Reply Against Gilbert Brown, Section 35 – Section 36
Maiſter Gilbert Browne.
And it followes in Maiſter Iohn. And at the laſt (ſayes he) they ſhalbe put to death, &c. Heir is twa things to be noted: Firſt, that the Kirk ſhall not be inviſible in the time of Antichriſt: for if the Paſtors of the Kirk be inuiſible, how ſhall they be taken, and put to death? If the Antichriſt and his members ſhall ſlay them, how can they doe the ſame, except they know and may ſee them? To be inviſible, is not to be knowne or ſeene: but they will ſee and know them, or elſe they cannot diſcerne them from their owne, wherby they may put them to death, and ſaue their owne. The ſecond thing to be noted, that our Miniſters in Scotland except they be put to death by the Pope, they beare not the teſtimonie of Chriſt. For theſe are Maiſter Iohns owne words. And S. Iohn ſayes, Apoc. 11.7.8That the beaſt ſhall ſlay the two Witneſſes. Nowe by Maiſter Iohn, the beaſt is the Pope, and the Witneſſes is the Miniſters: therefore the Pope muſt ſlay the Miniſters: and after that, their bodies muſtly three dayes and an halfe, not in Scotland, but in Hieruſalē, Apoc. 11.9.11.1…for there was the Lord of theſe two Witneſſes ſlaine. And after, they muſt reuiue and aſcend vp to heauen in a cloude in the ſight of their enemies, & ſo forth. In his 14 Pro p….Whilk things I truſt ſhall come to paſſe to none of them in our dayes, nor long after the Laird of Marchiſtons doomeſday.
Maiſter Iohn Welſche his Reply.
As for the firſt thing whilk you infer heir, concerning the inviſibility of the Kirk, becauſe you hauehave the ſame argument afterward, I refer the anſvvere of it to that place. As for the ſecond thing vvhilk ye inferre, that except the Miniſters of Scotland be put to death by the Pope, they beare not the teſtimonie of Chriſt. I anſvvere: As it is true that it is prophecied of the Antichriſt, that he ſhal (a)Apoc. 11.….ſlay the tvvo Witneſſes of God, and that he ſhall make vvarre vvith the ſaints and ouercome them: ſo is it (b)Apoc. 11.12 13 15 17. & 13.6.8 9. & 18.2likevviſe prophecied that his crueltie ſhall not alvvayes continue, but at the laſt, the Lorde ſhall take his Kingdome in his owne hand, and the Goſpell ſhalbe preached to them that dwell vponupon the earth, and Babel that great cietie ſhall fall, ſo that the blood vvhilk your Kirk hes ſpilt of the ſaints of God alreadie in all the parts of Europe, theſe 300. yeares bypaſt, and that in ſik aboundance, that ſuppoſe the Lorde may nomber them, yet no man is able to nomber them. And the patience and ſuffering of our brethren, is an ſufficient euidence that both your Popes are the Antichriſt, and they are the Miniſters of Chriſt, ſuppoſe they ſlay no moe of them And although the Lorde hes ſhortened your power, yet ye want no goodwill to ſpill the blood of the reſt. That ranſacking of Germanie, that cruell perſecution of Queene Mary, and bloodie inquiſition of Spaine in the Iowe countries, and that moſt ſauadge and cruel maſſacre of Paris, and that Spaniſh nauy, whilk the Lord diſcomfited, with his owne mightie and outſtreatched arme in the 1588. yeare of God, doeth ſufficiently teſtifie what hearts ye beare to the Miniſters of Scotland, if your power were according to your malice: But fulfill ye the meaſure of your Fathers, that the blood of all the righteous may come vponupon you. As for the prophecie of the ignominious handling of the bodies of theſe Witneſſes after their ſlaughter: it is alſo fulfilled by your Popes, and their authoritie vponupon the carcaſes of the Saints of God, whilk in all parts almoſte, where euer their blood was ſhed, was moſt ignominiouſly handled, as though they had beene not the bodies of men, but the dead carions of dogs and ſwyne. Let both hiſtories, and ſome who yet liues beare witneſſe of this. As for the time and place, and their reuiuing and aſcending vp to heauen, it is to be vnderſtood after the manner of prophecies, myſticallie and figuratiuelie, as I hauehave prooued before. The time of three dayes and an halfe, ſignifying all the time of your tyrannous crueltie. The place of their ignominy is the ſtreetes of that great Cietie, Reuel. 17.9 18. Bellarm. lib de Roma. pontif. cap. 2. Reuel. 12, 8. & 17.5whilk heir is called Sodom & Aegypt, and the place where our Lord was crucified, not literallie, but foreign; ſpirituallie, as the Text ſayes. And alſo called Babylon, in the 14. and 17. and 18. of the Reuelation, whilk is literallie that ſeuen hilled cietie, whilk hes dominion ouer the Kings of the earth, whilk as Bellarmine confeſſes, is Rome properlie. So as this great cietie is neither Sodome nor Aegypt, nor Babylon (ſuppoſe it be called ſo) literallie, but onelyonly myſticallie and ſpirituallie, as the Scripture ſayes, and your ſelf will not deny, for the likenes betweene them: Sodom, for her filthineſſe and vncleanneſſe: Aegypt and Babylon for her tyranny and crueltie euer the Saints of God, wherein ſhe reſembls them. So is ſhe not literallie the place where Chriſt was crucified, but only myſticallie and ſpirituallie for the likenes betwene them: that as by the authoritie of the Emperour of Rome, his deputie Pilate our Lord was crucified, for the falſe challenge of treaſon againſt the Emperour, whilk was falſly and wickedlie laide to his charge: and therefore is ſaide heir by the holy ghoſt, to be crucified at Rome: that is, by the authority of the rulers at Rome: So by the authority of the Popes who now reignes & hes reigned theſe many yeares at Rome, Chriſt is crucified againe in his members, becauſe they will not receaue his marke, and worſhip him. And as Ieruſalem boaſted her ſelf to be a holie cietie, and the ſpouſe of Chriſt, and yet was a harlote, a murtherer, Exod. 20.and a perſecuter of the Saints: ſo Rome doth boaſt her ſelf to be a holy ciety, and the ſpouſe of Chriſt, and the head of all: and yet is nowe, and is long ſince become an harlot and a murtherer, & a peſecuter of the Saints. And if ye will aske, When did the bodies of the Saints lye in the ſtreetes of Rome? I anſwere: As by the gates in the cietie in the fourt command, is not meant the gates of the cietie properlie, but the authoritie and iuriſdiction of the cietie: ſo by the ſtreetes of Rome is not onelyonly meant the gates within the walles of Rome, but all the places and parts whither his power and dominion hes ſpred the ſelfe. So that all the places where the Popes of Rome hes exerciſed their tyrannie ouer the Saints, are called heir the ſtreetes of that great Cietie. All theſe therefore who hes bene cruelly murthered by the Popes authority in England, Scotland, France the low countries, &c and whole bodies hes bene caſt out, & whoſe bodies hes beene ignominiouſly handled, they hauehave lyen in the ſtreetes of that great cietie And as all the reſt of this prophecie is to be vnderſtood ſpiritually, ſo is this, reuiuing and aſcending of theſe Witneſſes to heauen in the ſight of their enemies, to be vnderſtood not literallie, but ſpirituallie. So this is not the meaning of the holy Ghoſt that theſe Witneſſes whome the Antichriſt ſhall ſlaye ſhalbe raiſed vp againe in their owne perſons (whilk yet ſhall be at the laſt day in the generall reſurrection:) but that the Lord ſhall raiſe vp other Witneſſes, indued with that ſame ſpirit, whilk they were indued with: preaching the ſame trueth, and maintaining the ſame cauſe againſt Antichriſt, as that prophecie in the 3. of Malachie of the ſending of Elias before the comming of Chriſt, was fulfilled, Mat. 11.10.14.as our Sauiour teſtifies, not in the raiſing vp of Elias in his owne perſon againe: but in the ſending of Iohn Baptiſt, in the vertue and ſpirite of Elias. So this prophecie concerning the reuiuing of theſe two Witneſſes, whereby was figured the faithfull Miniſters of Chriſt, who was murthered in the time of Poperie, as Iohn Wiclef, Iohn Hus, Ierome of Prage, M. Geor…e Wiſhart, and many others, is fulfilled not by raiſing vp of their perſons againe, but of others his faithfull ſeruands, who in their vertue and ſpirit hes defended and maintayned ye ſame doctrine & cauſe againſt the Antichriſt, as M. Luther, Caluine, Bucer, Peter Martyr, Maiſter Knoxe, and ſundry others whome the Lorde hes, and dailie raiſes vp in all countries, for the ouerthrow of your Babel. As for your truſt what will come to paſſe, we paſſe not, for ſo much hes bene fulfilled of theſe prophecies, whilk teſtifies your head to be the Antichriſt, & the Miniſters of the reformed Kirk to be the faithfull ſeruands of Chriſt, and the reſt concerning your daylie conſumption and finall abolition, 2. Theſſal. 2.8 Reuel. 18.2.21. & 19.20.we knowe aſſuredlie ſhall come to paſſe, becauſe the Lord hes ſo thought it and ſaid it. And as for any further proofe of the clemency and meekeneſſe of your Popes, if ſo the Lorde will, we deſire it not. For as it is ſaide of the wicked man, Your compaſſions are cruell, and your by paſt cruelty teſtifies of what ſpirit ye are. And ſuppoſe you ſay you truſt that this, amongſt the reſt, ſhall not come to paſſe, yet I feare you long to ſee that day vponupon the Miniſters of Scotland, whilk your brethren reioyced to ſee fulfilled in that cruell perſecution of Queene Marie in England, and in that bloodie maſſacre of Paris, of the ſaints of God there: for we cannot thinke but that ye are of the ſame ſpirit & minde, whilk your brethren were of, otherwiſe ye are not a right catholick. As for the Laird of Marchiſtouns coniecture concerning the day of iudgement, he hes his owne probable reaſons, and if you be as good as your worde, as your fauourers hes reported of you, Mat. 24.36.we will ſee the refutation of his book by you. And ſuppoſe I know the time to be vncertaine to man, or Angell, as our Sauiour ſayes: yet his coniecture thereof is in greater modeſtie and ſobrietie, nor your determination thereof. Whereby if the doctrine of your Kirk be true concerning the Antichriſt, whome ye imagine is yet to come, & the time of his raigne, whilk ye ſay is to be but three yeares and an halfe: then not only the year, but the very day therof may be knowne of them that liues in theſe dayes. For the Scripture ſayes, He ſhalbe aboliſhed by the brightneſſe of his comming: 2 Theſ. 2.8. Bellarm. lib. 3. de Romano pontificat cap. 17. pag. 418.yea that whilk is greater arrogancie and preſumption the learnedeſt of your Kirk, Bellarmine, hes taken vponupon him to determine the verie day of the comming of Chriſt to iudgement: to wit, 45. dayes after the periſhing of the Antichriſt. It is manifeſt (ſayes he) that after the death of the Antichriſt, there ſhall be but 45. dayes to the end of the world.
Maiſter Iohn Welſche.
Now if all this be true, both concerning the Antichriſt, the largenes of his dominion, the eſtate of the Kirk of God and his true Paſtors al that time whilk I offer me to prooue by the Scripture, And alſo that the Pope of Rome is that only Antichriſt that was to come, and is now diſcloſed, then I ſay, no man ſhould thinke that the Kirk of God was euer open, and viſible in that flouriſhing eſtate as it is now.
Maiſter Gilbert Browne.
But what if all theſe ſayings of his be falſe, what ſhall follow then? but that Maiſter Iohn and the reſt of the Miniſters are deceaued, and deceaues others, with ſik vaine & vntrue expoſitions vponupon the word of God. For take away from it Maiſter Iohns owne inuention, & the worde ſhall neuer hauehave ſik ane meaning. And although Maiſter Iohn offer neuer ſo oft to prooue the ſame, I ſay, he is neuer able to doe it, nor all the Miniſters in Scotland.
Maiſter Iohn Welſche his Reply.
If all theſe ſayings of mine concerning the largeneſſe of the dominion of Antichriſt, the eſtate of the Kirk of God, & his true Paſtors all that time, be falſe: then not onelyonly hauehave I bene deceaued, but alſo Bellarmine, the Rhemiſts, and Sanderus the chief defenders of your Kirk, hes bene deceaued, and deceaues others: for they hauehave ſpoken & written as much, & further in theſe points, then euer I did, as I hauehave prooued before by their owne teſtimonies. And yet I trow your head and Cleargie will iudge them to be as far from error, as you are. So either you or they, muſt be deceaued in this. And as for the fulfilling of theſe prophecies in your Popes of Rome, I hope it hes bene prooued ſufficientlie, whilk ye nor all the Cleargie of Rome, is neuer able to improoue. As for the reſt of your anſwere, wherein ye prooue that the Pope is not the Antichriſt: I hauehave anſwered to it in the other part of my tretiſe, concerning the Antichriſt, therefore I omit it now.