Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII That although it hath beene foretold, that Antichrist should sit in the Temple of God, yet that Church which acknowledgeth him, cannot be the true Church.
BVt there remaineth yet this scruple, that how tyrannicall and Antichristian soever this policy be, yet the Church where it is practised may not a whit the lesse bee the true Church. Yea rather seeing that Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God, considering this power and dignity, wee hauehave iust reason to presume that the Church of Rome, wherein it beares sway, may be truly the Temple of God.
This scruple cannot stagger, or stay him who shall examine whether this power be to be exercised by the Church, or against her: to be approved, or de…ested by her; who will consider that the followers of Antichrist at any time, now if he be already come, as certainely he is: or for the future, if he be not yet come, as a great part of the world dreameth, may oppose the church by the same argument, alleaging that they are the true church, because Antichrist is amongst them. One aAugust. civit. Dei lib. 10. c. 59therefore, adventured to interpret these words, sitting in the Temple of God, in a sense which runnes, sitting against the Temple of God, grounding vponupon the words in the bforeign.originall, which may denote as well, an opposition against the church, as a residence in it. But let vsus take the words in the former sense, that Antichrist must sit in the church of God; yet it will never follow that that church which a… knowledgeth him for her head, obeyeth, and adoreth him hath any thing of the church but the bare name. Let him then be in the church, but as a canker is in the body, a tyrant in the commonwealth. It may seeme that for this cause the Apostle vsed the word Temple, rather then Church, that hee might expresse vntounto vsus this mystery of iniquity, by allusion to the Temple of Ierusalem, called by an excellency, the Temple of God; signifying vntounto vsus, that as the Temple of God had beene anciently the place which God had consecrated, to t…e outward exercise of his service, but that men aft…rward transformed it into a den of theeues: retaining for all that the title of the Temple of God, in regard of it's primitiue, and sanctified vse: even so the church of Rome is stiled the Temple of God, as being primordially planted, and dressed by his hand: consecrated to God, and the Lord Iesus Christ, (and is so still at this day outwardly) by baptisme, and profession of the Christian faith, although they hauehave degenerated from their originall purity, and by their abominations prophaned their consecration, & belied their profession. Like vntounto rebells, who notwithstanding their rebellion, retaine the name still of kings subiects, as vsually he that is the ringleader of a conspiracy, obeyed by his confederates, is said to vsurpe rule over the kings subiects. So the adulteresse keepes the name of a wife still. After this fashion, that may bee called the Temple of God, which is become a den of theeues, that wherein not Antiochus, but Antichrist hath set vp the abomination of desolation. But granting them that the Temple of God, wherein Antichrist must sit, should be the true Church; it cannot thence bee concluded that the Church of Rome should be the true Church; this will imply no more, then that the Temple of God are the faithfull, both those which hauehave been heretofore, and those which are still as it were impledged in the Church of Rome, as anciently the Iewes were in Babylon, and all Israell in Aegypt. Over them the Pope long since sate, and at this day sits, and in this sense sits in the Temple of God in the rigour of its signification. They in the meane time never were, and now are not of the Romane church, as the graine is in the chaffe, but not of it. As some vpright Iustices may be in a Court of corrupt Iudges, but not of their confederacy, a few wholsome bodies may be with a multitude of infectious, but not of their company. Finally to cut them off from all evasiō, we say that the Pope sitteth in the church of God, in regard of the vnlimited authority he vsurps over all christians, even those which are separated from his slaues, vndertaking as their Iudge, to proceed against them with his tyrannous censures, and constraining Princes to persecute them.
It is then a certaine truth, that this policie of the Roman church, being of the same nature with that of the Antichristian church, it is a disgracefull and scandalous badge of her corruption, and apostacy.
On the other side, let the government of the reformed churches be obserued, in them there is no supreame iurisdiction, but an authority which alwaies submitteth it selfe to the rule of Gods word, and Canons of a discipline regulated by it. Every man being assubiected to the iudgement, not of one alone, but of many, and those many not vndertaking to binde any man by their authority, but only by the equitie of their decrees, submitting themselues to the controll of any man, yea and yeelding to it, if it be accompanied with reason. The true church is of so ample a circumference that she cannnot be governed by one alone, and of so Royall a descent, that in that which concerneth the conscience, she cannot be ruled by any but God himselfe. Any other whosoever he be, imployed in any function concerning her, must behaue himselfe as her servant, not as her Lord, not prescribing her any thing, but bearing witnesse to what hath beene prescribed her, not advancing himselfe aboue kings, but bowing vntounto them, not thinking, that his spirituall liberty, exempts him from bodily loyaltie, but giving to Caesar, that which is Caesars, to God that which is Gods, honour to whom honour, tribute to whom tribute belongeth.
This is the platforme and ground of iurisdiction in the protestant churches, very different from the Popes, who establisheth a spirituall monarchie in the church, who taketh vponupon him to iudge all, without being iudged by any, who requireth a blind obedience, grounded not vponupon the reason and equity of his iniunctions, but vponupon the vncontrolable eminency of his place, making as much of his ordinances, as if they were brought downe immediatly from God, as having in the c.Plat. in vita Paul. 2.registry of his breast, the fulnesse of infallible knowledge.