these times profanely abuse that Character to tender your owne saluation by considering what a strange religion this is and aboue all other in the world agreeing and concurring with the reuelation of Antichrist especially in this point of signes and wonders and lying miracles so that if this fall to my share that am the meanest of a thousand what can others doe that haue Beniamins portion fiue times doubled both concerning Scripture Historie Fathers Knowledge Iudgement Eloquution and other faculties As for such as are yet willing to be deceiued and hauing heard of that great dutie of perseuerance in holy matters peruert it to obstinacie and pertinacitie in idolatrous superstition I say no more but answer a Gods name you that must answer before the iudgement throne of the Lambe How comes this about if the Papacy shall not come to ruine and Rome it selfe be destroyed seeing Antichrist is discouered and thus arraigned and indited the man of sinne reuealed by these lying miracles whom God will consume with the breath of his nostrils And thus much for his inditement now to his punishment and vtter extirpation Section III. Or the execution of Antichrist according to the sentence of condemnation I Might haue begun this discourse with that which followes but I hope it comes now in order well enough Note the Comparison Obserue then I pray you the Simile Politicke states and well gouerned Commonwealths haue either commonly secret intelligencers or publicke Ambassadors in forren countries to acquaint them with all occurrences and so let nothing passe no not triuiall accidents which may concerne the good of their countrie without reuealing so that if letters or certificat of credit come that there are Iurking amongst vs certaine traitors that intend the ruine of the kingdome and endanger the life of the Prince there is presently search in euery corner and warrants sent out to apprehend them afterward vpon happy discouery and honest attachment they are imprisoned and kept secure till they may be further examined then vpon due and orderly proceedings they are to be arraigned and indited of high treason as they are found and proued delinquents in Crimino lase Maiestatis Last of all vpon finding Billa vera and iustifiable conuiction the sentence of condemnation goes out and they are executed accordingly so hath the holy Ghost dealt with the Church of God concerning the traitors of mens soules and discouery of Antichrist the instrument of Satan to bring vs to damnation he hath first made vs acquainted that there is such a Viper lurking amongst vs. Let no man deceiue you by any meanes For that day shall 2. Tâ—ess 2. 3. not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sinne be reuealed the sâ—nne of perdition Who opposeth and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called year 4 God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you â— these things I haue not written vnto you because you know not the truth 1. Epist Iohn 2. 21. but because you know it and that no lie is of the truth Who is a lier but he that denieth that Iesus is the Christ year 22 he is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Sonne And euerie spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is Chap 4. 3. come in the flesh is not of God and that is that spirit of Antichrist whereof you haue heard that it should come and euen now already is it in the world Here you see what a noble intelligencer and friend from heauen we haue had to acquaint the Church of God that the betraier of mens soules and traiters to the maiesty of God are euery where lurking amongst vs vpon which certificate I though vnworthy and the meanest of Gods seruants haue aduentured to search and find him out and vpon the search haue not onely discouered and reuealed him but arraigned and indited him so that I hope no man can mislike or traduce this iustifiable proceeding against him which if they dare doe what will they then say to the sentence of condemnation which is now to be denounced from God himselfe and the Scriptures the Sibylls ancient Fathers and their women Saints sure sure the Gentiles will fret and rage imagining vaine Psal 2. Acts. things and I answer with Paul after the way you call heresie I serue the God of my Fathers and with Iob though thou kill me O Lord I will not forsake thee But to the purpose in hand Antichrists punishment from Scripture IF you search the Prophets you shall finde that hee that drowned the world burnt Sodome to sinders and ouerwhelmed Pharao with whole mountaines of waters confounded Aegypt destroied Tirus who was as proud and Isaiah 19. 23. 34 46 Ezech. 25. 1. Damel and the rest of the Prâ—phets exalted as euer Rome in her first and second glory reuenged the cause of his Church ouerthrew the idols of Babylon a meere figure of Antichristian Prelacy threatned and dissipated Ammon Moab Edom the Philistines and in a word all the mighty Monarchies vnder the Sun resembled to fierce and cruell beasts strange images and figures Eagles Rams Goats and such like Hierogliphicks Why then should any question be made of the Popes establishment or Romes perpetuity considering her sinnes cry to heauen for vengeance and her abominations are spred like a carpet to the loathing of all honest beholders and godly Christian Spectators but to put all out of doubt harke what the holy Ghost saith in the Reuelation and that the Pope and city of Rome in Italy is personated by the prediction I referre you to all the ancient Fathers and moderne Writers especially Tremelius Innius Napier and diuers others And the rest of the men which were not killed by these Apoâ— 9. 20. plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship Deuills and idols of gold and siluer and brasse and stone and of wood which neither can see nor heare nor walke Neither repeâ—ted they of their murders nor of their sorceriâ—s verse 21. nor of their fornications nor of their thefts And when they shall haâ—e finished their testimony the Apoc. 11. 7. Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them and shall ouercome them and kill them And the great Dragon was cast out that old Serpent called Apoc. 12. 9. the Deuill and Sathan c. And there followed another Angell saying Babylon is Apoc. 14. 8. fallen is fallen that great city because shee made all nations drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication And the Angell tâ—rust in his sickle into the earth and gathered Apoc. 14. 19. the Vine of the earth and cast it into the great wine presse of the wrath of God c. The Beast that thou sawest was and is not and
and that by sound of Trumpet in S. Marks Piazzo Haue I not heard my selfe the Women in the strectes tell the Religious men and boyes of their Monasteries that they begged Escmofina per comperare To buy Apples poma and so denied them their accustomed releefe Haue I not seene in some places of Italy their Columns and Pillers of Stone pasted all ouer with inuectiues against Indulgences and pardons to be bought out for so much money as if our Sauiours wordes to the Iewes were now verified that if the people did not cry Hosanna in the sâ—â—â—â—â—es the very stones would declare themselues From whence came the opposition of Thomas of Canterbury against Henry the second and the many discontents of the Nobilitie the Popes chiefest Champions against so dangerous a vsurpation What say you to the Statute of Mortmaine the stopping of Peter-pence and the interdicting of diuerse Bâ—ls euen when England lay in the Cimerian mountaine of superstition and was drowsie in the darkesome caue of â—dâ—latry Oh what a feare was the Pope in when King Iohn threatned the clergy destroyed the order of Cisteux and banished Stephen Langhton the kingdom What thinke you of the bill put vp in Parliament the 11 of Henry 4. that if the king would take into his hands the lands disordinately consumed by the Clergy not intermedling with tithes or Bishops liuings it would maintain 15. Earles 1500. knights 6000. Esquiers 40. Almeshouses and bring 30000. pounds a yeere into the exchequer so that you see by this many more that the Papists themselues were not alwares pliant to the Popes behests but broken out into disordered raptures against the ambition couetuousnes vsurpation tyranny of Rome And could all these things be done without the finger of God to point at Romes wickednes or the resolution of heauen that Babilon must fall answer a Gods name you that must answer before the iudgement throne of the Lambe and thus of the Papists and effectuall contingents Probable Coniectures COncerning Probable coniectures I raise them Probable coniectures from the description of Antichrist in the word of God and the comparing of the Popes doctrine life and actions to the same as shall be made apparant in the next section when I come to arraigne this deliâ—quent against the Maiesty of God the Prince of Christendome the quietnes of mens consciences and the glorious progression Isaiah of the Gospell Doth not Isaiah tell a story of Lucifer and his fall and Prophesieth of the destruction of Babilon Isaiah 46. Isaiah 47. and her Idols whereby I make no doubt but the abominations of Rome are personated and all the wickednes of corrupt prelacy discouered Nay why should I not apply what Ezechiell speakes of Tirus and compare the Ezech. 26. wealth pride and presumption of Rome to her ripening sinnes and at last rotten putrifaction For wherein did euer any of the nations offend the most high God but Popes haue exceeded as by their owne authors is most apparant but if you come to Daniels Prophesie hee will tell Daniel 7. 8. you of a litle horne amongst the ten hornes that had eies like a man and a mouth speaking great things yea in the 11. verse because of the voice of the great wordes which the horne spake the beast was slaine his body destroyed and giuen to the burning flame but the punishment belongs to a more proper place I now goe forward to the description 7. For the ministery of iniquity doth already worke only hee 2 Thessal 2. 7 which now with holdeth shall let till hee be taken out of the way 8. And then shall the wicked man be reuealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnes of his comming 9. Euen him whose comming is by working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders 10. And in all deceiueablenes of vnrighteousnes amongst them that perish because they receiued not the loue of truth that they might be saued 11. And therefore God shall send them strong illusions that they shall beleeue lies c. And a litle before He shall sit as God in the Temple of God And a little before He is called the man of sinne And in another place There is the doctrine of Dinells forbidding meates and 1 Tim. 4. mariages c. And in another place There is named the Whore of Babilon the Cup of abomination Apoc. the beast with 7. heads and 10. hornes Roma septicollis And in many other places such effectual descriptions that I may well cry out O God What plainer words what easier discouery what would men desire to know more concerning the Popes of Rome the life of Rome the doctrine of Rome the impieties of Rome Oh then answere a gods name you that must answere before the iudgment throne of the Lambe how comes this about how could all these things be done without the finger of God to point at Rome wickednes or the resolution of heauen that Babilon must fall and thus much of Antichrists discouery his arraignment followes with seuerall inditements Section 2. Antichrist Arraigned IN this second section or part of my discourse you shall haue the arraignment of Antichrist vpon three seueral inditements The inditing of Popery The first for absolutely contradicting the word of God whereby he may truly be called the Antichrist 2. The second for false doctrine and foisting in deuices of his owne and trumperies of mens inuentions 3. The third for abusing the world with lying miracles which the tempoâ—â—sers of this world and lukewarme Gospellers doe mannerly call Piaefraudes and orders of the Church The first inditement against Antichrist for contradicting Gods Word COncerning the first Though the author to the Hebrewes Contradicting the Scriptures Heb. 6. 1. aduise vs to goe more forward in our building of Christianity then laying a foundation of truth yet he assureth vs tht without a good foundation there is neither building nor meanes to avoide dirision what shall wee say then to the despiser of both whose Math. 7. 26. impiâ—ty and presumption haue not onely cast corrupt handes on the sacred word of truth but inconsiderate Armes to tearein peeces the holy structures yea with violence to pull the infants from the sucking brests of their sweete mothers To begin therefore with a strong position of Cursed be he that doth either adde to my law or Deut. 12. 3. 4. 2. Iosh 1. 7. Prou. 30. 6. Reu. 11. 1â— dimiuish from ir c. What hellish furie durst lay hold vpon the second Commandement so that neither in their Ladies nor Iesus Psalter is it to be found And come to the reprehension of their Idolatry or prophanatioÌ„ of God by pourtraitures Idolatry Images pictures in priuat and publicke in the Church and the streetes in the house in the closet in the garments and Vtensills they are so farre from Apology distinction or nicely
carry it with zeale deuotion and austeritie of penance Bellarmine Thomas Aquinas and others proue the Popish Monarchy by the Gentiles gouernment the seauen Sacraments by Philosophicall arguments and that one body may be in many places at once by sophisticate principles Is not the worship of Saints and Images a meere tricke of the Gentiles and are not all the deâ—ises of adoration sprung from hellish â—dolatrie The temple of Romulus and Rhemus is now the Church of Saint Cosmas and Damianus the temple of Faunus is conuerted into the Church of S. Steuen The temple of Iuno Cupra into the Chappel of our Lady of Loretto where the altar stood dedicated to Apollo is now one erected to Saint Iohn the Image of Brasse of Iupiter is now Saint Peters as their antiquaries iustifie There was one supreme God among the Gentiles and many inferiors vnder him so the Papists acknowledge one God in tearmes but haue an hundred inferiors for euery action and disease the burning of incense commeth from the Gentiles and they assite Virgils testimony with other prets the washing of hands their skippings and turnings their sacrifices with fire and water their tunickes Albes and other pompous ceremonies their Purgatory and beliefe of good and bad Genius their worship of trees stones and fountaines with infinite other absurdities abominations are all the deuises of Gentils and customes of Pagans which if it be so Answere a Gods name you that must answer before the iudgement throne of the Lambe how comes this about if the Papacy shall not come to ruine and Rome it selfe at last be destroyed after Antichrist is discouered and the man of sinne consumed with the breath of Gods nostrills I must beginne with a smile For you cannot choose Popery keepeth Christians in ignorance but laugh when you heare of the Colliers faith to beleeue as the Church beleeues though it was not knowne what that beliefe was the obscuring of the Scriptures the inhibition of their reading their praying in an vnknowne tongue their not suffering men to dispute their preaching of stories and tales without one word of edifing their suppressing of religious bookes and infinit other palpable enormities what are they any other but instrumentes of Sathan to keepe vs in securitie or Synens hands to rocke the Cradle of our frailtie till wee fall a sleepe yea snort againe in the Cimerian caue of darkenes ignorance and superstition Oh harken for Gods sake what Historiographers write of ignorance dulnes and stupidity in spirituall affaires Alphonsus a Castro lib. 1. de haeresi sayth that diuers Popes were vtterly vnlearned Lazierdus Author Plaâ—â—â— speaking of Gregory 6. reciteth that he caused another to be consecrated with him for saying Masse because hee himselfe scarce knew a letter but this matters not for Ielium approues that the Pope cannot be deposed for want of learning Pope Zachary condemned Virgilius a Bishop of Germany as an heretike for saying there were Antipodes Paul the second was so vnlearned that he determined them to bee Heretikes that named the word Academy Iohn Pecham in the Prouinciall constitution supposeth it â—uffâ—cient for Priests either by themselues or substitutes once a yeere to tractate or at the most euery quarter of the ten Commandements of the law the twelue Articles the two commandements of the Gospell the seuen workes of mercy the seuen deadly sins the seuen vertues and the seuen sacraments without curiositie or putting it home to edifying vses of the conscience Durandus teacheth that the two points of a Bishops Miter signifies the old and new Testament but Lewis marcilius an Augustine Frier said that the stropps of the Miter which the Bishop hangs at his backe did foreshew that they neither vnderstood old nor new Testament Aluarus Pelagius complaines that the Bishops of Spaine committed thousands of soules to yong nouices that were fitter to play with Apples and Peares shall I name the Sermons of the Frier Menot Maillard Bromyard and their fellowes they were so full of ridiculous fables that the people went to Church to sport themselues in the hearing The Germans of late complained to Adrian 6. that Bishops aduanced vnlearned ideots vnfit vilde and ridiculous It is well known that many Priests and Friers could not say Masse nor distinguish of dayes but by the great letters and all your Schoolemen and Inquisitors generally fill their studies with bookes of Rhetorike stories legends Decretalls Canons Ciuell law and such trash For is not stubble trash compared to the comeâ— but neither Bible nor expositors of Scriptures scarce a father or diuine author shall bee found amongst them for in truth how euer now a daies they swell with the tumor and accent of great Schollership and learning they are still for the most part illiterate and ignorant and that reputation they haue proceedeth either from their auditors and disciples want of knowledge or their Glosses and tedious Cataloging of vncertaine authors who handle curious questions and at the best school-diuinitie Nouation cannot stand without Christian pollicie nor Popery repugnant to the lawes of nature and nations pollicie bee maintained without obseruation and performance of othes promises compacts leagues and treaties of trade and commerce yet you shall see what either the scorne of Papist negligence presumption equinocation or one tricke or other hath done Formosus being deposed for-swore his Bishopricke yet regarded not his oath but resumed the same In the life of Henry 4. Emperour Gregory 7. was inuested Pope contrarie to his oath Paschall the second solemnly swore to the Emperour being his prisoner but at least subiect to his danger that hee would keepe and religiously obserue the Articles set downe betweene them bur hee proued so false repugnant that after he had escaped he rebelled and excommunicated the Emperour Charles the French Theodoriâ—k King chaâ—geth Gregory 12. and Benedicke 13. of violation of their faith and Omâ—phrius alleadgeth against Alexander 6. that hee was a delinquent in more then punicke perfidiousnes Guicciardine speaking of Climent 7. sayth plainely â—ra di poca sâ—de Iulius 2. Leo 10. and diuers others endeuored to proue that the Pope was not bound by any oath but he might both infring the same and incite others to dishonorable practises Henry the 4. as Helmoldus complaines accuseth the Pope for the rebellion of his subiects and this by his instigation the tumults of Germany were raised and the people set all in combustion vpon the Popes warrant and pardon In the Counsell of Constance the Pope and his complices perswaded the Emperour to violate the safe conduct of Iohn Husse whereupon that damnable position of fides non est consernanda cum hereticis was ratified and concluded which if it bee so what trust can bee secured of any contract or treatie but still vpon aduantage the aduersary will breake out and imitate the Panther who sheweth not her tallents till the beasts be within her reach Did they not of late dayes perswade