A Looking Glass for Princes and Peoples Delivered, Book 2 · Part 4 · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV. Of the fourth fruite of their folie: Their just destruction.
THe fourth fruite of this vsurpation is their destruction. The Gospel shall destroy the Pope: 2 Thess. 2, 8The Apostle descryveth it in two degrees, consumption and abolition: The Lord will consume him by the Spirit of his mouth, and abolish him by the brightnesse of his comming. This consumption is by the word of God, a most powerfull meanes to destroy poperie, for it is a worke of darknesse, begunne increased, and perfected by the graduall obscuring and depressing of Scripture: And therefore the graduall revealing and manifesting of Scripture is sufficient to banish that darknesse. So the Waldenses began with a private vse of Scripture, and thereby troubled Antichrists Kingdome. VVicliffe brought it to Lectures in the Schoole, and wrought them more harme: Hus broght it to the Pulpit, and made it shine clearer: But Luther, Calvine, and other VVorthies of reformation, made that Light to shine clearer in manie places at once, and so brought a great destruction vponupon Antichrists kingdome, and made many Nations forsake him, and turne to the Lord.The word discovereth.
The Light of the Gospell discovered two thinges at once, the Popes heresie and tyrannie; by the first discoverie, it looseth the bands that formerly held people in awe: Superstition so puddled their consciences, that they indured his verie tyrannie as equitie: But when the shining truth discovered him to bee an Antichristian se…ucer, their irritation was doubled to avenge themselves on him, both for his misleading of them and vsurpation.
Doubtlesse, this is the secret cause why so farre they abuse Therefore they hate the word.Scripture, they accuse it of insufficiencie, and forbid the translating of it in vulgar tongues, and reading of it to people, because Sathan maketh them presagious of their destruction to come by it: Their adoring of the Nailes, the Speare and weapons that killed Christ, argues their sympathie with Sathan & the Iewes that crucified him: And their abhorring of the Sword of Gods word argues their Antipathie to it, as a malefactour abhorreth the Sword of the Magistrate. And the three Bishops at Bononia, whoConsil. 3 Episc. gaue advise to Paul the third, for reformation besought him to put the Bible out of the way, because it was the Booke that wrought them most woe.
This their consumption they acknowledge withPoperie is far decayed. griefe, for who is ignorant (sayeth Bellarmine) aQuit enim ignorat …estē Lutheranam, &c Bellar. Tom. 1. Orat. Rom… Ann. 1576. Iosua. 7.That the Lutheran Trueth (which hee calleth a Pest) arose in Saxonie, and thereafter occupyed almost all Germanie? Thence it went to the North, and to the East, and consumed Denmarke, Norraway, Swaden, Gothland, Panonia, and Hungarie: Thereafter with the like swiftnesse to the West, and the South, and in a short time destroyed France, England, Scotland, some time floorishing Kingdomes: And lastlie that it passed over the Alpes and pearced into Italie it selfe: The Gospel preached into these places, was like the sounling of the Trumpets about Iericho, to throw downe mightilie the abominations of Babel: And Cotton confesseth further that the authoritie of the Pope is incomparablie lesse than it was; and now the Romane Church is but a diminitiue of that it was, as may bee seene in the ardidinals bCardinales o…m apud summum. Pontificem his in heb domada covenie…ant. &c. Tholos. syntag. lib. 15 cap. 4. n 15 Oppressed Kingdomes first left poperi.who were wont to meete oftner, but now meete one… onelie once a weeke because the businesse of the Court of Rome decressed.
The order of their consumption is verie considerable, that such Nations for sooke the Pope first, who were most abu… sed by his vsurpation: They abused Germanie pittifullie in the dayes of the Henries and Fridericks: No reason could content them, the Emperors found more patience to suffer, than the Popes tyrannie found measure to bound it selfe. England aAnglia hortus deliciarū & puteus inexhaustus.also was to them a Paradise of delight, and an inexhaustable fountaine; at every occasion they sent Legats to presse that Kingdome bDe antiquis Rom. Curi…. in Rege, Angli…, &c. Casaub. ad Front. Duc pag. 68. Matth. Paris. Ann. 1245.for money as a sponge, is pressed for water, and imposed the provision of some hundreth at their pleasure: Henrie the third, in a survey of the Church-rents, found sixtie thousand merkes sterling to bee provided for Romanes. Wherevpon with his Nobles hee supplicat Innocent the fourth, at the Councell of Lions to ease that burthen: They got faire promises, but their burthen doubled: 'For a new survey within six yeares found tenne thousand merkes more was yearelie assigned vntounto them. They whipped Henrie the second, by Discipline, as a Boy, for Beckets punishment, and canvased King Iohn so fearefullie, that hee found no rest at home, but sought desperate courses with Mahumetan Princes, and in end was forced to resigne his Kingdome to the Pope, and take it holden of him, and lastlie was poysoned in the Eucharist. Navarre also found the like crueltie, and when their King was excommunicate and cast out of his Kingdome, by Iulius the second, his Subiects deserted him, when hee was invaded by Ferdinand.
But their first blowes came from these abused Nations. EverieNations resent ancient wrongs. people hath their owne Genius (I meane neither of the Platonicke conceats of attending Spirits, nor Paredri Daemones) but a Gentilitious disposition, of a Nation: It is not mortall with persons, and therfore, neither so soone irritate nor appeased. Persons lay their quarrels at their death, but the surviving Genius or Spirit of a Nation liveth longer than persons, and in the owne time doeth resent olde iniuries, and revenge them. Therefore long oppressed Germanie (finding a light in Luthers Germanies reformatiō.time) gaue such a blow to Antichrist, that hee could not as yet cure. It had beene good if they had not run on the other extremitie about Church maintenance, but they fearing that the Cleargie would againe abuse authoritie, did spoyle the Church of her Patrimonie, and defyled the the reformation of Religion with horrible sacriledge.
As Germanie began so England followed, and shook off his yoak vnderunder Henrie the eight, & brought fo…rth at last thatEngland▪ reformation. Anglia regna…te Henric… 8. grande illud &c. Casaub. ad. Front p. 69. Quare etiamsi Henricus 8. non fuisset, viam tamen fata invenis… sent. ibid. p. 71. Navarre a thorne to the Pope, Io. Navarreni haeredes ad partes &c. Barel. Epist. dedicat. Popish tyranie vndoeth it selfe. great and ever-memorable fact which (overcome with oppression for manie Ages) shee had conceived with great sorrow. And what ever personall disposition they alledge to hauehave beene in Henrie the eight, yet GOD had his hand in the worke: And though hee had not beene at all, yet God would hauehave provided him meanes to doe that that was done. Therefore, in the reformation of England, we should not looke to the time of Henrie alone, but to fiue or six Ages preceeding, wherein that Kingdome was long grievouslie oppressed by the Popes, but the fulnesse of the Popes cup, and Gods iust anger, to breake his power in that Kingdome did meete together in that time.
In like maner, the King of Navarres Posteritie payed the Pope home againe for his excōmunication; they were stirred vp with privat hatred, & syded with them who cōspyred against the Sea of Rome. By their forwardnesse, the truth was first spread abroad in France, and to this day they hauehave beene shaking France from the obedience of Rome; and who knoweth, but some branch of that stemme shall helpe to giuegive the Pope his fatall stroke in France also.
Let vsus heare from a bygot Papist, what vantage Pops hauehave made by their tyrannie over Kings: Event us rerum (sayeth hee) satis docent nihil proficere Pontifices dum hac —via incedunt—The event hath clearelie proven to this day that the Popes hauehave profited little, while they walke in this high, slipperie and steepe way: But they rather make broyles, schismes, and wars in Christian Nations, then propagate the Faith of Christ, &c. And when hee hath reakoned out the pernicious course of Gregorie the seventh against Henrie the Emperour, of Boniface the eight against Philip, of Iulius the second against Lodowicke the twelth, of Clement the seventh, and Paul the third against Henrie the eight, of Pius the fifth against Elizabeth, &c. Then hee inferres: Did not all these Princes contemne and mocke the Papall Impyre as an intolerable pride? nonne hi Quicquid h…reticorum est in Gallia, &c. Id. Epist dedicat.omnes Principes papale illud Imperium ut meram arrogantiam riserunt. And concludeth, that that tyrannie was the cause of the overthrow of Poperie. And in another place hee affirmeth, that the strength of the Protestants in France and Britaine is hatched of the miserable heate of the Popes temporall power. This testimonie is true, and out of their owne bosome.
This is like the ruine of olde Rome, shee forced out herNow Roms ruine is like old Romes. tyrannie on farre Countries, and her furthest extension met with the greatest opposition of mightie Nations, and had in it the period both of her furthest reach, and the beginning of her ruine; as the sea marke is both the point of the highest flowing, and the beginning of the ebbe. So when she streached out her selfe to Britain, Saxonie Persia, &c. In Gods time shee beganne to find her stresses there, & was compelled to call home her Legions to guard her Quod in Anglia vide mus accidisse etiam in aliis regnis, &c. Causab. ad Front. p. 71.head and heart, Italie and Rome it selfe, from the inc…ersion of the Barbarians. So now Rome stretching out her ambition to farre Countries, hath found her curbing to beginne there, and in Gods time by reformation (which is her consumption) shee will bee put to the defence of her Antichristian Seate, which in end shall fullie bee destroyed.The Pope is the Child of perdition.
This is the measure of his cup: Hee is called, the child of perdition, first actiuelie, because hee destroyeth mens Soules by herefie, and their bodies by persecution, and soundeth nothing but destruction: Santarellus the Iesuite discovered a secret, when citing the Apostles text, that 2 Cor. 1… 8.hee had power to Edification, but not to destruction, hee left out the word of Edification, to tell that the Popes power is onelie for destruction: And though he was justlie censured by the Sorbone, yet their practice goeth broadIerem. 1. 10. according to his reading, and they inculcate for that same end, the words of Ieremie, I hauehave sent thee to roote out and destroy. Next, hee is the childe of perdition passiuelie, because God will destroy that Destroyer: Doe to her as shee hath done to other. It is his doome, that Kings Revel. 18. and 17.shall eate vp her flesh, and burne her with fire. And yet he is so blinded, that hee falleth in controversies with Kings, and by that provocation sharpeneth them as Gods instruments, to his owne destruction.
But in this time their prevailing against the ProtestantsTheir oppressing of Protestants hasteneth their destruction. seemeth to stay the course of their destruction. But indeede it is a furtherance of it: God is iustlie punishing Protestants for their contempt and abuse of the restored Light: And their sinnes are now greater, than in the time of darknesse: Yet the Pope also therein is filling his cup, and like Pharaoh hardning his heart, both to hold Gods people in thrall, and to pursue them when they depart. God hath charged his people to come out of Babel, and manieRevel. …8. hauehave alrea lie obeyed: This inrageth the Pope, for hee seeth that his lies and deceit by Iesuits and Emissaries cannot recall them, who hauehave departed from him, therefore hee vseth the force of Armes to destroy them, and in so doing hasteneth his owne ruine, for the blood of the Saintes that hee spilleth lik water, filleth vp the cup fot his destruction. Everie droppe of that blood like Abels cryeth for a vengeance: Salmanasers prevailing over the ten Tribes was a forerunner of his overthrow, and Nebuchad…ezars carying of the Iewes captiue, brought ruine to his owne Monarchie: Dan. 5.While the Pope now like Balthasar is insulting over God and his Church, hee is but hastening destruction on himselfe: God hath striken that Beast to the ground by the hammer of reformation, and his present broyles are sturring of his hornes & hooues to be vp againe, but he will never recover his former grandour. It is more like his vltimus conatus, his last pressing, preceeding his destruction, than a kindlie recoverie. They hauehave wrought their heartes to a strange hardnesse against their destruction: Baronius layed these grounds, that their seate non potest destrui, no not superabundanti peccato. And though hee grant thatBaron Ann. 900. n. 2. the abhomination of desolation was in it, Ibid. and Monsters sate on it, yet (sayeth hee) there remained a Church. 899 This is a pillow for them to sleepe to death.
This argues an imminent ruine, as aHomil. 3. in Ierem.Origen observeth:Rome senselesse of her ruine. When a great disease (sayeth he) taketh a mā as now Babylon which is confused with the wound of her own malice, then God is hastening to punishment. Capitur Babylon & non agnoscit: Babylon is taken, and knoweth it not: And a sicke man the nearer to death, the further from the knowledge of his sicknesse sayeth S. August. This their senselesnesse is confessed: Sathan keepeth vsus in captivitie (sayeth their Onus Ecclesiae) and hath bereft vsus of sound iudgement, that Onus Eccle. l. 17. n. 26.wee know not how wee hauehave offended, neither ponder our sinne, nor see the punishment readie for vsus. And hee giveth the reason in another place: Because the viall of ignorance of the owne state is powred out on the seate of the beast, ThatIbid. cap. 18. initio. wee see this their state better than they, one of themselues hath told vsus. The Babylonians (sayeth hee) seeth not Babels burthen, but onelie they who are in Ierusalem. Pint. in Esai. 13. c. 13. Hieron epist. 26. inter August.The like Ierome noteth of their Predecessours, that when the Goths tooke their Towne, they fought not to God, but to humane helpe. And S. Austine, that while the world pittied their ruine they were seeking stage-playes, and laughing in the Theater: And Salvianus sayeth, The Romane people is Salv. Lib. 7.drunke with the Sardonick herbe moritur & ridet, they die and they laugh. They feele a decay, and take not vp the cause Cypr. de. lapsts.of it to bee their Apostasie, Si cladis causa cognoscitur & vulneris medela invenitur, sayeth Cyprian: So long as they will not see the cause, they will not repent.