as easie to be intreated now in heauen as he was upon earth when he did not reject Marie Magdalen that had seauen divels the woman of Canaan whom he rebuked by the name of a dog nor the man possessed with a legion Secondly how do they acknowledg him to be full of truth when they say that his H. word doth not contain all truth but it must be pieced out with the traditions Canons and expositions of their Church 3. How do they acknowledg him to be our wisdome Scriptura seipsam exponit Chris Aug 2 Tim. 3. when they will not haue his word to be sufficient to interpret it self and to instruct us make us perfect in all good works but we must resort to the Church and receiue her judgment from the mouth of their Pope 4 How do they acknowledge our Saviour Christ by himself to haue purged all our sinnes when they say that we must satisfie by good works in our life and after our death we must go to Purgatorie 5 How do they acknowledg him to be our justification when they say that we are justified before God by our good works and not onely by faith in his death and passion although it be written if thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and belieue in thy heart Rom. 10. Hebr. 10. that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt be saved 6 How do they confesse him to be our sanctification or that by one sacrifice he hath consecrated for ever them that are sanctified when as they teach that there must be offered up dayly sacrifices for us in the Masse And lastly how do they accept him for their Redeemer which affirm that our poenarie works Concil Trid. ses 14. Bellarm. de paenitent l. 4. truly properly do satisfie God for the guilt of our punishment which after the fault forgiuen remaineth to be expiated But these points with many others which may be produced to proue that the Pope and his Church if not expresly yet by consequence which is equivalent doth deny the fulnes of all graces to be in our Saviour Christ I leaue to our learned Divines of whom some haue urged these things alreadie and others I doubt not will prosecute them more at large hereafter The summe of all this may be reduced to this Problem Whether any may more properly be called Antichrist or may be called an adversarie to Christ then he that thus denieth the graces of our Saviour Let us come to that which is not onely easie to our understanding but evident to our senses which may be seen with our eyes and felt with our hands For if we take the name of Christ here as he is in the sacrament who hath been a greater enimie to Christ theÌ„ the Popes one of them poysoning it another casting it into the fire all changing adding or diminishing it But take the name as it is communicated to Kings Priests and Prophets and so Antichrist to be an enimie to them I demand who hath in secret as Antichrist must be deceiueable been a greater enimie to all christian kings and Princes then the Popes sometimes incensing them to fight with Pagans and Saracens abroad as de did Godfry of Bulleyn many Princes with him in the meane space neglecting their Christian subjects at home our king Richard the first and the Emperor Frederike sometimes stirring up seditions and rebellions at home as he did against the Emperor Henry the IIII. Henry the IIII. king of France and Queen Elizabeth sometimes ministring occasions to make wars betwixt themselues as Pope Iohn did by crowning another Emperor while the first was living sometimes by giving away their kingdomes as Navarre and England sometimes leaving them destitute of succour and open to the universall professed enimie of all Christians the Turke as they did the Grecian Emperors sometimes setting secret Traitors to murder them and sometimes procuring open enimies to invade them ever excommunicating cursing and interdicting one or other of them Let the histories of late times be perused and see whether their ende and drift hath not been continually for these 900 yeeres and upwards to maintaine and advance their own power riches jurisdiction and preeminence by holding christian princes alwaies obnoxious to them and to make them obnoxious and to keepe them under awe by such meanes as aforesaid So likewise for Priests and Prophets is he not an adversarie to all that will not submit themselues unto him as namely to the Greek Church and all the bishops and learned pastors of the same to the godly Valdenses Albigenses Wicklevites and others Lastly if we take the name of Christ here for his mysticall body which is the Church this is also a speciall note of Antichrist For so it is plainly said that the woman was drunke with the bloud of Saints and Martyrs And who hath shed more bloud of godly men professing the word of Christ Iesus then the Popes haue done for these last nine hundred yeares I referre my self to the histories and Chronicles of those times See Abbâ—t demonst antich In that one warr which they caused Christian Princes to undertake for Ierusalem under Godfry of Bollen it is recorded that there were slayn two thousand millions of Christians In Merindall Cabriers and other places held by the poore Valdois they murdered all men women and sucking children In the Massacre of France Anno 1572 within eight daies were murdered a hundred thousand beside many other at other times in England and else where So that howsoever we take the name of Antichrist either as Vicar to Christ or as adversarie eyther denying his graces or suppressing his Liuetenants and ministers or persecuting his members I finde this name most agreeable to Rome and I demand Whether it can be so well applied unto any other But here will be demanded of me a question how this name Ho Antichristos that Antichrist as they expound the Greeke Article which they would perswade is to be understood of one man can be applied to a succession of men especially seeing some of the Fathers seeme to speake of him but as one man For the Fathers to clear that first it must be confessed that quaestionibus non dum motis Pâ—â—k in Prob. they spake sometimes impropriè incautius as Bellarm. confesseth or securius as S. August sometimes Rhetoricè as S. Ierom. sometimes populariter as others do affirm This question concerning Antichrist was not appointed for them but for us upon whom it must needs be confessed that the uttermost ends of the world are fallen neither did they much labour in it And yet we see not all of them runne in one straine Hilarie seemeth to speak more largely He that refuseth the judgment of the Scriptures Antichristus est Chrysoft in opere imperfecto doth not restraine himself to one man but we sayth he videmus abominationem desolationis jam stantem in loco sancto id est populum Antichristi in
person hath built such Stewes and Brothelhouses for Venerie and Sodomy Wherein whores Sodomites and Fornicators are dayly bred cherished increased and multiplied None but they haue granted pardons faculties and dispensations for such things And if any had done or should do the like may we thinke it possible or credible that he should obteyne such absolute power and reputation of Holynes as the Pope hath to be credited and beleeved in the same Was there ever any Sodomite Aegyptian Babylonian Iew Turke or Infidell so desperately impudent as the Romans haue been not onely in doing such things but in boasting of them and setting forth bookes thereof as of old Virgil Ovid Tibullus Catullus Propertius and of late Casa the noble Archbishop of Sodom Boccate their Conceits upon Orlando Baptista de Albertis Petrus Haedus and manie others Cornel. Agr. de van Sci. cap. 63 64. Vidi ego nuper Italica lingua editum Dialogum utriusque Veneris omnium flagitiosissimum And againe Flagitiosissimi Lenones scelestissimaeque Lenae saepe sub Religionum pellibus delitescunt And hereupon againe I aske Whether this can be applied to any Prince Potentate State or person and whether these prophecies can be otherwise fulfilled The sixth note also is evident She is druncken with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Christ Iesus Peruse the Histories of the Christian Church likewise of all Iewes Turkes Infidels and Pagans that haue been since the beginning of the world and shew me whether ever any nation haue shed so much Christian bloud or haue caused so much to be shed as the Romans haue done To omitt those ten Primitiue Persecutions which remaine without parallell of any other How many millions were slayne in those sacred warres stirred up by the Popes to recover Palestina in the civill warres of Germanie and France How many were massacred in France in the yeare 1572 and not long before in Merindall and Cabrieres How many Reverend Bishops and godly Preachers were burned in England with Men women Children and Infants under pretence of their fierie zeale How many thousands did their great Champion the Duke of Alva destroy in few yeares in the Netherlands what by his Soldjors what by his Hangmen and executioners How many haue they swallowed up in their bloudie Inquisitions To speake nothing of those which they count but viles animas as the Valdenses Hugunots Gewses Lutherans and Calvinists how many Princes and Noblemen haue they made away Egmond Horne and the Prince of Orenge in the Low Countries The Admirall Chastillon Count Rochfocault Teligni the Queene of Navarre and two Kings in France In Spaine Prince Charles besides many others But what talke I of particulars Let all Princes of the world joyne together against the Lord and his Christ as the Iewes and Romans did against our Saviour Yea let the greate Turke and great Divell joyne with them and raigne but three yeares and an half or but for a mans life and spend all that time in murdering the Saints of Christ Iesus and I will yet aske Whether any man can imagine that in so short a time they be able to kill so many godly Christians as haue been murdered and slayne by the power practises and procurement of these Pontifices Max. since they got that Antichristian title And if men will not confesse the truth I will againe appeale to the Earth and aske Whether she in so short a time be able to bring forth so many to be martired And if the Consciences of men be not more dull and dead then the earth I will demand againe of them Whether all these Pontifices maximi and everie one of them be not guiltie of all the Bloudsheds of their Predecessors by Consent Approbation Imitation and prosecution And whether the like can be sayd of any State Potentate prince or person in the world besides Let us yet cast our eyes a litle more abroad and consider of the great destructions of Christian men by Turkes and Saracens It cannot be denyed but these open and professed enemies of Christ haue shedde much Christian bloud yet I thinke if Histories be diligently searched and compared together it may be proved that since the sayd yeare of our Lord 700. the Popes and their Sectaries haue been verie Great if not the chiefest meanes and causes eyther by procurement Qui non defendit nec obsistit si potest infuriae tant est in vitio quam si parentes aut patriaÌ„ aut sucios deserat Cic. lf Offi. or destitution of the Effusion of all or the most part of the Christian bloud that hath been shed by those Miscreants in Europe For what was the meanes whereby the Saracens first prevailed in Asia but the weaknes of the Graecian Empire And what caused that weaknes but the Revolt of Italie and other westerne Countries from the Empire procured by the Pope Whereby the Graecian princes were not onely deprived of many mightie Christian kingdomes but distracted by Rebells at home from defending their subjects abroad And what then brought the Turke into Europe but the weakenes of the same princes when they were neither able to hold their Provinces which they had in Asia nor to suppresse the factions in Graecia Who stirred up the Christian Princes of Britayn Germanie and France to spend their subjects bloud in Syria where so many millions of Christians were slayne and then left them succourlesse to their enemies and sometimes rewarded them with excommunications seditions stirred up against them at home whereby their subjects rebelled and their enemies prevailed Who moved our noble King Richard the first to enter into that Saracenicall warre where he lost so many men Math. Fariâ—â— and yet when he was taken Prisoner by a Christian Prince in his Returne what meanes did the Pope make for his libertie Blesensis for all the pittifull letters of his mother when in the mean space his kingdome was most greevously oppressed and spoyled What help had the Grecian Emperors In conc Lugdun ann 1275. in concil Bouon circa 1439. a'ter which within 16 yeres the Turk tooke Constantinople when with most humble submissions supplications they sollicited the Pope to assist them being Christians against the Turke being the common enemie of our fayth Who was the cause of that wofull and never sufficiently deplored slaughter of Christians at Varna but the persidious Pope and his Cardinall Iulian causing the poore seduced King to violate his oath and league with the Turke What helpe or succour did the Popes giue or procure to those two Invincible Soldjours of Christ Iesus Hunniades and Scanderbeg Historia Scanderb against the Turke though this later with all humilitie in person desired it offering to driue that publike enimie out of Europe if he might haue assistance It is sayd indeed that Pius the second gathered an armie such as it was to help him but nothing came of it and perhaps he lost nothing by the Bargain And
be seauen hils and seauen kings Cap. 17. 3 It hath his ten hornes crowned 4 Here is no mention of any little horne arising up after â—he rest nor of any of those things which Daniel speaketh of him but there is a second beast rising up after the first Consider now whether the little horne be not now become this second beast 5 It is said that upon his heads were names of blasphemie 6 One of his heads was wounded to death 7 His deadly wound was cured Let us come to the description of this beast in the 17 chap. which I mean but onely to touch leaving the further examination thereof to a place more convenient Probl. â— 1 In Daniel there was a â—ittle horn In the 13 of the Revelation a second Beast whereof in the 17 chap. there is little or no mention 2 In this chap there is a woman sitting upon the seuen-headed beast whereof in Daniel or in the 13 chap. there is nothing what is become of the horne or second beast if it be not this woman 3 In the 13 ch the beast is not said to be of any colour but in the seuenteenth of a skarlet or Crimson colour 4 Power is giuen to the beast over everie kindred tongue and nation in the 13 ch but in the 17 the woman is supported by peoples multitudes and nations 5 Here in the 13 ch the beast maketh war with the saints but there the woman is druncken with the bloud of the saints and Martyrs of Christ Iesus 6 Here the names of blasphemie are onely upon the heads of the beast but there the whole beast is full â—f 〈◊〉 â—f â—â—â—sphemie 7 Here all the world wondreth at the beast worshâ—pâ—th the dragon and the beast But there the kings of the earth â—â—mmit fornication with the woman and the Inhabitants â—f the earth are druncken with the wine of her fornication so both are drunke she with bloud and they with fornication and there is no more speach of worshâ—ping the beast Very notable and remarkable differences If I be not much deceaved whereof to speak shortly my opinion under correction I am persuaded to collect that the state of Rome in Daniel is signifyed by the fourth beast specially before the Caesars in the 13 of the Rev by the first beastè Mari under the Cesars and in the 17 by the skarlet coloured beast under the whore Antichrist in Daniel is the little horne in the 13 of the Apoc. the second beastè terra in the 17 the whore Which being well observed the reason of all the Concordances and differences between these prophecies will easily appear For the proofe whereof leâ— us cast our eye back again consider the severall parts of the description of this beast and therein see whether it do not fully agree to the Roman state in these severall times and whether it can be applyed to any other And first why it is called a beast amongst other things for which the Romanists of these dayes do calumniate the professors of true and sincere religion One is this that we say some places of scripture are to be taken figuratiuely This a late Iesuit objecteth against us calling it a shâ—ft but whether it be a shift or not it is none other then the ancient and best interpreters advise us to looke unto Aug. de doct Câ—râ—st lb 2 3. namely S. Augustin in his books de doctâ—ina Chrisitâ—na where he sheweth that not onely proper but translated words are used in the scripture and of some figures not onely the examples but the names are there to be found whereof one sayth he is allegoria Conâ—es l. 11. which is nothing els but a Metâ—phore continued Pauca sunt quae proprie lâ—quimur pâ—ura non proprie sayth he in another place whereupon learned divines Tb. Aquin. in 1 sentent both Hebrew and Christian haue alwayes confessed that there is not onely a litterall sence to be admitted in the exposition of the scripture but an Allegorâ—â—all and Anagâ—gicall 10. Picuâ— Miâ— in Apolog. so it be with consent of other places So our Saviour when his Apostles doubted what he meant by the leaven of the Pharâ—sees Mat. 16. and of the hypocrisie of the Pharisee And when his disciples murmured for that he sayd Except ye eat my flesh ye haue no life Luke 12. c. He answereth What if ye should see me ascend into heauen Ioh. 6. It is the spirit that giveth life the flâ—sh profiteth nothing So wheresoever any absurditie or as S. Augustin speaketh facinus or flâ—gitium wickednes or mischief will follow upon the proper exposition there it must be understood to be spoken figuratiuely for there is nothing taught in the scripture sayth he but the loue of God and our neighbour so here not onely by the consent of all interpreters but by the warrant of the spirit of God expounding it to Daniel by his Angel we are taught to understand that the name of a beast in propheticall scriptures Concurrentibus his quae requiruntur other places either concurring or not repugning doth signifie a kingdome going in succession from man to man and we haue no warrant to take it for one particular or individuall person or in any other sense then the Angel hath expounded it And this is no new or uncouth manner of speach to call great kingdomes by the names of great beasts as I haue touched before but why and for what reason or upon what ground they are so called is a consideration not unworthie to be searched out so far forth as the mercie and grace of our Lord Iesus Christ shall illuminate our understanding and direct our mindes wherein if I be somewhat long I hope the value of the matter may countervayl our pains Assist us therefore in this investigation â—â—es 4. O Lord who art ascended up on high and givest gifts unto men First then I demand whether we may not hold it for a certaine and infallible veritie that the later Prophets did converse and exercise themselues in reading and meditateing upon the law Deut 6 6. and the writings of the Prophets that were before them 〈◊〉 18 15. as all are commanded to doe by Moses exhorted by David â—â—l 1. and taught by the example of Daniel Secondly Dan. 9. I demand whether we may not beleeue that they did thereby obtaine an habit or grace of God to use the words and phrases of the former Prophets to make use of them by a kinde of progression As when the prophet David had recorded that excellent prophecie of our Saviour Christ I haue set my King upon Sion the Hill of my holynes Psal 2. Psal 69. He himself goeth forward saying An high hill is Gods hill in which it pleaseth him to dwell he will dwell in it for ever And in another place He will heare me from his holy hill The prophet Micah goeth yet farther Psal 50. saying
to be burned as Heretikes which refuse to worship these Images For what cause 〈◊〉 moved Sabinian to burne the bookes of Gregorie but because he had defaced Images howsoever Platina goeth about to blanch the matter What else did they object against the Emperors of Greece What else did they urge against the Valdenses and Wicklevites but that they refused to worship the Roman Pontifex and his images What else did they object to Cranmer Ridley Latimer Hooper Sanders Bradford and other godly men in Queene Maries time that I may speak of England not of other countries but that they refused to acknowledge the reall presence and so to worship the Sacrament other of their images I demand also whether the Turke or any other Idolater do command and compell men to worship images under such capitall and Tyrannous paynes Whether any Idolater do compell men to worship so many Images or set up so many to be worshipped And whether any do proceed so cruelly against those that refuse to worship their Images The Popes in their lawes declare them to be Heretikes and excommunicate which do not worship their images and consequently depriue them not onely of lands and goods but also of their liues yea if it be a Prince they absolue his subjects from obedience and alleagiance givin his subjects power libertie to kill their Natiue king and giue away his kingdome to another Did ever any Iew Turke Infidel or Pagan attempt to doe the like If they should is it credible or likely that they should be believed and obeyed as the Popes haue been Thus therefore their actions being so agreeable to the Rising of this second Beast I demande againe How these Prophecies can be otherwise performed by any Monarch Prince Potentate State or person whatsoever past present or to come And if not then Whether this be not that Antichrist or whether we may expect any other And so we come to the description of Antichrist mounted upon the Roman State and raigning in his glorie which is the fifth generall parte of his description V. The Raigne of Antichrist IT is not unworthie of our observation that the Holy Ghost in setting forth the kingdome of Antichrist useth no such forme of speech as when he speaketh of particular men but such as is commonly used applied in scripture to signifie greate kingdomes and Monarchies When he prophecieth of particular men for the most part he noteth them by some proper Adjunct As of Iohn Baptist Esay 40. A voyce cryeth in the wildernes prepare the way of the Lord. c. So of our Saviour Christ My Righteous servant shall justifie many and againe He was broken for our sinnes c. Sometimes by the name of some other man as Mal 4. Behold I send you the Prophet Elijah c. Sometimes he calleth them by their proper names as that He sayth to Cyrus my Sheepheard Esay 44. c. and I will call Eljakim and so he prophecieth of Iosiah and against Shallum Coniah The king of Babel and Tyrus Esay 22. Ier. 22. But when he speaketh of great kingdomes or Monarchies he figureth them sometimes under the names of Great Beasts as all the four Monarchies in Daniel sometimes under the names of women â—zech 23. as Ezechiel calleth the two kingdomes of Ierusalem and Samaria Two women Nahum calleth Niniveh Esay 47. the beautifull harlot Esayah and Ieremie resemble Babylon sometimes to a woman tender and delicate sometimes to a Queene Iu. 51. sometimes to an Harlot whose words and Phrases our Apostle delighteth much to use It is no marvell therefore that having here to speak of the state of two Great kingdomes namely the Kingdome or Church of Christ and the kingdome or Synagogue of Antichrist He describeth one of them as a Chaste and undefiled spouse prepared for her husband and the other as a sumptuous glorious luxurious proud and intising Harlot alluring kings princes and all sorts of people to come unto her Wherein although it be true that Contraries compared layd together do illustrate one the other yet I will not here prosecute that glorious and heauenly description of the true Church of our Lord Christ Iesus able to take up all my thoughts and meditations but strictly following my former course obserue seuen Attributes in the Description of the Antichristian state and power Revel 17. now mounted upon the back of the Roman state First it is called the Great Whore Secondly which sitteth upon many waters Thirdly with whom the kings of the earth haue committed fornication and the Inhabitants of the earth haue been made druncken with the wine of her fornication Fourthly most richly and gorgeously cloathed and adorned with purple and scarlet gold and pearles having a golden cup in her hand full of her fornications Fiftly shee hath a name written in her forehead a Mysterie Babylon The great Mother of Harlots abhominations of the earth Sixtly She is druncken with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Christ Iesus And lastly to make all plaine who this is It is sayth our Prophet the Great Cittie that ruleth over the kings of the earth Of some parts of which Description I haue spoken before both in the first and second Problem For which cause I shall not neede to speak much here but onely of such things as haue not been touched before And to speake a word by the way of that which is most plain and evident which is last mentioned that it is called the Great cittie by which name we commonly understand the king Prince or Prelate thereof as in the Prophecies against Iuda Israell Babell Ninive we understand many times their Princes and principall men and in our common speech we call Prelates by the names of their Seas as Canterburie London Magunce Trever c. So here by the most proper Adjunct we understand Rome and by Rome her Prince Prelate or Governour It will be in vaine therefore to aske whether this be hee seeing the Holy Ghost sayth this is he But it will be I thinke worth our labour to consider how these qualities may be applied to the chief Pontifex of Rome and whether they may be applied to any other And if to them alone then whether to one more then to another or to the whole succession Let us therefore peruse them in order The first qualitie is The Great Whore Whoredome in Scripture as hath been sayd is understood sometimes literally for the corporall filthines sometimes mystically for the spirituall whoredome which is Idolatrie Now for this later it is evident not onely by the Testimonie of Salvianus aboue recited but of their own histories that the verie Heathen Idols continued undefaced in Rome and worshiped untill the time of Boniface the fourth who having obteyned the Pantheon of the Emperor Phocas did consecrate that Temple to the honour of the Virgin Marie and of all martyrs Platina Fasc Temp. ejectis prius