The Accomplishment of the Prophecies, Chapter 2 · Part 13 – Part 18
The fift point. That the Pope doth call himselfe head of the Church.
WE need plaints rather them proofs vpō this point. For the pope doth not onelyonly take the title of the head of the Church vponupon him, but makes vsus to feele the effects of it. Neither, when we say that the pope calleth himselfe head of the vniversall church, doe our adversaries say that we wrong them, but they take it hardly, that we doe not beleeue them. And I must needs condemne our selues of blockishnesse in offering to dispute about this title with him, seeing that pope Anaclet in his 3 Decretall Epistle, hath proued it so well out of the Gospel; saying, that Peter is called Cephas, that is to say, the head. For this Etymologie must needes stand for good, since the pope hath approued of it. With the like soliditie,Extrau. v…m sanctā. doth pope Boniface the 8 ground this superiority vponupon the very first line of scripture. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
It is true, that to shift of the matter, they vse to say that the pope is but a ministeriall head. But herein mee thinkes they doe delude themselues, because these wordes of a ministeriall head, are meerely contradictory, for it is as if one should say, a kingly subiect, or a masterly servant. And there is no king in the world, which hauing sent his Vice-gerent into a Province, woulde endure that hee should call himselfe king, although he should excuse it, and say that he were but a ministeriall king, And do we thinke that Iesus Christ, whome the holy scripture calleth the head of the church, will be well pleased that a man should take this title vponupon him, vnderunder the pretext that some doe excuse it by,, saying that he is an inferiour, or ministeriall head? And yet for all this, not forbeare to rule like the cheife head, as it often falleth out, that vnderunder the title of the Kings Lieutenant many, doe vsurp the authority of the King.
But this is an other question. It is sufficient for vsus if it appeare that the Pope names himselfe head of the church, for this is enough for the fulfilling of the prophecie contained in these words, that the son of perdition shall sit in the temple of God. For it is not without cause, that the holy ghost doth vse this worde of sitting, in steede of raigning. Because this is a word whereby the dignity, and papall authority is commonly exprest. It is said, that he sitteth in the chaire of S. Peter, the common fashiō of speech is to say that Boniface or Clement sate so many yeares, insteed of saying they governed the church so long. And so doth the whore speak in the 18. of the Apocal. I sit as Queen, that is to say, I rule, shee the sāe sat vponupon many waters, which are the people and nations, Apoc. 17. ver. 15. To sit therefore in the tēple of God, signifieth to take vponupon him to rule in the temple of God.
This temple of God, is the church of God: according to the stile of the new Testament, S. *2. Cor. 6.19Paul speaks thus to the church of Corinth, What agreement hath the temple of God with Idoles? For yee are▪ the temple of the living God. So likewise it is said in the Apocalyps chap. 3. Him that overcommeth will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. And in the 11. c. the Angel of God cōmandeth S. Ioh. to mete the tēple of God, which is not a building of stones, but the church of God, called by S. Paule the house of God.
I am not ignorant that some of the Ancient by the Temple of God, hauehave vnderstood the temple of Ierusalē, 1. Tim. 3.15with the like cōiecture, as they hauehave said that Antichrist should be Nero, raised vp againe from the dead. But there be some others of the Ancient which contradict them. Chrysostome vponupon this place. He shall sit in the temple of God, not in that of Ierusalē, but in the church Theophylact, and Oecumenius, vsing lightly to follow him, say the same. Authors, whō Bellar. hath thus falsified; He shall sit in the temple of God, not only in that of Ierusalem. This Only is of his own, falsly put in cōtrary to the reading of all copies. S. Hierome sheweth himselfe cleerly to be of this opiniō. He shal sit in the Temple of God, that is either in Ierusalē, or in the church, which later expositiō I take to be the truer of the two.
Others thinke to catch vsus with a subtilty, and say. If the sonne of perdition be sate in the church, and the Pope be that sonne of perdition, it followes that the church of Rome is the church, since the Pope is sate there. The Apostle lendeth vsus a helping hand to get out of this difficulty. For every one knowes that it is one thing to sit, and another thing to bee sate; the one notes a moving, the other a resting; the one signifies to take a place, and the other to keepe it. This is the reason why the Apostle hath set it downe in the accusatiue, foreign, to represent a moving vntounto vsus. His meaning then is that the Pope shall sit in the temple of God, and take place there, but he doth not deny that after he is entered into the temple, and is sate there, hee shall driue the service of God thence. The temple of Salomō, was it not the house of God? And yet the Priests which were sate there changed it into a den of theeues: how much more if they had brought Idolatry into it? They therefore which knowing the abuses of the Church of Rome, say that they must not go out of it because Antichrist is there, suffer themselues (as it seemeth to me) to be bound with a straw, and to be held with a slight reason▪ and I cannot sufficiently wonder at their foolishnesse: for they speake as if they should say. We may not go out of this house, for the plague is here; or thus, that we may not be the children of perdition, we must be subiect to the sonne of perdition. We confesse that the Church of Rome was the true church, when the Pope was first establisht therein, as well as the Greeke church, the Syrian, or Armenian, but whē he was once establisht there, by little, and litle he overthrew religion, so that they, which look to be saved, must of necessity goe out of her; And he that shall go out of her, goeth not out of the vniversall Church, but out of a particular corrupted church.
The fourth part of the Prophecie of S. Paule.
6 And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mysterie of iniquity doeth already worke.
The exposition of this prophecie.
6 And now ye know what it is that staieth his comming, which shall come to passe, at the time appointed, and foreordained by God.
7 For the foundations of this sonne of perditions dominion are already laied. And Satan doth even now draw out the thre…des, and spin the beginnings of his doctrine, which shall be woven togither by an abominable art, and full of wicked craft.
The proofe of this exposition.
For to proue this exposition, wee are to shew two things. 1. That there were some seedes of Papistry sowen even in S. Paules time. 2. That Papistry is built with artificiall mysteries, & fraudulent devises.
The first point. That there were some seeds of Papistry sowen even in S. Paules time.
1 THe affectation of preheminencie in the church. 2. The religious service done to creatures. 3. The Distinction of meates, and of daies. 4. The allurements of philosophy. 5. The traditions of men; all these are the maladies of the Papacie, and vices of the church of Rome.
There were some seedes of these vices sowne in the Apostle S. Paules time. For even at that time, one called himselfe the disciple of Peter, another of Paule, and a third of Apollos; which were enflamed with emulation about chiefdome. The encrease of which disorders was for the present hindered by the humility, and vnion of the Apostles. And it may well seeme not to bee without great consideration, that the same Apostle hath advertised the Romanes not to be high-minded, vnderunder the paine of being cut of. Rom. 11. For although the same instruction be giuen in general to the gentils, yet doth he meane it more in speciall to the Romans; foreseeing that their fall would come by pride; & giueth them this information, which they should take insteed of a prophecy.
2 There were some of them too which were giuen to worship Angels, whom hee reprehendeth in his epistle to the Colossians, 2. chap. Let no man (saith he) beare rule over you, by humblenesse of minde, and worshipping of Angels.
3 There were euen in those daies these words heard, Eate not, taste not, touch not. Col. 2. and many made a conscience of eating certaine meates. 1. Cor. 10. Rom. 14. and this for a religious exercise, and out of a voluntary devotion, & for no other end but to keepe downe the flesh. Then did some begin to make a distinction between daies, as if one had beene better then another, Rom. 15.5. Gal. 4.10.
4 Then were there some, that sought to seduce the simple by philosophy; where of S. Paul doth also admonish the faithful. Beware that no man spoile you through philosophy, and vaine deceipt.
5 In the same place he forbiddeth the Colossians to sticke to the traditions of mē; and he toucheth the corruption, that was growing amongst thē. Out of these sparks, through continuance of time, there arose a great flame: Satan endeavouring at that time to beate vponupon this yron with as little noise as might bee, which hee could not bring to that perfect forme as hee desired, till many ages were past; There were many yeares to be imployed about the licking of this beare, before it could be brought to any handsome shape. The authority of the Apostles, the zeale of their disciples, the violence of persecutions, did stop him frō going forwards in his worke; but if frō the very infancie of the christian church, & in the sight of the Apostles, he did begin to set about this mysterie of iniquity; what did he do after these lights were extinguished, after this zeale was waxen cold; is it likely that hee woulde forget his former worke, or begin it so earely to cast it off at last? Seeing that if Antichrist must be such a one, as our adversaries describe him to be, to wit, a Iew, one that must build vp Ierusalem againe, and be a soveraigne monarch over the whole world, we see no beginnings yet of all this, nor nothing more vnlikely to come to passe.
The second point. With what cunning the prophecie is built and of the diverse sortes of guile that are therein.
AS the Apostle calleth the doctrine of our redemption, a secret or mistery of godlynesse, because of the height, & depth thereof: so doth he call the doctrin, which is framed with deceipt, and continued by deepe policie, a secret or mistery of iniquitie: which is the selfesame with that, which the spirit of God in the 2. of the Apocalyps calleth the deepnesse of Satan.
The policies imployed about the building of Poperie, and establishment of the papall dignity, are of 4. sorts. 1. There be some of them, which serue to blinde the people, and to darke their vnderstandings. 2. There bee others that serue to heape vp riches; 3. There be others that serue to exalt the pope, and his clergie to honour, & dignitie. 4. There bee others which serue for the preservation of that which is gotten.