Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 2 · Controversies
5. Places of controuersie.
1. Controv. That the Scriptures should be extant in the vulgar and knowne tongue.
v. 4. Then spake the Chaldeans to the King in the Aramites language. This tongue not much differing then from the Chalde, was the knowne and vsuall language wherein they spake that they might be vnderstood of all. Afterward the Greeke tongue was generally vsed: and therefore Ptolome. caused the Scriptures to be translated into the Greeke tongue, and the Apostles writ the new Testament in the same language. This euidently sheweth, that the Scriptures should be set forth to the people of God, in such a tongue as they know and vnderstand: and hereupon Iustinian appointed,I…stinian constitut No…. il. 123. that Bishops and other Ministers should vse such a tongue in the administration of baptisme, and of the Lords Supper, which was knowne and vnderstood of all. The Romanists then are too blame, which cause the Scriptures to be read publikely in an vnknowne tongue: and though vponupon better aduisement, they hauehave thought good to set forth a vulgar translation of the Bible, yet they allow not priuately eueryevery one to vse it:
2. Controv. That prayer must onelyonly be made vntounto God.
v. 18. That they should beseech the God of heauen. God onelyonly then must be praied vntounto, who is called the God of heauen, because he is the creator thereof, that is the seate and habitation of his glorie, from thence he seeth all things, and reuealeth secrets, and from heauen he sendeth all good things. Angels and Saints hauehave no such title, they are not gods of heauen: they neither create it, nor can they from thence reueale secrets, or send downe heauenly graces: therefore they are not to be inuocated, or called vponupon. Polan. Bulling.
3. Controv. That prayer is not meritorious, but grounded onelyonly vponupon Gods merciemercy.
v. 18. For grace (or merciemercy) in this secret. All our prayers then must lay their foundation in Gods merciemercy, that he would first forgiue vsus our sinnes, and then freely and gratiously conferre vponupon vsus such things, as we aske: Polan, then the seruants of God doe not place any merit or worthines in their prayers, Bulling. which is the opinion of the Romanists, that the prayers of the Saints are meritorious: for first our prayers tend altogether vntounto our good, God receiueth nothing thereby: as Iob. 33. 11. Elihu saith, If thou be righteous, what giuest thou vntounto him. or what receiueth he at thine hand? there can not be any desert, where he is not benefited or furthered, at whose hands we should deserue. Againe, that which should merit at Gods hand, must be perfect and absolute: but in our prayers there are many wants and imperfections, Rom. 8. 26. We know not what to pray as we ought.
4. Controv. That matrimonie is no sacrament.
v. 18. Whereas the word raza is by the Septuag. here translated foreign, a mysterie or secret, and so also read P. A. V. I. with others, the Latine translateth, a sacrament: and yet in the next v. he retaineth the word mysterie: whereupon it is euident, that in the vulgar Latine translation, the word sacrament is diuersly taken, not alwaies for the sacramēts of the church properly so called: but for any mysticall or secret thing: as here the interpretation of this dreame, which Daniel prayeth for, he calleth a sacrament, that is, a secret or mysterie. Therefore it is but a weake collection of the Rhemists, and of other Romanists, vponupon the Latine text, which readeth Eph. 5. 32. This is a great sacramēt, to inferre thereupon, that mariage is a sacrament: for they might as well conclude here, that this Image which Nabuchadnezzer saw in his dreame was a sacrament.
5. Controv. That the Saints merit not.
v. 23. O thou God of my fathers, &c. Pintus hereupon giueth, this note, that Daniel in his thanksgiuing maketh mention of his fathers, Abraham, Izaak, and Iaakob, that he should not seeme to attribute this thing onelyonly to himselfe, which he obtained of God, sed potius illorum insignium virorum meritis & institiae, but rather to the merits and iustice of those excellent men, &c.
Contra. Whereas Daniel maketh mention of his fathers, he doth it not, as relying vponupon their worthines or merits: for he groundeth his prayers onelyonly vponupon Gods grace and merciemercy, v. 18. but for these two causes: 1. he remembreth the promise and couenant, which God had made to and with their fathers, to be their God, and the God of their seede: which promise the Lord gratiously performed now, in granting Daniel his request, Polan. 2. because they were worshippers of the true God, hereby he excludeth all false gods, whome they worshipped not. Genevens.
6. Controv. v. 21. That the Pope hath no power committed vntounto him to put downe Kings.
v. 21. He taketh away Kings. This beeing here by Daniel ascribed vntounto God, as his peculiar worke, to remooue Kings from their thrones, and to plant others in their place, the arrogancie of the proud Bishop of Rome is made manifest to all the world, who taketh vponupon him Gods office, to depose and set vp kings at his pleasure: Polan. As Platina writeth of Gregorie, that he vttered these presumptuous words, Nos, nos imperia, regna, principatus, & quicquid habere mortales possunt, auferre & dare posse, &c. That we, (euen) we hauehave power to take away, and giuegive Empires, Kingdomes, principalities, and whatsoeuer mortall men hauehave. Thus Iulius 2. gaue the kingdome of Navarre to the Spanish king, because he tooke part with Lewes the 12. king of France: likewise the Bishop of Rome stirring vp Matthias king of Hungarie against the Hussites of Bohemia,… 33. p. 258. promised him, quicquid Boemiae, etiamsi totum regnum caperet, suae fore ditionis, that whatsoeuer in Bohemia, though it were the kingdome, should belong vntounto him.
This sheweth the presumptuous insolencie of that proud Sea, to challenge that right and power, which belongeth onelyonly vntounto God: 1. Kings onelyonly are to be deposed by him, from whome they receiue their power, and authoritie: but that they hauehave from God, as the Apostle saith,Rom. 13. 1. The powers that be, are ordained of God, not of the Pope; therefore by him they are not to be deposed. 2. The Pope himselfe is subiect to the Emperour, as the same Apostle saith, Let eueryevery soule be subiect to the higher powers: he therefore hath no superioritie ouer them.
7. Contr. That the Pope can not be Christs Vicar generall in earth.
v. 44. The God of heauen shall set vp a kingdome. This kingdome of Christ is no visible, but a spirituall and vniuersall kingdome thorough the world: wherein though he vse Ministers, as Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Doctors, to reconcile men vntounto himselfe by the preaching of the Gospel, yet Vicar generall he hath none.
1. The embassage which Christ hath committed to his Ministers in his stead, is to reconcile men by the preaching of the word, as the Apostle saith, We are Embassadors for Christ, &c. we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled vntounto God. But the Pope can not in Christs stead reconcile men vntounto Christ: but this is the dutie of seuerall Pastors and Ministers, who are in Christs stead, and as his vicars to beget men vntounto the faith: Polan. one man alone, vnlesse he were of infinite power, can not suffice to execute this embassage of reconciliation through the Church.
2. Christs kingdome is eternall, the kingdome of the Pope is temporall, he therefore can not be Christs Vicar in his eternall kingdome: Osiander.
3. Christs kingdome is spirituall, the Popes is externall: he therefore can not be Christs Vicar in his spirituall kingdome.
8. Controv. That the time of Christs comming to iudgement can not be gathered from Daniels prophesie, v. 44.
Some doe make this coniecture, that seeing the kingdome of Christ should be raised vp toward the ende of the fourth Monarchie, which they suppose to be the Romane Empire, which is now decaied, and almost at an ende, they would hence gather, that the comming of Christ is at hand. Contra. 1. If their meaning be, that Christs comming is nearer at hand, then before, that is most certen: if that a small time remaineth in respect of Christs euerlasting kingdome, it is confessed: but if they would hence prooue, that the comming of Christ is now presently to be expected, because the Romane Monarchie is at an ende, they are deceiued; because they build this collection vponupon two vncertenties: 1. this fourth Monarchie is not the Romane Empire, but the kingdom of the Seleucians in Syria, and of the Ptolomies in Egypt, as hath beene prooued at large before, qu. 49, 50. 2. the kingdome of Christ here prophecied of, is not his second, but his first comming, as hath bin also before shewed, q. 55.
9. Controv. v. 45. Whether the virgin Marie be the mountaine out of the which the stone was cut.
Pererius applieth this to the virgin Marie, 1. because it is not vnusuall in Scripture to expresse the generation of man by this phrase: as Isa. 51. 1. Looke vntounto the rocke, whence ye are hewen, and to the hole of the pit, whence ye were digged, &c. 2. And she is compared to a mountaine, propter excellentiam virtutum, because of the excellencie of her vertues: cuius fundamenta super culmina sanctorum locata sunt, &c. whose foundations are placed vponupon the toppe and height of the Saints. 3. he applieth vntounto the virgin Marie those places in the Psalmes: as Psal. 68. 15. The mountaine of God is a fat mountaine, &c. God delighteth to dwell in it, yea the Lord will dwell in it for euer: and, Ps. 87. 1. His foundation is among the hills.
Contra. 1. The Prophet in that place by the rocke vnderstandeth Abraham, and by the hole of the pit Sarah, as it followeth in the next verse, Consider Abraham your father, and Sarah that bare you: but Christ had no father, out of whose loynes he should be taken forth, and as it were cut out: therefore this phrase of speach nothing helpeth his conceit of the virgin Marie.
2. The question is not, how Marie may be said to be a mountaine in respect of other Saints (and yet it may be doubted of, whether Marie doe so farre excell in vertue all the Saints, that euer liued) but the doubt is, whether Marie can be saide to be a mountaine in comparison of Christ, who is the stone cut out of this mountaine: to make Marie the mountaine, and Christ the little stone cut out thence, is a presumptuous comparison: for so Marie should be greater then Christ.
3. It is euident, that the Psalmist speaketh there of the hillie countrey of Canaan, and specially of mount Sion, where the Lord had made choice to make his habitation: and so, Psal. 87. he expoundeth himselfe in the second verse, The Lord loueth the gates of Zion aboue all the habitations of Iaakob: glorious things are spoken of the citie of God, &c. Wherefore it is a fond exposition, to appropriate that to Marie, which is spoken of the whole Church of God: neither can they shew how Marie, beeing a mortall woman, could be the habitation of God for euer.
4. This mountaine then is not vnderstood of Marie. 1. she can not be likened to a mountaine, and Christ to a little stone, as greater then he. 2. this stone is cut out without hands, that is, without any humane helpe at all: but in the incarnation of Christ, woman was an instrument, though not man, therefore it was not without hands. 3. Marie doth make her selfe of low degree, Luk. 1. 52. she was then more like a valley then a mountaine: see more of the true meaning of this place before, qu. 54.
10. Controv. Whether Christ verily encreased in the gifts and graces of his soule.
Pererius handling this point how Christ, compared here vntounto a stone, which grew into a mountaine, and filled the earth, encreased; affirmeth that in respect of the graces of his soule he encreased not, quam inde ab exordio sui conceptus tantam habuit, quam iam nunc habet, &c. which he had as great from the beginning of his conception, as now he hath it.
Contra. Though we also agree, that this growing and encreasing of Christ, is not meant of his personall growing in respect of his bodie or soule in the daies of his incarnation, but of the growth of his Church in the world; yet Pererius assertion is false: for the Scripture is euident, that Christ encreased in the gifts and faculties of the soule, as he did in stature of bodie: Luk. 2. 52. Iesus encreased in wisdome and stature. As it pleased him to take vponupon him an infants statute and bodie, which still encreased, so also he encreased in wisdome, and other graces of the soule: see more hereof, Synops. Controv. 5. err. 2.
11. Controv. That the Pope is not to be reuerenced, honoured, and worshipped through the world.
Pererius in the same place shewing how Christ hath filled the earth, not onelyonly with the knowledge of himselfe, preaching of the Gospell, fame of his miracles, but also with the worshipping and reuerencing of his name, addeth further, and of that man, who is his Vicar, the high Bishop, quem vniuersus Christianus Catholicus orbis honorat, colit, veneratur, &c. whome the vniuersall Christian Catholike Church doth honour, worship, reuerence: and his answers and decrees receiueth with no lesse reuerence, then the diuine oracles, &c.
Contra. 1. It is a friuolous application, to expound that of the fame of a mortall man, whose kingdome is transitorie and temporall, which is vnderstood of Christ, whose kingdome shall stand for euer.
2. If the Pope be to be honoured no otherwise then Christs Vicar, then he must not be honoured at all: for Christs Vicar he neither is, nor can be, as is before shewed, Controv. 7.
3. Neither is it true, that the vniuersal Catholike Church doth so honour, and reuerence him: for neither the Greeke Church doth giuegive him such honour, and well-nie the third part of Christendome doth hold him to be Antichrist: he is in deede honoured of the Romane Church, but that is not the Catholike Church: for a particular, and vniuersall Church, which is signified in the word Catholike, are diuers. The Pope if he were a good Bishop, which now were a miracle in that seat of pestilence, should be reuerenced, as other good Bishops are, but not as hauing any superioritie aboue the rest.
4. But to receiue his decrees, as the oracles of God, as holding them to be equall thereunto, unto, is an horrible blasphemie: to equalize the corrupt and erring decrees of ignorant, prophane, erroneous, if not hereticall Popes, to the most sacred rule of truth.
12. Controv. That it can not be prooued out of Daniels prophesie, that the Pope is not Antichrist.
v. 44. It shall breake and destroy all these kingdomes. Bellarmine taking it for graunted that the fourth kingdome here mentioned is the Romane Empire, which must be dissolued before Antichrist shall come, as S. Paul sheweth, 2. Thessal. 2. 7. OnelyOnly he which now withholdeth, (shall let) till he be taken out of the way: but the Romane Empire is not yet dissouled: for the Emperours of the West doe still remaine one succeeding an other: therefore Antichrist is not yet reuealed to the world: to this purpose Bellar. l. 3. de Rom. Pont. c. 5.
Contra. 1. Bellarmine taketh that for graunted, which is denied; as that the Romane Empire is the fourth kingdome, which is prooued to be otherwise before, qu. 49. For seeing this kingdome is vnderstood of the first comming of Christ, (for after his second comming, his kingdome should not encrease and fill the earth, beeing then at the full perfection) and at Christs comming, the Romane Empire was in the pride and height; it can not be the fourth kingdome, which the kingdome of Christ as soone as he commeth in the flesh, shall destroy.
2. The Romane Empire is long since dissolued, both in authoritie, and in the name and title: he is now called not the Emperor of Rome, but of Germanie: neither hath he any Imperiall authoritie saue in some few cities of Germanie: ouer other kingdomes, which were sometime subiect to the Romane Empire, he hath no iurisdiction: So that there remaineth now nothing but the image of the former beast, as it is called, Apoc. 13. 14.
13. Controv. Of the lawfulnes of Magistracie against the Anabaptists.
v. 48. He made him gouernour ouer the whole prouince of Babel. In that Daniel was aduanced by Nabuchadnezzer to this high place of gouernment, and he accepted of …t, it is euident that the calling of a Magistrate is lawfull, and that a Christian may please God in that place and function: which further appeareth against the wicked opinion of the Anabaptists, which allow no Magistracie among Christians: 1. by the author and founder of Magistrates, which is God himselfe, by whome the powers that be, are ordained, Rom. 13. 1. 2. by the examples of good kings and gouernours, as Dauid, Iehosaphat, Hezekiah, Iosias, who were acceptable vntounto God by their faithfull seruice in those places. 3. by the ende of Magistracie and gouernment, which is for the praise of well doers, and the punishment of the wicked, Rom. 13. 3, 4. 4. by the effects, namely obedience, which eueryevery where the Scripture commandeth to be giuen vntounto Magistrates, as Rom. 13. 1. 7. which were not to be yeilded vntounto them, if their authoritie and calling were not of God.