Antichrist the Pope of Rome, Treatise 3 · Question – Objection 5
The Third Treatiſe. Containing a Refutation of the opinions of the Romiſh Doctours, touching Antichrist.
HItherto I hauehave ſufficiently diſcouered by Diuine teſtimonies, what kinde of perſon Antichriſt ought to be, and by ſo plaine demonſtrations, proued who it is in the world that is to be acknowledged to be he, that no man can chooſe but vnderſtand and comprehend the ſame. Neuertheleſſe, ſeeing this Antichriſt wanteth not his defenders and vpholders, that labour by all meanes to heale his wound, and hinder the fall threatned againſt him by the Spirit of God: therefore to the end that in this controuerſie no ſcruple may remaine, I will with as great breuity as the purpoſe of this writing will permit, reſolue whatſoeuer either the Ieſuits or any other ſhall produce to the contrary. Now all that they ſay touching Antichriſt, may in few words bee reduced within the compaſſe of this Definition,Bel. de ſum. Pont. lib. 3. the particulars whereof ſhal be refuted in the ſame order, as hath bene obſerued in the two former parts.Peter l…b. 5. in Dan. They ſay therefore that Antichriſt ſhalbe one onelyonly ſingular man, who is not yet come: but ſhall ariſe out of the tribe of Dan, and be circumciſed, Remend. lib. de Antichriſt.and receiued of the Iewes for their Meſſias, and ſhall reigne in Ieruſalem three yeares and an halfe, and fight againſt many Nations, and at length attempting to mount vp into heauen ſhalbe ſlaine by Chriſt, on the Mount of Oliues. Now out of this Definition ariſe theſe ſeuen queſtions to be diſcuſſed. Firſt, whether Antichriſt muſt be one ſingular perſon. Secondly, whether hee be come or no. Thirdly, of what Nation Antichriſt ſhall be borne, and what Religion he ſhalbe of. Fourthly, of his ſeate. Fiftly, of his durance. Sixtly, of his battailes. And ſeuenthly, of his end and deſtruction.
1. Queſtion. Whether Antichriſt be one ſingular perſon or no.
When the Romiſh Doctours ſay that Antichriſt ſhalbe one ſingular perſon, they doe not meane as we doe, that hee is one onelyonly perſon at one time, which varieth and changeth by ſucceſſion and ſubrogation: but that he ſh…llbe one perſon alone, that ſhall continue b…t a certaine time, and ſhall hauehave no ſucceſſour. The which Bellarmine laboureth to proue by fiue paſſages of Scripture.
Bel de ſum. Pont. l. 3. c. 2.1 Ob…ection.
The firſt paſſage is in the firſt Chapter of the Goſpell by S. Iohn. v. 43. I am come in my Fathers name, and ye receiue me not, if another ſhall come in his owne name, him you will receiue. Now this text (ſaith he) is to bee vnderſtood onelyonly of Antichriſt, as witneſſe, S. Chryſoſtome. S. Ambroſe, S. Auguſtine, and others.
Anſwere.
Our Sauiour Chriſt doth not ſpeake heere of Antichriſt alone, but of all thoſe that ſhall come in their owne name, and not in his: that is, not being called of o… him, albeit they ſhroud themſelues vnderunder his name.Mat. 14.4. As when he ſaith in another place, Take heed that no man deceiue you, for many ſhall come in my name ſaying I am Chriſt: that is (ſaith Maldonate the Ieſuite) as if he had ſaid, whoſoeuer he be that ſhall come in his owne name you will receiue him, Maldon…n Iohan. c. 5.ſo is your iudgement depraued: So that it is more fitting that wee interpret it not onelyonly of Antichriſt, but alſo in generall of all falſe Prophets, which run without ſending: for this was the ordinary faſhion of the Iewes, to receiue them rather then the the true Prophets. The Fathers alſo whom they alledge, when they apply this vntounto Antichriſt, exclude not other falſe Prophets: but on the contrary, vnderunder him comprehend all others. Repl. I but (ſay they) Ieſus Chriſt oppoſeth man to man, and perſon to perſon; as therefore, Chriſt was but one perſon, ſo alſo Antichriſt ſhalbe but one perſon. Anſwere. Chriſt oppoſeth heere perſon to perſon: but yet a certaine perſon to an vncertaine, an indiuiduall ſingular, to a common indefinite: for elſewhere hee ſaith, many ſhall come in my name, ſaying I am Chriſt. Repl. But Chriſt ſaith, that Antichriſt ſhall bee receiued of the Iewes for their Meſſias. Anſw. This is falſe, our Sauiour ſaith ſimply: If any one come in his owne name, you will receiue him: but hee doth not ſay, you will receiue him for your Meſſias. For neither receiued they thus all the falſe Prophets that came vntounto them. Repl. But all the falſe Prophets came in the name of another, but our Sauiour ſpeaketh heere of one that ſhall come in his owne name; that is to ſay, ſhall acknowledge no other God but himſelfe. Anſw. This interpretation is falſe, Maldonate ſaith farre better,Maldon. in Ioh. 5.43. That our Lord Ieſus aduertiſeth vsus of one and the ſame thing both heere and Mat. 24.2. And that there is no contrariety vvhen hee ſaith there, that they ſhall come in the name of Chriſt, and heere that they ſhall come in their owne name: for there to come in the name of Chriſt, is falſly to ſay that he is Chriſt, and ſent of God, though hee be not: and heere to come in his owne name, is to come without being ſent of God. And to the end that we may oppoſe not onelyonly a Ieſuite to a Ieſuite, but alſo a Ieſuite Cardinall, to a Cardinall Ieſuite,Tolet. in Ioh. cap. 5. Tolet thus interpreteth this paſſage: Hee (ſaith hee) ſhall come in his owne name, that ſhall hauehave in truth no Diuine vertue: but ſhall malitiouſly faine himſelfe to be ſent of God, as the Sonne of God. Like as the falſe Prophets came in their owne name, becauſe they were not truly ſent of God. And this is that which hee now ſaith if any one come in his owne name, that is to ſay, not being truly ſent of God, nor hauing the power of God: but faigning himſelfe ſuch by his owne malice. In breefe, as Maldonate ſaith very well:Maldon. in Mat. 25.5. where a ſentence may bee vnderſtood generally, we muſt not reſtraine it to one particular, leaſt wee ſet limits and boundes to the holy Spirit by which Ieſus Chriſt ſpake.
2. Obiection.
In the ſecond Chapter of the ſecond Epiſtle to the Theſſalonians, the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of Antichriſt as of one ſingular perſon, for he vſeth the definitiue or demonſtratiue Article when hee ſpeaketh of him: foreign: The man of ſinne: the ſonne of perdition. For according to Epiphanius his rule, the Greeke Articles reſtraine the ſignification of names, otherwiſe common, to one certaine and particular thing.
Anſwere.
We agree to all this: for Antichriſt ſhalbe alwaies one ſingular perſon, one in number, one in ſeate, and one in power; as is to be ſeene in a Monarchy, or rather tyranny. But this one perſon ſhall vary by ſucceſſion, albeit this Maxime of Epiphanius is not alwaies true, as may be obſerued in Mat. 12.35. Luke. 4.4. and many other places, where the Article doth not demonſtrate ſome one particular perſon.
3. Obiection.
When S. Iohn ſpeaketh of Antichriſt ſo properly called, he addeth the Article, and yet he addeth it not when he ſpeaketh of Antichriſt in common: to ſignifie that Antichriſt properly ſo called, ſhalbe one ſingular perſon. As ye hauehave heard (ſaith he) that Antichrist ſhall come, euen now are there many Antichriſts. 1. Iohn. 2, 18.
Anſwere.
We conſent that this Tyrant is alwayes one at one time: but yet hence it doth not follow, that many doe not ſucceed one another in this ſeate of Apoſtacy. And indeed if this Article demonſtrate one certaine perſon and no more, let them point vsus out one which hath beene from the age of the Apoſtles, and muſt continue to the end of the world. For S. Iohn ſaith: EueryEvery spirit that confeſſeth not Ieſus Chriſt to be come in the fleſh is not of God: and this is the spirit foreign of Antichriſt, of whom you hauehave heard ſaid, that hee ſhall come, and he is now already in the vvorld. 1. Iohn 4.…. Now if this Article foreign, demonſtrateth one certaine perſon: how many Ages muſt this Man of ſin continue aliue, whom notwithſtanding (they fanſie) ſhall endure but three yeares and an halfe?
4. Obiection.
In the ſeuenth, eleuenth, and twelfth Chapters of Daniel, Antichriſt is not called a Kingdome, but one certaine King, who of the ten Kings which he ſhal finde in the world ſhal deſtroy three, and alſo bring vnderunder ſubiection the ſeuen others. And Calaine himſelfe confeſſeth, that A…tiochus was a figure of Antichriſt. Whereupon it followeth, that ſeeing A…tiochus was one ſingular perſon, therefore Antichriſt ſhalbe alſo one ſingular perſon.
Anſwere.
The Prophet Daniel doth not onelyonly not call Antichriſt a Kingdome, but he alſo doth not ſo much as call him a King; for theſe Texts doe not ſpeake of Antichriſt, but of Anti… chus p…p…anes: as is apparent by the Commentaries and Anno…itions of Francis …unius vponupon D…e…, as al…o by that which is written by Sc…liger in his ſixt booke of the Emendation of times: And if we ſhall referre allegorically vntounto Antichriſt that which literally is meant of A tio hus, eueryevery one know…th that no ſound argument can b…e drawne …om Ilego…ies. Howſ…euer it be the conſequence is not neceſſary, th…t ſe…ing …ntiochus the figure of Antichriſt was one onelyonly ſingular perſon the efore Anti hriſt himſelfe muſt be …t …o. For a fig…e doth not alwayes in eueryevery par… anſ…ere to …h…t …h; otherwiſe our Sauiour Chriſt ſhould not bee one ſingular perſon, ſeeing hee was figured by many Sacrifices, and Pri…ſts in the Old Teſtament.
5. Obiection.
Saint Iohn in the thirteenth and ſeueteenth Chapter of the Apoc…l…ps, ſpeaketh of Antichriſt as of a King, that ſhall come in the time of ten other Kings, and whoſe reigne is determined by three yeares and an halfe, as in Daniel. So that as Danie… ſpeaketh of one certaine King, ſo doth alſo S. Iohn in the Apocalips.