A Treatise Concerning Antichrist, Book 1 · Chapter 1
The first Chapter, propounding the state of the controuersie, and the grounds of our proofes.
1. WHeras the holy Ghost, 2. Thess. 2. Thess. 2. 8.2. 8. hath foreshewed, that Christ our Sauiour shall consume Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, that is, by the ministerie of his worde, which Esay 11. 4. is called the rodde or Esay. 11. 4.scepter of his mouth, & the spirite of his lips: it cānot therfore be denied, but that it is the dutie of all faithfull ministers, who are as it were the mouth of christ vntounto his people, to set themselues against Antichrist; that by their ministery his kingdome may be weakned, and the kingdome of Christ Iesus more and more aduaunced. For which cause I tooke vponupon me in my publicke readings not long since, to intreat of this maine controuersie betwixt vsus and the church of Rome, concerning Antichrist. But because my speech could prosite onelyonly those that heard me, I hauehave for diuerse causes thought good by writing to make the benefit of my labours cōmon: First, that by this means the Papists which be tractable may be reclaimed: Secondly, that those which bee obstinate among them may bee confounded: Thirdly, that Protestants and professours of the trueth which be found & resolute, may be more & more cōfirmed: lastly & especially that those which be weake & wauering may be stayed, and preserued from falling into that fearfull iudgement, which as the Lord hath threatned 2. Thess. 2. against vnsound professours in these latter times, so hath it within these few years fallen vponupon very many, who hauing by the great mercy of God beene deliuered out of the more then Egyptian bondage of Antichrist: and being set in the way toward the celestiall Canaan and land of promise, seemed with the vnthankfull Israelites to be wearie of the celestiall Manna the foode of their soules, and desired to be againe among the flesh-pots of Egypt. For seeing they had not receiued the louelove of the trueth that they might be saued, therefore God hath sent vponupon them the efficacie of errour 2. Thess. 2. 10. 11. 12.that they should belieue lies (meaning the lies of Antichrist) that all they might be condemned, which belieued not the truth, but delighted in vnrighteousnes, meaning the mysterie of iniquitie wherof he had spoken verse. 7. that is to say, Antichristianisme or 2. Thess. 2. 7.Popery.
2 And that we may proceed in order, we are first to set down the state of this controuersie, which in deed is the cheese of all controuersies betwixt vsus and the Papists, and of the greatest consequence. For if this were once throughly cleared, all others would easily be decided. Our assertion therefore in few words is this, That the Pope of Rome, who is as it were the God of the Papistes, is that grand Antichrist, who according to the prophecies of the holy Ghost in the Scriptures, was to be reuealed in these latter times. The Papists hold the contrary. And whereas we say and proue that their Lord God the Popes holinesse in Antichrist, they affirme that our assertion is blasphemie, and our arguments dotages. Rhemist. in 2. Thess. 2. Bellarmin lib. 3. de Pont. Rom. siue de Antichriste cap. 18.But if it were no harder a matter to demonstrate the truth of our assertion, then to proue their conceipt concerning Antichrist and the proofes therof to be meere dotages; I should very easily put this Question out of controuersie; that the Pope is Antichrist.
3 But first our assertion is to be expounded, and afterwards proued. As touching the name wee agree (saith Bellarmine) in Lib. 3. de pont. Rom. c. 2.this, that as the name Christ is taken two waies, to wit, commonly and properly, so also the name Antichrist. The name Christ commonly belongeth to all that are annointed of God; and that either to the speciall calling of a King, Prophet or Priest, or to the general calling of a Christian. And in this sence it is taken either Psal. 105. 15.more largely for the whole body of those that professe the name of Christ, whereof some are members of Christ in title and profession 1. Cor. 12. 12.onelyonly; or more strictly for the society of the elect the citizens of heauen, who hauehave the marke of God, and are not only Apoc. 9. 4.in shewe and profession, but also indeed and in truth members of the mysticall body of Christ. Peculiarly and foreign the name Christ belongeth to Iesus the sonne of God, who was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes, and is the Psalm. 45. 7.head, after a general maner, of all Christians, but more specially of the elect. In like sort the cōtrary name Antichrist belongeth commonly to all that be enemies to Christ; and those either open & professed enemies as the Iewes, Turkes, Infidels (in which sence the worde is not vsed in the Scripture) or else couert, professing themselues Christians, and vnderunder the name and profession of Christ, oppugning Christ and his truth. And so it is taken 1. John. 2. 18. 22.either more largely to signifie the whole bodie of Heretickes (as in the Epistles of Iohn) or more strictly the societie of them who hauing made an apostasie from Christ, hauehave receiued the marke of the beast. Properly or rather peculiarly & foreign it belongeth to the man of sinne, the sonne of perdition: who after 2. Thess. 2. 3.a more generall maner is the head of all Heretickes, and more specially of that societie, which hath the marke, the number and Apoc. 13. 17.name of the beast. The societie or body of those who hauing made an apostasie frō Christ to Antichrist, & the Antichristian state which in the Scriptures is called the whore of Babilon, wee hold to be the apostatical church of Rome. The head of this Antichristian Apoc. 17.body & catholicke apostasie, we hold to be the Pope of Rome; and consequently that the Pope is that graund Antichrist, whom the holy Ghost in the Scriptures hath described vntounto vsus; And that he foreign is called the Antichrist, not onelyonly because he is the head of the Antichristian body, but also because he being in profession the vicar of Christ, is in deed Aemulus Christi, that is, an enemy opposed vntounto Christ, in emulation of like honour, as if we should say, a counter-Christ, as the worde Antichrist doth also signifie.
4 But when we say that the Pope is Antichrist, wee meane not this or that Pope, howsoeuer some of them hauehave beene more notorious Antichrists then others: as for example Siluester the 2. Gregory the 7. aliâs Hildebrand, Boniface 8. Iohn 22. aliâs 24. Alexander 6. &c. but the whole rowe or rabble of them, from Boniface the 3. downeward. For although the Antichrist be but one person, yet he is not one as Christ the head of the Christian body, is one, Christ because he liueth for euer hath no successours, and therefore is one in nature and number, as being one singular & definit person. The head of the Antichristian body, which is to continue to the end of the worlde, is continued not in one singular and definit person, but in a succession of many, who are mortall and momentary; which successiuely hauehave bene, are, or shalbe the heads of the catholicke apostasie: of any wherof indefinitely, or of all commonly, the worde Antichrist is vnderstood. For euen as the Pope or vicar of Christ according to the Popish conceipt, is one person not in number and nature, but by lawe and institution, one at once ordinarily, but many successiuely; so Antichrist is not one singular person, but a succession of Antichristian Popes, which we begin at Boniface the thirde. Because he with much adoe, about the yeare of our Lord 607. obteined from the Emperour Phocas, and al his successours since, hauehave challenged vntounto them, the Antichristian title of the head of the catholicke or vniuersall Church, or oecumenicall & vniuersall Bishop. Which title of blasphemy, as Gregory calleth it, befitting Lib. 4. epist 32. & 34. & 38.him that resembleth Lucifer in pride, when as Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople had challenged not long before, to wit, about the yeare 600. in the time of Mauritius, whom Phocas cruelly murdered, Gregory the great then Pope of Rome affirmed confidently (for so he saith, Fidenter dico) that therein he was the forerunner of Antichrist, who was now euen at hand. Omnia enim Lib. 4. epist. 38.quae praedicta sunt, fiunt. Rex superbiae propè est, & quod dici nefas est, sacerdotum ei praeparatur exercitus. For all things (saith he) which were foretold, do now come to passe. The king of pride (meaning Antichrist) is at hand: and that which is horrible to be spoken, an army of priests is prepared for him. Whereby he would also insinuate, that he should be the prince of priests. Now this is a principle in the church of Rome, that the Pope, (especially such a Pope as Gregory the great, speaking definit…uelie and confidentlie) can not erre. And if this be true (as they may not deny, the Pope being the foundation of all their trueth) then must they needs confesse that Antichrist was come, almost a thousand yeers since, and that the Pope their prince of priests, who not onelyonly succeedeth Iohn of Constantinople in that Antichristian title, but also farre exceedeth him in all Antichristian pride, challenging a soueraigne and vniuersall authority not onelyonly aboue all other Bishops and priests, but also aboue all kings and Emperours, is that Antichrist.
5 To this testimony of Gregory I might adde diuerse other witnesses. But my purpose is not to draw mine arguments from the writings, and as it were the cisternes of men, who liued before the reuelation of Antichrist, and therefore except themselues had bene prophets, could not fully expound these prophecies: but from the pure fountaines of holy scriptures expounded by the history and euent, the best interpreters of prophecies. For as Daniell saith of the like (or rather as the Papists say of these same Dan. 129.prophecies concerning Antichrist) The words are closed vp, and sealed, vntill the appointed tyme. And accordingly was it said by Augustine, prophetias citiùs impleri quàm intelligt, that prophecies are fulfilled sooner then vnderstood, and by Irenaeus whome Bellarmine also alleadgeth to the same purpose, omnes prophetiae Lib. …. aduers. haeres. c. 43. Bell. de pont. R. lib. 3 c. 10.(saith he) priusquam habeāt efficaciam, aemgmata sunt & ambiguitas hominibus, All prophecies before they hauehave their complement, are vntounto men darke and doubtfull speeches. And therefore speaking of some part of the prophecies concerning Antichrist, hee Apoc. 13.saith, Certius & sine periculo est sustinere adimplet ionem prophetiae, quàm suspicari, &c: It is more sure and safe to wait for the fulfilling of the prophecie, then before hand to deliuer vncertaine ghesses. Lib. 5. advers. hares. pag. antepenult.Omitting therefore the vncertaine coniectures of men (for such are diuerse opinions of the fathers concerning Antichrist, as Bellarmine confesseth of some,) from the sacred scriptures, the Lib. 3. de pont. R. c. 10.vndoubted oracles of God, I frame this demonstration;
6 VntoUnto whomesoeuer the prophecies of holy scripture describing Antichrist the head of the Antichristian body, doe wholy and onelyonly agree, hee is that graund Antichrist who is foretold in the scriptures. VntoUnto the Pope of Rome the prophecies of holy scripture concerning Antichrist the head of the Antichristian body, do wholy and onelyonly agree: therefore the Pope of Rome is that graund Antichrist which is foretold in the scriptures. The proposition I take for graunted. For seeing the holy ghost hath of purpose in diuerse places of the scripture taken vponupon him fully and sufficiently to describe Antichrist, and that to this end, that he might bee knowne; we neede not doubt, but that this description of Antichrist is so perfect and so proper vntounto him, as to whome that description agreeth not, he is not Antichrist: & contrarywise whom it wholy and onelyonly fitteth, hee must be held and acknowledged to be that Antichrist. All the controuersie therefore is concerning the assumption, namely, whether the descriptions of Antichrist in the scriptures agree to the Pope or not. Antichrist is described by the holy ghost, especially in three places, viz. in the second chapter of the second epistle to the Thessalonians, in the thirteenth of the Reuelation from the eleuenth verse to the end, and in the seuenteenth chapter of the same booke. For I omitte those places in the prophecie of Daniel which vsually are alleaged, (because they speake properly of Antiochus Epiphanes, Chap. 7. & 8. & 11. & 12.who was but a type of Antichrist, as Bellarmine also confesseth,) and the ninth of the Apocalypse, because it is by some expounded Lib. 3. de pont. R. c, 18. & 21.of the Turks.
7 And that the description of Antichrist in the scriptures fitly agreeth to the Pope, it appeareth by this induction. For whereas all the arguments and notes whereby Antichrist is described in the scriptures, may be reduced to these heads, to wit, the place or seat where we are to find him; the time, when we were to looke for him; his condition and qualities, that he is an aduersary opposed vntounto Christ in aemulation of like honour, a man of sinne in generall, and more particularly an horrible Idolatour: his actions and passions, that is, such things as he shall either do or suffer: I will make it euident by the helpe of God (whose all-seeing spirit I humbly beseech to guide me into the truth) that all and eueryevery one of them doe so fitly and properly agree to the Pope of Rome, that in the descriptions of Antichrist in the scripture, the Pope may behold himselfe as it were in a glasse.