before at large of Antichrist One succeeding another one by ordinary substitution succeeding another as the Papists i Bellar. lib. 4. de Eccles Militante cap. 8. themselues most gladly confesse when they vrge so often against vs the personall succession of their Popes in the same Chaire from Peter vnto this now liuing Paul the fifth And yet I cannot but by the way touch that which if I had leisure I could easily demonstrate as I haue done k In Clauigerâ— Ecclesiae §. 7. in another Worke first that their personall succession hath beene oftentimes interrupted either by an l Vid. Onuphrij Chroni ad finem Platinae interregnum and vacancie many moneths together or by their seuerall Schismes in their proud Antipopes secondly by that this personall succession if it could be prooued soundly yet is of no moment vnlesse they can shew succession in Doctrine as well as in person since by the plaine confession of their owne deare Doctor m Staplet lib. 4. demonst princip doctrinal cap. 20. Stapleton grounded vpon n Tom. 2. Concil aâ—ud mani pag. 149 â—n Epist Epist Aâ—gypti ad Anatolium intâ—â—pistolas illustrium virorlâ— very good Antiquities No Bishops name was set downe in their Dypticks that is as hee expoundeth it they were not mentioned in their Commemorations vntill they had receiued Synodycam the Epistle testimoniall of their Orthodoxe faith because he was not to bee accounted a Successour who held not the true faith of his Predecessor But yeeld wee vnto them this personall succession since it serueth well our purpose to prooue the Pope to bee that Antichrist if now to this materiall cause wee fit the forme of Antichrist before deliuered A Worke worâ—hy our labour and yet very easily to be accomplished § XXII For the qualities the seate and the time of the Papacie are the same with those of Antichrist In the formall cause by three 1. Qualities 2. Seate 3. Time His Qualities are two 1. Habites 2. Actes Habites are two 1. Heresie 2. Iniquitie The qualities be they either Habits or Acts. The Habits both of Heresie and of Iniquitie For the Pope is an Heretike seeing there is not one Article in the Creede which the Pope doth not denie not o Vid Canum lib. 6. lâ—cor commun cap. 8. Bellar. lib. 4. de Pontif. cap. 2. priuately as some priuate person but publikely in his Chaire as Bishop when either by his proper assertion or by his giuing priuiledge and approofe to the Blasphemies of his Minions and Disciples hee crosseth the truth in olden in these Articles as now to runne thorow them all in particular like as many other most Reuerend Diuines p Heming in Antichristimaâ— Beza cap. 7. Confess M. Perkins in his Aduertisement and M. D. Abbots now the Right Reuerend Bishop of Sarum in his third part against D. Bâ—shop of the Reformed Churches haue done before mee hee denieth this first Article I beleeue in God The first Article of the Creede infringed by the Pope the Father Almightie maker of Heauen and Earth by two speciall Doctrines the former impugning our beliefe in God only when hee gaue his allowance to that Decree q Concil Trid. sess 25. cap. 2. of the Councell of Trent wherein it is commanded that men should teach it to be good and profitable suppliantly to inuocate Saints For if wee call vpon them we must beleeue in them as the Apostle r Rom. 10.14 saith How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued And if wee beleeue in them we make them as God seeing thereby as Å¿ Euseb Emissen homil 2. in orat dominicam Emissenus saith wee giue the honour of the Lord to the seruant both wickedly because hee t Esay 42.8 will not giue his glory to another and idlely in that the Saints departed haue not the knowledge of our wants in particular by the iudgement of Saint u August lib. de Cura pro mortuis cap. 15. Augustine alleaged in the x Gratian. caus 13. q. 2. can 29. Canon Law vnder these words Wee must needes confesse that the dead doe not know what is done here while it is in doing here And therefore we may say in y Psal 11.1.2 Dauids true Zeale against these wicked Teachers In the Lord put I my trust how say ye vnto my soule Flye as a Bird to the Mountaine answering our selues by a true faith as he did in another place saying z Psal 121.1.2 I lift mine eyes to the Hils from whence commeth my helpe My helpe commeth from the Lord which made Heauen and Earth Let not them presume then vpon the Mountaines saith a August in Psal 120. Saint AVGVSTINE because the Mountaines themselues doe not shine of themselues but from him of whom it is said b Iohn 1.9 This was the true Light that lighteneth euery man which commeth into the World The latter intending an impeachment of Gods Almightinesse in Creation whiles he maintaines his c Gab. Biel lect 4. in Canonâ—m Missae Fauourites plainly to auerre that the Priests doe make conficium â—he bodie of Christ A two-forked Blasphemy like the Serpents sting For first if they make Christs body Christs body was not before since to d Pererius in 1. c. Genes in verbo Creauit make a thing is to giue it a being which it had not before But Christs body was before euen e Aquia p. 3. q. 6. art 5. a perfit body in the very first instance of his Incarnation vnlesse they wil haue that body to bee a phantasticall body as said the f Vid Eâ—iâ—han August â—lastr de his haeresib Steph. Zeged tab De Chrâ—sti humanitate assertion Phantasmaticks Marcionites Cerdonians and Manichees Therefore the Priests cannot bee said to make Christs body For secondly then the Priest must haue a power infinite to giue a passage infinite vnto this his new creature seeing as the g Bonauent in 2. sent dist 1. Scotell â—n 2. sent distinct 1. q. 5. Schooles teach betweene non ens ens the space is infinite passible only to the Infinite God to whom the power and worke of Creation is so truely proper that as h Aquin. p. 1. q. 45. art 5. Aquinas out of the very depth of true Diuinitie said well it is impossible that to create can agree to any creature neither by it owne proper vertue nor by way of instrument or Ministerie as his Master i P Lombard l. 4. dist 5. § 3. Peter Lombard seemeth to affirme what he vpon better reason doth iustly deny The second Article is denied in respect The second Article and in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord is denied by the Pope two wayes first in respect of the person of Christ secondly 1. Of Christs Person 1. As Christ is God of his office of his person as hee is both God and Man For his God-head was
last time Time here in the originall is called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Illyriâ— in voc Hoca an houre both for opportunitie since considering Å¿ Rom. 13.12 the season it is now time we should arise from sleepe For t 2 Cor. 6.2 behold now the accepted time behold now the day of saluation and for breuitie for which cause it is here called the last houre as by Saint Paul in another u 1. Cor. 10.11 Vid. Zaâ—ch Miscellan lib. 2. lect de fine saeculi place it is tearmed the end of the World in a double respect first of qualitie because all things necessarie for mans redemption are consummate in Christ fulfilling the Law and abolishing the ceremonies with the types and shadowes that at length he might bring in the truth of the Gospell as he said x Luk. 16.16 The Law and the Prophets endured vntill IOHN and since that time the kingdome of God is preached and euery man presseth vnto it Videntur enim minora compleri cum maiora succedant saith y Ambros lib. 8 Commen in Luc. Ambrose vpon that place lesser things seeme to be fulfilled when greater things succeede them secondly of quantitie because as saith Saint Peter z 1. Pet. 4.7 The end of all things is at hand and as Saint Paul said a Philip. 4.5 also the Lord is at hand first in his Godhead b Iere. 22.23.24 filling heauen and earth a God neere hand and a God farre off secondly in his Spirit which c 1. Ioh 3.18 he hath giuen vs that he might abide in vs and thirdly in his comming For behold saith he d Reue. 22.14 I come shortly Shortly to vs who are dayly to expect him since e Heb. 10. yet a little while and he that commeth will come and will not tarrie Shortly in himselfe who f Mat. 24.22 will hasten these euill dayes for his elects sake and shortly to the world it selfe which is now in the old age For as we may read this often in Saint Augustine g Vid. Praecipuâ— lib. 83. quaest cap. 50. the world is as a man whose ages are sixe Infancie Childhood Youth Strength Grauitie and Old age the first age of the world is from Adam to Noah the second which is Childhood from Noah to Abraham the third which is Youth from Abraham to Dauid the fourth is strength from Dauid vnto the Captiuitie of Babylon the fifth which is Grauitie from that Captiuitie to the comming of Christ the sixth from the first comming of Christ in the flesh vnto the end of the world is called Old age ob incertitudinem because of vncertaintie in the finall approach For as Olde age in a man beginning at his sixtieth yeere may be longer or shorter but alwaies vncertaine in the last period when it shall come So the last age of the world may bee either further protracted or presently contracted into fewer dayes according to the onely good pleasure of God but alwayes to vs both vnknowne and not found quibus generatiònibus computetur saith the same Father by how many generations it may be accounted So that here may be made a true reconciliation of some opposition in appearance onely betweene the two blessed Apostles Saint Paul and Saint Iohn For S. h 2. Thes 2.3 Paul denieth the day of the Lord to be at hand in his dayes i Bucanus Instit loc 38. quoad vltimum temporis according to the last instant of time before which approaching many things were to be done Whereas Saint Iohn saith here that the last time is come quoad vltimum tempus according to the last time so here said to bee last both in respect of Ages past and because there shall bee no time after this vnto which succeedeth that heauenly k Heb. 3.9 Sabaoth which remaineth for Gods children Wherefore since no time followeth after this time which Iohn calleth the last time hence ariseth a double doctrine and from them a double vse of good instruction The first doctrine is this The doctrine of the first part that there shall bee an end of time and of all things in time The latter this that this end is euen now very neere at hand Proofes of the former doctrine § V. Concerning the former it is an Assumpsit amongst all sorts of men both Christians and Heathens Christians who beleeue this both by Scripture and Fathers Scripture both of the old Testament prophecying that they that is the heauens and the earth l Psal 102.26 shall perish where God endureth for euer and of the New Testament preaching m 2. Cor. 4.17.18 that the things which are seene are temporall where the things which are not seene are eternall Fathers both Greekes as n Clem. lib. 5. Stromat Clemens Alexandrinus with o Euseb lib. 11. de â—rap Euang. cap 17. Eusebius Caesariensis and Latines as p Lactant. lib. 7 Iustit per totum Lactantius and Saint q August li. 20. de Ciuit. â— cap. 4 5. Augustine For all these together most certainely demonstrate that the world shall end not onely from Scripture to informe true Christians but also from Philosophers to reforme Heathens who are compelled to confesse the worlds end by a double strength of arguing first from Authoritie and secondly from Reason For the Authoritie which bindeth them is a double cord of true consent plainely to be found in their Poets Philosophers Their Poets such as their Sybille in r Lactant. lib 7. Institut cap. 23. Lactantius who reporteth this from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is There shall be a confusion of the earth and mortall men Their Philosophers as Pythagoras Stoickes Epicures Academickes yea and Peripatetickes if wee will beleeue the faithfull report either of the fore alleaged Fathers or of Plutarch himselfe who saith Å¿ Plutarch li. 2. de plac Phylosop cap. 4. that all Philosophers teach the end of the World yea and the Peripateticks confesse the end of the sublunary World that is of those bodyes that are vnder the Moone For reason euinceth it first from their owne grounds and secondly from experience Their own grounds who deny t Arist lib. 3. Physic cap. 5. Infinitum actu that is any thing to bee actually infinite and therefore must necessarily renounce that their u Arist lib. 1. de Caes cap. 9. opinion of the Eternitie of the world since if there bee giuen an eternall addition of yeeres to the infinite yeeres past then must x Valesius ca. 1. de sacr Philosq it needes follow both that there is Infinitum actu an infinite thing in act in respect of time past and that by continuall addition of yeeres there is something more then that which is infinite against their owne best y Arist lib. 3. Phys cap. 6. Beda in axiomat tit s axiomes and rules Infinito nihil est maius Nothing is more then an Infinite
6. Hilar. in Matt. can 33. their owne man auoucheth plainely since let h Bellar. lib. 3. de Eucharist cap. 3.4 5. c. them presume neuer so much vpon Gods omnipotencie heere working miraculously i Vid. Sadeelem tract de sacramentali manduâ— cap. 3. there was not neither could be penetratio dimensionuÌ„ a piercing of dimension if it was a true Body as our k Luke 24.39 Sauiour proued it by shewing his Flesh and Bone that arose againe because as l August Epist 57. ad Dardan S. Augustine saith Take away from bodies space of place and then they shall be no where and because they are no where they shall not be at all The sixth Article ouerthrowne So that for the sixth Article concerning Christ his Ascension into Heauen and his sitting at the right hand of God we cannot but find it ouerthrowne vtterly by that vbiquitie of the Manhood of Christ which most necessarily followeth vpon the Popish tenent of the bodily reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist For if his Flesh be here or there as it must be of necessity in many places at once when the Sacrament is in diuers places ministred at one and the selfe-same time then m Act. 3.21 how can hee be contained in the heauen till the restoring of all things as Peter said As he is God he is euery where but as he is man he is onely in heauen so n August Ep. 57. ad Dardan Gloss ordina in Math. 28. the Fathers distinguish and vpon it we argue as the Angell did o Marke 16.6 he is risen he is not here he is ascended therefore he is not heere vpon earth according to his Manhood as said p Fulgent lib. 2. ad Thrasymund FVLGENTIVS One and the selfe-same Christ according to his humane nature was absent from heauen when he was vpon the earth and leauing the earth The seuenth Article impeached when hee went vp into heauen Now for the seuenth concerning the Comming of CHRIST vnto Iudgement howsoeuer hee pretendeth a beliefe in the thing 1. By making Saints Iudges yet hee warranteth his Minions to set out many crosse points and close blowes against the true manner of the same As first that the r Rhemists in 1. Cor. 6.2 Saints shall iudge and giue sentence with God at the latter Day whereas the truth is that although the Saints shall iudge the World Å¿ Ambros Theodorit in 1. Cor. 6.2 by way of witnesse-bearing against the world as t Mat. 12.41 the Niniuites against the Iewes Yet the giuing of sentence u Mat. 25.34 noted by Christ himselfe belongeth x Iohn 5.22 1. By thinking the East to be the place of Iudgement to Christ onely as to the onely chiefe Iustice of this great Court of generall Assise since the Father hath committed all Iudgement to the Sonne Secondly that the place of this Iudgement is y Bellar. lib. 3. de Eccle. triump cap. 3. rat 4. the East part of the world whereas the Kingdome of God z Luk. 17.10.24 commeth not by obseruation of either place or time but as Christ shall come suddenly like Lightening shining from the East to the West or as a 1. Thes 5.2 a Thiefe in the night so shall hee come from Heauen to no certaine set place here vpon Earth because hee is God who must appeare euery-where as Iudge of the World in the sight and view of all men as witnesse besides these Scriptures both b Origen tract 35. in Mattâ— Origen and c August in Psal 74. 3. By a wrong signe of his comming Augustine thirdly that Christ shall come with d Bellar. lib. 2. de Eccles triumph cap. â—8 in quem Vid. Iunij Animaduers ibidem the signe of the Crosse carryed before him by Angels whereas neither Scripture at all nor Father before Constantines time did euer so interpret the signe e Mat. 24.30 of the Sonne of Man but onely tooke it by comparing Saint Matthew with the f Mark 13.26 Luke 21.27 other Euangelists for the most conspicuous g Origen tract 30 in Math. Autor oper imperfecti in Mat. hom 49. 4. By setting downe the time of his comming appearing of CHRIST made knowne to the World by many great signes there by our Sauiour himselfe related fourthly that the time of Christs Comming to Iudgement shall be but h Bellar. lib 3. de Pontis ca â—7 Henriq lib. 4. Moral theolog cap. 2◠§. 10. fortie fiue dayes after the death and destruction of Antichrist whereas wee haue sufficiently declared before that no man knoweth that time A Fable then it is which cannot bee grounded vpon Daniels numbers giuen of Antiochus only and no way proper to Antichrist whose Kingdome by i 2. Thes 2.7 Saint Pauls words must last till the very Comming of Christ as before we haue prooued And therefore I cannot but account these Papists no better then the wicked who k Amos 6.4 put off farre from them the euill day which shall yet come sooner then they imagine seeing Antichrist is reuealed and his Kingdome in part by the Word of God diminished yea and all the signes of Christs Comming almost so fully complete as that we haue all of vs more neede to dresse l Math. 25.5 our Lampes against his arriuall then any way imagine with the idle seruant m Math. 24.45 that our Master doth deferre his Comming Let vs haue our hearts prepared by holy liuing and wee shall not feare but loue that Day to come which increaseth paine on Infidels but endeth them vnto faithfull men saith the blessed Saint n August in 37. Psal Conc. 1. Augustine But let vs passe from the second vnto the third person in Trinitie The eight Article resisted of whom the eight Article of our Faith is deliuered I beleeue in the Holy Ghost albeit o Aquin. Opusc contra Error Graecorum cap. 32. Bellar. lib. 2. de Chron. cap. 20.21 c they will hold with vs against the Greekes the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from the Sonne as well as from the Father yet they lewdly resist the Holy Ghost in these two points as first in appropriating p Ruard Tapper tom 2. Or. theolog orat 3. him onely to the See of Rome when the q Iohn 3.8 wind bloweth where it listeth secondly in denying the assurance of the Spirit by r Staplet l. 9. de Iustific c. 1. Bell. l. 3. de Iust c. 4.5 c. Feuard l. 7. theomach Caluinistic c. 19. their doctrine of doubting and vncertainetie of perseuerance when the Witnesse Å¿ 1. Ioh. 5.6 of this Spirit is Truth bearing witnesse t Ro. 8.16.17 vnto our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and the seale thereof most certaine u Ephes 1.13 vntill the Redemption of the purchased Possession It is a plaine token that they feele no comfort
owne names neuerthelesse man being in honour abideth not hee is like the beasts that perish Therefore they shall not continue in their posterity Summis i Lucan lib. 1. Phar. negatur stare diu High things cannot stand long k Claudian lib. 1. in Ruffin Tolluntur in altum vt lapsis grauiore ruant They are raysed vp on high to bee rushed downe lower It may well suffice them that their soules are immortall although their bodyes are dissolued their goods scattered and their lands demised ouer to other men For there is saith l Eccle. 5.13.14 Salomon a sore euill which I haue seene vnder the Sunne namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt But those riches perish by euill trauaile and he begetteth a sonne and there is nothing in his hand For m Apud Cl. Minoem in Comm. sup Alciat Emb. 128. De malè quaesitis vix gaudet tertius haeres That is Of goods which are ill got Third heyre scarce hath a lot Since as Cicero n Cic. 2. Philip. told Antonie out of an olde Poet Malè parta malè dilabuntur Ill gotten goods are farre worse spent as we see it daily happen that great mens houses are like to o Dan. 2.32 33 Nebuchadnezzar his great Image whose head was of fine gold brests and armes of siluer belly and thighes of brasse legges of iron feete part of iron part of clay For the lower wee descend the worse wee shall finde them as p Plato 1. Alcibiad Plato was wont to say Aurei Patres filij Plumbei Golden Fathers but leaden sonnes that now it is no maruaile if in all places of the world great mens houses come to nothing seeing great mens children grow to nothing fulfilling the old q Erasm Adag sub titul DegenerantiuÌ„ in peius Prouerbe Heroum fiâ—ij noxae Lords prooue but Louts and Gentlemen Gulles whiles Sonnes are heyres of Parents patrimonie which they spend wastfully and not successors in PareÌ„ts vertues without which it is impossible that their houses should stand since r Psal 127.1 ibi Hierony except the Lord build the house and that is onely when we are settled vpon the foundation Å¿ Ephes 2.20 of the Apostles and Prophets they labour in vaine that build it That therefore these mischiefes may happily be preuented Fathers must bee sober in getting of goods leauing to their children a patrimony of vertue by honest education which as said t Apud StobaeuÌ„ Ser. 3. Aristippus cast out vpon the Rhodes naked and bare but relieued by Philosophicall Arts they cannot lose in shipwracke For I pray you why should the Fathers go to hell for leauing to their children a clod of earth only And children must care to keep sobrietie in the right vse of Inheritances left to them by their Parents For what needs this waste which wee daily behold in Cities and Countrey by gorgeous Apparell stately Buildings sumptuous Banquets idle Sports and other vanities which u Col. 2.22 perish with the vsing yea are vsed to our perishing whiles by this our demeanour wee are like that bad seruant which said in his heart x Mat 24.48 49. My Lord delayeth his comming and thereupon beginneth to smite his fellow seruants and to eate and drinke with the drunken Indeede as y Prou. 27.8 a Bird that wandreth from her nest so is a man that wandreth from his place For in my small experience I haue well obserued what euery man may see that as an Archer who shooteth aloft aboue his true compasse lighteth his arrow farre wide of his marke So whiles men are carryed with a hawtie and proud humour aboue their owne ordinarie condition and estate they certainely misse of the marke and scope of their great desires either for honour the ayme of proude Citizens or for the store of wealth the Butte of our braue but greedie Gentlemen Because when Citizens that they become Gentles will goe into the Countrey there to keepe residence and when Gentlemen for sparing will lye in Cities lurking with a small retinue of Seruants about them Artes and Trades decay by those Husbandry and Hospitalitie doth fayle by these and God bloweth vpon both that z Hagg. 1.9 when they looke for much it commeth to little a Ier. 22.29.30 O earth earth earth heare the Word of the Lord Earth first in affection for what is this else but a dung-hill desire Earth secondly in action for all this is but drudging Earth lastly through dissolution of all into dust Thus saith the Lord Write yee this man childlesse a man that shall not prosper in his dayes for no man of his seede shall prosper sitting vpon the throne of DAVID and ruling any more in Iudah For IECONIAH his case is ours while we become like him according to that of the Prophet Esay touching the generall reward of all men as they shall deserue b Esa 3.10.11 say yee to the righteous that it shall bee well with him for they shall eate the fruit of their doings Woe vnto the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be giuen him But if we be men indued with reason wee will learne wisedome of the Pissemire or Ant c Prou. 6.7.8 which hauing no guide ouer-seer or Ruler prouideth her meate in the Summer and gathereth her foode in the haruest and if we be Christians enriched with grace we shall quickly perceiue that d 1. Pet. 4.3 the time past of our life may suffice vs to haue wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciuiousnesse lusts excesse of Wine reuellings banquettings and abominable idolatries For e 1. Thes 5.7 8 they that sleepe sleepe in the night and they that bee drunken are drunken in the night But let vs who are of the day be sober Yea the night is farre spent the day is at hand let vs therefore cast off the works of darknesse and let vs put on the armour of light let vs walke honestly as in the day not in ryoting and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse not in strife and enuying but put yee on the Lord Iesus Christ and make not prouision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof For as the Sunne shining aboue our Hemisphere both dispelleth darknes and bringeth on light by which wee walke safely vntill the euening So the Sunne of Righteousnesse the Sonne of God Christ Iesus now sending downe his bright beames of truely-sauing knowledge into these our ouer-deeply-darkned hearts both driueth away the mists of ignorance and indueth vs with so great a light of grace as by which we see cleerely what to flye and what to follow in this our day before the night come euen by his owne ensample who said f Ioh. 9.4 I must worke the works of Him that sent mee while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke As therefore good labourers apply themselues earnestly