repeate the same thing as often as he doth as now at the verie end citing afresh those wordes of S. Paul that the Ghospell is preached among all creatures that are vnder Heauen which Bellarmine did put in obiection and answered three wayes as wee haue seene THE FIFTH CHAPTER Conteyning the second Demonstration THE second demonstration saith Bellarmine is taken from the other signe going before Antichrists tymes which shal be an vtter desolation and ouerthrow of the Roman Empire for we must know that the Roman Empire is at length to be deuided into ten Kinges of which none shal be or be called the King of the Romans although all of them shall occupie some Prouinces of the Roman Empire as now the King of France the King of Spaine the Queene of EnglaÌ„d perhaps some others doe hould some partes of the Roman Empire and yet are no Roman Kinges or Emperours and so long as this is not effected Antichrist cannot come This Iraeneus proueth l. 5. out of Dan. cap. 2. 7. out of the Apocal. cap. 17. for in the 2. chap. of Dan is described the successioÌ„ of the chiefest Kingdomes vnto the worldes end by a certayne Statua or Image whose golden head signifieth the first Kingdome that is of the Assyrians the siluer breast is the second Kingdome that is of the Persians the brasen belly the third kingdome that is of the Grecians the Iron legges the fourth kingdome that is of the Romans which for the longest space was two fould as the legges are two and longest Furthermore out of the two legges there grew ten toes and in them the whole Statua ended for that the Roman Empire was at length to be deuided into ten Kinges none of which shal be the King of the Romans as none of the toes is a legge Likewise in the 7. Chapter the Prophet Daniel most clearly designeth the same 4. Kingdoms by 4. beastes and addeth that out of the last Beast there shall arise ten hornes which signifyeth the ten last Kings which shall arise out of the Roman Empire but shall not be Roman Emperours as the hornes arise out of the Beast but are not the Beast it selfe Finally S. Iohn cap. 17. Apoc. describeth a beast with 7. heades ten hornes vpon which a certain woman did sit and he explicateth the woman to be the geat Citty which is situated vpon 7. hills that is Rome that the seauen heads are those 7. hills and likewise 7. Kinges by which number are vnderstood all the Roman Emperours The ten hornes he saith to be ten Kinges who shall raigne togeather at one tyme. And least we should thinke that these shal be Roman Kinges he addeth that these Kinges shall hate the harlot and make her desolate because they shall so deuide the Roman Empire amongst themselues that they shall vtterly desâ—roy it Besides the same is proued out of S. Paul 2. Thess 2. where he saith And now what deteyneth you know that he may be reuealed in his tyme only that he which now houldeth do hould vntill he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked one be reuealed c. where S. Paul not daring to write plainly of the ouerthrow of the Roman Empire which notwithstanding he had by word of mouth plainly explicated vnto them speaketh in that sort and the sense is Yow know what hindereth the comming of Antichrist for I haue tould you that the Roman Empire hindereth for that their sinns are not yet at their ful height and Antichrist shall not come before who shall take away this Empire for their sinnes Therfore let him that now holdeth the Roman Empire hould it stil that is let him raigne till he be taken out of the way that is abolished and then that wicked one shal be reuealed So doe the Greeke Latin Fathers expound it S. Cyril Catechesi 15. disputing of this place The foresaid Antichrist saith he shall come when the tymes of the Roman Empire are expired S. Chrysostome vpon this place VVhen the Roman Empire shal be taken away then shall Antichrist come Theophilactus and Oecumenius write to the same effect Of the Latines Tertullian in Apologerico cap. 32. saith that Christians doe praie for the continuance of the Roman Empire because they know that when that Empire is ouerthrowne there shall a great calanuty fall vpon the world And Lactantius l. 7. cap. 15. explicating those thinges which shall goe before Antichrist and the end of the world saith the Roman name by which the world is now gouerned my mind is afraid to speake it but I will speake it because it shal be shal be takeÌ„ from the earth the Emptre shall returneinto Asia the East shall ruie again and the west serue S. Ambrose vpoÌ„ 2. Thess 2. saith that after the defection and abolition of the Roma Kingdome Antichrist shall come S. Hierome quaest 11. ad Algasiam expounding the a me place of S. Paul saith Vnles there come a reuolt first that all Nations which are subiect to the Roman Empire reuolt from them and vides the Roman Emotre be first desolate and Antichrist goe before Christ will not come onlie that the Roman Empire which now houldeth all Nations passe and be taken away and then Antichrist shall come Finally S. Augustine lib. 20. de â—iuitate dei cap. 19. expoundeth the same place thus Only let him which now reigneth raygne till he be take out of the way and then that wicked one shal be reuealed by whome no man doubteth but that Antichrist is signified Now that this signe was not fulfilled at those tymes in which the Anti trinitarians of Transiluania say that Antichrist came that is about the yeare of our Lord 200. it is manifest because then most of all did the Roman Empire flourish and so continued long after Likewise that it hath not bin fulfilled at any tyme hitherto it is plaine because as yet there remayneth the succession and name of the Roman Emperours and by the wonderfull prouidence of God when the Empire failed in the West which was one of the leggs of Daniels Statua the empire of the East remayned sound which was the other legge But because the Empire of the East was to be destroyed by Turkes as we see now it is God erected againe the former legge in the VVest that is the VVest Empire by Charles the Great which Empire lasteth still Neither is it any obstacle that Rome it selfe according to S. Iohns prophesy is after a certaine manner fallen hath lost the Empire for the Roman Empire may well stand without the Cittie of Rome and he be called the Roman Emperour who hath not Rome so that he succeedeth another Roman Emperour in the same dignity power whether he hath more or fewer Prouinces vnder his empire otherwise neither Valens nor Arcadius nor Theodosius the yonger nor other their successours to Iustinian none of which had Rome could haue byn called Roman Emperours Neither Charles the
hath no Prouinces For as for Rome he graunteth that it is not necessary that he should haue it Is a great part of Germany nothing with M. Downam It should seeme that he is become a great despiser of the world since that which all Christian Infidell Princes and people esteeme so much he accoumpteth nothing 5. To conclude this Chapter M. Downam goeth about to reply vpon Bellarmines answere to the obiection of Luther the rest and telleth vs that it is euident that the former Beast Apoc 13. figureth not Antichrist but the Roman state and that vnder the Roman Emperours especially but it had bene wel that he would haue shewed vs this euidence for neither we nor the Fathers which Bellarmine citeth to whom we may adde S. Irenaeus l. 5. cap. 28. Arethas S. Methodius and S. Hippolytus in orat de The former beast Apoc. 13. signifyeth Antichrist Apoc. 13. See cap. 15. §. 3. 4. part 2. c. 3. n. 8. consummatione mundi can see any such euidence but rather the contrary to wit that the former beast signifyeth Antichrist at least in one of his heads which might be playnly gathered out of the Text if it were our turne to proue as it is M. Downams But since we must answere only his authority auouching a new exposition without reason moueth vs very little Secondly M. Downam telleth vs that it is not said that one of the heads did saigne it selfe dead and by the help of the Diuell did rise againe which needeth not saith he if the death were counterfait but that one of the heads had receaued a deadly wound and was cured againe But wee knew thus much before he tould vs so neither doth Bellarmine affirme that the Scripture hath that exposition in it selfe for then what need we seeke for any other The words of the Scripture are Vidi vnum de capitibus suis quasi occisum in mortem I saw one of his heades as it were slaine to death Where we se a quasi which M. Downam omitted but the Fathers made so great accoumpt of it that they chiefely grounded their exposition vpon it especially because they knew very wel that if it had byn no faigned but a true and reall death it had passed the diuels cunning to haue recouered him except M. Downam will thinke that the Diuell can doe true miracles as he seemeth to insinuate by saying that the Diuels help neded not if the death were countersait but yet wee will thinke better of him then that he will fall to open blasphemy and will only tell him that the Diuels cunning was very needfull to make this wound seeme so desperate and mortall and to faygne death so cunningly that al should remayne so fullie satisfied and verily perswaded that the head had byn dead indeed and was risen againe by the power which the beast had by the Diuell But here wee must not passe ouer in silence M. Downams iuggling trickes for in his opinion the second Beast with two hornes is Antichrist for so he obiecteth to Bellarmine that he might haue read that the second beast which is Antichrist causeth the Image of the beast that is the new Empire to be made and putteth life into it Now this second beast had not yet appeared to S. Iohn when the head of the former beast was healed by the power which the Dragon had giuen to the former beast yet is M. Downam content to apply this to the Pope also not caring as it seemeth what he saith so that he may seeme to say somthing against the Pope But by the former beast as wee haue seene Luther Illyricus Chytraeus in their obiections suppose Antichrist is signified by the latter his chiefe Precursor and false Prophet who shall cause his followers to errect Statua's Images of Antichrist out of By the later beast which by his procuring the Diuells shall speake giue āswers other signes of life as sometimes happened amōg the Apoc. 11. is signified Anticrists false Prophet Pagās Idolators And this is the exposition of the anciēt Fathers by which all M. Downams deuise of the new Empire erected by the Pope becommeth too too foolish and ridiculous And if I were to dispute and not to answere I would aske how the Roman Empire came to haue 7. heads togeather Perhappes he might haue found two hornes as the second beast had by reason of the East and West Empire But now I will not vrge him any further since his folly is more then notorious already 6. Finallie M. Downam would make vs belieue that Bellarmine fighteth with his owne shaddow when he inuincibly proueth that the head which was healed is not Charles the Great for saith he by the head is not meant any one Man but the state and succession of Emperours And hath he not amended the matter well thinke you that wheras Bellarmine proueth that it could not be Charles because he raigned longer then 42. monethes M. Downam answereth it is true it could not be Charles but yet it might be the State and succession of Emperours as though this endured lesse tyme then Charles conteyning both him and all the other Emperours Can there be anie Downams ridiculous absurditie thing more ridiculous then this And is M. Downam anie better then a shaddow for Bellarmine to fight withall But yet he will haue one saying more and so he telleth vs that which is added concerning the Vniuersality either of worship or rule is not spokē of the head which was reuiued but of the beast which was to haue one of his seauen heads wounded to death and cured againe Well then let M. Downam shew vs where or by whom the Roman Empire had either worship or rule after the head was healed that is in his opinion after the Empire was restored by the Pope but onlie in Charles the Great and his Successors If he cannot shew vs any such matter anie where els let him confesse that this Vniuersalitie of rule and worship cannot befound in the Roman Empire but onlie in Antichrist as neither he can shew vs that anie of the Roman Emperours after Charles the Great blasphemed God and his Saintes so as this head or beast is said to doe But yet to doe him a courtesie wee will not stick much to graunt him as probable that Whether the woūded head Apoc. 13. be Antichrist or noe the head is not Antichrist himselfe but one of the 7. Kinges which shall continue with Antichrist and follow assist him in all his wickednesse as he may see learnedly expounded in Ribera one of Bellarmines religion and order And thus wee will cōclude leauing the iudicious Reader to iudge whether the Protestantes are deceaued thinking that the declination of the Empire was sufficient for Antichrists comming as Bellarmine modestelie affirmeth after euident proofes or the Catholikes be in an errour who thinke that Antichrist commeth not before the vtter desolation of the Roman
Great and his successors who likewise enioyed not the Cittie of Rome had euer bene Emperours which is manifestly false for two reasons First because for this only respect the Emperour which now is hath the precedence before all Christian Kinges though otherwise greater and more potent then he Secōdly because it is well knowne that Charles was created Emperour by the cōsent of the Romans as Paulus Diaconus testifieth lib. 23. rerum Romanarum and was saluted Emperour from the Greeke Emperour himself by his Ambassadours as Ado testifyeth in his Cronicle of the yeare 810. honoured as Emperour with presents by the Persians and Arabians witnes Otho Frisingensis lib. 5. cap. 31. Finally the Lutherans boast that they haue three Princes Electors of the Roman Emperour therfore they cannot deny but that the Roman Empire lasteth still Wherfore rightly Orosius lib. 2. cap. 4. comparing the Babylonicall Empyre with the Roman sayth that God hath dealt far more mildly with the Romans then with the Babylonians for after 1164. yeares that Babylon was builded in one day Babylon the head of that Empyre was takē the Emperour slayne and the Empire ouerthrowne and destroyed But after as many yeares that is 1164. that Rome had bene Rome was taken by the Gothes but the Emperour Honorius who then gouerned and the Roman Empire being in safety Hence appeareth how our Aduersaries are deceaued for they thought that the declination of the Roman Empire was sufficient for Antichrists comming but S. Paul S. Iohn Daniel and the Fathers S. Irenaeus S. Cyril S. Chrysostome Theophilactus Oecumenius Tertullian Lactantius S. Ambrose S. Hierome and S. Augustine say that not a declination but a desolation is necessary But Luther Illyricus Chytraeus obiect that this demonstration maketh most of all for them for it was foretould by S. Iohn Apoc. 13. that the Beast which signifieth the Roman Empire was to be wounded to death and healed againe by Antichrist which surelie was then done when the Pope restored againe the west Empire which was almost perished by giuing to Charles the Great the title and dignity of Emperour therefore out of this transferring or restoring of the Empire it is manifestly gathered that the Pope of Rome is truly Antichrist See Illyricus l. contra primatū Papae Centur. 8. cap. 10. col 751. and Chytraeus in cap. 13. Apoc. Illyricus confirmeth this argument out of S. Ambrose who expounding the wordes of S. Paul 2. Thess 2. saying that Antichrist shall restore the Romans their freedome but vnder his owne name which the Pope seemeth to haue done when he created an Emperour for the Romans who notwithstanding should depend vpon him I answere we read not in S. Iohn that Antichrist should heale the Beast which signified the Roman Empire but this we read that one of the Beastes heads should dye a little after rise againe by the dragons that is the diuells meanes which almost all the ancient writers expound of Antichrist himselfe who will faigne himselfe dead and by the diuells art will rise againe that he may imitate the true death and resurrection of Christ and by that meanes he will seduce many So expoundeth it S. Gregorie l. 11. ep 3. Primasius Beda Haymo Anselmus Richardus Rupertus in cap. 13. Apoc. and the text it selfe doth plainely compell vs by that head of the Beast which was dead and became alyue againe not to vnderstand Charles the Great but Antichrist for that head as S. Iohn writeth had power onlie two and fourtie monethes and blasphemed God and those which dwell in Heauen and ruled ouer all Tribes People Languages Nations and all which dwell vpon the earth adored it of which thinges wee haue not seene or read any in Charles the Great or in any of his successors for Charles raigned longer then 42. monethes neither did he blaspheme God and his Saintes but rather gaue them wonderfull reuerence and many of his successors haue imitated his pietie Finallie neither Charles himselfe nor any of his successors ruled ouer euerie Tribe People Tongue Nation as is manifest to all men Now S. Ambrose saith not that Antichrist shall create a new Roman Empire which the Pope did but that hauing ouerthrowne the Roman Empire he shall restore the Romans their libertie which wee read not that any Pope hath done M. Dovvnams Ansvvere confuted 1. MAISTER Downā vtterly denieth that there should be such an vtter desolatiō of the Empire as that there should not remaine so much as the name of the Emperour or King of the Romans and then explicateth at large how farre he thinketh it necessary that the Emperour should be taken out of the way But now it is no tyme for him to explicate his owne opinion but to answere to Bellarmines argument wherfore hauing denied the assertion let vs see what he can say to the proofes for all the rest is altogeather impertinent 2. First then he answereth to the two places of Daniel 2. and 7. togeather seeking many sillie shiftes to escape the force of them as that vpon the desolation of the Empire in the VVest it was deuyded among ten Kinges at the least whereof none was called King of the Romans Whereby he would inferre that the diuision Ten Kings shall deuide the whole Roman Empire among them so that there shal be no Roman Emperour in their tyme. of the Roman Empire into ten Kinges argueth not the vtter desolation thereof since at that tyme there were 10. Kinges at the least and yet besides a Roman Emperour in the East But I would aske M. Downam whether those ten Kinges had all or only part of the Roman Empire deuided amongst them and if he must needes answere only part thē it is no meruaile though there were a Roman Emperour togeather with them but the miracle had bene if M. Downā could haue shewed vs ten Kinges that had all the whole Empire deuided among them and yet haue found vs a Romā Emperour that had some part of it which because he neither hath nor can doe therefore when those ten Kinges shall come that Daniel speaketh of there shal be no Roman Emperour as there was in the tyme of those Kinges which M. Downam mentioneth by which we plainely see that he spake from the purpose of a quite different matter from Daniel who likewise speaketh of ten Kinges who should succeed the Roman Emperours euen as they had succeeded the Grecians and these the Persians and these againe the Assyrians wheras M. Downam telleth vs of 10. Kinges who liued togeather with the Roman Emperours And by this tyme I thinke M. Downam will wish that he had not returned Bellarmines argument vpon him since he seeth how little credit and how great shame will returne to himselfe by this returning For not only Bellarmine but any other though neuer so meane a scholler will laugh to heare M. Downam inferre vpon the comming of those his westerne Kinges the cōming of Antichrist also who they know is
cōcerning the daies if we take a day for a yeare and after this accompt we can take it for no lesse they make 4. tymes as many yeares as the 42. Downam Fox their absurd exposition of Scripture sabbothes come to at least and then what shall we make of the three yeares and a halfe Surely this is an endles labour and labyrinth but to this passe must these good fellowes needes come that will go about to frame Scripture to their owne brittle and beetle braines But yet M. Downam will giue one attempt more about the three yeares and a halfe which he thinketh may be vnderstod of the tyme wherin the Church of Christ which was at Hierusalem after it was admonished by a voice out of the Sanctuary to depart and accordingly remoued to Pella was susteyned there In which deuise First he must graunt that the 1260. dayes signify also 3. yeares and a halfe for the same space in this Chapter is twice accompted once by tymes and againe by dayes by which it wil seeme more thē probable that the moneths are to be vnderstood so also and so the foole Fox hath lost his bable and besides many things in this 12. Chapter cannot be applied to those few Christians which were at Hierusalem as the battaile betwixt Michael and the Diuell the great persecution which was raised against the woman c. But M. Downam obiecteth that in this 12. Chapter there is no speach of Antichrist but of the Diuel who first seeketh to ouerthrow the Church of Christ among the Iewes and afterward commeth to the Gentiles and therfore it is said that he standeth vpon the sea shore from whence he rayseth the Beast with 7. heades c. where it is meruaile that Apoc. 12. he did not marke how the Serpent or Dragon had 7. heads and ten hornes aswell as this beast and consequently that they are both to be at the same tyme and to be the chiefe causers of this great persecution yet with this difference that the diuell is the cause of all other aswell as this Wherfore not vnfitly Antichrist is here called his taile in which chiefly the venome of this serpent lyeth so that whatsoeuer The diuel and Antichrist described after the same māner Antichrist shall do either by himselfe or his instruments may be peculiarlie applied to the Diuell For which cause the Diuell in Antichrists tyme cannot be more liuely set forth then by the same description which representeth Antichrist himselfe by which M. Downams deuise is quite ouerthrowne and become ridiculous as also his profe for that the Diuell is said to stand vpon the sea shore from whence hee raiseth the beast with 7. heads c. for this prooueth nothing but that Antichrist is a beast of the Diuells raising and hath his power from him which no man denieth though I meruaile how M. Downam forgot his Greeke in this place in which wee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 steti as also Andreas Arethas Erasmus Rupertus and Codex Complutensis haue it and consequentlie were to be referred to S. Iohn himselfe who signifieth whither he was carried in spirit to see the beast which followeth arise for which cause diuers ancient writers begin the next chapter at those words 4. In the second place M. Downam addeth that by Bellarmines interpretation of those tymes it would follow that after Antichrist is once reuealed all men that be acquainted with the Scriptures may precisely define before hand the very day of Christs comming vnto iudgment which the Lord notwithstanding will not haue knowne Mar. 13. 32. as Bellarmine himselfe must needes graunt seeing he vseth this as the chiefe argumēt against those who by 1260. daies Whether those that liue at Antichrists death may gather how long they haue to the end of the world or no vnderstand so many yeares To which I answere that no such thing can be gathered out of Bellarmine who lately also Apolog cap. 10. hath plainly declared that in his opinion there can no more be gathered out of the Prophet Daniel then that the world shall endure at least 45. dayes after Antichrists death but whether longer or no that the Scripture declareth not but indeed S. Hierome wryteth plainly that 45. dayes after Antichrists death Christ shall come to Iudgment Out of which wee willingly graunt that those which liue at the tyme of Antichrists death may easilie gather out of Scripture how far the day of iudgment is off Neyther is this against Mar. 13. 32. where our Sauiour only saith that at that tyme it was only knowne to God which hindereth not but that heerafter it may be gathered by Daniels prophesie when it is within so few dayes But M. Downam addeth further in his 6. Chapter that our Sauiour Matth. 24. 39. and Luc. 17. 26. hath foretould that the end of the world shal be suddaine and vnlooked for euen as it was in the daies of Noah and Lot This is the obiection which I referred to this place as belonging to it and Daniel answereth it with a distinction that at the death of Antichrist there shal be both good and wicked men as there were in the time of Noah and Let and euer since Now saith Daniel Only the iust learned shall make this collectiō impièagent impij neque intelligent ownes impij porrò docti intelligent the wicked shall doe wickedly and none of them shall vnderstand these mysteries though they be so plainely fortould and of these speaketh our Sauiour when he saith that the day of iudgemēt shall come vnlooked for But Daniel addeth further porrò docti intelligent the learned shall vnderstand them and may make a certaine collection of the tyme of the daie of Iudgement when they once see Antichrist dead that is such pious interpreters as S. Hierome was And this difference wee see in the tyme of Noah and Lot and now also for though the Scripture speaketh plainly of Antichrist and his persecution and how long it is to continue yet wicked Porphyrie M. Downam and the rest of that crew vnderstand it not but S. Hierome and other holy Saintes and Catholikes instructed by them vnderstand it plainely So true is and euer was and shal be that saying of the Wiseman In maleuolam animam non introibit sapientia Wisdome will not Sap. 1. enter into a wicked and malicious soule such as all heretikes haue and alway had though they brag neuer so much of Scripture and their priuate spirit which is one of the chiefest branches of their impiety Neither doth this any whit infring Bellarmines argument against those which expound the 1260. daies to be so manie yeares for they cannot haue any ground at all to affirme that those yeares are to Downās iugling begin more at one tyme then at another and yet euery one by assigning what tyme it pleaseth him must needs graunt that from that tyme vntill Christs comming there are iust so many yeares which is to
shew vs in what this answere is either false or ridiculous for is it probable that Illyricus would be so mad as to affirme that Christ was subiect to the preceptes of the law of Moyses conteyned in the Scripture and abrogated by Christ as Bellarmine sheweth and consequently when Illyricus in his Maior or proposition affirmeth that Christ subiected himselfe to the Scriptures must it not needes be vnderstood only of the Prophesies of which notwithstanding it is also false as Bellarmine proueth when in his minor or assumption he saith that the Pope affirmeth that he can dispense against an Apostle or Euangelist make those things which are right to be wicked is it not also euident that he speaketh only of precepts Wherefore to me it seemeth also euident that M. Downam is ridiculous at least if not a false fellow to answere in this sort and that he most impudently called that not worth the answerering which in his owne cōscience M Downam Impudency he knew to be vnanswerable But yet I am cōtent that the Reader shall iudg how far he deserueth this censure that he may mitigate it if it seeme too sharp rigorous THE FIFTENTH CHAPTER Of Antichrists Myracles OF the Myracles of Antichrist sayth Bellarmine there are three things in the Scriptures first that he shall do many Myracles Secondly what manner of Myracles they shall be Thirdly there are three examples set downe That Antichrist shall worke myracles the Apostle teacheth 2. Thess 2. VVhose cōming is according to the operation of Sathan in signes and wonders and our Lord in the Ghospell Matth. 24. They shall giue signes and great wōders so that the very elect shall be led into errour if it be possible They shall giue sayth he not he shall giue because not only Antichrist but also his Mynisters shall worke signes In so much that S. Gregory sayth lib. 32. moral cap. 12. that the very tortures of the holy Martyrs shall then worke wonders and signes Finally Apoc. 13. And he did many signes in the sight of men What manner of signes they shall be S. Paul explicateth 2. Thess 2. saying in one word that they shall be lying In all power and lying signes and wonders Now they shal be lying signes in respect of all causes the finall efficient matter and forme for the end of those myracles shal be to shew that Antichrist is God and the Messias which will be a most pernicious lye S. Chrysostome vpon this place teacheth that those myracles are called lying because they shall induce to a lye And S. Ambrose also vpon this place teacheth that the end of Antichrists myracles shal be to proue himselfe God as our Christ demonstrated his Diuinity with true myracles Secondly they are called lying signes from the efficient for the principall efficient cause shal be the Father of lyes that is the Diuell for so the Apostle saith whose comming is according to the operation of Sathan And all the Fathers affirme that Antichrist shall be a notable Sorcerer yea that the Diuell from his conceptiō or at least from his Infancy shall dwell in Antichrist worke signes by him S. Cyril cateches 15. hauing said that Antichrist shal be a Sorcerer and furnished with Witchcrafts Inchauntments and euill Arts sheweth that his myracles are called lying because they shall proceed from the Father of lyes Many of thē shal be also lying in respect of the matter because they shal be phantasticall and vayne illusions as S. Cyril in the place alleaged and Theodoret vpon this place do teach for he shall seeme to rayse the dead and heale the sicke but they shall be the illusions of the Diuell not true resurrections or recoueryes for which cause Apoc. 13. Antichrist is said to do myracles in the sight of Men that is apparent and deluding the sight of Men not solide and true as Arethas noted vpon that place Finally some of them shal be lying in respect of the forme although true in respect of the matter for sometyme he shall worke true things but which shall not exceed the strength of all nature and therfore they shall not be true myracles formally for they are only called true myracles which can be done by God alone that is which haue not naturall causes neyther hidden nor manifest and therfore are not only wonderfull in the sight of Men but also in the sight of Diuells and Angells But all Antichrists myracles shall haue naturall causes but vnknowne to Men. There are three examples of Antichrists myracles put Apoc. 13. one that he shall make fire come downe from Heauen The second that he shall make the Image of the Beast to speake The third that he shall faigne himselfe to dye and rise againe For which miracle chiefly almost all the world shall haue him in admiration Of which miracles the two former shal be true in respect of the matter not in respect of the forme but the third in no manner But it may be obiected against this that all these Miracles cannot be attributed to Antichrist for S. Iohn in that place bringeth in two beastes one which hath 7. heades and one of whose heads seemed to dye and to rise againe The other lesse who made fier to come downe from Heauen and the Image to speake If therefore Antichrist shal be the former Beast the two myracles of the fire and Image are not attributed to him If he shal be the latter beast the myracle of the Resurrection cannot be attributed to him I answere that the former beast signifieth either the Roman Empire or the multitude of the wicked as we said before and one that is the chiefest of his heads which seemed to die and rise againe is Antichrist for Antichrist shal be the supreme and last head of the wicked and he is the last King who shall hold the Roman Empire yet without name of Roman Emperour And that this faigned myracle of the Resurrection is doubtlesse to be atributed to Antichrist Primasius Beda Haymo Richardus Rupertus and Anselmus vpon this place doe teach and S. Gregory lib. 11. ep 3. which is to be noted against Lyranus who expoundeth this of a certaine Sonne of Cosdroas whom he faigneth to haue bene wounded in a battaile and not killed for no approued history reporteth any such thing of the Sonne of Cosdroas neither can that agree to the Sonne of Cosdroas which followeth in the Apocalyps and the whole earth wondred after the Beast saying who is like the beast Now the latter Beast in the Apocalyps according to Rupertus signifieth the same Antichrist for the same Antichrist is expressed by two beasts by one in respect of his Kingly Power and tyranny by which he shall compel men violently by the other by reason of his art magick with which he shall seduce men crastily But according to Richardus Anselmus and others the latter beast signifieth the preachers of Antichrist who shall endeauour to shew by miracles that Antichrist is the
former beast may signify the Roman Empyre though he speaketh doubtfully ioyneth another exposition with it which indeed is the more probable of the two out of which he maketh many illations but proueth none and therfore it is sufficient in this place to deny them all and remit the Reader for both our reasons to the seuerall places where they are handled at large only thus much we may note now that since as we haue already proued the 7. head which is Antichrist is not to come till the 6. which is the Roman VII VIII Empyre be wholy taken away it is most manifest that the Apoc. 13. Pope can by no probability be the seauenth head since that the Emperour as yet remayneth And withall I would The Pope cannot be signified by the 7. heâ—d of the beast Apoc. 13. 17. desire the Reader to put all M. Downams arguments in forme that he may better discouer his folly and make himselfe sport for how doth it follow Antichrist shal be head of the Roman Empyre ergo not of the Iewes Antichrist shall be head of the Roman Empyre ergo his chiese Seat or Sea shal be not Ierusalem but Rome and he shall not be one particuler Man only one of his illations is good against Bellarmine viz. that if the beast signifieth the RomaÌ„ Empyre the name of the beast may very well be said to be Roman or Latin But this agreeth not with the number of 666 as Bellarmine proued besides it is certaine also that the name of Antichrist himselfe is signifyed by that number and consequently that he is signifyed by the former beast and not the Roman Empyre Neyther can M. Downam in any case admit that the seauenth head of The 7. heads of the beast Apoc 13. are not the same with those of Apoc. 17. this former beast Apoc. 13. is Antichrist since that he affirmeth that Antichrist is signified by the latter beast wherfore both Bellarmine and he must of necessity graunt that this beast Apoc. 13. is different from the other cap. 17. and indeed it is very euident that Antichrist and the 7. Kings which shall acknowledge him are spoken of in the 13. Chapter and in the 17. other 7. far different from these as we shall presently see 5. The obiections which M. Downam maketh against Bellarmines second interpretation proue aswell against Downam impugneth himselfe the first which is his owne for what world wondreth after the Roman Empyre but such as are in some sort subiect or belong to it VVho are all those Inhabitants of the earth that do worship it VVhat are all the Tongues Kindreds Nations which are made subiect vnto it For if this be absolutely vnderstood of all the wicked and reprobate it is false that they all do thus wonder or worship or are subiect to the Roman Empire and if it be only vnderstood of some viz. of those which belong to the Roman Empyre then the difficulty is as great how the Roman Empyre is said to wonder c. after it selfe as how the multitude of the wicked may doe the same and besides M. Downam hath one difficulty more to explicate then those which follow this second interpretation haue for he must shew vs how all this wondring and worshipping and subiection came vpon the restauration of the Empyre in the West which he will needs haue to be the healing of the head which was wounded as it were to death for experience hath shewed vs the quite contrary viz. that the Roman Empyre hath euer since gone more and more to decay and had a farre greater part of the world subiect vnto it before then since Wherfore all this still conuinceth that this beast Apoc. 13. is neyther the Roman Empyre nor Apoc. 13. the multitude of the wicked but Antichrist himselfe of whom all those sayings are to be verifyed and the 7. heads are the 7. Kings which shall yield themselues to Antichrist and ioyne with him in persecuting the Church Neyther doth the beast mentioned cap. 17. signifie Apoc. 17. the Roman State or Empyre or the multitude of the wicked but the Diuell himselfe and the 7. heades which he hath signify eyther the Kings which reigned in the 7. ages of the World as it is commonly held by Catholikes or else the 7. diuers gouernments of the Roman State as M. Downam will needs haue it because otherwise his whole deuise of prouing the Pope Antichrist out of this place is quite ouerthrowne But we will shew in due place that this his exposition is nothing so probable as the other And though it were true in this poynt yet it cannot stand in the rest in which he would ground his inference against the Pope 6. Wherfore M. Downams discourse of the 3. wounds which the Roman Empire receaued at the death of Iulius Cesar by ciuill warres and of Nero by vncerteynty of succession and in Augustulus by his ouerthrow and of their seuerall healinges is altogeaâ—her impertinent and ridiculous for now we seeke only for one and the last which maketh most to his purpose Downam impugneth him selfe is indeed flatly against him since that in his opinion the Pope healed this wound whom he would haue to be signified by the 2. beast whereas the Scripture witnesseth that it was healed by the first Beast and that before the second appeared Likewise if we will belieue M. Downam the healing of this wound and the erecting of the Image is all one since that both are nothing els but the erecting of the West Empire vnder Charles the Great and the like he must say of making the former beast to be worshipped for M. Downam hath no other deuise left for all these seuerall actions but only the bare erecting of the Roman Empire by the Pope And yet he will haue this also to be so mean a thing that in substance it shal be nothing at all and that indeed not this new Emperour but the Pope himselfe shal be the head of the Roman Empire all this while and the Emperour shall only stand for a cipher to make vp the number of 8. whereas notwithstanding the Scripture plainely saith that there are 8. without him not heades as M. Downam seemeth to imagine but Kings the beast making one himselfe as the Scripture expresly testifieth cap 7. v. 12. which can by no meanes be vnderstood of the Roman Empire except M. Downam will make the Empire it selfe an Emperour which is too absurd for of what should it be Emperour Wherefore it is manifest that by the Beast is vnderstood the Diuell who indeed is distinct from the other 7. as is manifest and therefore By the beast Apoc 17. the Diuell is vnderstood may well be accompted the 8. and yet bâ—longeth to all the 7. because he concurred with them all in their wickednes and in the persecution of the good and it is also manifest that he was in the world before Christs comming much more
and hauing deposed one Emperour commaunded another to be created and vsurped not the Empyre to himselfe And in like manner when he depriued the Emperour Leo of the Princedome of Râ—â—eÌ„na he challenged not that Princedome to himselfe but permitted the Kinges of the Lombardes to haue it which notwithstanding afterward Pepin hauing ouercome the Lombards gaue to the Pope Finally if to depose Princes be to shake off hornes there will not be only three but many more pulled off by Antichrist For it is manifest that besides Leo the 3. the Greeke and Childericke the French King there haue bene deposed by Popes Henry the 4. by Gregory the 7. Otho the 4. by Innocentius the 3. Frederike the 2. by Innocentius the 4. all which lost their Empyre in very deed Of the third we haue most plaine testimonies of the ancient Fathers Lactantius lib. 7. cap. 16. and S. Irenaeus lib. 5. say that after Antichrist hath slaine 3. of the 10. Kings the rest forth with shall be subdued by him and then he shal be Prince of all S. Hierome in cap. 11. Dan. vpon that place And he shall do those things which his Fathers haue not done None of the Iewes saith he besides Antichrist euer reigned in the whole world S. Chrysostome in 2. Thess 2. affirmeth that Antichrist shal be a Monarch and succeed the Romans in the Monarchie as the Romans succeeded the Grecians the Grecians the Persians and the Persians the Assyrians Finally S. Cyril Cateches 15. saith that Antichrist shall obtaine the Monarchy which was the Romans before and this opinion of the Fathers is euidently inferred out of Apoc. 17. where we read And the ten hornes which thou hast seene are ten Kings These haue one Counsell and will giue their force and power to the beast Now it is certayne that this no way agreeth to the Bishop of Rome for the Pope neuer was King of the whole world Of the 4. S. Iohn speaketh Apoc. 20. And when the thousand yeares shall be consummated Sathan shal be loosed out of his prison and shall go forth and seduce the Nations which are vpon the foure corners of the earth Gog and Magog and shall gather them into battaile the number of whome is as the sand of the sea And they ascended vpon the breadth of the earth and compossed the Campe of the Saints and the beloued Citty And there came downe fire from God out of Heauen and deuoured them and the Diuell which seduced them was cast into the poole of fire and brimstone where both the beast and the false Prophet shal be tormented day and night for euer and euer In these wordes is described the last persecution and the end of it Of which S. Augustine speaketh thus lib. 20. de ciuitate Dei cap. 11. This shal be the last persecution the last iudgment being at hand which the Holy Church shall suffer in the whole world viz. the whole Citty of Christ of the whole Citty of the Diuell how great soeuer both of them are vpon earth The like are in Ezechiel 38. 39. which are briefly to be expounded by reason of many errours which haue bene of this matter M. Dovvnams Ansvvere confuted 1. MAISTER Downam answereth first iointly to all these 4. points that none of them are found in the Scriptures which you must vnderstand according to his interpretation who affirmeth that the Prophesies of Daniel cap. 11. and Dan. 7. â—â— 7. were to haue their complement before the comming of the Messias which notwithstanding he acknowledgeth to be against both Iewes and all ancient Christians who all agree against M. Downam that by the two legs of the Image cap. 2. and the fourth beast with 10. hornes cap. 7. the Roman Monarchy Dan. 2. 7. and not the Kingdome of the Selcucidae Lagidae is signifyed which difference as M. Downam well noteth is the occasion why both the Iewes Christians constantly affirme that all which is said of the two legs and the fourth beast could not be fulfilled before the comming of Christ but only thus far that this fourth Kingdome of the Romans was to be in the world before his comming Neither doth it follow hence that whatsoeuer is spoken of the little horne cap. 7. 8. Dan. 7. 8. 11. Dan. 8. 11. is by them expounded at least litterally of Antichrist for first they all agree that all the 8. Chapter is plainly to be vnderstood of Antiochus and in no sort of Antichrist but only by application and accomodation Likewise in the 11. Dan. 11. they admit so much to be vnderstood of Antiochus as can be applied to him but all cannot and therefore part must of force be referred to Antichrist euen litterally and that which may be verified of Antiochus must likewise be vnderstood of Antichrist in whom it is more perfectly to be fulfilled But in the 7. chap. there is no mention at all of Dan. 7. Antiochus but only of Antichrist neither is it the same little horne which is spoken of in that Chapter and in the 8. as is most manifest for the little horne in the 7. Chapter belongeth to the 4. beast and that in the 8. to the third that is to the Monarchy of the Grecians and the successors of King Alexander as is most manifest v. 8. 9. where the 4. heads which that Monarchy is said to haue cap. 7. The little horne Dan. 7. is not the same with the little horne Dan. 8. because it was to be deuided among foure Kinges after Alexanders death are called 4. hornes out of one of which this little horne is said to proceed as indeed Antiochus did But the little horne which is spoken of in the 7. chap. arose in the middest of the 10. hornes which the 4. beast is said to haue Now in the 11. Chap. there is not any mention of any hornes at all but of the Kinges of Egypt and Syria and chiefly of Antiochus and by occasion of him of Antichrist as hath bene said 2. But M. Downam telleth vs that the learned of our tymes haue made the contrary cleere but he omitteth their proofes and only alleadgeth out of S. Hierome that Porphyry that learned Praefat. in Dan. though malicius enemy of Christianity perceaued Daniels Prophesies in the 7. 8. 11. and 12. Chapters so fully and perfectly to agree to Antiochus Epiphanes that he affirmed that they were written not before hand by Daniel but after the fulfilling of them by some one that liued in the tymes of Antiochus Epiphanes But M. Downam findeth not in S. Hierome those 4. Chapters specified which he setteth down but only a generall assertion that Daniel seemed rather to Hierome and three other ancient writers wrote expresly against Downams expositioÌ„ haue written a story then a prophesy yea S. Hierome plainly conuinceth both Porphiry and all his followers which are M. Downams learned men and himselfe that neither the 7. nor the 11. and 12. Chapters can be wholy
with many other concerning the consummation of the world to which the comming of Antichrist doth belong And this both the text it selfe and S. Hierome and all other Ecclesiasticall Wryters perswade vs and therfore we must needs thinke so vntill M. Downam conuinceth euidently the contrary which I am affraid he will very hardly doe But let vs see what he can say for himselfe Secondly therfore he faith that Daniels Prophesies concerne either such terrestriall Kingdomes vnto whose Tyranny the Iewes were subiect before the comming of the Messias or else the spirituall Kingdome of Christ before Downam contradicteth himselfe which all the former Kingdomes were to haue an end But this seemeth somwhat contrary to that he said before when he confessed that Daniels Prophesie reacheth to the finall destruction of Ierusalem by the Romans and consequently there must needes in his opinion be mention in Dan. of the terrestriall Kingdome of the Romans which without doubt was not ended before the comming of Christ well we will not vrge him too far with this but rather consider The King domes where of Daniel speaketh were not to be ended before Christ how he proueth that all the terrestriall Kingdomes of which Daniel speaketh were to haue an end before the spirituall Kingdome of Christ for it seemeth somewhat contrary to Daniel himselfe who affirmeth that the Kingdome of Christ should be raised by God in the daies of those Kingdomes wherof he spake In diebus autem Regnorum illorum suscitabit Deus Cali Regnum quod in aeternum c. But yet M. Downam bringeth for the contrary Dan. 2. 4. 35. and 7. 11. and ver Dan. 2. 26. 37. The first of which places is a little misprinted for that 4. should be 34. in which and the following verse it is said that the stone which was cut out of the Mountayne without handes that is our Sauiour borne of our Blessed Lady by the holy Ghost without the seed of man should strike the Statua vpon the yron feet and breake them and by that meanes the whole should be dissolued and come to nothing But I cannot see how this proueth M. Downams intent but rather the quite contrary for if our Sauiour shall destroy these Kingdomes surely they were not to be ended before his comming and at least the feet and the ten toes must remayne and be stroken by this stone as indeed they shall at his second comming when he shall ouercome the ten Kinges among whom the Roman Empyre shal be diuided who shall fight against him as S. Iohn recordeth Apoc. 17. both before the comming of Antichrist and after also so many and so long as they shall continue When our Sauiour is to destroy the Kingdomes signified by the Statua of Nabuchodonosor Neither may it seeme hard that Nabuchodonosor in his dreame related by Daniel did see the stone first strike the Statua after become so great that it filled the whole world for this is to be atributed to the obscurity of Prophesies and therefore Daniel in his explication standeth not vpon that circumstance but rather insinuateth the contrary explicating first the stability and perpetuity of Christs Kingdome in this world and then how he should destroy all the Kingdomes of this world and finally reigne for euer in the next The second place cap. 7. 11. is most plainely against M. Downam for in the two precedent verses is described Da◠7. the comming of God to iudgement before which no doubt all these Kingdomes and Kinges together with Antichrist himselfe shall haue an end and the same is as plainely repeated v. 26. in which is declared both the comming of God to Iudgement and the finall ouerthrow and destruction of the wicked and v. 27. the amplitude and perpetuity of the Kingdome of Christ and his Saintes which is chiefly to be vnderstood of the next world and only When Christ began spiritually to ouerthrow those Kingdomes spiritually in this after which manner Christ began to ouerthrow all the Kingdomes of the world from the beginning by rooting out Idolatry and planting his Church through the whole world Those other places which M. Downam quoteth concerning the comming of Christ into this world and the destruction of Ierusalem make nothing against vs though some of them are not very fitly applied by him as the Reader will easily discerne of those which he bringeth out of the new Testament But I will let them passe and only note that which maketh a little Matth. 2. 3. Mar. 1. 10. to our purpose that M. Downam misinterpreteth Dan. 7. 13. of the ascension of our Sauiour wheras it is euident by the text that it is to be vnderstood of his comming to Iudgement of which it is said v. 10. Iudicium sedit libri aperti Dan. 7. sunt that God the Father did fit in Iudgment and the bookes were opened that is it was the tyme of Iudgement when Daniel did see our Sauiour come to him After this M. Downam only reciteth his exposition of the 4. beast cap. 7. and the leggs and feete of the Statua cap. 2. which he will needes haue to be the Kingdome of the Seleucidae and Lagidae but Dan. 2. 7. how foolishly we shall see after when he commeth to his proofes for now he only affirmeth it vpon his bare word which with vs hath no credit at all and I thinke will not haue much with any man els at least if he be any thing indifferent and will vouchsafe to read this discourse 6. Well M. Downam goeth forward with his exposition such as it is especially of the 11. Chapter of Dan. in which he saith many thinges called in question by none Dan. 11. and others denied by all of the first sort I need say nothing and the other are so apparently false and foolish that it wil be inough to touch them briefly as first when he saith The 4. Kingdomes into which that of Alexāder was deuided belong to the 3. beast described Dan. 7. not to the 4. that in the 8. and 11. chap. the 3. latter and especially the last Kingdome spoken of cap. 2. and 7. is prophesied of who seeth not the absurdity of this assertion for what can be more plaine then that the foure Kingdomes into which Alexanders Kingdome was deuided after his death belong to the same Monarchy signified by the 3. beast cap. 7. which for this cause is said to haue 4. heads in that place and in the 8. chap. the same are signified by the 4. hornes and they all were Greeks as M. Downam confesseth nu 10. and is euident out of the same 8. Chapter and of the Seleucide the same appeareth 1. Machab. 11. and besides all these 4. Kingdomes were ended before the comming of our Sauiour who notwithstanding is said to ouerthrow the 4. beast and consequently all the rest in him since that he had succeded in their places Porphiry did see this difficulty
the fruite of Heresy first to make men impugne the truth and the Doctors of Gods Church who defend it and then to seeke by such seely shifts to make their party seeme good and to deceaue their Readers by which indeed to any indifferent and discreet Reader they discouer theyr owne shame as M. Downam doth in this place as well by this as also by his simple repetition of his exposition of the fourth beast and his 10. hornes which notwithstanding he will now go about to proue by impugning the exposition of all other but Infidels and Hereticks concerning that place 10. But first he will haue a saying to the Pope infer that according to their exposition who think that the 4. beast Cap. 7. signifieth the Roman Empire it is very likely that the Pope is Antichrist seing hitherto he is the last that hath ruled in Rome and shall according to the Papists owne conceipt continue to the end The Pope succeedeth not in the Roman Empyre but it is no meruaile though M. Downam insisteth not much vpon this proofe for first it is manifest that not the Pope but the Emperour is he that suceedeth in the Roman Empire and it is likewise false that the Papists hould that either the Pope or the Emperour shall continue to the end in Rome since they plainly affirme that the Empire shal be first deuided among 10. Kings wherof none of them shal be Emperour and after surprised by Antichrist himself who shall subdue The Seleucidae are not signified by the fourth beast Dan. 7. those 10. Kings and it is likewise more probable in their conceipt that Rome it self shal be vtterly ouerthrowne by the same 10. Kings and Antichrist as we haue seene before and yet besides these two false assertions M. Downam to make his argumeÌ„t good supposeth two other ifs as false as these First that the ten hornes should be the successiue rulers of the Roman state and 2. that the 10. or last horne should be Antichrist which are not only false but also foolish suppositions and the latter expresly against the Scripture which maketh Antichrist not the 10. but the 11. horne as hath byn proued Now let vs see how he can proue that by the 4. beast is signified not the Roman but the Seleucidae and first he inferreth it out of that false ground which we haue already ouerthrowne that the kingdome signified by the fourth beast was to haue an end before the comming of the Messias but he beingeth no proofes for this but only quoteth cap. 7. 11. 26. 27. which we haue already shewed to make against him Secondly he supposeth that cap. 7. v. 25. 26. 27. is to be vnderstood of Antiochus his warres against the Iewes which is his common fault of petitio principij and against the consent of all good expositours and the text it selfe Thirdly he obiecteth that of the Romans After they Apoc. 17. had obtayned the dominion of Iewry there were more then ten that ruled ouer the Holy Land But what is this to the purpose since that these ten horns signyfie 10. Kings which shall raign togeather as appeareth plainly by Apoc. 17. which M. Downam obiecteth to himselfe and only answereth that these of Dan. 7. are not the same but other 10. which tyrannized ouer the Kingdome of the Iewes successiuely as they are particulerly Dan. 11. cap. 5. nu 2. described cap. 11. but how false this is hath already appeared as likewise that which he addeth that he whom the Papists take to be Antichrist in Daniel is one of the 10. hornes it being manyfest that both Daniel S. Io. describe 10. besides him Fourthly he saith that all that Dan. saith of the 10. horne so he calleth the 11. do fuly and wholy agree to Antiochus Epiphanes but not to the 10. Prince of the Romans But we shall see a litle after how well M. Downam can apply the pulling vp of 3. hornes to Antiochus which that little horne cap. 7. is said to do and I belieue we shall find him as far to seeke as he that would goe about to shew the same of the 10. Prince of the Romans which no wise man will do and M. Downam knoweth well inough that Bellarmine neuer imagined any such matter Fifthly M. Downam argueth from his conference of that which is written of the little horne chapter 7. with those thinges which are more plainely recorded of Antiochus chap. 8. 23. c. and chap. 11. 21. c. But what meruaile is there if the 7. and 11. Chapters agree since they are both to be vnderstood of Antichrist as hath bene proued and likewise Antiochus was a figure of Antichrist and therfore no meruade though that which is laid of him cap. 8. be very like to those 〈◊〉 which are related of Antichrist in thee ther places and yet M. Downam much mistaketh in making the Goat buck cap. 8. to comprehend the 2. last beasts cap. 7. for of this he neyther bringeth proofe nor probability only he sheweth very well that the 4. heads of the third beast cap. 7. signify the same that the 4. hornes of the goat cap. 8. and consequently that the Seleucidae and Lagidae which were The Seleucidae Lagidae belong to the third beast two of these hornes belong to the third beast and in no sort to the fourth All the rest which he addeth is an idle repetition of his former fooleries already confuted 6. He affirmeth without all proofe that the people 〈◊〉 and oppressâ—â— by these hornes are the people of the Iewes wheras Antichrist in the Papist conceipt shal be the counterfait 〈◊〉 of the Iewes for he can only proue that Antiochus persecuted the Iewes which is no argument to proue that Antichrist shall persecute them also since it is manifest that the Iewes in those tymes were not a figure of the Iewes in Antichrists tyme out of the Christians whom I suppose M. Downam will not deny to be now Gods elected people 7. He argueth from the agreement of the tymes set downe in Dâ—n to that which happened in Antiochus But of this we haue treated sufficiently before shewing that he hath no ground for that he saith and besides it Cap. 8. is most true that the tyme mentioned cap. 8. agreeth most fitly to Antiochus the other not though if they did it were only an argument that in this Antiochus was a most exact figure of Antichrist And this is all he can say for his new exposition of the Seleucida or against that of S. Hierome and all other good Authors 11. Now at length M. Downam commeth to Bellarmines assumption or Minor where first he telleth vs that the The Popes whom the ProtestaÌ„ts accompt Antichrist arise not from base estate Pope ariseth from base estate whether we consider the meane estate of the first Bishop of Rome or the base birth and obscure parentage of diuers Popes and addeth that Bellarmines allegations are but a vayne florish nothing
Sonne for S. Iohn speaketh not generallie of euery one that denieth Iesus to 1. Iohn 4. 5. be Christ as M. Downam affirmeth Likewise Cap. 4. 5. S. Iohn only affirmeth that it is the spirit of Antichrist to denie Christ and that he was to come in himselfe and was then in the world in his members and the like he repeateth Epist 2. v. 7. that all those which denied Christ to be come were 2. Iohn 7. members of the chiefe Seducer and Antichrist which was to come after and teach that doctrine more then any of the former The rest which M. Downam hath in this place be the obiections which Bellarmine maketh solueth as we shall see not long after 7. To the fourth place M. Downam answereth that Daniel speaketh not of Antichrist at all which he proueth by the authoritie of the learned of our times but nameth not any perhaps because Dan. 7. 11. 12. he was ashamed to oppose them to those which Cardinall Bellarmine cited especially to his good Maisters Calwin the Magdclurgenses and Beza Afterward he proueth the same Downam peruerteth Daniel egregiously with reason for that Daniel describeth him whome M. Downam will haue to be Antiochus only as the tenth and Cardinall Bellarmine maketh him the cleauenth as if it were a beast of cleauen hornes which trulie is a straÌ„ge bouldnes in M. Downam the words of Daniel being so cleere for hauing said Cap. 7. v. 7. that the fourth beast had ten hornes he forth with added â— 8. Consideraham cornua ceâ—â— corâ—u aliud parâ—â—ulum orium est de medio eorum c. I did consider the hornes no doubt the ten which he had said that the beast had and behould another little horne rose vp in the mydst of theÌ„ so that he distinguisheth it froÌ„ the other ten by three notes 1. calling it another 2. a little one no doubt in respect of the other ten and 3. that it rose vp in the midst of them signifying that they appeared before this and that it was not the tenth may also be gathered by that it arose in the midst and not in the same place as it should haue done if it had signified one of the ten Kings of the Seleucida and Lagidae in Syria and Egipt as M. Downam would haue it Where we may also note that these 10. Kings were all of distinct Prouinces and at one time for otherwise this last horne could not haue risen in the midst of them And againe v. 20. he that expounded the visioÌ„ to Daniel saith thus Et de cornibus decem quae habebat in capite de alio quod ortuÌ„ fuerat c. And of the ten hornes which he had on his head and of the other which arose c. caÌ„ any thing be more plaine theÌ„ that the other which arose was none of the ten But v. 24. more plainly porrò cornua decem ipsius regni decem Reges eruÌ„t alius consurget post eos ipse potentior erit prioribâ—â— c. Moreouer the ten hornes of his kingdome shal be ten Kings and another shall arise after them he shal be more potent theÌ„ the former c. Now what a strange man is M. Downam to say that he is the tenth And by this it is easy to gather how true his exposition is in the rest as that those 10. Kings ruled succeffiuelie euer the Iewes and that 6. for the most part were dead before the 10. was borne of which we shall haue Chap. 16. occasion to speake hereafter Now it is sufficient to note that Bellarmine addeth that of the subuing seauen out of the 12. 23. and 17. of the Apocalyps togeather with the 7. of Daniel for in all those places there is mention made of the 10. hornes but with this difference that in the 12. chap. of Apoc. 3. v. there be togeather with the 10. hornes 7. heads with 7. diadems in the 13. there be also 7. heades vpon the hornes 10. diadems of which difference in the diadems that in the former place they be but 7. and in the latter ten the reasoÌ„ is for that Antichrist shall kill three Kinges and so there shall only 7. remayne But of this wee shall likewise haue occasion to speake more heereafter Now therefore let vs goe forward with M. Downam who saith that if Antiochus be Chap. 16. spoken of and Antichrist be by him figured it followeth not that Antichrist shal be a particuler man as Antiochus was for that the likenes doth not hould in all thinges but only in those in respect whereof the type is a figure as the high Priest of the Iewes was a figure of Christ and yet they were many Melchrsedeth was as Papistes say a figure of theyr Priestes and yet was but one Iosuah Dauid Salomon types of Christ and yet not like him in all As though Bellarmine said that Antichrist shal be like Antiochus in all thinges or in any other thing then that which is set downe in the Scripture and confirmed againe in the new Testament so vnderstood by the Fathers as in his victories and such other circumstances that cannot agree to many but only to one particuler man as Antiochus was and Antichrist shal be 8. To the 5. place M. Downam answereth that S. Iohn Daniel speake of diuers matters For confirmation wherof he denieth againe the 11. horne in Daniel adding this proofe Apoc. 13. 17. that otherwise the 4. beast were abeast of 11. hornes To which it is easie to answere that before that little horne arose that beast is described with 10. hornes and after he had but 7. left for three of them were pulled vp by this little horne and by See cap. 1â— this all the difference he putteth betwixt the 10. Kinges in Daniel and S. Iohn is ouerthrowne After he commeth to the tyme of the persecution of Antiochus Antichrist for the former he graunteth that it endured only from the 15. day of the moneth Casleu in the 145. yeare of the Kingdome of the Seleucidae 1. Macah. 1. 57. vnto the 25. of the moneth Casleu in the yeare 148. 1. Macab 4. 52. which make 3. yeares and ten daies which is all that Daniel assigned by a time and times and parcell of a tyme. Where he maketh bould with Daniel changing halfe a tyme vnto a parcell of a tyme for the Prophet saith plainly Downam corrupteth the text of Daniel Dan 7. 12. both cap. 7. v. 25. vsque ad tempus tempora diâ—â—diunt temporis and againe cap. 12. v. 7. he saith that the Angell swore by him that lyueth for euer quia in tempus tempora dimidium temporis and after he counteth it also by dayes dies mille duceuts â—â—naginta and yet all this will not keep M. Downam from taking away so much as he thinketh necessary for to make his interpretation good But when he commeth to the Apocalyps
yet Downamâ— vayne bragging it maketh nothing against vs. And heere M. Downam braggeth of the goodnes of his argumeÌ„t yet straight way after he calleth it oÌ„ly an aÌ„swere But the poore maÌ„ is deceaued in thinking that when one saith transeat because the argument is impertinent that he doth it because the argument is very good wheras indeed it is only because it is nothing worth as M. Downam might easily haue seene in this of his by the 4. precedent answeres And there can no argument be more fully answered then by shewing that it may be answered many wayes and in all opinions And lastly that though it were admitted yet the cheife question remayneth as doubtfull as before But M. Downam saith that none of their side make this argument Antichrist is not one man Therefore the Pope is Antichrist which because he saith it we will beleeue him but then I must aske him whether any of them make this argument or noe The head of the generall Apostasie which endureth many yeares is Antichrist but the Pope is the head of this Apostasie Ergo the Pope is Antichrist for this M. Downam himselfe setteth downe in the end of his discourse and this is the argument which Bellarmine answereth by letting passe the proposition with a transeat though it be false denying the AssumptioÌ„ 20. And so at last M. Downam is content to proue it which he doth very worshipfully by an argument that is called petitio principij alleadging certaine points in controuersy Downams petitio principij and supposing that we teach false in them all as about Marriages Fastings though he know well inough that we allow the Sacrâ—ment of matrimony forbid none to marry but such as of their owne accord haue bound themselues to the essate of continency nor commaund any Fastinges for that we thinke any creature of God vncleane or defiled nor adore Images as Idols or Gods nor refuse any part of Scripture or admit any thing against Scripture as he falsely affirmeth but onlie deny Hereticall interpretations and admit certaine and vndoubted Traditions and Definitions which agree with Scripture and are both commended and many tymes insinuated in Scripture though not so plainely explicated as other pointes of doctrine which are held aswell by Tradition as by manyfest Scripture expounded by the vniforme consent of holy Fathers But it is strange how M. Downam slippeth ouer that which Bellarmine vrgeth Downam dissembleth the difficultie against him which is that they haue plainely apostated from our Church euen by their owne confession and that they cannot shew that euer weapostated from any Church at al and consequently that there is farre more likelyhood that they belong to the generall Apostasie of which Antichrist is head since it is plaine that in some sort they are Apostataes then we who in no sort can be proued to haue apostated at all 21. Hitherto you haue seene how M. Downam hath replyed against Bellarmine Now you shall here one obiection of his owne in these wordes To the 3. former arguments a fourth may be added the 7. heads of that beast which signifieth the Roman estate Apoc. 17. are not so many persons but so many heades or States of gouerment wherby the commonwealth of the Romans hath ben at diuers tymes gouerned the sixt head was the state of Emperors the 7. Antichrist as the Papists confesse for which he citeth Rhem. in Apoc. 17. and Bellarmine the eight which also is one of the 7. the state of the Emperours renewed Wherby it euidently appeareth not only that Antichrist is not one man but also that the Pope who is the 7. head is Antichrist To which I answere that all or the most part of this exposition is false and especiallie that which appertayneth to the present purpose For first he bringeth neither author nor reason to proue that those 7. heades did signifie 7. states of gouernement in Rome and others as good authors as M. DownaÌ„ doe expound it farre otherwise Secondly though we admit this exposition as probable and that the head is Antichrist yet it followeth not that he shal be any more then one man for he may haue a different gouernement which is to endure but only in his owne tyme especially since in the same place he is said to staie a short tyme and els where it is plainly explicated that it shal be only three yeares and a halfe and so it appeareth not soe euidentlie as M. Downam weeneth that Antichrist or the 7. head shall not be one man euen in his owne exposition and much less that the Pope is Antichrist For neither is he the 7. head since the 6. still remayneth neither hath he endured a short tyme as the 7 head shall And as for the 8. which M. Downam would make an head also for Downam addeth an head of his owne to the 7. of the beast which he must be faine to lend him his owne head for otherwise there wil be only 7. found in the Scripture it is manifest that M. Downams interpretation is most foolish for that he maketh the beast with 7. heades to haue 8. and himselfe to be one of them and so to be also only one head he being indeed no head at all but a beast which hath 7. heads and is said to be the 8. in number not of heads but of distinct rulers or gouernours for that he is distinct from all the other 7. which are called his heads and yet is of them as he whose instruments they haue bene and whome he hath moued incited to all manner of euill which plainely discouereth M. Downams follie in applying it to the Emperours which now are And so all his obiection is shewed to be friuolous of which I shall haue occasion to speake heerafter whither I remit the Reader for further proofes THE THIRD CHAPTER Wherein it is shewed that Antichrist is not yet come ABOVT the third saith Bellarmine concerning the tyme of Antichrists coÌ„ming there haue bene many false suspicions many errors aswell of Catholikes as of Heretikes but with this difference that the Catholikes knowing that Antichrist shall not come but in the end of the world which is the truth they erred notwithstanding in that they thought that the end of the world had ben neerer then indeed it was But the Heretikes do erre in that they think that Antichrist shall come long before the end of the world and that in verie deed he is alreadie come Let vs therefore speake of both errors First all auncient Writers considering the malice of their tymes suspected that the tymes of Antichrist were at hand So the Thessalonians in the Apostles tyme did thinke that the daie of our Lord drew neere whome the Apostle doth correct 2. Thess 2. In like manner S. Cyprian lib. 3. ep 1. Antichrist saith he drawing neere prepareth soldiars for the battaile And lib. 4. ep 6. You must know saith he and belieue and hould for
yet the Kingdomes in his exposition were signified by the fourth Beast and iron legges and the Kinges by the 10. hornes and 10. toes And is not M. Downam a wise man thinke you to confirme one absurditie with another farre greater and which he knoweth his aduersary will much lesse graunt then that Downam childishly confirmeth one absurditie with another farre greater which he goeth about to proue Besides that this deuise is so foolish that euery child will laugh at M. Downam for it for who seeth not that the King succeedeth not his Kingdome as the ten toes doe the iron legges and the ten hornes by the consent of all Ecclesiasticall writers the 4. beast but must of force be vnited togeather except we will make the Kingdomes of the Seleucidae and Lagidae or of the Romans to haue byn without their Kings and Emperours and afterward againe the Kinges Emperours without their States which is so grosse an absurditie as mee thinkes M. Downam should see it and it is little lesse to call these Kinges the toes of their Kingdomes whereas euerie man els accompteth them the heads in respect of their owne Kingdomes howsoeuer in respect of others they may be called toes because of their succession in the last place And by this that hath byn said I doubt not it will appeare to the iudicious Reader whether Bellarmines argument or M. Downams answere be more impertinent and friuolous 3. To the second proofe out of the Apocal. 17. M. Downam hath very little to answere therfore he is glad to take hould Apoc. 17. of euery word spoken obiter and by the way as that Rome is the Harlot wherof S. Io. speaketh and that the seauen heads signify all the Emperours of Rome the first of which M. Downam liketh very well but the second he affirmeth to be vntrue because they are numbred fiue are fallen the sixt is and the 7. is not yet come in which point I will not now much cōtend because M. Downam confesseth that it is besides the purpose And if hereafter he can bring any other exposition more probable he shall find me very ready to allow of it though he might haue vsed more moderation in his censure Downam not moderate in his censure since he cannot choose but know that many great authors haue taken the number of 7. in this place indefinitely as without all question in many other places it is to be taken and his difficulty must be solued by himselfe since that in this very chapter he affirmeth that Apoc. 13. by the Beast with 7. heades is meant the Roman State and that vnder the Roman Emperours especially and yet by the head which was wounded which he maketh the 6. he likewise vnderstandeth the State of the Emperours which besides the difficulty common to Bellarmine inuolueth a contradictiō peculier to M. Downam Neither will I stand now to discusse with M. Downam whether Rome be the Seate of Antichrist or no or how and in what state only I must aduise him that Bellarmine affirmeth not that the VVhore of Babylon is the seate of Antichrist as neither that Rome after the desolation of the Empire is the VVhore of Babylon but these are M. Downams owne additions See cap. 13. which if he will haue graunted he must first proue them in their due places But now to come to that which Bellarmin would proue M. Downam first is inforced to yeild that these ten hornes signify 10. Kinges which shall raigne togeather and only can help himselfe with affirming that these are not the same ten hornes whereof Daniel speaketh which raigned successiuelie For which point I remit my selfe to that which hath byn said in the former proofe besides that it is no small confirmation that S. Iohn must needes be vnderstood of 10. Kinges which raigne togeather since their wordes are so like and S. Iohn may be thought to expound Daniel whome heere M. Downam citeth cap. 11 perhaps through the Printers fault since that chapter maketh not to his purpose and therefore was neuer mētioned in the whole precedent discourse Well it is now at length agreed vpon that there shall 10. Kinges raigne togeather Wherfore it only remayneth to proue that in the time of these 10. Kings there shal be no Roman Emperour consequently that the Roman Empire shal be vtterly destroyed and so it is tyme for M. Downam to bestirre himselfe and to vse al his iugling tricks First then he bringeth in Bellarmines first proposition in the beginning of the question for an argument in this place and not truly neither But it will be best to heare M. Downams owne wordes How then saith he doth Bellarmine proue that before Antichrist commeth the Roman Empire shall be so vtterly destroyed as not the name of a Roman Emperour or King of the Romans should remayne because the Empire shall be deuided among 10. Kinges which are not Roman Kinges c. Wheras Bellarmines wordes are these VVe must know that the Roman Empire is at length to be deuided into ten Kinges of which none shal be or be called King of the Romans where you see not only the being but also the name of Roman Kinges is excluded But saith M. Downam he that is none of those 10. Kinges may haue the name of the Emperour or King of the Romans as namely the beast which was is not though it be which is the 8. head and is one of the 7. that is to say the Emperour erected by the Pope This found and foolish conceipt that the beast which was and is not is the Emperour erected by the Pope shall in other places be largely confuted Now I would only know how this Emperour can be when the whole Empire is deuided among those other 10. Kinges as Bellarmine affirmeth and proueth out of this very place as we should haue seene ere this had not M. Downam interrupted vs with his impertinent disgressions which perhaps foreseeing and fearing he putteth another question somewhat more to the purpose And why may none of these be called the King of the Romans first forsooth because they shall hate Rome and make her desolate But he might haue kept his first forsooth in his purse insteed of money for Bellarmine giueth but one reason which is the foresaid wordes of Scripture adding only the exposition of them which because M. Downam could not impugne he though best to deuide that so hauing separated the exposition from the place of Scripture the one might want authority and the other be easily shifted of as he doth in these words As though he that hath the title of the King of the Romans may not hate Rome notwithstanding that title as indeed some of the Emperours haue done which euasion had byn too ridiculous if he had added Bellarmines exposition to wit that the Scripture testifieth that these Kings shal hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked and shall eate her flesh and shal burne her
forsake all worldly thinges yea imbrace death it selfe not to haue this happines differed for very few so long as they liue in this world haue their spirituall eyes so cleere as to haue so great and effectuall a conceyt of Caluin thinketh that only Christ is in Heauen that others stay without Heauen and those which haue are of those perfect who easilie conforme themselues to Gods blessed will in this all other things And heere likewise I might put M. Downam in mind that his great Maister Caluin l. â— Instit cap. 20. § 20. affirmeth that only Christ is entred into the Sanctuarie of Heauen and all other stay without in the Court and there expect vntill the end of the world And § 24. he saith that the soules of the Saintes haue faith still as we haue which being soe no doubt he must needes thinke that they enioy not the visioÌ„ of God in which our essentiall happines consisteth So that in this mans opinion there is no great difference betwixt Henoch and Elias and other Saintes But I am glad to see M. Downam leaue his Maister in this would to God he would do so in the rest also that my ioy for him might be complete Another trifling obiection of M. Downam is that S. Iohn mentioneth neither Enoch nor Elias As though it were not sufficient that the holie Fathers expound it so and that the circumstances are such as that they cannot with anie shew of probability be applied to anie other which is the reason that he himselfe onlie goeth about to impugne but dares Downam dareth not defend his fellowes not take vpon him to defeÌ„d his fellow heretikes expositioÌ„s which Bellarmine coÌ„futeth nor bring any other of his owne And surelie it is a great wonder that in the Apocalyps S. Iohn should be so ouerseene as to speake so darkelie that he would leaue out the names of these two witnesses Fir allie he threatneth Bellarmine with another answere saying But if I should adde that Bellarmine cannot prooue that this place treateth of Antichrist but rather of the Beast with seauen heades arising out of the sea that is the Romayne State either generallie or speciallie vnder the Emperours as may be gathered by comparing verse 2. 7. of the 11. Chap. with the 1. and 5. of the 13. I would then know to what purpose he alleadgeth this text to prooue that Enoch and Elias shall come against Antichrist if neither the one nor the other be heere meant Well Syt put Bellarmine to prooue this when you will and you shall see how many Authors he will bring you to prooue that both these places are to be vnderstood of Antichrist for the later which you thinke most hard you may take a view of those which he cited in the former Chapter where I also added a few more And this proofe shall suffice for this tyme for before you and I part I doubt not wee shall discusse this matter more fully 7. After that M. DownaÌ„ hath thus substantiallie answered Bellarmines first argument out of the Scripture he commeth to the Fathers whom he will soone dispatch and send theÌ„ Downam reiecteth the Fathers packing for first seeing that they all consent about the coÌ„ming of Elias his aÌ„swere is in plaine wordes to tell theÌ„ that they were all deceaued but yet he doth them so much fauour as to confesse that they had reason to be so because they followed the corrupt translation of the 72. who Malach. 4. v. 5. reade Elias the Thesâ—ite so that now all the fault is layd by M. Downam vpon these Interpreters at which the latin Interpreter of Ecclesiasticus hath good cause to reioyce since by this meanes Downam reiecteth the 72. Interpreters his case is no worse then that of these 72. Interpreters who yet were approued by our Sauiour himselfe and his Apostles who were wont to cite the Scripture as they translated it and all the holy Fathers to expound it also as vndoubted Scripture and this place in particuler was approued by S. Hierome in his traslation of the 70. as also in his Commentaries and by S. Cyril and Theodoretus ibidem S. Augustine l. 20. de ciuit cap. 22. where he also saith that the 70. Interpreters prophetice interpretati sunt did interprete as Prophets and not as bare Interpreters And lib. 18. cap. 42. he acknowledgeth in them vniuersally mirabilem ac stupendum planéque diuinum in eorum verbis fuisse consensum that there was an admirabley wonderfull yea manifestly a diuine consent in their The 72. Interpreters not to be reiected wordes And a little after reuerà spiritus erat vnus in omnibus verily they had all one spirit to wit the spirit of truth and of prophesy with which the Scriptures were first written conformably to which S. Hierome praesat in Paralip acknowledgeth that the 70. did adde some thinges vel ob decoris gratiam velob Spiritus sancti authoritateÌ„ either for ornament or for the authoritate of the Holy Ghost But this place in particuler is likewise approued by Euthymius in Matth. 17. Arethas in Apoc. 11. and finally by S. Chrysostom hom 58. in Matth. where he also saith Vides exactam c. Thou seest the exact diligence of the Prophets prediction for because S. Iohn might also be called Elias for the likenes of the mystery to auoyde confusion he added the Countrey calling him Elias the Thesbite for S Iohn was no Thesbite Secondly he saith that some Author disagre about Enochs comming in whose place they put either Elizaeus or Moyses or Hieremy But what is this to the purpose since Bellarmines argument hath still the same force For all consent that Elias is to come and as yet he is not come and besides the common opinion is that Enoch shall come with him though perhaps it bee not altogeather so certaine of him as of Elias Lastly he would make vs belieue that among all the ancient which Bellarmine citeth only S. Gregory is alleadged to the purpose whose authority he reiecteth with a scoffe But this is to shew himselfe in his colours that is a ridiculous scoffing Minister For any man that hath but morall honesty Downam scoffeth at S. Gregory cannot choose but much condemne this his prophane spirit to contemne this Saintes auctority because he morally expouÌ„deth a place of Scripture with the receaued doctrine of the Church not prouing it out of that place but only affirming that by a morall application those wordes might haue that sense which the very title of that whole booke might haue giuen this Minister to vnderstand if he had either wit in his head or honesty in his hart VVell he is content to graunt that S. Gregory was flat for Bellarmine But why doth he deny it of the rest Surely it is hard to imagine since their wordes are so plaine and therfore till he giueth vs a reason we may iustly thinke that he hath none but was willing
with Antichrist which they cannot do without yielding themselues vnto him since it is certayne that he shal be the Moâ—â—â—ch of the whole world and because the Scripture is not so expresse Bellarmine only saith that it may be inferred out of that place as it may likewise out of the 12. and 13. Apoc. as in part hath ben touched And is it not euident inough of it selfe that the little horne which presumed to encounter if not all the 10. yet Apoc. 12. 13. at least three of them while he was so little will not stay there when he is growne great but cause the other 7. to subiect themselues vnto him The other questions and assertions which M. Downam hath are already confuted and therefore not to be repeated now againe Wherefore let vs see what he saith to the testimonies of S. Chrysostome and S. Cyril I answere saith he that for substance these Fathers held the truth for what Monarch hath there byn in the VVest these 5. or 6. hundreth yeares besides the Pope c where I beseech the Reader to Why M. Downam admitteth any of the Fathers marke attentiuely M. Downams reason why he alloweth the testimony of the Fathers which is no other but because they are against the Pope in some sort according to his conceipt for otherwise we may see by that which he answeteth to the 3. former and that which he saith of them all in generall a little before how little he setteth by their authority Now for the Monarchy of the West it is euident The Pope no temporall Monarch that it remaineth in the Emperours and that which he attributeth to the Pope euery child will see how different it is from the Monarchy of the Romans and how small a thing it is if you take away his spirituall authoritie which no doubt is the greatest vpon earth But what is that to the temporall power of which these Fathers speake Now how the Pope is Lord of the whole earth and how he disposeth of the new found world we shall examine at large in the second part and how the gouernment of Rome belongeth not to Antichrist in whose time it shal be destroyed as neither the 2. beast Apoc. 13. nor the 7. head Apoc. 17. to the Pope hath bin already sufficiently declared 15. To the 4. argument M. Downam answereth nothing Antichrist shall persecute the Christians through the whole world with an innumerable army which Bellarmine himself hath not confuted at large in his discourse of Gog and Magog which M. Downam wholy omitteth vnder pretext of not troubling his Reader but indeed because he would not discouer his owne shame for otherwise at least he might haue answered to so much of it as made against himself The like deceipt he vseth in passing ouer Bellarmines answers to the Protestants obiections or arguments wherby they indeauour to proue the Pope Antichrist because he saw that they contayned in effect an answere to his former booke But I may not omit either that so the Reader may iudge how well M. Downam hath cleared them in his former booke of which he seemeth himself to make some doubt by telling vs that the controuersie betwixt vs is not whether euery argument that hath bin produced by euery one doth necessarily conclude the Pope to be Antichrist and that that discourse is rather personall then reall and therfore he letteth it passe THE SEAVENTENTH CHAPTER Of Gog and Magog WHERFORE the first opinion or rather errour saith Bellarmine is of the Iews who teach that Gog is Antichrist Magog innumerable Scythian Nations which lurke within the Caspian Mountaynes and that Antichrist shall come with Magog that is with an Army of Scythians at the same tyme that the Messias shall first appeare in Hierusalem and that there shal be a battaile fought in Palestine and such an ouerthrow in the Army of Gog that for 7. yeares the Iewes shall not cut any wood from trees to make fire withall but shall burne the speares bucklers and other weapons which shal be found with the dead bodyes and that afterward there shall be a golden world c. S. Hierome relateth this opinion in cap. 38. Ezech. and Petrus Galatinus lib. 5. cap. 12. cont Iudaeos and Rabbi Dauid Kimhi in his CoÌ„mentary vpon the Psalmes in many places but the Iewes erre in two things First that they think the battaile of Gog Magog shal be in the first comming of Christ confouÌ„ding the first with the second Wheras notwithstanding the Scriptures plainly teach that Christ in his first coÌ„ming was to come in humility and as a meeke sheep to be sacrificed as it is manifest Isa 53. and in other places Secondly in that they thinke that Antichrist shall come against them and fight with their Messias wheras indeed Antichrist shall be their Messias and shall fight with the Iewes against our Sauiour the true Christ The second opinion is of Lactantius lib. 7. cap. 24. 25. 26. who thinketh that the battaile of Gog and Magog shall be a thousand yeares after the death of Antichrist for he teacheth that after 6000. yeares from the beginning of the world Antichrist shall come and raygne three yeares a halfe and that then Antichrist shal be slayne Christ shall appeare the Resurrection shall be and the Saints shall raign heere with Christ vpon earth for a thousand yeares in great peace and tranquillity the Infidels not being wholy rooted out but seruing peaceably Which ended the Diuell shal be loosed againe and a most fierce warre of all Nations be raysed against the same Saints which they serued for a thousand yeares and this is the battaile of Gog and Magog of which Ezechiel and S. Iohn do speake But that a little after all the wicked shal be slayne by God and that then the second Resurrection shall be and the world be wholy renewed This opinion was also of many of the ancient Fathers as Papias S. Iustine S. Irenaeus Tertullian Apollinaris and some others as S. Hierome relateth in cap. 36. Ezech. and Eusebius lib. 3. hist cap. vlt. But it is long since exploded as a manifest errour for our Lord Matth. 24 and â—5 plainly teacheth that after the persecution of Antichrist the last iudgment shall follow forthwith and that all the good shall go into euerlasting life and all the euill into euerlasting fire and therfore that afterward there shall not be another thousand yeares nor euer after any more battailes The third opinion is of Eusebius who lib 9. demonst Euang. cap. 3. thinketh that Gog is the Roman Emperour and Magog his Empire But he buildeth vpon a false Foundation for he deduceth this opinion ouâ— of Numb 24. where according to the translation of the 70. we read the kingdome of Gog shal be extolled and his Kingdome shal be increased God hath brought him out of Egypt c. where the Scripture seemeth to say thaâ— when Christ shall returne out oâ— Egypt in his infancy
the name of Constantinople being omitted there remayned the fame and opinion of a woman Bishop and Vniuersall Bishop some began in hatred of the Roman Church to say that that woman had bene Bishop of Rome And it is very like that this fame arose about the tyme of Martin himselfe Certainly Martinus Polonus who first wrote it bringeth no Author but only said It is reported wherfore he only had it by an vncertaine rumour Neither ought it to seeme strange if some feigned this fable in hatred of the Church of Rome that ground of a woman being Bishop supposed and there being so many contentions at that tyme betwixt those which fauoured the Emperours and others which fauoured the Popes for now also we see that the Magdeburgians do feigne more incredible things for wheras Martin only wrote that this was an English woman of Mentz and added nothing of the Parents proper name of the woman and other things the Magdeburgians haue added that the Father of this woman was an English Priest and that she in the beginning was called Gilbert and that she was brought vp in the habite of a man in the Monastery of Fulda and that she wrote bookes of witchcraft which are all meere fancies inuented without witnesse or reason Adde that this Martinue Polonus seemeth to haue bene a most simple man for he writeth many other fables as though they were most authenticall hystories Now that which they obiect of the hollow seate of the womans Statua and the going out of the way is easily solued for as is manifest out of the first booke of sacred Cerimonyes Sect. 2. there were three seates of stone in the Lateran Church in which the new Pope did sit at the tyme of his Coronation The first seate was before the entrance into the Temple which was vile and abiect to which seate the new Pope was first brought and did sit vpon it for a little space that it might be signified by that cerimony that he ascended from a most low place to the highest place that is for lifting him from thence they sung that 1. Reg. 2. Suscitat de puluere egenum de stercore erigit paâ—perem vt sedeat cum Principibus solium gloria teneat and this is the cause why that seate is called Stercoraria Another seate was of Porphiry in the Pallace it selfe and there he sate the second tyme in token of Possession and sitting there he receaued the Keyes of the Church of the Lateran Pallace The third seat was like the second and not farre from it and after sitting a little in it he deliuered the same keyes to him of whome he had receaued them before Perhaps that by that cerimomony he might be admonished of death by which ere long he was to resigne that power to another Of any seate to discouer the sexe there is no mention any where And that Statua of the woman with child without doubt was not of Pope Iohn for if our Aduersaries say that the ancient Historiographers would not make mention of this woman in their bookes in the Popes fauour how is it probable that the Popes themselues would haue memory of it extant in a Statua Besides if it were the Statua of this Iohn it should haue represented a Woman with an infant newly borne but that Image did neither represent a woman nor did carry an infant in her armes but did expresse a good big boy and many yeares old as a seruant going before Wherefore some do coniecture that it was a Status of some heathen Priest prepared to Sacrifice before whom his Minister went Finally it is not in destestation of that cryme why the Popes go not the shorter way to the Lateran but because the way is narrow and steepy and therefore incommodious for the Popes trayne or compaine which alwayes vseth to be very great Adde that as Onuphrius witnesseth there want not Popes who haue oftner then once gone that very way FINIS Omnia Ecclesiae Catholicae Romanae subiecta sunto A TABLE OF THE PARTICVLER MATTERS CONTEYNED IN THIS BOOKE ADORATION of Images the Eucharist vsed before the yeare 606. c. 11. n. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what it signifieth in composition cap. 1. nu 3. Antichrist how taken in the Scriptures other Authors c. 1. n. 4. His members somtime open enemies to Christ cap. 2. n. 11. How he shal be an Apostata c. 2. n. 15. How he shall draw men to follow him c. 2. n. 17. His comming and reuelation all one cap. n. 18. He shal be one particuler man cap. 2. per totum He is signifyed by the former beast Apoc. 13 cap. 5 n. 5. His false Prophet is signified by the latter ibid. Whether he be the wounded head Apoc. 13. ibi His persecution most grieuous cap 7. n. 1. Greater then the calamities of the Iewes cap. 7 n 2. It shal be most manifest c 7 n â— In Antichrists time all the Churches enemies shall ioyne to impugne her c. 7. n. 6. The publike and daily sacrifice shall cease cap. 7. n. 7. The last moneth of Antichrists life is not accouÌ„ted in his raigne cap 8. n. â— He shall reigne yeares a halfe cap. 8. per totum He shal be Prince of all the wicked in generall c. 8. n. 3. The tyme of his reigne very short cap. 8. n. 5. He may rayse an vniuersall persecution at one time cap. 8. n. 6. Two degrees of his destruction c. 9. n. 2. Antichrists comming shall not be long before the end of the world c. 9. per totum He cannot be said to come at all but in the last houre cap. 9. n. 3. His name shal be knowne when he is come cap. 9. n. 1. 2. It is yet vnknowne c. 10. n. 4. He shal be a most potent King c 10. n. 7. His Marke or Character but one cap. 11. n. 4. He shall be receaued of the Iewes for their Messias cap 12. n. 4. seq He shal be Iew cap 12. n. 10. His seat shal be at Ierusalem c. 13. n. 1. seq Why those that follow him are called Gentills cap 13. 1. He shall sit in materiall Churches and not in the Church of Christ as a Bishop cap. 13. n. 10. Whosoeuer vsurpeth more dignity then is due to him is his forerunner ib. He is the head of all the proud ib. He shall openly deny Iesus to be Christ c. 14. n. 2. seq How he shall seduce cap. 14. n 3. He shall exceed all heretikes ibid. He shall deny Christ to be so much as the adopted sonne of God c. 14. n. 4. he shall prohibite the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme ib. he shal be the Iewes Captaine ibid. he shall restore all their cerimonies ibid. he shall cause the Sabaoth to be obserued ibid. he will openly affirme himselfe to be Christ c. 14. n. 7. he will openly name himselfe God cap. 14. n. 9. Why how he shall sit in the Temple ibid. He
n. 17 he weakneth his fellowes arguments c. â— n. 9. his absurd folly c. 2 n. 10. He censureth the Fathers c 2. n 13. His vayne bragging c 2 n. 19 c. 6. n. 8. he addeth an head of his owne to the 7. of the beast Apoc. 17. c. 2. n 21. he is nothing scrupulous in his account c. 3. n. 3. his fond imagination c. 4. n. 10. his immodesty c. 4. n. 14. he is not moderate in his censure c. 5. n. 3. his impudency c 5. n. 3. c. 6. n. 3. c. 14. n. 4. He seemeth to thinke that the Diuel can do true myracles c. â— n. 5. c. â—5 n. 3. he attributeth more to merits then euer any Catholik did c. 6 n. 3. In his opinion Enochs translation maketh as much for any other vertue as for pennance contrary to the Scripture c. 6 n 4. 8. his Martyrs heretikes and rebells c. 7. n. 3. he maintayneth open rebellion and treason c. 7. n. 4. his shamlesselye c. 7. n. 3. his Porphiryes pertinacy c. 7. n. 7. his conferrence of Scripture ibid. his and Foxes exposition of Scripture c. 8. n. 3. his and his fellowes manner of disputing c. 7. n. 7. his childish cauill c 8 n 1. he maketh the ancient Church to be very corrupt c 11 n 5. his blasphemy ibid. He seemeth to haue bene a Puritan when he wrote of Antichrist c. 13. nu 3. 10. his trifling c. 14. n. 4. he belyeth Gregory the 7. cap. 16. n. 12. He belyeth the Cardinalls ibid. Why he admitteth any of the Fathers c. 16. n. 14. E THE Booke of Ecclesiasticus Canoricall Scripture cap 6. n 4. Elias and Enoch shall preach in a manner as long as Antichrist shall raigne cap. 6. n. 7. Elias shall come in person cap. 2. n 13 cap 6 per totum How Elias shall restore all things ibid. The necessity of the comming of Enoch and Elias cap 6 n 5 Enoch Elias are not in heauen cap 6. n 6 Enoch and Elias shall begin to preach in the beginning of Antichrists raigne cap. 8 n 4. The End of the world is not only the last instant c 9 n 4. Whether they which liue at Antichrists death may gather how long it is to the end of the world c. 8. n. 4. Only the iust and learned shall make this collection ibid. The Trybe of Ephraim not omitted Apoc. 7. cap. 12. n 2. When the proper Exposition is to be preferred cap. 4 n 12. How far diuers Expositions are to be admitted cap. 2. n 16. F RHE necessity of the Fathers expositions c. 10. n. 3. Their authority ibid how Catholikes esteeme of them cap. 12. n. 1. The Foolish dreame of the feele Fox c. 8. n. 3. G HOvv the Ghospell was in the whole world in the Apostles tyme cap 4 n 14. The Ghospell shal be preached to all Nations before Antichrists comming cap. 4. per â—oâ—â—m Greeke article when it signifieth a particuler thing c. 2 n 4 S. Gregory answereth Downams obiection cap c. n 8. Gregory the 14. c. 16. n. 12. Gog Magog c. 17. per totum H A Great Happinesse to be put to death by Antichrist cap. 6. n 8. The Herodians c. 12. n 10. Why Heretikes can worke no myracles cap. 15. n. 2. The 7. Heads of the beast Apoc. 13. are not the same with Apoc. 17. cap. 15. n. 4. The little Horne Dan. 7. is not the same with that of Dan. 8. c. 16. n. 1. S. Hippolytus cap. 11. n. 12. I IANSENIVS cap. 6. n. 4. S. Ierome confuteth Porphiry Downam c 7. n 7. The Importance of the controuersie c 1 n. 1. The Interruption of the Iewes sacrifice was only 3. yeares c. 7. n. 7. Iosephus corrupted c. 8. n 2 Iupiter cap 14 n 12 K THE Kingdomes wherof Daniel speaketh were not to be ended before Christ cap. 16. nu 5. WheÌ„ our Sauiour is to destroy theÌ„ ibid. When he began spiritually to ouerthrow them ibid. The â— Kingdomes into which that of Alexander was deuided belong to the beast described Dan. 7. and not to the 4. c. 16. n 6. 18. The Kingdomes of the Lagidae and Seleuâ—idae caÌ„not be signified by the 4 beast Dan. 7. c. 16. n. 6. Why theâ— Kings which Antichrist shall slay are called the 3. first â—â— former c. â—â— n. 1â— L THE Latin Interpreter is nor to be reiected cap. 6. n. 4. The name of Latin cannot be giuen to the Pope c. 10. n. 4. It contayneth not the number 666. ib. n. 7. How Latria is giuen to the Crosse by Catholikes c. 11. n. 1â— Why the Tribe of Leui is often omitted c. 1â— n. 2. M MARTINVS 5. his Bul against the Huffites cap 11. n. 4. A Mortall man may be truly called God cap 14. n. 1â— Maozim signifieth not the true God c. 14. n 14. It may signify Antichrist ibid. It signifieth a strong tower cap 14. n. 15 Myracles in generall belong both to good bad c. 15. n 2. Why the diuells help is necessary to worke counterfait Myracles c. 5. n. 5. c. 15. n. 3. N THE Name which contayneth the nuÌ„ber 666. shal be the proper vsual name of Antichrist c. 10. n. 7. Many Names contayne that number ibid. Nilas cap. 15 n. 2. O THE Oath of Obedience made to the B. of Rome before the yeare 606. cap. 11. n. 8. If the Oath be lawful the often exacting of it is not culpable ibid. One faith one Church c. 13. n 3. P PROTESTANTS put Catholikes to death for ReligioÌ„n c 7. n. 4. An inuisible Persecution of an inuisible congregation cap. 7. n. 6. Phoâ—as gaue not the title of vniuersall to the Pope c. n. 4. And that which he gaue the Pope had before ibid. The Pope hath power to depose Princes for the spirituall good of Christs Church cap. 3. n. 5. The Popes whom the Protestants account Antichrist arise not from base estate cap. 16. n. 11. The Pope no temporal Monarch cap. 16. n. 14. The Protestants expositioÌ„ of Scripture not much worth cap. â— n. 16. How much they agree with the Samosatens and all other heretikes c. 3. n 2. Their disagreement about Antichrists coÌ„ming c 3 n. 3. The Prophesies concerning the destruction of Ierusalem and the end of the world intermingled c 4. n. 9. The Persecution of Catholikes in England c. 7 n. 4. R THE reason of Romes preheminence is not because it is the chiefe Citty c. 3. n. 4. X. Kings shall diuide the Roman Empyre among them so that there shal be no Roman Emperour in their time cap 5. n. 2. The Roman Empyre signified by the 2. iroÌ„ Legs of Nabuchodonosors Statua and the 4. beast Dan 7. cap. 5. n. 2. By the 10. toes of Nabuchodonosors Statua and the 10. hornes of the 4. beast Dan. 7. are signified the 10. Kings which shall deuide the Roman Empyre among them cap. 5. n. 2. The Roman Empyre shal be vtterly destroyed by the 10. Kings c. 5. n. 3. per totum How many wayes the Fathers affirme the vtter destruction of the Roman Empire why they speake sparingly of this point c. 5. n. 3. There is now a Roman Emp. indeed and not in name or title only cap. 5. n. 3. The name Romanus contayneth not the number 666 c. 10. n. 7. To cleaue to the Roman Church was the signe of a true Catholike before the yeare 696. c. 11. n. 7. How the Church of Rome is vnited staÌ„deth with other Churches ibid. Those which belong not to the Church of Rome belong not to Christ but to Antichrist ibid. Not Christian but Heathen Rome is called Babylon and an Harlot Apoc 17. c. cap. 13. n. 8. S SACRIFICE for the dead vsed before the yeare 606. c 11. n. 10. The difficulty of Scripture and why many erre in the interpretation therof cap 7. n. 7. When the Scripture is litterally to be vnderstood of the figure and when of the thing figured c. 14. n. 13. How we may argue from the mysticall sense of Scripture c. 10. n. 3. The mysticall Sâ—nse intended by the holy Ghost ibid. Except the litterall Sense be certaine we caÌ„not argue from it ibid. The consent of the Fathers maketh both Senses certayne ibid. Why Seleucus Philopater is called Vilissimus c. 16. n. 8. The Seauenty two Interpreters not to be reiected c. 6. n. 7. The Sybils verses of Adrian are expounded c. 10. n. 2. Why Symeon is omitted in Moyses his blessing cap. 12. n. 2. How the Signes of Antichrist shal be lying c. 15 n. 1. T TEMPLE what it signifieth in the new Testament c. 13. n. 3. How the Temple of Ierusalem is by S. Paul called the Temple of God c. 13. n 9. And it shal be built again in the end of the world ibid. But it shal be alway prophane ibid. It shall not be finished ibid. The thousand yeares Apoc. 2. are to be taken indefinitely cap. 7. n. 2. By the great Tribulation Matth. 24. is meant the persecution of Antichrist a little before the end of the world cap. 4. n. 5. 13. The Turks inferior to Antichrist c. 14. n. 7. V VNCTION of Priests vsed before the yeare 606 cap. 11. n. 9. The word vntill signifieth neither continuance nor cessation but is indifferent to both cap. 13. n. 9. Vrbanus 7. cap. 16. n. 12. FINIS Faultes escaped in the Printing Page Line Fault Correction â—8 29. is forerunner is forerunne 41. 39. in the Apostasy in the Apostles time 133. 33. beginning neither beginning neither ibid. 8. hatred of hatred out of 172. 15. deemeth denyeth 180. 34. graunteth groundeth 192. 12. 19. and last chapter 19. last chapters 229. 34. former grounds founder grounds 237. 38. them so them so 266. 39. Antichrist sitting Antichrist his sitting 272. 20. all Idols also Idols 275. 2. frame himselfe feigne himselfe 276. 7. shewing as shewing himselfe as 281. 7. prouided proued 298. 5. proue that proue but that 310. 18. tortures torturers 315. 29. Antichrists Antichrist 320. 36. one and one And 335. 23. as neither the 2. as neither the 3. 339. 34. exposition wherof exposition wherof 380. 1. Maozim Neither Maozim who seeth not that Christ is the God Maozim Neither c. 387 13. bould of bloud of 413. 24. aboue those about those Other faultes of lesse moment by reason of the obscure copy and absence of the Author haue likewise escaped which the Reader may easily find and correct of himselfe