The Accomplishment of the Prophecies, Chapter 2 · Part 5 – Part 8
The proofe of this Exposition.
MAny, being either led by curiosity, or spurred on by impatience, affirmed that the day of the Lord was hard at hand. Whose over rash and headlong forwardnes, is here staied by the Apostle, telling them that this day shall not come till there be a falling away. What manner of falling away this is, he himselfe telleth vsus in that *1. Tim. 4.1.Prophecy of his, which wee hauehave formerly touched; telling vsus before hand, that in the latter time many shall fall away from the faith. And so did some of the Ancient vnderstand it; Primasius, Chrysostome and Theodoret, whom, his Maiestie of England, followes. There be some that vnderstand it, of the peoples falling away, from vnderunder the Roman Empire. And so do some of the Ancient: which also agreeth with the event. For we shall see anon how that the papacy increased by the decreasing of the Empire, and that the greatnesse thereof was built vponupon the ruines of the Empire.
The head and chiefe cause of this falling away from the faith, is by the Apostle S. Paule, called the man of sinne, & sonne of perdition, according to the vsuall forme of speech in Scripture, which calleth a bloody man, a man of blood. And those the children of hell, which are markt out for hell. So the man of sinne, and the sonne of perdition, signifie, a man that is a notorious sinner, and such a one as is markt out vntounto perdition.
That these qualities, some ages since, were fitting the Bishop of Rome, no man can doubt that hath read the writings, not of their enimies, but even of their owne servants that hauehave most respected them. Never was there man that did more prostitute himselfe to vphold the Popes power then Baronius did. And yet see his own words in the yeare 912. and 8. article. With what face did the Church of Rome then look, and how ilfavoredly? then, when famous queanes, and lewd strumpets did domineere at Rome? at whose pleasure Church livings were bestowsd, Bishopricks given, and that which is horrible to heare, and not to bee spoken, their louers, false Popes, thrust into the seat of Peter. It would bee long to repeate the whole passage; till at last hee breakes out, and asketh, What Priests, and Deacons Cardinals do yee thinke were chosen by these monsters? And hee complaineth that Iesus Christ did sleepe, Now hee speakes of such a great number of wicked & vitious Popes that it should seeme by his reckoning, that Iesus Christ slept a long time. Platina in the life of Benedict the 4. saith, The liberty of sinning hath begot vsus these monsters, and prodigies, which by ambition and corruption, hauehave rather vsurpt, thē possest the holy chaire of Peter, no Prince repressing the wickednesse of these men. Nay I dare affirme, that the histories of Emperours, and Pagan kings, written by their enimies, or by strangers, doe not speake so ill of them, as the histories of the Popes, written by their owne servants, and flatterers, doe speake ill of Popes. From the yeare 870. to the yeare 1050. You see none but Necromancers, but Adulterers, and Murderers, and infamous persons preferred to the Papacy: Every one knowes the complaints of Bernard, of Petrarke, of Mantuan, bewailing the corruption, & bad report of the Court of Rome. If these witnesses bee not of authoritie enough, at least I hope Popes thē selues shall bee beleeued herein. Aeneas Sylvius otherwise called Pius secundus in the 66. Epist to Iohn Peregall, speaks thus. The court of Rome giues nothing without mony; yea the imposition of hands, & the gifts of the holy Ghost are sold; and the remission of sinnes is communicated vntounto none, that hauehave not wherewithall to pay for it. Where is the man that durst now adaies speake so boldly as S. Bernard did in his 125. Epistle. The beast (saith he) of the Apocalyps, to whome a mouth was given speaking blasphemy, and to make warre vponupon the Saints, doth possesse the Chaire of S. Peter, as a Lyon prepared for the pray. I will annex one passage out of the Canonists, which hauehave glozed the decretals, in the title of Election, and 6. Chap. Their wordes are. Rome built at first by theeues, doth yet retaine the smacke of her first religion, being called Roma quasi rodens manus. It must needs be that this evill was great, seeing that in a booke so publike & authenticall, which containes all the laws and Statuts of the Church of Rome, these doctors did insert such things to their owne shame. To be briefe, if this be humanitie, to cause 70000 persons, within a few daies to be murdered in a massacre in France; If this bee chastitie, to establish Stewes at Rome: If this bee humilitie, to make Emperours and Kings kisse his feet: If this be fidelitie, to dispense with vowes and oaths; If this be religion, to weare the crosse of Christ vponupon his Pantophle: If this be liberalitie, to set the absolutions from sin, and *Taxa Cancellaria A. post fol. 11.dispensations for ill doing, at a certaine price of money, and to make expresse books thereof; I am then content that we be said to hauehave done his Holinesse wrong by calling him the man of sinne.
As for the title of the sonne of perdition, it is not our parts to giuegive iudgement vponupon any body, or positiuely to define what men are damned: but wee pray to God to shew mercy to these Popes, which hauehave bathed their handes in our bloud. Howbeit * Platina the Popes servant and Secretarie, speaking of their vices, doth as it were despaire of their salvation, saying. Our vices are growne to that heigth, that they will hardly ever find mercy in the sight of God.
Now here. least our adversaries should perplex vsus, we are to knowe that the Apostle doth not say, that there must of necessitie be a generall departure, before the son of perdition be revealed, so that when hee shall once come, there shall no more faithfull men be left in the world: It is enough for the fulfilling of his Prophecie, that this departure be begun, and hauehave already gathered some little strength, then, when the sonne of perdition shall be disclosed; of which departure hee shall make himselfe the head, and seeke to increase it with all his power; which yet shall never bee so great, but that there shall be some faithfull men in the world, left hid amidst this great corruption.
Moreouer, wee neede not wonder that the Bishop of Rome, is called the man of sinne, in the singular, though there be many of them, one after another. For we speak so commonly, and say that the Emperour goeth before kings, although there be many successiue Emperours. So our adversaries say that the Pope is the head of the Church, and not the Popes, because there is but one at a time. In France wee vse to say that the king dieth not, because that by the king, wee doe not vnderstand Henry, or Lewis, but a continuall descent of kings, one succeding the other So in the 7. and 8. chapter of Daniell a continuall succession of kings, is represented by one only beast, which appeareth yet more plainely in the 8. chapter 20. verse. The ramme which thou sawest having two hornes, are the kings of the Medes and Persians. And in the verse following, the kings of Greece are figured by a Goat, the horn of which signifieth the first king. The Greeke article foreign which is singular, doth most vsually signifie an indefinite person: as in the 2. to Timothy, and 3. chap. where it is also, foreign, &c. that the man of God may be absolute, where this word, The man, is aswell, as in this prophecie, taken indefinitely, and applyed to diverse men a part. And so Matthew the 18. verse 17. Let him be vntounto thee, as the heathē man, or publican, although there were a great number of this sort; and so shall wee finde it often. But if the sonne of perdition were but one only man that were yet to come, how shall the saying of the Apostle stand, who presently vponupon this telleth vsus, that the mystery of iniquity did even then in his time begin to worke, for to prepare his way? Is it credible that 5. or 700. yeares should bee imployed about the producing one only man, which should not last aboue 3. yeares, and some few moneths? Or that the mysterie of iniquity shoulde even then begin to worke, and that this man shoulde not yet be revealed? Especially seeing that our adversaries make Antichrist to bee … Iew, of the tribe of Dan, and which shall build vp Ierusalem againe, whereas we see no preparations for all this, so that by their reckoning the mysterie of iniquity should bee lesse prepared nowe then it was in the Apostles time. But if any one thinke it strange, that Antiochus Epiphanes which was but one person, should bee a figure of divers successiue persons, Let him remember that many high Priests one succeeding the other, were the figures of Iesus Christ, which yet neverthelesse was but one person. And yet the reason is alike on both sides. Besides, Antiochus is not the figure of many at a time, seeing there is never but one Pope at the same time.
Neither, can so great a dominion over so many nations (got, not by any exploite of war, but by guile, as the Apocalyps foretels vsus in the 17. ch.) be the work of one only man, much lesse of such a one, that shall raigne but 3. yeares and an halfe; this is a worke of many ages; that which followes, sutes with this, and is full of perspicuity.
The second part of this prophecie.
4 Which is an adversarie, and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God, shewing himselfe that hee is God.
5 Remember yee not that whē I was yet with you, I told you these things?
The exposition.
4 Whom yee shall know by these markes. He shal oppose himselfe against all that is called God, and which is worshipped, to wit, against the true, and highest God, and against Emperours, and kings, & magistrates, whom the holy scripture calleth Gods. Nay, which is more, he shall exalt himselfe aboue God, and especially aboue that which is called God by Idolatours, till he shall hauehave got to be absolute commander over the Church, and be called the head thereof, vsurping both the name and authority of God.
5 Remember yee not that whē I was yet with you, I told you these things.
The proofe of this exposition.
The proofe of this exposition consisteth in fiue pointes.
1 To shew that the Pope calleth himselfe God, & taketh the authority of God vponupon him.
2 That hee doth exalt himselfe aboue God, and especially aboue that which is called God by Idolatours.
3 That hee doth oppose himselfe against God.
4 That hee doth oppose himselfe against kings, and princes, and magistrates.
5 That he calleth himselfe the head of the church vniversall.