under foot the two witnesses shall prophesie because during Antchrists reign Christ shall never want two witnesses least he might seem to be overcome and thrust out of his possession by Antichrist now without al doubt this is the safest opinion sufficeth for the consolation of the godlie If thou demand what is the reason of the change of moneths into dayes Why the moneths are changed into dayes We have nothing here to answer precisely except that the same time the same thing is set forth by diverse expressions as it is familiar with the prophets By two dreames God signified the same thing unto Pharaoh so generally throughout this whole prophesie the same events are prefigured by diverse types Notwithstanding it is not a misse to observe as some have done that the lesser number is attributed to the treading down to denote the shortnes of afflictions the greater to the witnesses to signifie the during and invincible power of the Gospel both which serve to comfort the godly Furthermore what we said before concerning the 42 moneths seems here againe to bee repeated of the 1260 dayes it may be to the end that the time both of the moneths and dayes might hereby be defined For why should the spirit of God rather attribute 42 moneths unto Antichrists treading down then 10 20 60 or 100 and why should 1260 dayes be rather appointed then more or lesse If therefore it might be lawfull to gesse at the termes of the moneths and yeeres from histories past and present then I should thinke that as Antichrist began to tread down the Church when Boniface the third was set on the Chaire of universal pestilence anno 606. and that the Church hath now from that time unto this been troden down 34 moneths and an half so the prophesie of the two witnesses against Antichrist hath continued 1036 dayes and so are not yet ended And as the Churches oppression was not all at one time or instant neyther was the sorest in the beginning but it increased by little little untill at length the holy citie was troden wholie under foot by Antichrist so the preaching of the two witnesses was not alwayes alike perspicuous powerful against him but manifested it self in severall ages by manifold martyrdoms untill at length the mysterie of iniquitie beeing unfolded it most manifestly brake forth in these latter ages For it appeareth by histories that the Bishops of France Germanie yea also of Italie but especially they of Ravenna Mediolanum and Aquileia did often times most stronglie oppose the successours of Pope Boniface As also Synods not a few have condemned the tryannie and idols of the Popes of Rome moreover among these witnesses were John Scottis Bertramus the Abbat Berengarius a priest Waldus in France Wickleffe in England as also Nicolaus Clemanges Marsilius of Patavia Besides many of the Emperours as Henry IV. V. Frederick I. II. Ludowick IV. c. have with all their might suppressed Popish tyrannie Now the reason why I reckon these Emperours among the witnesses I will shew in the following verse See also the Catalogue of witnesses published in two volummes who by prophesying have opposed the Romish Hierarchie A little before the Council of Constans anno 1409. the holy citie was most miserably troden down by Romish beasts Tom 11. concil Constant sess XL. art 67. at what time three Antipopes laid claime and by tyrannie possessed the Antichristian chaire viz. Gregorie XII Benedicte XIII Alexander V. after his death Iohn XXIII who denied that there was any hell or resurrection of the flesh At this time the Antichristian Church was a horrible three headed monster the which schisme dured above seventy yeeres Then Christ raised up two witnesses in Bohemia Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prage to prophesie against those Beasts Who beeing called appeared before the Councill Sigismund the Emperour having swoorn safe-conduct unto them and laid down their testimonie in the assemblie of the Locusts condemning the Antichristian tyrannie of Popes But the thing here foretold happened unto them The Beast overcame and slue them Husse was cruelly burnt anno 1415. 8 of the ides of Iulie Hierom anno 1416. 3 of the Calends of Iune Now however Iohn Husse taught publicklie at Prage in the beginning of the yeere 1400. not withstanding he begane first to maintaine the opinions of Wicleffe and opposed the Beast in the yeer 1412. from which time untill his martyrdom were precisely 42 moneths or 1260 dayes So that the Prophesie may seem to have been fulfilled according to the letter in these two witnesses Now Husse while he was in the fire foretold that the adversaries after an hundred yeeres should give an account to God and to him which also came to passe for an hundred yeeres after the Lord stirred up other couples of Prophets against the beast In Saxonie Luther and Melanchthon at Argentine Buâ—â—er and Cariton In Helvetia Zwinglius and Oecolampadius In France Farellus and Calvin who beeing divinely armed with the spirit and power of Elias be gane with the reed of the holie Scriptures to measure the temple reforme the Church purge the doctrine of the Gospell and cast out the court of priests these beeing dead the Lord raysed up other maintainers of the truth in diverse Kingdoms Provinces Commonwealthes Churches Academies of Europe who unto this day both by word and writing have stronglie opposed themselves against the Beast treading the holy citie under his foot Clothed in sackcloth The titles of the witnesses now follow about which we are in a generall way to observe that what ever of old was attributed in holie scripture as memorable excellent unto the Prophets chiefe servants of God that is here applied unto these not indeed in a litteral sense which in many things can not hold but by a certaine similitude They shal be clothed in sackcloth like unto the Prophet Daniel Chap. 9.13 Two Olive-trees before God as Zerubbabel Iehoshua Zach. 4.11 Fire shall proceed out of their mouth as out of the mouth of Ieremie Ier. 5.14 With it they shall devoure their enemies as Elias 2 King 1. They shall shut heaven that it raine not as the said Elias 1 King 17. They shall turn waters into blood and smite the earth with plagues as often as they will as Moses Aaron Exo. 4.5.6.7.8.9.10 By which we may more clearly perceive First Against the fabulous opinion of Enoch and Elias that the two witnesses are not rightly applied to Enoch Elias seeing nothing of Enoch is here referred unto them The miracles indeed of Elias are attributed unto them but not his alone so that if we should judge by the attributes one of them should no more be Elias then Moses Aaron Ieremie Daniel Zerubbabel or Iehoshua Secondly that two individuals are not onely noted but a few at severall times yet many successively who shall prophesie against the Beast For those prophets unto whom they are likened
oppression for to purge the doctrine of the Gospel from the filth of poperie These are said to be two not individuallie for what can be more absurd then to thinke that Christ should have onely two witnesses Antichrist having in the mean while many thousands of Locusts But two that is a few who should suffice to hold forth the truth in all times even as in judgement by the testimonie of two or three every thing is established Secondlie two definitely because as God of old was wont to use the ministerie of two worthies in the execution of his singular and special workes one of them commonly being a civill the other an ecclesiastical person Thus he sent Moses Aaron to Pharaoh Ioshua Caleb to spie the land Elias Elisha unto Ahab Zerubbabel and Ioshua to bring back the people out of Babylon to restore the worship temple of Ierusalem unto whom there is here a manifest allusion in v. 4. so he raised up under Antichrist for the most part two speciall instruments among his witnesses for the maintenance of his truth as Iohn Husse Ierome of Prague whom the Locusts of the Councill of Constans most cruelly burnt against the publick faith In our Fathers dayes Luther and Melanchthon in Saxonie At Argentine Bucer and Cariton In Helvetia Zwinglius and Oecolampadius In France Farellus and Calvin and so others in other places Furthermore he described the power of the witnesses by many excellent and wonderfull phrases taken out of the historie of the chiefe prophets viz. Their enemies that would hurt them they shall devour by the fire of their mouth as did Elias and Ieremie shut heaven that it raine not for three yeeres and sixe moneths as did the said Elias Turn waters into blood and smite the earth with all manner of plagues as Moses and Aaron smote Aegypt by which allegories is signified that at length the preaching of the Gospell should goe forth with such force efficacie as that no opposite power or threatnings should be able to hinder the same Notwithstanding however they shall finish their testimony yet they shall prevaile little against the Beast for the Beast shall warre against them overcome and kill them by drawing out both swords as we have declared Neither shall the Beast be satiated by oppressing the witnesses but shall cast forth their dead bodies as dung to the scorne of the common people into the streetes of Rome the great citie which is spirituallie that is allegorically called Sodome because of Sodomiticall filthinesse reigning therin Aegypt because of their Aegyptian idolatrie darknesse and obstinacie against Christs ambassadours and Ierusalem because of their wicked cruelty daylie crucifying the Lord Iesus Christ both in his members as also as much as in them is destroying him now glorified in the heavens in their daylie sacrifice of the Masse Thus far we formerly went in our interpretation Now we goe forward 9. ANd they of the kinreds shall see The publick rejoycing of the Christian world in the contumelious oppression of the witnesses of Christ is here signified for they are so far from commiserating of them as on the contrarie they altogether approve the Beasts cruelty in sulting triumphing over their dead bodies as conquered enemies This is the summe of the two verses in which is aggravated both the cruel inhumanitie of the Beast his followers and the ignominious condition of the witnesses But wherefore To the end that seing it to come so to passe we should not be offended as if some strange thing happened unto us For the spirit here foretelleth it as Christ also said unto his disciples yee shall mourn but the world shall rejoyce Ioh. 16.1.2 Yea the time commeth that whosoever killeth you will thinke that he doth God service But the comfort by which the witnesses should raise up themselves is annexed Let us consider the words And shall see to wit the men of this world for Antichrists rage shall not be secret but he will publickly oppose warre against the witnesses of Christ neither shal a few onely see it But they of the people and kinreds and tongues and nations to wit all people c. Which Ribera rightlie interprets of all those nations which shall cleave unto Antichrist And therefore it is false that the Iewes onely shall cleave unto him For his kingdom shall be spread over all peoples nations and tongues that is the whole Christian world shal close joyne with him Let us not therefore be moved with the vain boasting of the Papists because of the largenesse of their Church that all kings princes great men and peoples of the Christian world follow the Pope a few poore and obscure men onely excepted who professe the Gospell As if the multitude of strayers could excuse errour or that it had not been foretold by the spirit that so it should come to passe The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall see here used is changed in 11 vers into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to contemplate diligently with pleasure So that they shall see the dead bodies of the Saintes with great delight joy for all shall applaud their king as if his tyranny were just and righteous yea and that in killing of hereticks he did a divine worke But how long shal they see them Three dayes and an halfe For so long their carkeises shal lie unburied Romish writers doe not agree about this time What is meant by the three dayes and an halfe Lyra applies this whole historie of the witnesses unto Iustinian an Eutychinian Emperour who by Belizarius banished Pope Sylverius imprisoned Mena the Bishop and this he will have to be the three yeeres and an half Rupertus doth scarselie agree with himself for one while he takes it definitely for three yeeres and an halfe another while indefinitely for a short time Ribera understands it properlie of three dayes and an halfe Alcasar applying it to the Iewish persecution leaves it indifferently to be taken either for so many yeeres or moneths But to take it in any of these wayes The fable of Antichrists reigning three an half yeere refuted the fiction of Antichrists three and an halfe yeeres reigne is thereby refuted For if Antichrist even after that the witnesses are slaine who had prophesied during the three yeeres and an halfe of his kingdom shall see rejoyce three dayes or yeeres and an halfe over their dead carkeises then it must needs be false tha the is precisely to reigne three yeeres and an halfe for by that account he shall either reigne seven yeeres or at least more then 1260 dayes Our interpreters also are not of one minde about it yet agree in the maine argument scope Io Foxe applies it to the councill of Constans which precisely dured three yeeres and an half So long therefore the carkeises of the two witnesses Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prague did lie in the streetes of the great city that
false that no other cause can be given of the translation of Henoch and Elias without this fable For they were taken up alive that they might be examples to the world how much the Lord accounts of godlinesse and that there is another life prepared for the faithfull in heaven Now to these two he vouchsaved this grace before others because he was better pleased with them then with others That Henoch and Elias should yet live a mortal life be subject to death is a verie fable For how can they prove this fiction And what mercie would there translation into heaven be if there they are reserved unto a more cruel death Wheras the Scripture teacheth that to them who are eyther in paradise Luk. 16.26 or in the place of torment there is no going forth or returning Passing by therefore this fable let us now goe foreward In Austins notes or the Revelation Whether the two witnesses be the two testaments attributed to Triconius the two witnesses are said to be the old and new Testament which Bede and Brightman follow and some others of ours as if the sence should be thus notwithstanding Antichrists treading down the scripture yet God would give it power to prophesie that is reprove his tyranny instruct the faithfull secretly mourning under the crosse in the way of life eternal For the Scriptures are Gods witnesses in the world against the wicked as Christ saith search the scriptures for they testifie of me Io. 5.39 Now thus far indeed it is true But I see not how the following attributes except it be by a harsh allegorie can be applied unto the scriptures viz. in that the witnesses are said to be clothed in sackcloth killed by the beast their carkeises thrown in the streets restored to life and ascend into heaven There are some who thinke that in the last times there shall come two most powerfull teachers who being indued with the power and spirit of Elias shal fulfill all these things literally both by prophesying and fighting against Antichrist But they doe acknowledge that this their opinion is uncertaine And therefore in as much as I finde nothing certainely concluded touching this matter by others and seeing the Lord for the present doth not suggest any thing unto mee I wil follow the opinion of Bullinger and some others of our best interpreters who understand the two witnesses indefinitely to be diverse reformers of religion in Antichrists times The Papists indeed imagine The two witnesses are indefinitely to be understood Lib. 3. de P. R. c. 6. that they are two strictly and no more But it is not credible that Antichrist sending forth infinite Locusts out of the smoke of hell into the Church Christ should raise up onely two witnesses besides it is impossible as we even now proved that the things spoken of v. 9.10 should be effected by two persons alone As for Bellarmins objections we shall have occasion to examin them hereafter We therefore by these two witnesses doe indefinitely understand a succession of certaine maintainers of Evangelical truthes against Antichrist Yet they are said to be two definitely both because they are but few in respect of the Locusts of whom the whole Christian world are full as also because in all matters of judgement two suffice to confirme a testimony that so we might neither be deceived by the applause of the multitude of Locusts nor offended at the fewnes of sincere teachers wherewith Antichrist upbraides us Besides in the last place as of old the Lord was pleased to use two witnesses as instruments in his hand for special deliverances of the Church Thus he sent two viz. Moses and Aaron unto Pharaoh for the deliverance of the Israelites out of Aegypt Josuah and Caleb to search the promised land Zerubbabel Jehoshuah to bring back the people from BabyloÌ„ unto which two there is here a plaine allusion in vers 4. As these two latter I say sufficed to deliver the people of God out of the first Babylonish and corporall captivity so two that is few prophesying witnesses shall suffice to deliver the Church from the second Babylonish spiritual captivity And thus much concerning the two witnesses Now what doe they They shall prophesie to wit againe according to the commandement Thou must againe prophesie We are not by prophesie strickly to understand a praediction of things to come but in a larger sense for the preaching of Prophetical Apostolical doctrines which were darkned yea troden down by Antichrist but again renewed by their prophesying that is by faithfull preaching unto the Church for Christ will give this unto them that is so arme them with an heroick spirit and qualifications as that they shal be able strongly to oppose and shake Antichrists kingdom which seemed to be so established throughout the Christian world as if it had been an invincible fortresse But when how long Two thousand two hundred sixtie dayes This againe is hard to be understood but we must looke back to what hath been treated of touching the fourty two moneths for it is cleare enough that by those moneths these dayes one and the same time is designed The Papists opinion touching these dayes refuted For fourty two equall moneths precisely consist of 1260 dayes but herein is the difference that the Papists restraine these moneths and these dayes astronomically unto three yeeres an half which is the time their supposed Antichrist shall reigne and these witnesses prophesie but this cannot be both because the fable of Antichrists standing so short a time hath been before refuted as also because it is contradictorie that the time of Antichrist and of the two witnesses should be of one continuance yet Antichrist should slay the witnesses after they had prophesied 1260 dayes rejoyce thereat with his followers Others interpret these dayes as the moneths also prophetically of so many yeeres taking the beginning eyther from Christs passion Another opinion not probable or from the time of Constantine or from the beginning of the Ottoman Empire whose opinions we have shewed to be very improbable because according to them the yeeres of treading downe the Church the prophese of the two witnesses should be expired now long agoe but this is not likely To be short others understand the XIII moneths the 1260 dayes The third and best opinion indefinitely for the time of the Churches oppression and of the prophesie of the witnesses defined indeed in Gods eternall comsell but hid unto us for the present that we should not curiously search â—â—to that which God hath reserved to himselfe or by knowing the term to say with the wicked servant Luk. 12.45 My Lord delayeth his comming c. And this is the reason why the end of the world is hitherto kept secret from men The time therefore of reading down and of the witnesses shal be the same for all the while Antichrist shall tread the Church
with his hellish Locusts upholding his tyrannie by the favours of the great men and kings of the earth but it sufficeth that these witnesses enjoy the favour and blessed presence of God the King of kings Lord of the whole earth The Epithite of the earth doth not lessen but augment the authority of God therfore by and by in ver 13. he is called also the God of heaven Fire proceedeth out of their mouth The third title sets forth the power and effect of their ministerie against the adversaries Fire proceeding out of their mouth against the enemies Iere. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 as the former shewed their dignitie efficacie in respect of the godlie It is an allusion partly to the ministerie of Jeremie partlie to that of Moses and Elias Of Jeremies preachings God saith Behold I put my wordes in thy mouth as fire but this people I will give for chaffe which the fire shall consume Againe My word is as fire like the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces Thus fire shall proceed out of the mouth of the witnesses But they that would understand it according to the letter should be more absurd then Pollodorus faining that a monstre called chimera vomits flames out of her mouth and destroyes all what comes neer her and infecteth the cattle Now howsoever perhaps it may be credited that fire should proceed out of a beastes mouth yet that a man should spit fire without hurt except it were a jugler hath not been seen neither can it be This fire therefore proceeding out of their mouth is to be spiritually understood of the word of God proceeding out of the mouth of the witnesses as it is clear by the fore alledged scripture in Ieremie Neither are the other titles of the witnesses to be taken otherwise then by certaine allegorical phrases applied to the things signified thereby as plainlie appeares by the word SPIRITVALLY in v. 8. The which thing unlesse it be well observed we shall be as absurd in urging the letter touching the killing of the witnesses the casting of their carkeises in the streetes their resurrection and ascention into heaven as in the sackcloth Olive-trees candlesticks and ascention of the Beast out of the bottomlesse pit c. But against whom shall the fire proceed Against them that will hurt them that is against their adversaries called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enemies namely the Beast with the Locusts proceeding out of the infernal smoke with all other their complices favorites adherents These wil hurt them By opposing their preaching both by sophistical disputations cruell proscriptions But it shal be in vain For fire proceeding out of the mouth of the witnesses shall devoure them But thou wilt say The Beast shall destroy the other for he shall kill and overcome them How then shall they devour the adversaries this must again be spiritually understood The fire of the witnesses shall devour the adversaries not by killing them corporally for in this sence they rather shal be devoured but spiritually because by the fire of the word they shal lay open to the world the abominations impostures of Antichrist confound his idols refute his lies by which his kingdom shal greatly diminish the kitchings of Locusts begin to grow cold This fire therfore proceeding out of the mouth of the witnesses devouring the enemies is nothing els but that spirit of Christs mouth 2. Thes 2.8 by which as the Apostle foretold Antichrist shal be consumed because the preaching of the Gospel shal utterly consume Antichristian lies like as the fire consumes the stubble But he alludes as I said to the two histories of Moses and Elias Numb 16.35 For at the prayer of Moses there came out a fire from Iehovah consumed two hundred and fiftie sworn rebels At the prayer of Elias fire fell from heaven and consumed the captaines with their fifties beeing sent to take the prophet 2 King 1 9 After their example these witnesses shall devour their enemies by the fire of their mouth not by any externall miracle Luk. 9.54 which the disciples in a preposterous zeal desirous to imitate were reproved for it by Christ but by a spirituall effect not unlike the other because the fierie preaching of the Gospel shall prevaile against the enemies labouring by all meanes to hinder the same For Gr. and if any man will hurt them This serves for the confirmation of the efficacie before spoken of Many shall rise against the Gospell Antichrist indeed shall indeavour to suppresse the witnesses but to his own destruction He must thus be killed The particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus or so doth limit the destruction of the enemies he shall not be so killed by the sword or outward force as to cease from hurting but he shall be consumed by the fire of Gods word in so much that his opposition against the Gospel shal be in vain What I pray you can be spoken more plainly concerning the events of our age God raysed up his two witnesses Luther Zwinglius Bucer Musculus a few other weak Monkes out of whose mouth the fire of Gods word hath so devoured their opposites as that they could not resist them by any forces plots thundrings or punishments For by how much they cruelly opposed themselves against the Gospel by so much the more it was spread over diverse kingdomes provinces in the Christian world devouring and confounding the sophistries subtilties armes plots of all Sophisters and enemies fighting for Antichrist To be short this whole effect of the preaching of the Gospell may be declared in these words of the Apostle The weapons of our warfare are not carnall 2 Cor. 10.4 2 Cor. 2.16 but mightie through God to the pulling down of strong holds c. Again We are to God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of death unto death to the other the savour of life unto life For the ministery of the word is powerfull to the salvation of the elect through faith destruction of the ungodlie through their own perfidiousnes 6. These have power to shut The fourth title is their power to shut heaven that it rain not in the dayes of their prophesie Power to shut heavē This is a manifest allusion to the historie of Elias who shut the heavens by his prayer that it rained not on Ahabs kingdom for three yeers and six moneths whence arose a grievous famin 1. King 17.1 Iam. 5.16 by which God punished the wickednes of the Israelites And from this verie place it appeares that whatsoever is said of the 42 moneths and 1260 dayes is not litterally to be understood of three yeeres and an half commonly attributed to Antichrist For then heaven should be shut during the whole time of his kingdom and this must needs be so because the heavens shall give no raine
inquisitours all men to worship the first Beast But thou wilt say how is this Beast said to cause the inhabitants of the earth to do that thing now He causeth all to worship the first Beast which they did before and that of their own accord The reason hereof is intimated in the following words Whose former wound was healed that is howsoever the Beasts authority began not a little to be lessened by that wound Neverthelesse by the unwearied endeavours of this Beast which here the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causeth or doth signifies together by his subtilty eloquence and violence it was effected that all men remained constant in adoring the Apostolicall sea But who are these worshippers The earth and the inhabitants thereof Now who and what these are see v. 8. We need not to envie this worship of the Beast seeing that not the salvation of the Elect but only of reprobates shal be in jeoperdy thereby But are al in the Papacy reprobates damned God forbid for even in the midst of Babylon God hath his people Rev. 18. v. 4. The spirit therefore speaketh this onely of those who persevere to worship the Beast and do not renounce his blasphemies 13. And doth great wonders Another effect of his power are Great signes or wonders He doth great wonders by which he shall perswade and induce the inhabitants of the earth to worship the Beast For as the devill is Gods Ape so is Antichrist Christs as God and Christ therefore confirmed the doctrine of Moses the Prophets and Apostles by many wonders and miracles so Satan shall establish the Beasts great words and Antichrist his great power by wonderfull signes Signes that is miracles or workes either really or in appearance surpassing the strength of nature Great that is wonderfull and terrible These he shall both do himself as also cause his agents to do the like as Bellarmin well observes Not onely Antichrist saith he Lib 3. de P. R c 15. but also his ministers shall do wonders The same thing Christ foretold us Mat. 24. vers 24. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders in so much as if it were possible they shall seduce the very elect Now what signes they are the Apostle tells us 2 Thes 2.9 What Antichrists miracles are with all the causes thereof Whose comming is after the effectuall working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish c. The efficient cause is Satans efficatious working The materiall the prodigious events beyond nature The formall the deceits and subtill illusions of the devill by which the sences of men are bewitched The small How they differ from true miracles his lies and deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse that the world may be seduced And indeed in all these causes false miracles differ from the true which are works truely surpassing the order and strength of nature and are done by the power of God to the manifesting of his omnipotency and confirmation of doctrine divinely revealed such the Lord sometimes wrought by the Prophets under the Law Yet not by all nor at all times lest they might have been little regarded or else that the world should depend upon them In the New Testament also Christ and his Apostles with many other of the faithfull wrought great miracles for the confirmation of the Gospell of Christ De vera relig c. 5. de util cred lib. 6. in 1 Cor. 2. Hom. 6. ca. 49. in mat But these as Augustine and Chrysostome in many places witnesse ceased in the third age after Christ And therefore Austin admonisheth that we are not rashly to beleeve miracles because Christ foretold such things of deceivers and bids us to beware of them Whereby we see how soundly the Jesuites quit themselves and their Pope from the impostures of Antichristianisine in glorying of the many signes and wonders that every where are to be seen in the Papacy Not perceiving in the mean time that in this very thing they discover Antichrist seeing the Scriptures do make great wonders and miracles to be the proper marks of him So that he maketh fire come down he rehearseth one of the great signes of the Beast namely that he makes fire to fall down from heaven in the sight of men Antichrists miracles according to the Iesuites The Iesuites reckon up three miracles of Antichrist One is that he shall feine himself to be dead and rise againe But in ver 3. we have shewed how this fable is without all probability The second that he shall bring down fire from heaven The third that he shall put life into the image of the Beast and cause it to speak 1 King 13 38. 2 King 1.10 of this we shall treat on vers 15. The second he shall do by a certaine imitation of Elias who by fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice and also devoured the Captaines with their fifties to shew that he was a man of God To which it is probable the spirit here alludeth for Antichrist will be accounted a man of God But it seems rather to allude to that wicked action of Satan who with fire from heaven consumed the sheep and servants of Job For whatsoever he doth Iob. 1 16 he shal do by the effectuall working of Satan unto the destruction of men Now hence it followeth saith Bellarmin that the Pope is not Antichrist for neither any Pope himselfe or any of his ministers did ever make fire to come down from heaven The consequence is not good for it is apparent the species or one great wonder is put for the whole genus But the species being denied the genus is not denied As therefore it will not follow that none of Christs Disciples were true Apostles Mat. 17.20 because none of them removed mountaines according to the letter of the text the which notwithstanding Christ promised unto his Disciples for it was enough that they did other great miracles so neither doth it follow that the Pope is not Antichrist although he hath not according to the letter brought down fire from heaven For it is enough that many Popes of which Bellarmin boasteth have been renowned for working great signes and wonders and that the whole Papacy is full of miracles to wit false and lying ones such as the holy Ghost here and in 2 Thes 2. do ascribe to Antichrist and of which Christ himself forewarned us Mat. 24.24 beleeve them not Now the spirit rather attributes this species of wonders unto him then any other as respecting the manner of speech then common to the Hebrews and still is to this day for the Iews say If a man cause fire to descend from heaven for if any one with a heavenly miracle would prove himself to be a man of God and deny the Law of Moses let him be accursed Vestigat pag. 701. Because