from sincere doctrine and from the true vnderstanding of wholsome doctrine and a reuelation of that defection or departing What he ment by the former signe we haue already shewed Now we must intreate of the latter signe that is to say of the reuelation and originall of Antichrist And to the end the disciphering of this beast and monster may appeare the more plaine we wil first begin to describe the place secondly Antichrist described by 3. thinges the person with his names and thirdly his qualities The place and seate of this monster Antichrist is Rome in Italie The place or seat of Antichrist as shal be proued by the 17. chapter of the Reuelation of S. Iohn the 9. verse where the Angell expounding to saint Iohn the misterie of the beast with seuen heades euidently declareth that those seuen heades doe signifie seuen hils whereon the woman sitteth Tâ—â—n this being manifest that the woman signifieth a great Citie Let vs see where we can finde a great Citie builded vpon seuen hils and that by the interpretation of the Angell is Rome is Babylon Babilon or Rome the seate of Antichrist Now in all the world there is not a Citie to be found builded vpon seuen hils but Rome in Italy which all writers Poets Historiers Cosmographers with one consent doe coÌ„fesse to be Rome which is builded vpoÌ„ 7. hils whose names are these Palatinus Capitolinus Auentinus Exquilinus Viminalis Quirinalis and Caelius This is so euident a demonstration of Rome to be Babilon builded on 7. hils that the Angel could not more plainely haue expressed Rome though he had named her But if any man vpon peeuish obstinacie will except that the worde of hils haue another signification and are taken metaphorically for some other thing he may easily be conuinced by this reason that this interpretation of the Angell must either be plaine and easie to be vnderstood or else it deserueth not the name of an interpretation Therefore if the Angell going about to expound the misterie of the seuen heades giueth this exposition that they signifie seuen hils if hils be not taken in their proper sence to what purpose serueth this exposition For if the name of hils hath neede of another exposition he had beene as good to haue left the name of heads vnexpounded Therefore except we will say that the interpretation of the Angell is in vaine we must needes confesse that hils are taken in their proper sence for hils and then the Citie builded vpon seuen hils without all controuersie is the Citie of Rome Moreouer in the last verse of the 17. Chapter of Iohns Reuelation the Angel in plaine wordes saith that the woman which Saint Iohn saw which was the great whoore of Babylon is that great Citie whiche hath dominion ouer the kings of the earth What brasen face is so impudent as to deny that Rome was that great Citie which had dominion ouer the kinges of the earth at that time when this was spoken Or what other Citie had dominion ouer the kinges of the earth in saint Iohns time but Rome Irenaeus a most ancient doctor of the Church the scholler of Policarpe and Policarpe of Saint Iohn disputing of Antichrist sawe him no where else but in the Citie of Rome The numbring of the beastes name by the greeke letters λ 30. α 1. Ï„ 300. ε 5. ι 10. ν 50. ο 70. Ï‚ 200. Tertul. aduers Martion lib. 3. And therefore he remembring the last verse of the 13. chapter of the Reuelation where it is said that the number of the beasts name is sixe hundred sixtie and sixe sheweth that the opinion of many in his tyme was that seeing this name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in English signifieth the Latine man or Romane in the numeral Greeke letters it contayneth this number that Antichrist must be sought at Rome This opinion of Irenaeus is about 14. hundred yeres old Tertullian also a very auncient writer plainly affirmeth that Babilon signifieth Rome And Chrysostome vpon this Epistle to the Thessalonians saith thus Towards the declyning of the Romane Empire Antichrist shall comme and not without cause For so long as this Empire shall florish none will easily be subiect vnto it But this being destroyed he shal inuade the power of the Empire being void and shal take it to him selfe insomuch as he will take vppon him the Empire both of God men For as all kingdomes which were before the Romane Empire were destroyed euen so shall the kingdome of the RomaÌ„s be destroyed by Antichrist S. Hierome also writing to Marcella Hier. in prefat lib. de sancto spirit This Babylon saith he and this whoore clothed with purple which is painted foorth vnto vs in the Apocalyps can signifie no other thing vnto vs then Rome And Augustine saith Aust lib. 18. de ciuit Dei cap 2. Babylon is the first Rome and Rome the second Babylon By these other testimonies of old writers which might be alleaged it is manifestly proued that Rome in Italie is Babylon the seate of Antichrist Concerning the person of Antichrist there haue bene diuers fantasies and opinions some by a foolishe opinion haue thought that Antichrist shuld be one onely man which should come of the tribe of Dan and should be borne in Babylon and shoulde raigne certeine yeeres to the great detrement and hurt of the faithfull Some haue deemed Mahomet to be this Antichrist who hath alienated his Turks from Christ Othersome haue dreamed that Nero was translated out of the woorlde to come againe an Antichrist with his tiranny to vexe the Church But Paul doth not speake here of one man but of a kingdome which Sathan shall inioy and possesse Mat. 24.15 that he may set vp the seat of abhomination in the middest of Gods temple Now it is manifest that the heathen Emperours Nero the rest did not sit in the Church of God therfore the heathen Emperour is not this Antichrist And by the same reason it is manifest that Mahomet is not that especial Antichrist because he sitteth without the temple of God Againe it is manifest in the Scriptures that Antichrist should deceiue the worlde with false doctrine vnder pretence and colour of true religion and therefore so often times the scripture forewarneth men that they bee not seduced by him which were needlesse if any open professed enemie of Christ shuld be that Antichrist For there is no liklihood that an heathen man a Iew or a Turk should deceiue any multitude of true Christians but he that vnder the pretence of the name of Christ seeketh most of all to deface the honour of Christ he is a very subtill aduersarie and the very spirit of Antichrist as Saint Iohn also in his Epistle doth testifie For in the second Chapter speaking of those Antichristes which were the forerunners of that great Antichrist 1. Iohn 2. he sheweth that they went out from the Church 1. Iohn 4. and in the
maiestrates The teachers and defenders of these and such like opinions which are contrarie to the worde of God are Apostataes the followers of Antichrist The increace of these kind of men is a plaine token that the last day approcheth And exalteth him selfe against all that is called God The Pride of Antichrist The other wicked qualitie of Antichrist is to extoll himselfe aboue all that is called God By which Paul meaneth that Antichrist shall violently take to himselfe those thinges which are proper to God alone as to exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God or that 〈◊〉 woorshipped that religion and the whole woorshippe of God may lie vnder his feete For the Apostle doth not speake here of the name of God but of his maiesty and worship and so generally of al those thinges which God chalengeth to himselfe As if Paul had said That is true religion by which the true God alone is worshipped This religion the son of perdition transferreth vnto him selfe Now whosoeuer he be that hath learned out of the Scriptures what thinges are most proper vnto God and shall on the contrary part behold and consider what the pope vsurpeth to himselfe although he be but a child of ten yeeres of age he shall take no great paines in learning to knowe Antichrist Esay 33.22 Iames. 4.12 The Scripture pronounceth that God alone is the Lawe-maker who can saue and destroy the onely king to whom it belongeth to rule and gouerne mens soules by his word It teacheth that righteousnes and saluation are to be sought at the handes of Christ and no where els and it sheweth the manner way how There is none of these thinges which the Pope doth not challenge to himselfe in waye of his right He boasteth that it is in his power to binde mens consciences with wha◠lawes he lusteth and to subiect them to eternall punishments He is woorshipped of kings as a good and faithfull Pastor of the Church he being a most wicked deceiuer And although he performeth no one duty of a good shepeheard but doth all things contrary to the duty of a good Bishop yet he is proclaymed the most holy most vigilant Pastor of the Church yea which is more the Lorde and head of the Church who hath authoritie and power to prescribe articles of faith and to make new lawes for the performing of them But he condemneth the true and pure doctrine of the Gospell as wicked and hereticall so farre off is he from healing any man with the doctrine and consolations thereof and from inuiting any one to true and christian repentance And yet for all this it is not lawfull for any man to say without perill so much as why doest thou doe this But he hath at hand those which will defend him that he doth all things wel and which wil be ready seuerely to punishe those which shall reprehend him These are called inquisitors of hereticall wickednesse which will not suffer a man so much as to mutter against the Pope who notwithstanding fayneth sinne where there is no sinne and proclameth rightuousnesse where there is none at all He either appointeth new Sacraments at his pleasure or else he corrupteth those which Christ hath already instituted And why not if it be true which one hath concluded in the Parliament of Popes at Rome That God holdeth for well done all that is done of the Pope Popish blasphemies that his will is the rule of all right and righteousnesse that he can absolutely doe in this worlde all that God can doe seeing he is all and aboue all thinges that if he chaunge his purpose it is to be presumed that God chaungeth his that his power extendeth it selfe to heauen and to earth yea and downe to hel that none may appeale from him to God that he may ordaine against the Epistles of saint Paul as greater then saint Paul and against the olde Testament as greater then any authors therof And yet one hath gone further who hath disputed whether he may ordaine any thing contrarie to the Gospel whether he haue not more power then Peter whether he were simplely a man or as God To be breefe the Diuell hath gone so farre in this misterie of iniquitie that another disputed in the scooles not long afore Luthers time whether the Pope did not participate in both natures the diuine and humane with Iesus Christ What I pray you is to exalt it selfe aboue all that is called God if it be not this which is done by the Pope and his ministers The Pope spoyling and robbing God after this manner of his honor leaueth vnto him nothing but a bare and naked title transferring his whole power vnto himselfe And this is euen that which Paul now addeth saying So that he doth sit as God in the Temple of God Now the Apostle doth more openly discouer the pride of Antichrist Antichrist sitteth in the temple of God because he hath his kingdome in the same that is to say playing the false Prophet and the deceiuer he doth inwardly commaund the Church and playeth the king or rather the tyrant where he ought not Such a kingdome hath not Mahomet nor the Turke as is already said that it may be either said or thought to be the kingdome of Christ or of the Church of Christ for that kingdome hath beene gotten and enlarged hitherto by warres and by seditions and he doth set vpon the Church without But the dominion of the Pope constituted and erected by fraud and superstition is said to be the kingdome of the Church of the elect of God and of Christ Iesus and he by his tiranny and iniquitie doth spoile all thinges belonging to Christian religion He is thought to be a godly Pastor which is altogether a theefe a spoyler and a most greedy rauening woolfe In these fewe words of Paul their error or rather wilfull blindnesse is sufficiently confuted who will haue the Pope therefore to be Christes vicar because he hath his place and seate in the Church by long succession how wickedly soeuer he behaue himselfe For Paul doth not place Antichrist elsewhere then in the very sanctuary of God because he is no forraine but a domestical enemy which is an aduersary vnto Christ vnder the name of Christ Christians or rather the hearts of Christians are the temples of God Iohn 14.23 as appeareth by sundry testimonies of Scripture 1. Cor. 3.16 2. Cor. 6.16 In this temple of God Antichrist sitteth when he bindeth their consciences with his lawes when he commaundeth dayes and monethes and times to be kept when he wil haue some dayes to be fasted and some to be kept holy vpon paine of displeasure of the omnipotent God and of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul He putteth great holinesse in vestments in shauen crouns in chaunting of quiremen in adorning of temples in vnctions and such like In the obseruation of such thinges he teacheth men to put their confidence
Therfore there are two sorts of signes true and false Those are true signes which offer the very thinges without any fantasie Such are all the signes of the Prophets of the Apostles of Moses and of Christ They are false signes which by the sufferance of God are done either by Sathan himselfe or by his ministers to the derogation of the truth and confirmation of that which is false Of these false signes there are diuers kindes Some there are which beguile men vnder a false forme and there are some which truely appeare as they are in deede but to this ende to seduce men from truth to falsehood Concerning these signes reade the 24. of Mathewe Mat. 24.24 Verely the estimation of popishe religion increaced by nothing more then by the often vse of miracles By miracles Transubstantiation prayer to saintes and woorshipping of images got credit with the worlde For no man is able to rehearse the woonderfull sleightes of legerdemaine with the which Sathan hath beguiled the whole worlde in some place forsooth hogs worshipped the bread of the pix At another time the bread left his forme and a little boy appeared and after that a pece of flesh Yea and that which is more monstrous great streames of bloud were seene to runne from the same What will you say if images did goe or if they were sent by God from heauen if such as were hid were reuealed if some laughed and wept if other some sent glistering and shining beames wonderfully from them if some grewe and increased in bignesse if other some vanished away yea if many of them often times spake Of these thinges it was not lawfull for any man to doubt nay it was death not to worshippe these impieties and not to receiue them as come from God himselfe and appointed to be woorshiped 10 And in all deceiueablenes of vnrighteousnesse among them that perishe because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued In these wordes Paul doth more plainly expound himselfe concerning the causes of lying wonders howbeit this may be referred to the comming of Antichrist As if he should say Antichrist shal come in al deceitfulnesse of vnrighteousnesse That is to say when he commeth he shall bring with him all manner of iniquities by which he shall seduce men from that which is true honest and iust and shall wrap them in hipocrisie and errors For by the name of seduction which in Greke is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fraud and deceit is signified by which a man is seduced from the right way not because he which goeth astray goeth out of the way through his owne fault but being deceiued with the fraud and subteltie of another lest he should walke in the right way euen as when we do beleeue and obey those which do turne vs away from the faith in Christ and from true repentance toward God being perswaded that they teach vs those thinges which are true and right Therefore we say that by the working of Antichrist common iustice all honestie and sincere trueth shal be remoued from their place and in steede thereof vnrighteousnesse hypocrisie impudencie lust and most vaine perswasion substituted The which thinges who seeth not that they haue possessed all sortes and conditions of men at this day but such as wil see nothing In them that perishe He doth limitte the power of Sathan lest some should thinke that he could hurte Gods elect Mat. 24. ver 24. euen as our sauiour Christ also exempteth them from this peril Wherby it doth appeare that Antichrist doth not preuaile so farre as he doth but by Gods sufferance Neither were all seduced by Antichrist nay rather many good Christians in the very kingdome of darknes and blindnes and of all iniquitie were by the grace and goodnesse of God saued as Iohn Hus Hierome of Prage and many others as shall appeare to them which reade ecclesiasticall Histories The which is therefore to be noted least any man should thinke that there ceased to be a Church vnder the kingdome of Antichrist but we must beleeue that alwayes from the beginning of the world God hath had his Church one while greater another while lesse This therfore was a necessarie consolation For otherwise the godly must needes haue beene discouraged through feare if they should see no way for them to goe but into a gaping and deuouring gulphe Therfore Paul as he would haue vs to be carefull to looke vnto our selues lest by too much securitie we come vnto distruction so he commaundeth vs to hope wel because the power of Sathan is restrayned and brideled that he cannot bring to ruine other then reprobates For those cannot be seduced whom Christ hath in his hand â—ohn 10.8 because he is a faithfull and mightie preseruer of them Because they receiued not the loue of the truth Least the reprobate might complaine that they perish giltlesse and that they are appointed to distruction rather through cruelty in God then for their own offence Paul sheweth for what iust causes so seuere vengeance of God shall come vpon them namely because they haue not imbraced the truth offered to them with such affection as became them but haue rather willingly reiected their saluation Therefore their obstinate rebellion against Christ deserueth that they which haue not receiued Christ desiring through his great loue to saue all men and for his truethes sake reuealing those thinges which pertaine to saluation that they might be saued now by the permission of God falsehood may preuaile with them in steede of trueth tyranny for charitie a destroyer for a Sauiour and that now they may beleeue the lies of wicked men which refused to beleeue the sonne of God preaching the trueth And hereby that which we haue already said doth more plainely appeare that it was expedient for the Gospel to be preached to the world before God gaue so great scope and liberty vnto Sathan because God would neuer haue suffered so foule a prophanation of his temple if he had not beene prouoked thereunto with the extreeme vnthankfulnesse of men To be breefe Paul testifieth that Antichrist shal be a minister of Gods iust vengeance against those which being called to saluation haue reiected the Gospell and haue rather giuen ouer their mindes to impietie and errors Wherefore the papistes haue now no colour to make this obiection that it became not the clemencie of Christ thus to cast off his Church For although Antichrist raigned like a tirant yet none perished but they which were worthy and which willingly sought their owne death And in very deed when as the voice of Christ did sound euery where the eares of men were deafe and willfully stopt against the same And although the profession of Christianisme was very common very few notwithstanding did truely and with their whole heart giue themselues vnto Christ Therefore it is no marueile if vpon such wicked contempte there ensued vengeance accordingly The loue of the trueth