeue and thou shalt be saued But it requireth faith not as a worke but as an instrument whereby you may receiue the promises of the spirit therefore that is called a conditionall this a free conuenant Where there is no couenant there is no faith and where there is no faith there is no saluation Humane faith doth rest vpon an humane couenant heauenly faith vpon a heauenly couenant Heauenly faith is
Britaine What maruaile is it if they raile vpon holy Doctors that doe but write against them when they reuile great Princes that can proscribe them But that is no maruaile that they spare not the good name of a King when they spare not his blood For they be not only byting doggs but deuouring wolues as appeares not only by the gun-powder Treason I should haue said the Iesuites treason but by the cruell death of Henry the third and fourth Kings of France An exhortation to Princes I am grieued at your sluggishnes I am greeued at your slauerie ô yee Kings and Princes who doe endure such sowers of sedition such teachers of periurie such authors of King-killing Beware of these dogs catch these foxes driue away these wolues as my spirit hath aduised you to whom slandering is a sport consening is a game rebellion and conspiracies is meat drinke Foresee that your patience be no longer hurtfull both to you and me Awake out of sleepe at the last and defend my glory together with your owne safetie take the cause of the Gospell in hand and laying aside Antichrist put on Christ Iesus not a false and a faigned Iesus as he is deuised by that Apostata but true and right Iesus as he is preached by the Apostle Doe no longer hold shadowes for bodies shewes for substances preferre not things vaine before those that be sound nor things fraile before eternall Vaine and fraile is the outward shew of Christ which deceiues the eyes sound and eternall is the truth that feeds the soules it is not the forme but the power of the Crosse that brings saluation Let not the glistering shew of Antichrist which wrongs you being aliue and cannot helpe you being dead deceiue your eyes that it may keepe you from Christ from whom you may expect comfort in life and true rest in death Whereby their madnes seemes the more who groueling vpon the ground so dote vpon Antichrist that they neglect the faith of Christ his name onely being reteyned who cannot feele the sauing force of the Crosse nor the inward power of the Spirit nor the heauenly light of the Gospell nor the spirituall glory of my kingdome As if my estate base and contemptible in whom there is no outward forme nor shew to be desired as my Prophet Esay said had caused you to turne both your looking and your liking from me or as if I had suffred the most greeuous anguishes of the soule and the most bitter tortures of the bodie for mine owne sake and had not been wounded for your transgressions and broken for your sins that the chastisement of your peace might reside vpon me and saluation out of my wounds and miseries might come to you For this is the very truth the basenesse of the estate I vndertooke ☜ the weaknes of the flesh I tooke on me the ignominie of the Crosse I endured for your sake seemes vile and contemptible in the iudgement of flesh and blood But if that heauenly maiestie if that power if that glory which through the vaile of humilitie weaknesse and ignominie is transparent to the eye of faith might appeare to your mindes euen as I am described by Iohn a lambe slaine and a lyon inuincible that so I may appeare to you a mighty God in the forme of a weake man How great loue and feare if you beleeue either a heauen or a hell would the vniting of so infinite mercy with such infinite power and iustice stirre vp in your soules Great sinners such as commonly Kings are had need of great grace the preaching whereof shall be as acceptable to you as necessarie when once you shall feele the stinge of an accusing conscience pricking you whereby you might come to heauen by the way of repentance that could not come thither by the way of innocencie But they that vnderstand not the force of their sicknes desire not the force of the remedie And while they feele not the wound inflicted by sinne they looke not for the remedie applied by grace To whom I denounce that I will proue either a most louing Patron or a most seuere Iudge with my right hand to saue them or to be reuenged on them All men whatsoeuer they haue or are owe it all of right to me but Kings and Princes chiefly whom by my speciall fauour and grace I haue aduanced a few ouer so many millions of men and placed them in mine owne throne To what end to what end I pray that they might giue themselues to lust and idlenesse to serue the Dragon to aduance and adorne Antichrist not so not so verily But that they may watch ouer the Church may fight for the Lambe may spoile teare in pieces the Beast if that heauenly quire of Saints in heauen fall down before the lambe sitting on his throne and worship him that liues for euer and cast their Crownes before the throne saying Thou art worthy ô Lord to haue all glory and honor because thou hast made all things and being slaine hast redeemed vs by thy blood vnto God If that innumerable ranke of melodious Angels doe with sweet and loud voices sing of the power wisdome and strength of the Lambe that is slaine and giue him all honor due vnto him What ought you to doe you vnder whose purple robes as yet abideth dust and ashes and who weare but corruptible Crownes vpon your heads what ought yee to do in the cause of your King and Redeemer for since I haue brought those holy soules after the end of all their trauels dangers in my quarrell and battell into the possession of true happines promised and vowed vnto them you that as yet are in the very heat danger of the battell both the necessity of my helpe the expectance of the reward ought to stir you vp to a more feruent desire to defend mine honor Heere I haue a iust grieuous cause to complain that your mutual suspitions quarrels haue made Antichrist weake and contemptible in himselfe to be so dreadfull and mighty Hence it is that that Laterane Idoll hath taken to it selfe the golden head of a swelling title and spread abroad the siluer armes of his pecuniary inrisdiction and strouted out the brazen belly of conspiracy and rebellion and hath mooued and stirred from home those iron feet of violence and pride wherewith he hath not onely trod vpon your crownes but your neckes I tell you plainly the discord of Kings hath encreased Antichrist their amity shall weaken him Is it for your good to admit of spies that may search into your counsels fiery spirits that may cast the seedes of discord betweene neighbor-kings and set them together by the eares Harpeyes that may spoyle you of your treasures Horse leeches that may sucke your blood secret traytors that with faire words may cut your throats who when they haue laught at you in their sleeues that they haue left you lead and taken your golde that
you for all the sorrowes they haue endured For what else could haue extorted that Law from so mercifull a Queene which you ere-while blamde as bloody For your Iesuites after the sending in of Pius the fifts Bull came swarming into England as Campion Parsons and many others and did mightily labour to put that Bull in execution and did propound it as the thirteenth Article of their faith That there was no more obedience to be shewed to a Queene excommunicated The seditious doctrine of Iesuites gaâ— that seuere law when it came to practise and deposed then presently followed the rebellion in the North. It was therefore your seditious doctrine that begat so seuere a law Your schoole hath made the Catholike doctrine of Rome a Catechisme of rebellion Your Logicke first made a Papist and a Traytor to be all one your Societie was the first ouerthrow of the Roman-Catholikes estate For your Papists behaued themselues quietly for the first eleuen yeeres while Pius the fift that old credulous dotard was induced by the false whisperings of the English Catholikes as they call them shewing that their powers were so strong that they could resist the Queenes forces had excommunicated the Queene by his Bull and depriued Her of her kingdome and had released her subiects from the Oath of their Allegeance and being so released stirred them vp to take armes against Hir. But the old man quickly found his error and corrected it with his dispensation that the Papists to redeeme their troubles so hee speaketh should shew outward obedience to Queene Elizabeth but restreyned with two conditions one things so standing thother while the publike execution of the Bull might be performed that is to say while they had so much power as by force they might ouercome the Queene Rebellion among Iesuites is an article of faith Hence among the cases of conscience brought into England by you sprang out the 55 Article Where a Catholike being demanded Doe you beleeue that the Pope can put the Queene from her authoritie he is taught to answer notwithstanding any feare of death I do beleeue it For this question doth appertaine to faith and requires a confession of faith Behold your Catholike faith which this present oath is said by the Pope to crosse it is the chiefe head of Iesuitisme which we may call the marrow of Poperie And are you now in a chafe Saturnine that a few Iesuites are hangde vp for Traytors who make treason an article of their faith And doe you not thinke the King hath a iust cause to take away their heads Alaâ—us who haue with such coniuring bewitched the consciences of subiects that they thinke that warre holy iust and honorable which is raised against their Prince But what if they were not only messengers and masters § 8 but authors and actors of rebellion The Iâ—suites and authors and actors of rebellion and haue entred into the most cruellest conspiracy that euer was since the creation not onely to depose the King and absolue his subiects but to rase out the King and Kingdome and to blot out the English nation and to root out the men out of the earth for euer and that not the guilty onely but the innocents also according to that olde tyrannicall practise Cicero pro Diatore Let our friends perish so our enemies perish also And they would haue the Catholikes with heretickes The Martyrdome of the Kingdome of England as wee seeme to you the noble with the ignoble and the fathers to bee Martyrs with their sonnes For what else was that gun-powder treason deuised by you but the Martyrdome of the King and Kingdome § 9 Then Saturnine you doe great wrong to the Iesuites saith he whom you faine to bee the Authors of Catesbies conspiracy for that which they heard onely vnder the seale of confession thought it was meet to bee concealed about the martyrdome of the kingdome as you call it which God wote hurt no body being only deuised and not performed Garnet therefore the chiefe Iesuite did wrong to the Iesuites saith Patriotta who when himself had nourished that euill humor in Catesby whom hee would haue to bee the head and heart of the whole conspiracy a right Cateline and an apt scholler who concluded by a very wicked consequence out of the bull of Clement the eight wherein the Pope had excluded the King being an hereticke as hee writ from entrance into the Kingdome concluded I say that being entred he was by all meanes possibly to bee expelled out of that wicked proposition which now is in question hee suckt out that most pestilent poyson of that vnheard-of treachery But when Garnet would haue him the cheife worke-man in this conspiracy hee ioyned vnto him diuers other counsellers out of his owne tribe nay out of his owne bosome And lest that liuing messe of Iesuites being singularly inspired with the spirit of the Pope of Rome Garnet Greenwell Gerard. Parsons should lay the whole fault vpon a Lay-traitor now dead let it be vnderstood that it was confest by Garnet being now ready to die vnder his hand by a voluntarie confession Hee writ that Greenwell with Catesby was heard of him The Traytor betraies himselfe not confessing but consulting That Greenwell with Gerard were not onely authors but actors who declared their guiltinesse of the fact by their flight That Baldwine and Parsons were acquainted with it whereof he set on Fauxe that Fire brand in Germany The other made acquainted by him of the villanous treachery came flying against the day out of Italie into Lyons in France as it were on pilgrimage to S. Winefreds well as a crow to carrion that like another Nero hee might with a detestable pleasure neerer behold the fire most furiously consuming each part of his country But this Martyrdome of the King and Kingdome as you call it was not brought to effect What then As though we are ignorant that Antichrist doth deliuer many to death and doth assigne many more That hee doth thirst after more blood then he doth spill We were all Martyrs in your intention but not in execution That the mischeefe was deuised we attribute it to your malice that it tooke no effect to Gods mercy Which mooued the neuer-suspecting heart of the King the most mildest of all that are haue beene or shall be that out of those letters whereof little reckoning was made he smelt out the kind of danger and I may almost say the verie gun-powder it selfe and so was made an instrument of the publike safetie Hence riseth a double bond one that bindeth the King to God the other that more neerely for euer bindeth vs to the King There is no want either of counsell and care to the King and his prudent and faithfull Counsellers but when neither care nor counsell can preuent such blinde and secret conspiracie both thankes are to be giuen to God for our deliuerance past whereof I doubt wee
are too forgetfull and continuall praiers are to be powred out for the time to come that hee may alwaie defend both the King and Kingdome of Britannnie against their secret and diuellish deuises For Gods help beginnes there where mans helpe failes as Philo saith In the meane time let vs take heede that when Gods prouidence is not wanting to vs we be not wanting to Gods prouidence § 10 Let Saturnine goe shake his eares that calles Queene ELIZABETHS Law cruell which condemneth such Priests as haue beene the deuisers teachers executioners of treason And let the Romane Catholikes themselues iudge Calander and Argentine whether in this waighty busines they ought to follow such guides who doe not onely reach and offer to vs and you but drinke to the Laity a large draft out of that cup which being guilded ouer with a vaine title of religion but indeede being full of most bitter poison the Pope hath mingled and prepared Very vntowardly I assure you Wherein they deale as those doe who meaning to make others drunke vse to make themselues drunke first For what drunkennesse of the minde is this or madnesse rather to make two things most neerely knit together by the commandement of God Eccles cap. 5. cap. 8. v. 1. seuer and part asunder by the inhibition of man And whereas Ecclesiastes doth draw from faith and obedience to God as a necessarie effect out of a proper cause faith obedience toward the King althogh he be euill to put these two chiefe duties of a Christian so well agreeing and so neerly vnited into another ranck of such things as be cleane contrary and opposite as if one being set downe The cheefe head of the Popes bull the other were taken away As the Popes bull doth pretend concluding in bad Logicke but in worse Diuinitie that the Oath of Allegeance toward the king cannot be performed with faith reserued toward God § 11 Another horned argument of the Popes In the mean time the lay-people are at a maze when they be enforced by you Saturnine that if they haue not at all taken the Oath of obedience that they should stoutly refuse it if they haue taken it that they speedily retract it Hence it is that they which refuse it bee guilty of secret treason they that retract it haue their conscience troubled with manifest periury I am not ignorant that it seemes a Distinct 19. q Siâ—om sacriledge to you to dispute of the Popes action b Extraâ— Io 22. cum inter non nullos Heresie to doubt of his power c Causa 25 qu. 1. viâ—latores ibid gloss blasphemarâ— Blasphemie against the holy Ghost either to say or doe anie thing against the Popes canons and decrees d Distinct 4. si Papa although hee draw infinite numbers of people by heapes into hell as Boniface speaketh Such an holy phrensie hath distracted mens minds that whatsoeuer hath proceeded froÌ„ the Pope althogh it be against the commandements of Christ against the examples of the Primitiue Church although it bee manifestly conuinced to bee against Iustice and common sense yet they thinke it must bee receiued as an Oracle from God But make not ship-wracke of your estates or liues Calander and Argentine I aduise you that laying aside all seruile preiudice you earnestly consider what you haue to doe Then Saturnine the losse of a mans estate or life is § 12 lesse then the losse of his soule which is made by the forsaking of Gods Law Malac. 2.7 For the Law of God is forsaken when as the will of the chiefe Priest whose lippes doe preserue knowledge as Malachie witnesseth is neglected True sayd Patriotta so long as the lippes of the cheife Priest doe preserue the Law so that the voice of the Law and the voice the Priest doe agree But if the Law doe faile from the Priest as Ieremy foretold might come to passe that the Law may bidde one thing and the Priest another then without doubt we are not now to obey the Apocryphall voice of the chiefe Priest Sum Syluest verbo obedien num 50. but the canonicall authority of the Law as Syluester that Catholike Doctor gaue warning If the Pope enioyne any thing vnder the paine of excommunication which sauoureth of sinne in the performance whereof it is presumed there will succeede a scandall of soules and bodies in the city then the Pope is not to be obeyed Then Calander being somewhat mooued started vp from his seat and said that hee greatly wisht that the chiefe Priest would resolue his owne Dilemma and withall did much commend the clemencie of the King who had vsed the Oath of Allegeance for distinction sake that hee might truely discerne the true Catholike subiects from the treacherous And added further that it was newes to him which hee heard from Patriotta about the Iesuites whom if it did appeare by Garnets voluntary confession to haue beene the principall authors of the gun-powder-treason he would neuer heereafter receiue any Iesuite into his house The subiect of the whole Dialogue but because saith he we are met together to know the reasons of faithfull obedience to the Prince of what sort soeuer he be and of the power of the Bishop of Rome in deposing hereticall Kings and absoluing subiects from their faith and obedience while these things bee argued by you that bee learned on both sides wee that bee vnlearned Laickes doe promise you our best attention § 14 Two foundations of Christian obedience due to any King 1. The perpetuall commandement of Christ 2. The practise of the ancient Christians Then Patriotta First I will lay downe saith he two grounds or foundations of faithfull obedience to bee performed of all subiects to kings as well euill as good Pagans as Christians Hereticks as Catholikes 1. On the perpetuall and immutable commandement of Christ 2. The other the example of the first Christians and chiefly of the Bishops of Rome for 800 yeeres and more after Christ Let vs consider them both against the cheife head of the Popes bull wherein he affirmeth but prooueth not The bull that the oath of allegeance and obedience to King Iames cannot be kept with reseruation of the Catholike faith and saluation of your soules Matth. 22.21 Why then did Christ say Giue to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods by which words what meant he else then that Christians should giue ciuill obedience to the Emperour and spirituall obedience to God Why did hee make good this commandement with his owne example when he sealed his obedience with payment of tribute for himselfe and for Peter Christ therefore gaue in charge that Christians should faithfully obey Tyberius a Pagane and a most cruell Emperor and that which is more obeyed him himselfe and shall the Pope forbidd the faithfull Papists to obey King Iames a Christian and a most mercifull Prince and shall he dare to
of excommunication that the Catholikes shall not take the Oath of Allegeance or else retract it being taken And it is to be doubted that to whom the definition of heresie doth agree whether heresie the thing defined doth agree That Grosthead being dead seemeth with his definition as with his Crosier-staffe to strike the Pope vpon his brest Then Saturnine What Schismatikes saith he what § 21 Sigebert what Vincentius what Grosthead with his Crosiers staffe do you reckon vp As if they were not all condemned by the Church because they were at contention with the head of the Church But that wee may not seeme rather to contend with the authorities of men then of God Paul the Apostle forbad to salute an Heretike yea he warneth that after the first or second admonition we should auoide him If it be not lawfull to salute an Heretike is it lawfull to serue and obey an Heretike Paul teacheth that we sacrifice an heretike as hatefull to God as a great sacrifice to him and tha◠we flie from him as from a gangrene And shall it not be lawfull to cut of the gangrene and cast it away lest it doe infect vs when as we are bidden to cut off our owne flesh if it be affected with a gangrene Now saith Patriotta you shew your selfe a right Iesuite § 22 when as Paul did forbid that we should salute an Heretike How heretikes are to be delt withall but auoide him after the first or second admonition in one word he did forbid voluntarie societie not necessarie dutie familiar salutations which curtesie affords not reuerent obseruance which pietie imposeth priuate acquaintance whereby soules are infected not publike obedience whereby gouernment is maintained It is not lawfull to salute an Heretike will you not therefore pay an Heretike the money that is owing him yes that I would say you I demand againe whether the debt of obedience be not more iust then the debt of money which is of greater force a debt contracted in your owne consent or that which is imposed vpon you by the commandement of God § 23 Here Saturnine We owe nothing saith he to Heretikes Nothing said Patriotta Doth not the seruant owe faithful seruice to his Master being an Heretike he oweth it you say to an Infidell not to an Heretike You trifle If you owe it to an Infidell which doth oppugne the faith doe you not owe it to an Heretike who only doth erre in the faith Doth not the wife owe faithfull obedience to her husband though he be an heretike yes when nothing may be the cause of diuorce but adulterie as Christ teacheth no not infidelitie it selfe as Paul saith Lastly children are bound to obey their Parents in the Lord although they be Heretikes Therefore shall not subiects much more obey the Prince Lord of the familie the husband of the common weale the publike father of the country although he be an heretike for heresie doth not dissolue the bond of dutie but breaketh of the knot of acquaintance But heresie is a gangrene as the Apostle faith But although we are commanded to cut of all heresie as a gangrene yet are we not commanded to roote out euery heretike It were wrong with the Papists if this your opinion were setled in our mens mindes But we leaue these parts of cruell Surgeons to your selues who presently betake your selues to lanching and fearing and alwaies vse the cutting knife and fire and look not for easier and gentler remedies But seeing in this quarrell you seeme to buckle with vs with weapons out of the Scripture which you doe seldom handle whereby you proue that Kings in right may be and in fact haue been depriued that subiects may by a word be absolued as by a word they were bound with an oath of obedience Goe to let vs see before you come to the second foundation the practise of Christians what you can say against vs in the former Then Saturnine I will freely speake saith he what I § 24 verily thinke God had not securely prouided for his Church if he had not sent some holy stout Prophets and Preists who might with their Church discipline correct and keep vnder such Kings as were wicked and tyrannous when they grew desperate Examples out of the old Testament 1. Saul and might remooue them being the hatred of God and men the shame to religion and the burthen to the people Therefore we read the first King ouer Gods people because he seemed to take vpon him the spirituall function was excommunicated by Samuel at Gods commandement and put from the possession of his Kingdome although after Dauids annointing and his owne deposing he held it by tyrannicall force many yeeres and did often attempt to murther both Dauid the competitour of the kingdome and Samuel the executioner of Gods decree as he had slaine foure-score and fiue of the holy Preists the Nobites Who knoweth not that a speciall Prophet was sent § 25 of God to Ieroboam King of Israel 2. Ieroboam who did denounce the iudgement of God against the King and the Kings race because he had separated the people by a wicked schisme from the ancient and true worship of God begunne at Ierusalem and had erected a new altar in Bethel whereby the schisme and diuision from the Apostolike See is properly prefigured and ordained a new Cleargy a hunger-starued and contemptible out of Aarons order such an one as yours is The sinne was afterward so seuerely punished according to the censure of the Prophet that there was none left of the Kings stocke to make water against the wall The King did very fondly lay hold vpon the man of God to kill him because hee thought the denouncing of Gods iudgement was treason against the Kings crowne and dignity § 26 3. Ozia We read likewise that Ozia the King of Iuda beeing puft vp with intolerable pride not content with the honour of a King did insolently presume to vsurpe the spirituall and Priestly office being stoutly withstood by Azaria and 80. other Priests and violently expelled out of the Temple and that because he threatned and resisted the Priests he was strucken with a filthy leprosie and therefore not onely cast out of the Temple but by their authority separated from the company of men which was a speciall figure of the Priestly authority vnder the new Law which may excommunicate Kings as well as others for heresie which is a spirituall leprosie and committed the gouernment of the Kingdome to Iotham his sonne An apparant example that it is lawfull for Priests to take armes and by force to bring vnder the wickednesse of Kings when as they deeme it is auailable for the preseruation of religion and the honour of God § 27 The zeale of the good Priests in the depriuing of that wicked Queen Athalia is worthily commended 4. Athalia whom Iehoida the cheefe Priest with a power of the Priests and Commons did command to be
a Pope Lord of all the temporalties But God hath distinguisht these giuing the spirituall swords to Popes and the temporall to Kings as Bellarmine himselfe seemeth formerly to confesse who if hee had beene still the same man hee would neuer haue placed Popes to be Lords of temporalties indirectly for order to the spirituals and haue rooted and cast them out as Kings and haue attempted any euill against them by their agents either subiects or strangers when place and occasion was offered if they thought it auailable to spirituall good So it is a spirituall action but a diabolicall as if he thought the murther of Kings to be a spirituall action which after some sort may bee sayd with a distinction that the spirit of God doth not direct and gouerne such bloudy counsels but the spirit of Sathan Who if hee goe forward as he beginnes and vse the pen of such a man as Bellarmine is it is to bee feared I will speake plainely what I thinke truely it is I say to be feared that blood will ouertake blood and that Kings will imitate Charles the fift who when Clement the seuenth beganne to grow proud belegred Rome with his armie Bellar. de Rom. Pont. tit lib. 5. cap. 6. and battered the castle of Saint Angelo not with arguments but with cannon-shot But why added the Cardinall to his aduerbe indirectly § 92 other of the like force Bellarmines dangerous ad uerbes incidently and casually seene as if he should say although the Pope as hee is Pope cannot ordinarily no not vpon iust cause depose a Prince yet as hee is Lord of the temporalties incidently and casually he may change kingdoms and take them from one and giue them to another if not as the politicke Prince of the Church yet as the cheefe spirituall Prince whether I say hee doe not lay trappes for Kings whereby they may more certainely of a sudden be surprized Theeues haue not an ordinary power to breake vp houses well fenced or to robbe trauellers by the high-way-side being well accompanied but they haue power casually to do both when they light vpon houses that be but sorrily defended or trauellers that be ill appointed So hee denieth that the Pope hath ordinary power to depose Kings and to cast them off but grants that hee hath a power accidentary and casuall whereby he may either with his owne or others forces or with the secret deuices of his part by any meanes ouerthrow king when they least suspect it and finde them most weake and feeble looking for no such matter What is this else but to make the Pope Machiauils scholler sometime playing the Lyon sometime the Foxe attempting the destruction of Kings with whom he is displeased either by force or fraud as hee can casually bring his purposes to passe and swallow vp Kings as it were their prey which without doubt is farre from the holy fathers minde but so it sometimes fals out that wicked men being deceiued by such distinctions do abuse the opinions of learned men against the Popes will to the ruine of Princes § 93 Therefore Calander and Argentine if you will bee aduised by mee put out of your mindes and consciences this bewitching and ouerthrowing diuinity you may doe better to goe the plaine and the Kings high-way directed by Christ and his Apostles and shewed vnto you erewhile by Patriott and auoyd these by-pathes and dangerous downfals that you may liue and die with the honor of your families and safties of your consciences Then Patriott I wish it I wish it sayd hee with all my heart Velbacell The second foundation of obedience the practise of Christians chiefly of the Ro. Bishops that you vnderstood all the mystery of iniquity aswell as you vnderstand this part in controuersie I will cleare your eye-sight with an oyntment as olde Tobies was And being warned by you I will shew you the right way of obedience prescribed by Christ and trod foorth by the footsteps of the ancient Christians and cheifely of the Bishops of Rome that I may finish that I promised that it may appeare what predecessours the Bishop of Rome had in the better ages and what in the worse who were so far off from hauing power in the tēporalties that they had it not in the spirituals they who vaunt themselues now to be Lords ouer kings acknowledged thēselus to be their seruants as I will make it plain out of your own histories § 94 And when I often thinke of the former times it is doubtfull to mee whether the Bishop of Rome grew greater by the pietie and obedience of his ancestors How the Pope grew great or by their impietie and rebellion or whether he attained greater power and wealth by the munificence of former Caesars or by the ouermuch patience of such as succeeded for when as the ancient noblenesse of that Imperiall citie and the great estimation of the Apostolike See and the inuincible holinesse of thirty Martyrs had first made him famous then the great fauour of Christian Emperours Popes for their excellency first had primacy of order and the syncere faithfulnesse of the Bishops and their dutifull obedience did so highly promote and aduance him that hee did easily obtaine the primacy of order among all the other Bishops And you might perceiue for the first sixe hundred yeeres at the least vertues in the Bishops contending with vertues patience with obedience and constancy with learning and you could hardly know whether they were more famous for the glory of their zeale and martyrdom or for the commendation of their knowledge and obedience So great was the fauour of Emperors so deadly the hatred of Pagans so exceeding the loue of Christians was toward the Bishops that you may well doubt whether their crueltie did more purge and refine the Bishops holinesse or this ouer lauish bounty did infect and corrupt it Whence came that notable speech of Tertullian The bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church aswell as that of Augustines Religion brought foorth riches and the daughter eat vp the mother Which I thinke was not spoken to that end as though the subsequent peace had cleane extinguished that primatiue zeale which persecution had raised vp but rather cooled abated it for as the Bishops for 300. yeeres to Syluester performed passiue obedience to the Heathenish Emperours so before and after Boniface for 500. yeeres they performed actiue obedience to Christian Emperours And when as either an Hereticke or an Apostata or a Tyrant possest the seate of the Empire yet by the doctrine of Christ when they might not doe that the Emperour commanded they would suffer that the Emperour inflicted The histories are extant which shew that the Emperors § 95 were acknowledged supreme Lords Popes subiect to Emperors euen in things spirituall by the Rom. Bishops that they were reuerenced obeyed not with a constrained but voluntarie obseruancie not with a counterfet but
of Popes Causa 15 qu. 6. alius Plat. in Zach. 1. Fâ—â—sing lib. 5. cap. 22. For who knoweth not that Childricke the French King was deposed by Pope Zecharie the first as foolish and vnprofitable and Pipine appointed in his place as it is cleare in our law and Platina writes that by his authoritie the kingdome of France was adiudged to Pipine And Frisingensis which Author your selfe do follow writes that Pipine was absolued by Pope Steuen from the Oath of fealtie which hee had giuen to Childricke and the other peeres of France likewise and that the King being shauen and thrust into a Monasterie Pipine was annointed King More then that Gregorie the great whom erewhile you called a worme in respect of the Emperour did bring the same into practise whereof we now speake foure ages before Gregorie the 7. for in the charter of a priuiledge granted to the monasterie of Saint Medard he so decreeth If any king Prelate Iudge or other secular person whatsoeuer do violate the decree of the Apostolicke authoritie and grant of what degree or state soeuer hee bee let him be depriued of his honour Wherefore in that you depraue Gregorie the seuenth that most holy man being dead because he was the first that offered to depose Henry the 4. Emperor a man full of dishonest lust The Empeâ—â—â— Henry the 4. slandered Auenti lib. 4. Anna. Botâ— infamous for his adulteries whoredomes which his verie freinds could not denie as Auentine writeth truelie it bewraies both great ignorance and singular malice in heretickes And that I may not heape manie things together wherwith the histories of those times haue set foorth the fame and glorie of Gregorie the forme of his election as it is set downe by Platina Sabellicus and other writers Author 3. conuer Angli par 2 cap. 7. doth easily shew what kinde of man hee was Wee haue chosen this day being the 21. day of May in the yeere of our Lord 1072. for the true Vicar of Christ Gregories false praise Hildebrand the Arch-deacon a man of great learning great holinesse wisdome iustice constancie religion The commendation of Lambert Schafnabergensis is extant wherein he writeth that those things which were vsually brought to passe by the prayers of Gregorie with signes and wonders and most feruent zeale for God and the lawes of the Church doe sufficiently defend him against the venemous tongues of all slanderers And what other authors write euen the Germanes themselues of Gregories enemy infamous for adultery Marian. Sco. iâ— chro an 1075 simonie and other trespasses what shall need to speake Marianus Scotus is witnes that Gregorie the 7. moued with the iust outcries of Catholike men who mightily spake against the sauagenes of Henries impietie did for the same excommunicate the Emperour but principally for his simonie in buying and selling of Bishoprickes And this act of the Pope did greatly content Catholikes but displease them who were ready to buy and sell benefices and fauoured the Emperour I might alleadge the same for Adrian the fourth and § 108 Alexander the third against Fredericke the first and for Honorius and Gregorie the ninth and Innocent the third against Fredericke the second but that I remember you gaue vs a caueat that the question betweene vs was not about the quality of the person but about the right of power I might shew also if it were not ouer long that those verie Romane Bishops themselues whose humility and obedience you commended did performe the same not with any preiudice of their right but for want of power to resist the hereticall and tyrannous Emperours I might alleadge likewise nationall Councells and Parliaments also which did alwaies approoue the necessary and iust correcting and deposing of such Emperours and Kings as you name by the Popes censures § 109 Then Carolus Regius it is prettie said he which the Oratour obserues to put ouer the businesse till another time when you haue no more or better matter to alledge though you would But that I may breifly answer the obiections that Leo the 3. Emperour was depriued of all his temporalties by Gregorie the second Leo the Emperour how deposed by the Pope which he held in Italie certainely if we diligently search the historie although the reuolt of the Italians from Leo the Emperour of Constantinople may seeme to be the act of Gregorie the second Zoner an Tom. 3. in impera Leo. Isaar as historians testifie because it made much for the Bishop to haue the Emperours wings clipt in Italy yet it nothing belongs to the controuersie in question for the Pope did it not as the minister of excommunication but as the head of rebellion neither as a Bishop without the rest but as a Rebell with the rest not with that vniuersall authority which § 110 he now claimeth but with a popular sedition Vispâ—rgâ—in an 718. Sigeâ—ert in an 731. Blond dec 2. l. 1 Sabâ—ll Enne 8. lib. 8. Auâ—ntin Anna lib 4. fol. 344. Sigebert in an 801. How the Empiâ—e was translated to the Germanes But the Empire was translated from the Greekes by Pope Leo the third to the Germanes Not so For the Empire was translated not by the Popes keyes but by the decree of the people of Rome as your owne historiographers testifie neither for religions sake but for respect of ciuill iustice for the Romanes who had in purpose reuolted long since from the Emperour of Constantinople who perceiued themselues to bee forsaken of the Grecians and exposed to the inrodes of the Lombards taking that occasion because a frantick woman that is Irene the mother to Constantine the sixt had put out her sonnes eies and taken awaie his crown all of them with one applause chose Charles for their King crowne him by the hands of Leo the Pope and salute him Caesar and Augustus Neither did the Pope depose Childericke Sabell â—nne 8. lib. 8. the French § 111 King but gaue consent to the Peeres and people of the Kingdome deposing him who making much of Pepines prowesse Childericke not deposed by the Pope and being weary of the Kings silly weaknesse Zacharie the Pope being first consulted withall and the title of a King taken from Childericke that all hope of ruling might be taken from him shaue him for a Preist and chose Pepine for their King He was therfore set besides his Kingdome not onely by the Popes consistorie but the councell and consent of the Peeres and people for that hee was vnprofitable for the kingdome as you obserued how iustly I doe not dispute onelie I shew that not by the excommunication of the Pope who could neuer haue brought so great a matter to passe but by the ioynt-consent of the Nobles and people he was put from his Kingdome and Pepine and his posteritie substituted in his place For whereas you said that Gregorie the great brought § 112 the deposing of a King into act that is verie ridiculous for
I demand what King he deposed you take exception that he farre before is deposed by him whosoeuer for time to come doth breake the priuiledge of that house so long as the world endured And thefore hee deposed Kings not onely before they were crowned but before they were borne But the proposition that you defend is as false as the reason you alleadge is friuolous What King soeuer doth infringe the priuiledge of the monasterie of Medard let him be depriued of his honour Whether is this rather a depriuation of a King or an imprecation Adde which you omitted and let him be damn'd in the lowest pit of hell with Iudas the traytour If the Pope haue power out of this place to depose a King he hath likewise power to damn him But he hath not power to damne him therfore he hath not power to depose him Are you well in your wits who take a vow for a censure and the forme of imprecation for a sentence of depriuation a former curse for a reuenge following § 113 And you neuer can sufficientlie adorne and set out Gregorie the seuenth your sweet delight and that worthily for that he shewed himselfe not onely a traytour as you are your selues and desire to make others like your selues but also a captaine and ring-leader of all treason to promote the glorie of Preists with diminishing the credit of the people For those praises which you laie vpon Gregorie and those reproaches you cast vpon Henrie doe nothing either helpe your cause or hurt ours but I wonder that this good Arch-deacon as you call him prooued so bad a Bishop Gregorie condemned and for what that all the Germaine Bishops almost did condemne him in the Councell of Wormes of monstrous periuries strange mis-behauiours and diuers outrages in his life But the Italians did acquit him Not so neither For thirtie of them beeing assembled at Brixia after they had receiued Ambassadours and letter from nineteene Bishops who had consulted at Mentz with the Nobles of Italy and Germanie did publikely testifie that Gregorie did most impudentlie inâ—rude himselfe into the See Apostolike by deceit and briberie did peruert all Church gouernment did trouble all gouernment in the Christian Empire did attempt the destruction both of bodie and soule of a Catholike and peaceable King and maintained a periured rebell against him Nor being therewith content at last adiudged Hildebrand a most shamelesse person committing sacriledge and robberie defending periuries and murthers calling into questiun the Catholicke and Apostolicke faith about the body and bloud of Christ being an ancient scholler of Berengarius the hereticke an euident obseruer of dreames and diuinations And therefore to be canonically deposed for his backsliding from the true faith Lambert in an 1077. and to bee thrust out of his Popedome But these factious fellowes fauoured the Emperour against the Pope What they that fauoured the Pope against the Byshoppe But Lambert Schafnaburgensis doth praise the man But the same very Lambert whenas he was the Popes Legate and had shewed that the Emperour had reconciled and submitted himselfe at Canufium yea by his owne report all of them the Italians began to chafe to hisse and clappe their handes and to scoffe at his apostolicall Legacie with flowting outcries and to cast out bitter and railing curses in their madde moode that they nothing regarded his excommunication whom all the Italian Byshoppes had excommunicated a goodwhile since vpon iust causes him who had climbd vp into the Apostolicke seat with simonicall heresie imbrued it with murthers defiled it with adulteries and capitall enormities that the King had done otherwise then became him and had much staind his honour for submitting the maiesty of a King to an Hereticall Pope most infamous for all villanies For all this wee excuse not the faults of the Prince but defend his right neither do we accuse the life of the Pope condemned by his own side but we weigh his fact we obserue this one thing that a Simoniacall and an adulterous Emperour as Marianus Scotus writeth was ill remooued by a Simoniacall and adulterous Pope as the Germaines and Italians call him I am not ignorant that Fredericke the first and second § 114 are after the same manner as bitterly traduced and disgraced by the Popes Flatterers as Henry the fourth was Princes traduced by popist writers as Ludâ—uicke the fourth Emperour by Iohn the 22. and Philippe the fourth surnamed the faire the French King by Boniface the 8. and Henry the 2. King of England by Alexander the 3. and Iohn King of England by Innocent all of them being once excommunicated were by the flattering stile of the Romane writers abused and slandered That it is no great matter to wonder at that the Princes of our time being taken for Heretickes by you though falsly Henry the 8. Edward the 6. Elizabeth and Iames the first be so vnworthily dealt withall who did euen then in the midst of popish darknesse so cruelly vexe their owne Princes But that not only the English whose faithfulnesse toward their Princes certaine hyred vassales of the Pope haue endeauored to corrupt in their bookes set out in English but that the Germaines the French the Spaniard the Italian may see out of their owne monuments the fidelitie of their ancesters toward their owne Emperours and Princes euen then when the Popes did most terribly thunder against them that they may acknowledge it with me and the rather imitate and expresse it in so cleare a light of the Gospell hearken I pray you hearken not what a few Lutheranes and Caluenistes but what the Catholickes of these nations almost without number haue often decreed in their Sinodes and Parliaments for their Kings against the Popes tyrannie which writers shall with authoritie easily ouercome the rest either old or new being few in number and corrupted by bribes § 115 You heard before what the Germanes Italians both Byshoppes and Nobles did decree publickely for their Emperour Henry the 4. against Gregorie the 7. Now heare what the Germanes did publickly first for Fredericke the second against Innocent the 4. then for Lewes against Iohn the 22. and after of the rest The Pope resisted by the popish clergy The Germane Byshoppes first whenas they had receiued a charge from Albert Pope Innocents Legate to publish the bull of excommunication against Frederick all of them refused it The Abbotes being commanded to curse the Byshoppes that refused neglected it The Clergie receiuing a new charge that they should choose new Byshoppes and the Monkes other Abbotes being greatly agast at the nouelty of the example began to disdaine and chafe and detest the rashnesse of the Popes Legate and greeuously to accuse euen the Pope himselfe for vndertaking so strange and shamefull an action against all equitie and right and filling all Germanie with troubles How did they entertaine Raberius a French man being another Legate sent from Innocent in the same businesse hauing his associate the