Antichrist the Pope of Rome, Conclusion

Antichrist the Pope of Rome · Conclusion

p. 96Touching the name, and the number of the name of Antichriſt.

I thought here to ſet a full period to this Treatiſe: but that I may not leaue it limping in any point, I will enlarge it p. 97with a ſhort remonſtrance of the name of Antichriſt, where… will content my ſelfe to repreſent barely, the moſt pro…le opinions of thoſe that hauehave written thereof, without … refuting the Aduerſaries, who confeſſe, that they hauehave thing certaine touching his matter.

S. Iohn, Apoc. 1…. telleth vsus, that the ſecond Beaſt, that is, …ntichriſt as all interprete, Cauſed that all, little and great …ch and poore, bond and free, ſhould receiue a marke in their …ght hand, and to their forehead: and that none …ould buy or …ll, if he had not this ma…ke, or the name of the Beaſt, or the …umber of his name: Here is wiſedome, he that hath vnderunder…anding, let him count the number of the Beaſt, for it is the …mber of a man, and his number is ſix hundred, ſixty, and ….

Hence are ſprung vp diuers interpretations of this name …d number, aſwell amongſt Ancient as Moderne writers. …or ſome take the word name ſimply and properly: others …nderſtand both this word, and the whole ſentence, figura…uely. Amongſt thoſe that hauehave taken this word in a ſimple …nd proper ſignification, the moſt receiued opinion is of …hem that take the name foreign, for the name of Antichriſt, beeing the number of 666. is preciſely contained therein, as may appeare by this figure enſuing.

For the Greekes diuiding their Alphabet into three …nkes or claſſes, deſigne all ſorts of numbers after this …anner.

In imitation of which Greeke Alphabet, the Latines hauehave deuiſed the like in Latine letters. A 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. E 5. F 6. G 7. H 8. I 9 K 10. L 20. M 30. N 40. O 5…. … 60. Q 70. R 80. S 90. T 100. V 200. X 300, Y 400. Z 500. Now as the Greeke brings forth the word foreign ſo the computation bring made by the Latine Alphabet brings forth the title of this Treatiſe in French l'Antech Romaine, which alſo makes 666. which indeed is nothing but the explication of the name foreign, as may be ſeene i… this table.

Now they vn…erprop this interpretation of the number of Antechriſts name, vponupon Irenaeus a Martyr, who affirmeth, That by the witneſſe of thoſe that ſaw S. Iohn, and by the teaching of reaſon, the number of the name of the Beaſt, according to the Greeke computation, by the letters therein contained, ſhall p. 99be ſix hundred ſixty ſix. And albeit Irenaeus doth not wholly …ſolue vponupon the name foreign, which notwithſtanding hee …eth is very probable ſeeing the laſt Empire was thus cal…d; yet experience doth at this day more ſtrongly confirme …: for beſides that, this name, is the name of a man, and that agreeth not onelyonly to the ſecond Beaſt, but alſo to the firſt, … wit, the Romane or Latine Empire: and that it hath iuſtly …is number, of 666: The Pope whom I hauehave already pro…ed to be Antichriſt, anſwereth ve…y fitly to this name, when …e ordaineth that all the ſeruices and myſteri… of his Chu… h …e performed in the Latine tong…e, and enioyneth that all …erſons of what quality ſoeuer make their Praiers h…are their Maſſes, their Ve…pers, and their Matin… in the language of …he Latine Beaſt, whether they vnderſtand them or no. He …lſo holdeth for ſuſpect and corrupted, the Hebrew and Greeke originals of the old and new Teſtament, and will …aue the Latine tranſlation, though neuer ſo barbarous and …me, as onelyonly Authentick.

As touching thoſe that take this name and the whole ſen…ence figuratiuely: ſome vnderſtand both by the name and …umber, the time when the kingdome of Antichriſt began. For as the name, is a briefe definition, or deſcription of ſome …hings by which it is knowne what it is: ſo this number 666. …oth affoord vsus aſmuch: for it leadeth vsus right to the time wherein Antichriſt the ſonne of perdition openly diſcouered …imſelfe to be ſuch. For whether we calculate this number …ince the pollution of the Temple of Ieruſalem by Pompey the Great, to the reigne of the Emperour Phocas: or whether we reckon it from the natiuity of our Sauiour Chriſt, or from …he Emperour Domitian, when S. Iohn wrote the Apoca…yps; we ſhall finde that thereby is iuſtly deſigned, the time when the Pope began to eſtabliſh his vſurped ſeate: for in …he time of Phocas, the Pope began to ſtile himſelfe the Head of all Churches, or the vniuerſall Biſhop. And about …he yeere 666. after the natiuity of Chriſt, reigned C…nſtan…us the Father of Conſtantine the Bearded, who freed the Pope from the power and command of the …mperour… and p. 100as ſome b…e witneſſe gaue him al o the City of Rome, or … the rights whereby he layeth claime thereunto. …nd …bout th… y…are … 6. … Saint Iohn had written the Apo… … P…pe … ſecond, who was the firſt that … to be … vponupon men… ſhoulders, and that … of the Gre…es to the …r nch Nation, …d the Ki… … from the r…ce of the M r…es to … re…pence whereof, he recei… that which i… … which ſer…d …im as a Ladder … which he hath obta… ….… Wh…r…unto …gre…t… very well that which Ire… … to …l…ing the meanes or c…mming to the true kno…gde of thi… number 666. For he ſ…th, That the faith… … the number 666. denounced by the holy Scripture to … and certaine, doe firſt expect the diuiſion of the kingd me, …that is to ſay of the Romane Empire) vntounto ten Kings: and …fter th…ſe ten reigning and beginning to aduance then … and to enlarge …heir kingdome: he that ſhall come vn…p…ed and on a ſ…da…ne vſurp…ng the kingdome, and ſhall terri…y th… f…rmer Ki…s, h…uing a name containing this foreſai… …, this man dou…leſſe ſhall manifeſt himſelfe to bee the … of deſolation. Now to what time may this bee bette… …ferred then to that when the Romane Empire being … pe…ces, and diſmembred in …o many places, by the Goth…s Lomb…d… Ʋ …da le…, and other Nations, the Pope in the meane while enri…h…d himſelfe with the ſpoyles of this E…pir… and vſur…ed in a maner all the power and auth…r…ty ther of ouer theſe other Nations by his ſpirituall tyranny▪

O… … that expound al…o this whole ſentence figuratiuely … that by theſe word…, the Marke, the name of the Beaſt, and … number of his Name are to bee vnderſtood the diuers degrees, by the which this Beaſt doth captiuate men vntounto his …ic…, to employ th…m in the traffick and negotiation of his Indulgences, Diſpenſations, Excommunications, and other actions of his tyranny. And ſo by the Marke, they vnderſtand the Clericall ordination and tonſure: by the p. 101…me, the ſacred O…ders, by the reception whereof they …ticipate with the name of the …eaſt: and by the Number … …he …eaſt, the knowledge or the Cannon Law, and Papall …crees whereby they obtaine, as it were in numb…r, all the … wet. Faculties, and Myſtery of the Beaſt; for in them … contained the number of his Name. And this is that …hich …. Io…n affirmeth, when he faith, That here is wiſedome: …s if hee ſhould ſay, it is eaſie to hauehave the Marke, or the Name of the Beaſt: for this contingeth to the moſt igno…ant: but in the Number of the Beaſt, is wiſedome: none …ut ſuch as are wiſe, and hauehave vnderſt n…ing, and are called …llumined Doctors can attaine vntounto it. For as there are three ſorts or degre…s of the knowledge of any thing: one common and confuſed, which is gotten by ſome marke, that is, by ſome image or protraiture of the thing: Another more part…cular, and more cleare, ariſing from the name: And the third moſt certaine, when we vnderſtand the full eſtate of a thing, and hauehave as it were by number, all the faculties and meanes thereof: As when it ſaid,Eſay 40.26. Pſal. 147.4.Isa 40:26Ps 147:4 That God b…ingeth forth by number the army of the Creatures, and calleth them all by their names: and that he counteth the number of the Starres, and calleth them all by their names: So the firſt kind of this knowledge belongeth to them that are rude and ignorant; the ſecond, to thoſe that are more aduanced in vnderſtanding; and the third, to th…m that are perfect: and as Saint Iohn ſpeaketh, that hauehave …iſedome. So that this third enfoldeth the two other d…grees, and the ſecond, containeth the firſt: but not on the contrary; a…d therefore he that hath the laſt hath alſo the two other…, and he that the hath ſecond, hath the firſt. For this cauſe Saint Iohn attributeth this wiſe and perfect man in Antichriſts negotiation the number of 666. to ſignifie three degrees of one quality, by three degrees of one number: for the number of ſixe is a perfect number, and ſignifying perfection, the which either ſimple, or multiplyed by ten, or by an hundred, Alwaies produceth the fruit of one and the ſame perfection: as witneſſeth Beda vponupon this place. Whence it was, that Boniface the eight, vanteth the perfection of the p. 102worke of his Decretals by the number of ſixe, in theſe words: We hauehave ordained that this booke which ought to bee ioyned to the other fiue, of the volume of the Decretals, be called the …ixt, to the end that this ſame volume, this last being thereunto adioyned, comprehending the number of ſixe, which is a perfect number, may produce a perfect forme of practiſe, and a perfect diſcipline for maners. Which ſaying of his, is nothing but an expreſſe Paraphraſe of that which Saint Iohn ſaith, That in this number conſiſteth wiſedome and vnderſtanding. And ſo this interpretation is the ſame with that of Venerable Bede vponupon this place, who affirmeth, That the marke of the Beast is the myſtery of iniquity which hypocrites vnderunder the name of Chriſt, receiue in their maners and profeſſion. And thus none may buy nor ſell, if he hauehave no… the name of the Beaſt, or the number of his name: that is, (ſaith he) if he communicate not with him in his fraude and d…ceit: onelyonly this expoſion diſtinguiſheth more particularly, that which hee propoundeth in a more generall and confuſed maner. Wherein this interpretaion hath this ouer and aboue, that it cannot be denyed that the Beaſt doth not giuegive, imprint, maintaine, and cheriſh this marke, as the witneſſe of his moſt inward and affectionate Freinds.

If any deſire to hauehave a more full ſight of theſe things, he may carry his eyes to others that hauehave at large written thereof. It ſufficeth vsus, that hereby we hauehave made the indagation of theſe things eaſie, and demonſtrated, that in what ſort ſoeuer w…e take this name and number of the Beaſt, it agreeth exceeding well to the Pope, and that in this title he is truly Antichriſt.