Antichrist Pointed and Painted Out in His True Colors, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. How Antichrist is described by the Apostle Iohn, Revel. 9.
THe Apostle Iohn doth likwise discribe Antichrist, REVEL. 9. to be a Staerre, and what is meaned by starres in the Revelation the first Chapter tells Revel. 1.16. To wit, Bishops & pastors of the Church, as the Iesuit Ribera upō that place acknowledgeth, and who is meaned by this Starre, ALFONSUS declareth saying, primae notae Episcopus, or an eminent Bishop. 2. He is called a fallen starr like Lucifer, therefore sayth their Lyr…, Episcopus malus est, qui stelladicitur ratione officij. That is, he who is called this starre. Is a wicked Bishop, so called a starre by reason of his office. 3. Hee is said to bee a fallen starre from heaven to earth, that is, 1. From the puritie of heavenlie doctrine to that which savours onelyonly of the earth, or humane invention & traditions, whereupon most points of of poperie ar grounded. 2. From a holy and heavenly disposition and seeking things aboue, to an earthlie disposition▪ affecting earthlie things, as riches, preferment, and Monarchik power & Iurisdiction, &c. Concerning which defection of the Roman Church, and the head thereof. Platina, the Pope's own Secretarie; in the lyfe of Marcellinus giveth this Testimonie; saying, Our Vices are come to that hight; that scarce there is anie place, left of obtaining MercieMercy at GODS Hands: For, how great is the Av…rice of Priests, (sayeth hee?) And, of these who are in highest place, (meaning the Pope;) Whas Lust? What Pomp, and Pryd? What Idlenesse, and Ignorance of themselves; and, of TRUE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE? How little Religion? And, the little, that is rather Hypocricall, then true? 3. By falling away from the Heaven, to the earth: is understood, His falling away from the true Church; (Which because of her heavenlie disposition, is so called in the Rev elation, in opposition to the earthlie sort: Called thereforethe earth; (as their Carthusian expoundeth.) So that, tho hee pretend to bee chieffe Pastor, and Head of the true Church. Hee is not so much as a true Member thereof: But, an Adversarie, and an Enemie thereto. Therefore, sayd Eberhardus, Archbishop of Salisburg of the Pope at an Imperiall dyat at Reinsburg, ANNO 1246. (as Aventin reporteth,) Sub Pontificis maximi titulo & Pastoris pelle, lupum se…issimum, (nisi coeci sumus,) sentimus. Avent. …. 7. annal. Bojorum. p. 547.That is, Under the Tytle of Pope, or Chieffe Bishop; as under the Skin of a Shepheard, wee feele (except wee bee blynd) a most cruell Wolffe. As, also, so speaketh that noble PETRARCH, Vides enim non modo CHRISTI adversarium; Petrarch. epist. cui titulus calamitatem vrbis Romanae deplorat. p. 803.Sed quod est gravius, sub-CHRISTI vexillo rebellantem CHRISTO, militantem Satanae, & CHRISTI Sanguine tumidum. That is, Thou seest not onlie CHRISTS Adversarie, (meaning, the Pope,) but, which is more grievous to see, That under the Banner of Christian Profession, hee rebelleth agaynst CHRIST, fighteth for Satan; and, is drunk with the blood of CHRIST:) To wit, in His Members.)
Next: Whereas hee claymeth, (as PETER'S Successour to have committed to him the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven; the Apostle here showeth, That it is the key of the bottomlesse pit, that is given to him, quia ei permittitur, (sayeth their own Lyra,) abuti potestate Episcopali. That is, Because it is permitted unto him, to abuse Episcopall authoritie, or power. Which by the keyes is understood, in opening, or shutting; damning, or saving. Which power over the bottomlesse pit; who is hee that claymeth it so much, as the Pope? In throwing down to Hell, by his Thunder-bolt of Excommunication, whom hee listeth; and, liberating Soules, out of his Hellish Purgatorie, whom hee pleaseth. So that as hee changeth his Station, and falleth from Heaven: So, hee loseth the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven: And, as hee becommeth the Angell of the Bottomlesse Pit; so suteablie he getteth the key thereof. And, from a Starre, which abefore, (while hee stood in his first Station▪ Vers. 11▪as the Primitive Bishops of Rome;) being now fallen by Apostasie, from the True Fayth,1. Tim. 4. (as the Apostle speaketh:) Hee becommeth a Broacher of Darknesse: and, bringeth in both Errour and Ignorance, on the face of the Visible Church, as the Popish ordinarie glosse, and the Iesuit Ribera expoundeth. And, therfore,Gloss. ord. in Rev. 9.2. & Ribera. is sayd to open the Bottomlesse Pit; which before by the preaching of the Gospell, in power & puritie was shut, (as it were,) Ignorance and Errour being thereby supprest. Out of which first proceedeth smoak: and out of the smoak, Locusts. Over whom hee becommeth a Soveraign Head and Monarch. And, therefore, (Vers. 11.) is called their king Abaddon, Appollyon: To show therby That first Ignorance and Errour, should bee brought in by him, in place of Knowledge and Trueth. And, next; That Ignorance and Errour, …red and brought forth the swarms of Locusts. Which Beda calleth the disciples of Antichrist: and, Lyra, ejus Sacerdotes & Ministros. That is, His Priests under him and ministers: Following Pope Gregorie the first herein: Who declaring the Tytle of Vniversall Bishop, to be Antichristiā, propheticallie speaketh of his Successour, Boniface the third: who assumed that Tytle; saying, The king of Pryde, Greg. l. 4. indict. ep. 38.is at hand: and, which is fearfull to be spoken: An armie of Priests is prepared for him. The diverse Orders of whom; and, of the Popish Clergie, are here compared to Locusts: 1. Because of their swarming multitude. For which cause, the hudge armie of the Midianites, who infested Israell; are compared to them, Iudge 7.12. 2. Because of their devouring and eating up of everie Herb, Fruits of Trees; and everie green thing, as wee see in that Plague of Egypt, Exod. 10.15. As the Romish Clergie, in lyke manner, hauehave inhanced to themselves, the best places & things in every land, where they didswarme. 3. They are verie busie still busing and leaping, from place to place: Even as Seminarie priests in lyke manner and Iesuits do, to advance and advantage themselves, and their Religion: And, lyke the old Pharisees, to make men their Proselits, the children of the Devill, seven tymes more than themselves. 4. As Locusts do most harm by their mouths: So do these Locusts by their false doctrine. 5. It is said, also, That power was given to these Locusts, as the power of Scorpions. Therefore, Vers. 10, It is sayd, That they have tayles lyke Scorpions: and, their sting is in their tayle; whereby they hurt. By which tayles, are meant False doctrines: as wee see expounded Isai. 9.15. Which are venemous, and infect poore soules. Therefore, sayeth their own Iesuit Ribera, Vulnera s…a & venenata infligunt. Riber…, in Apoc. 9.3That is; They sting with cruell, and venemous stinging. 6. And, this also, they doe, (sayeth hee,) Furtim & latenter. That is; Slighlie, and unperceaveablie, (as the Apostle speaketh,) By deceaveablenesse of unrighteousnesse: And, in a mysterie, lyke the envyous man, who did sow the Tares in the night. 7. Their stinging is not at first felt hurtfull: Because the same is in a sort pleasant: But, is found to bee thereafter paynfull, and deadlie: Even, so, is Popish doctrine, in death especiallie, filling the hearts then of poore soules with doubtinges, terroures of conscience, and feare of Purgatorie, and the lyke: Which maketh them to bee f…ed therefrom; to bequeath such large Legacies for Soule-Masses and Diriges, &c. 8. The shape of these Locusts, are sayd, To bee lyke horses, prepared unto battell, denotating their forward, fearce, and furious oppositions; by all bloodie Plots, and Practises, agaynst the Trueth; as the poor Waldenses found, the Massacre of Paris can witnesse; and the intended Invincible Spanish Armado, in 88. and English Pouder-treason, in 1605. 9. They had upon their heads. as it were, crownes; which their own Lyra expoundeth, To bee Tonsura clericalis, propter quam, (sayeth hee,) homines honorem illis deferunt. That is, Their shaven crowne; for the which, men have them in an honourable respect: And, wherehy is signfied,Rabanus Maurus, in institutione cleric. lib. 1. cap. 3., (sayeth their RABANUS MAURUS, and DURAND▪ in his Rationale divinorum.) That they are not onlie Priests, but Kings, and have a Royall Priesthood. 10. Their faces, were as the faces of men: Showing their faire Pretences, and courteous humane carriage: Through covetousnesse, (as PEYER speaketh,) With feigned words; making merchandize of soules. And,2. Pet. 2.3. therefore, also, are sayd, To have haire, lyke womens haire: Signifying thereby, their alluring wayes; to draw men, to their spirituall whoredome, and sensuall religion. Therefore, sayeth their own Iesuit, Ribera, Capilli ergo mulierum significant non solum eos humanitatem simulatoros esse▪ sed etiam blanditias, muliebribus similes adhibituros: That is▪ Therefore, their womens haire signifieth not only, that they shal counterfect humanitie, But also, shall use alluring formes; like the in…ysings of womē. 11. But withal it is said, that their teeth that are hid under this, are as the teeth of Lyons. Signifying thereby either their crueltie against all their opposers as their own Lyra expoundeth, or their making a prey of such as they obtaine by their simulate humanitie & allurements, as experience hath taught of the Roman Clergie, and Iesuiticall sort especiallie, and as the Apostle foreprophecyed of such, who under pretence of long prayers should devoure Widowes houses. 12. It is sayd of them that they had as it were Breastplats of yron. Whereby (sayeth Bedae) is understood, Obdurata contra veritatē praecordia, that is their obdured hearts against the Truth, or as Andreas Caesariensis expoundeth, Quae obfirmatam notant duritiē, that is, which denotats their obfirmed induration, so that wee neede not to think it strange although in in so cleare convincing light we see them obdured in their errors. 13. They are said to have wings, signifying thereby not onelyonly their sedulity, like the old Pharisees compassing sea & land to make Proselits to themselves. But likewise their exalting and lifting up of themselves aboue all others, as being the spirituall estate, and exeeming themselves from & aboue all Civill Iurisdiction. And last, IT IS said that they hauehave a KING over them, to show that the gover…ement under which they are, is Monarchicall, which Bellarmin proveth the papall to bee, and if we would know from a Cardinals mouth who is this KING, Hugo Cardinalis telleth us that he is Antichrist, whose name is set down both in hebrew and greeke to be a destroyer, to showe that the LORD would hauehave him to bee knowne to be so, both to Iew & Gentile, that they may the better avoid him, and his craftie seduction; as our SAVIOURS Name is likewise set down in both these languages, to show that Hee is a Common SAVIOUR to be embraced both by Iew and Gentile. And th…t this forenamed king of the…e Locusts is His maine opposite. … is called a destroyer (as the true KING of His Church is called a SAVIOUR.) 1. Because by his errors and Idolatrie he seeketh to destroy the Fayth, from which he hath made apostacie, and the true Worship of GOD. 2. Because thereby he is also a destroyer of soules. 3. Because by his bloodie persecution hee destroyeth the bodies of true Professours by fire and sword, as we see foreprophe…yed of him. Revel. 11.7. and therefore is said to bee Drunk with the blood of the Saints. REVEL. 17.6. And 4. He destroyeth and devoureth up mens goods, by his pardons, indulgencies, soule-masses, and making all things sellable at Rome, as Aeneas Sylvius, Aen. Syl. Epist. Iohanni Periga…o.afterward Pope Pius 2. testifieth, saying, Ther is nothing which the Court of Rome giveth without money, For the verie imposition of hands: and the gifts of the Holie Ghost are sold, neyther is the remission of sinnes bestowed vponupon any without Money. Bap. Mátuan de calam. temp.As also Carmelite Frier Mantuan sayeth.
Templa, sacerdotes, altaria, saecra, coronae,
Ignes, thura, preces, coelū est venale, deus que
Now how agreeable …e all the former to the Pope and his clergie wee hauehave showne, and let any papist that breathes, showe the same can be so applyable to any other whom they call hereticks, and that they acknowledge or hauehave any one universallie over them: as king, and exercising Ecclesiasticall Monarchicall governement.