A Revelation of the Apocalypse, Chapter 17 · Commentary · Refutation · Chapter 16
Chapt. 16. Of Antichriſts Kingdome and warrs.
TOVCHING the Kingdome and warrs of Antichriſt, we have taught the certainty from the Apocalypſe chap. 11.7. and chap. 13. entyre; from whence the Reader may fetch the things that are to be holden of them both; and not from theſe durty ditches of the Ieſuits. But you about theſe matters doo propoūd four things from the Scriptures as you ſay. Firſt that Antichr…ſt coming from verie low degree, ſhal by fraud and guiles obteyn the Kingdome of the Iewes. Secondly that he ſhal fight with three Kings, to weet, of Aegipt, Libya, and Aethiopia; and conquering them ſhal poſſeſſe their Kingdomes. Thirdly that he ſhal ſubdue under him other ſeven Kings, and in that manner he ſhal become Monarch of the whole world. Fourthly that with an army innumerable he ſhal purſue the Chriſtians through the whole world: and that this is the warr of Gog and Magog. Of al which things, ſeing none doo agree to the Pope of Rome, it foloweth manifeſtly, that he can no way be caled Antichriſt. I anſwer, neither dooth anie of theſe agree unto Antichriſt properly ſo caled: wherfore though the Pope of Rome be diſcharged of al theſe, yet never the leſſe he wil be the Antichriſt.
As touching the firſt, Antichriſts baſe original is onelyonly touched: for that which is joyned with it, of getting the Kingdom of the Jewes, in the cō firmation nothing is ſayd of it: and reaſon good, ſeing it is moſt vain, as hath been already before declared. His baſe original therfore is prooved out of Dan. 11.21. Ther ſhal ſtand up in his place, a deſpiſed perſon, and the honour of the Kingdome ſhalbe given to him, and he ſhal come privilie, and ſhal get the Kingdome by frawd. You confeſſe, being moved by Ieroms authority, that theſe things are to be underſtood in ſome ſort of Antiochus Epiphanes, yet by the ſame Ieroms iudgement, are to be farr more perfectlie fulfilled in Antichriſt, as the things which are ſpoken in Pſalm 71. of Solomon, are meant verily of Solomon, but more perfectly fulfilled in Chriſt. I anſwer, this is altogither unlike; Solomon was appointed of God a type of Chriſt; but ſo was not Antiochus of Antichriſt, unleſſe you wil proroge Antichriſts reign, and for three yeres and a halfe, grant him ſix and a halfe; as many as Antiochus tyrannized over the Saincts. Moreover Antiochus was conſtreyned to be quiet, by commā dement of the Roman Legat: ſhal any in like ſort command Antichriſt, which shalbe cheif Monarch? Again Antiochus was an Ethnik and altogither an aliant frō the Church: ſhal Antichriſt alſo be ſuch an one? Learn therfore at laſt not to take anie thing of anie body indiferētly; but uſe the ballance, to try what is ſpoken, if you have any care of the truth. Certainly if you would caſt a right account, you wil rather acknowledge the original of the true Antichriſt to be famous. Doo you not ſee that he weareth crowns on his horns, ſo ſoon as he is born? Apoc. 13.1. Was he not to ariſe at Rome the Emperial citie: where what can be baſe, that is placed in any dignitie? The Bishop of Rome, as yee are willing to mention, was of great authoritie, becauſe of the dignitie of the citie, with all Chriſtian Churches, before the Emperours gave place unto him. And I hope that I have shewed you ſuch ſignes of Antichriſt, as you wil now doubt no more, but this Bishop is even he; if ſo be you wil freely confeſſe the thing as it is. Therfore the teſtimonies which you bring of the amplitude and gloriouſnes of the Bishop of Rome, doo more vehemently prove him to be Antichriſt, than that which you bring out of Daniel, prove that he is not.
Secondly for his fight with the three Kings, of Aegipt, Libya and Aethiopia, you relate that of Daniel, chap. 7.8. J conſidered the horns, and loe an other litle horn came up among them, and three of the firſt horns were pluckt away before him: and after explaining it he ſaith, and the ten horns ſhalbe ten Kings &c. which three are explained, you ſay, who they are, chap. 11.47. namely the Kings of Aegipt, Libya, and Aethiopia. I anſwer, that litle horn, is not Antichriſt properly ſo caled, as I have shewed in the ſecond chapter of this Refutation, and often other where, but the Mahumetan Turk. Wherupon in that your Pope of Rome hath killed no Kings of Aegipt, Libya and Aethiopia, it may in deed be proved, that he is not the Mahumetā Turk: but it dooth no more appear from hence that he is not Antichriſt, than that David of old was not King of Iſrael, becauſe he never ſubdued theſe ſame 3. Kings. The killing of theſe Kings by the Pope, perteyns nothing to this cauſe. He is fowl ynough with the bloud of Europe and at home, though he never come into the Libyan and Aethiopian deſerts. Moreover it may alſo be, that theſe three Kings, are not thoſe 3. horns plucked away: for they are the horns of the fourth Beaſt, as is plainly ſaid; three of thoſe firſt hornes were rooled out from his face. But theſe three Kings, neither a…e, nor ever were horns of the Roman Empire. Aethiopia was never ſubject to the Romans, who inlarged not their borders ſouthward further than Aegipt. Again, three horns are pluckt away from b…fore him: but theſe three wer not al to be overcome: but the Libyans and Aethiopians should be onelyonly at his footſteps, as peoples ayding him rather than ſubdued; who should afford him ſouldjers for his expeditions, and not themſ…lve… ſuffer hoſtile invaſiō. Surely if Antichriſt should wage no other warr than this, his martial power were not much to be feared.
The third point of ſubduing ſeven Kings, is of like ſtrength. Bu… ſo, ſay you, Lactantius and Jreneus doe interpret it. But whither should we hearkē to them or to Daniel rather? Certainly the Prophet plainly confirming that three horns are pluckt away, exempteth al the reſt from his power: otherweiſe he should have ſaid that al ten shal perish: or how should he be a litle horn which should get the command over al? But whither ſeven or three be ſubiected to that litle horn, this is nothing to Antichriſt: unto whom all his ten horns, as we have shewed, doo ſervice from the beginning, not compelled by warr, but willingly and of their own accord. The Fathers in deed perceived not what thoſe three horns should be; but the event hath taught us, that the Turk hath robbed the third part of the Romā Empire, which hath yet notwithſtanding ſevē hornes left, of which he shal not be Lord, but ſo farr forth as he may bring upon them ſome short and ſuddeyn overthrow. Therfore this horn belongeth nothing at al unto this great Antichriſt. But where you ſay he shalbe a Monarch, & shal ſucceed the Romans in Monarchie, as the Romans did the Greeks, the Greeks the Perſians, the Perſians the Aſsyrians: this hath more ground, ſeing Antichriſt ſhal lift up himſelfe above al which Is caled God, 2 Theſſ. 2.4. & the whole earth wondring should folow the Beaſt, neither acknowledgeth he any his like, or able to fight with him, Apoc. 13.3.4 As alſo▪ ſeing he should have for a throne, the great citie, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth, Apoc. 17.18. Theſe and the like doo truly prove him a Monarch But this, ſay you, dooth no way agree to the Bishop of Rome; for he was never King of the whole world. But were the Romans. I pray you, ever Kings of the whole world? I think you wil not deny it; as theſe words uſually are wont to be underſtood; or if you like to ſtand curiouſly herupon, Daniel teacheth, that the fourth Kingdom, to weet the Roman, ſhal conſume the whole earth, ſhal cruſh it, and break it in peeces, chap. 7.23. Remember therfore what a litle before you alleged out of Proſper: Rome by Principality of the Preiſthood was made more ample with the towr of religion, than with the throne of power. And what Leo ſaith, Serm. 1. de Natal. Apoſtol. Rome that art made the head of the world by the holy Seat of S. Peter, thou ruleſt more largely by divine religion, than by earthly domination. And what els meaneth the triple crown, but the principalitie over al the three parts of the world? The Popes crown hath more tops, than the Emperours Egle hath heads. It may be, that shortly it wil be quadruple, by the acceſsion of the Indians, that nothing may eſcape the Popes almightines, though ſomething for a time hath been hidd from his all skilfulnes. Wherfore the ſtreights of his dominion, neither ſtand you in anie ſtead to acquitt the Pope of this wickednes, neither is this remembrance grateful unto him, who dooth ſo contemn honours and Empire, as he had liefer with large limits of ruling to be counted Antichriſt, than to be defended by an argument of his Kingdome loſt or diminished.
The fourth branch is the battel of Gog and Magog, Apoc. 20. And when the 1000 yeres are ended &c. Jn this battel, you ſay, he ſhal with an armie innumerable, perſecute Chriſtians through the whole world. I anſwer, we have obſerved already from theſe words, the wonderful expedition of Antichriſt into the whole world properly ſo caled; before in the 7. chapter of his perſecution. And there we allowed for this expedition three yeres and a halfe: but here now it ſeemeth that this whole ſpace shal not be ſpēt in the iourney; but then it ſhal be taken in hand, after the three Kings and the ſeven Kings be ſubdued. There alſo we marveled if he should goe ſuch a iourney himſelfe alone, not hindred with anie troup of wayting men: but here furder comes the impediment of an armie, and the ſame nevertheleſſe an univerſal perſecution. Surely whatſoever you ſaid before againſt Hippolitus, you ſeem plainly to think that Antichriſt is no man, but the Divil him ſelfe. But to let theſe monſters paſſe, let us come to the battel: which I marvel you ſaw not that it should be by the Dragon, not by the Beaſt. Between which two, ther is in deed a great ſocietie of wickednes; but no leſſ difference of perſons and of things, than is between an open foe, and a ſecret enemie. Add hereunto that the Beaſt and falſe Prophet are both deſtroyed, before this warre is taken in hand, or at leaſt before it is finished: if that move you not, that both of them are mentioned to be ſlain in the end of the former chapter; yet conſider that the Divil, that is the Dragō was caſt into the lake of fire, wher the other have their place, before that the Divil comes thether; Apoc. 20.10. Although therfore Antichriſt be a Martial felow and a great warrier; yet shal he wage no warrs after he is dead. But it is one of his miracles to riſe againe. Be it ſo, when he counterfeyts a death, as you feign of him: but when he is ſlayn by that hand of God, and deeply drowned in the lake of fyre, he shal not find it ſo eaſi to riſe again, and when he lay under a coverlet. Separate you therfore thoſe things which touch not Antichriſt; and deal not ſo, as if you would prove one not to be a man, either becauſe he hath not four feet, or becauſe he wanteth wings; & you shal ſee the reſt, ſo to agree togither among themſelves in al points, as nothing more. Surely the things which you hav diſputed of this Kingdome and warr, are farr from every part eyther of the Kingdome or of the warr of Antichriſt: but ſuch ſtuff as this, are al the things that your men are either wont or able to bring, for to defend the Pope, and to free him from this moſt greevous crime. Therfore you toyl in vayn: the thing is manifeſt, it can not be hidd by anie ſubtilties. Why goe ye about to caſt a myſt before the Sun? Why frame yee arguments againſt the Spirit of God? Purge rather with flames, thoſe writings of yours, wherwith yow have laboured his defenſe: and flee out of his denn, as ſpeedily as you can.
Here ends the Refutation of Antichriſt, Against Bellarmine.