Antichrist Pointed and Painted Out in His True Colors, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of Antichrists sitting in the Temple of GOD, as GOD, Showing himself that he is GOD. 2. Thess. 2.4. And of his Names of blasphemie, Revel. 17.3.
HAving shown how Antichrist exalteth himself aboue all that is called GOD. Wee come next to his sitting as GOD, in the Temple of GOD, showing himself that he is GOD, as the Apostle speaketh, 2. Thess. 2.4. That is, so farre as any mortall man can in the hight of pride equall himself with GOD, which the Pope doeth 1. By usurping not only the Tytle of CHRISTS vicar upon earth, that is, as it is sayd of Moyses being to Aaron, in stead of GOD, Exod. 4.16. But also 2. In usurping blasphemouslie the verie name of GOD in the singular, which in the plurall onelie is communicated to Kings and Princes, Psal. 82.6. As it was written upon that Triumphall Arch at Rome.
Oraculo vocis mundi moderaris habenas,
Et merito in terris diceris esse Deus.
Therefore Panormitan calleth him Dominus Deus noster Papa And of late Stapleton in the Dedicatorie Epistle of his Treatise De principiis Doctrin. Panor. …. per Venerabilem. Num. 2. & 4. f. 60.calleth Gregorie the 13. Supremum Numen in terris, or the Supreame GOD upon earth, therefore sayth Frossardus in his fourth …ome and tenth Chapter, That as there is but One GOD in Heaven, so there is no reasen but there ought in like manner, to be but one god onelie upon earth, to wit, the Pope. Platina in vita Pauli 2.Wherefore, (as Platina recordeth) Pope Paull the second used to say, That hee had all Lawes in the cabinet of his owne breast, & could rescind or approve the actions of all mē … according to his pleasure. Whence also that worshipfull Gentleman forenamed Gefrey Chaucer speaketh thus of the Pope in his tyme, in his Plow-mans tale.
And to Popes hest's such take more heed
Then to keepe Christs Commandement,
Of gold & silver mot be …is weed,
They hold him whole Omnipotent.
Whence it is likewise that their own Cassander of late sayth,Cass. de officio pii vi ri, p. 792. excus. parisiis apvd Abraham…m Pacard 1616 Pontificem vero Romanum (quem Papam dicimus) tantum non Deum faciunt, ejusque authoritatem non modo supra totam Ecclesiam, sed supra ipsam scripturam divinam efferunt, & sententiam ejus divinis oraculis parem, imo infallibilem fidei regulam consti…nt. That is, They make the Roman Bishop, (whom wee call the Pope) little lesse nor GOD, & extolleth his authoritie not onelie aboue the whole Church, but also aboue the holie Scriptures (which is to be aboue GOD) and maketh his sentence or decree equall to the Oracles of GOD, (& consequentlie himself to bee equall to GOD,) yea to be the infallible Rule of Fayth.
3. Hee showeth Himself to be GOD, and sit as GOD in the Temple of GOD, whill as he usurpeth the other Tytles that are onelie proper to GOD, a…. 1. To be Head of the Church of GOD, as Bellarmin styleth him, ascribing that unto him with other tytles as followeth,Bel. l. 2. de pont. Roma. c. 31. & praef. de summo pō- Greg. l. 4. indict. ep- 36. which as it is contrar to holie scripture. 2. Cor. 11.2. Where CHRIST is called the One and onelyonly Husband of His Church, and consequentlie her onelie Head, so Gregorie the first calleth it A divelish usurpation, under pretence of humilitie, by pride of a pompaticke tytle (sayeth hee) to attempt so the subjecting of Christs members to himself, as Head of the Church, quae omnia uni soli capiti cohaerent, (sayeth hee) That is, all which cohere to one onelie head thereof, to wit CHRIST, and againe writting to Iohn patriark of Constantinople who began first to usurpe the same, he sayeth If Paull eschewed that the members of the LORDS bodie should be particularlie subiected unto other heads beside CHRIST, altho they were Apostles, what will thou be able to answere at the strick Tryall of the last judgement to CHRIST the Head of His Vniversall Church, who preasseth by the tytle of Vniversall Bishope to subject all these his members unto thee as head? which wickednes (sayeth hee) what else is it but thereby to imita… him, to wit, Lucifer, who despysing the Legions of his follow Angels, joyned with him, in one societie; did attempt to mount above them to such a hight of singularity: That hee lykewyse, would bee vnderunder none; but hee alone would bee aboue all others: (which is, indeed, to sit, as God, in the Temple of God.) And, therefore, such Style Gregorie declareth,Greg. l. 4. indict. Ep. 36. & 38. & l. 6. Ep. 30. & l. 7. ep. 30 to bee not onlie prowd and prophane; but also Antichristian. And which none of my Predecessours (sayeth hee,) Bishops of Rome, would ever consent to hauehave: Neither I my self, would consent thereto, for what were this, else but to lose the Fayth, (sayeth hee;) and, to make ship-wrack thereof ▪
2. BELLERMINE styleth the Pope,l. 2. de pō. c. 31. The Husband of CHRISTS Church: contrarie to the place forecited, 2. Cor. 11.2, Of which sayeth BERNARD, to▪ Pope EUGENIUS; when hee had told,Ep. 137. That Christ is the onlie Husband of His Church: Wherefhre, (sayeth hee,) call not his Beloved Spouse Thyne, and challenge thou nothing as proper to thee over her. And, which Title their canonized AQUINAS, LYRA, & LOMBARD; on 2. Cor. 11.2. showeth to bee proper onlie to CHRIST alone; and without blasphemie, is not communicable to anie.
3. Bellarmine, also,Praef. d… Rom. Pont. Greg. lib. 4. indict▪ Ep. 38. calleth the Pope Generall Father. A Title proper onlie to GOD: Therefore, sayeth Pope Gregorie to Iohn of Constantinople; who first attempted to usurp that Style. How wilt thou answer in the Day of that Terrible Examination of CHRIST the Iudge; who is to come, who deserveth to bee called, not onlie Father, (sayeth hee,) but also, The Generall Father of all?
4. By the same Bellarmine, in the place forecited, hee is called That Corner Stone ▪ spoken of by Isai. cap. 28. proved, and precious; which Title to be onlie proper to CHRIST; and without grosse blasphemie, to bee communicable to none, these Romanists beareth witnesse: To wit, Hugo de S. Charo, Pintus, and Perusin, on this place, rendring these Reasons: 1. Because he, and hee onlie as a corner stone coupled together, both Iew and Gentile in one unitie of Fayth. 2. Hee is called PROVED, by the Passion of His Crosse; which Hee onlie indured. 3. As, also, Hee is called PRECIOUS; In respect both of the Infinit Worth and Excellencie of His Person; being GOD and MAN: As lykewyse, by the Merit of His Sufferinges, whereby the world is redeemed.
Hee was called, That Light that came into the World: And, which the World receaved not by Cornelius Mùs, Bishop of Bitonto, in a publick Oration, before the Councell of Trent; which is extant, and printed at Rome in Platea Parionis: which is spoken (Iohn 1.9.) onlie of CHRIST. And, which Tytle their own Lyra, Carthusian, and Ferus, showeth to belong onlie; and is competent to CHRIST.
So, lykewyse, (as Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence reporteth in his Historie,Ant. summa hist. part. 3. See historie of the Councell of Trent. p. 161.) when the Sicilian Ambassadours asking pardon of Pope Martin the fourth, delyvered their Ambassage in these terms: saying▪ Agnus DEI qus tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis. The Pope accepting of this Tytle, replyed disdaynfully: saying; In the terms whereby the Souldeours mocked CHRIST, Ave, Rex Iudeorum, & dabant illi alapas.
So that by assuming such Tytles proper onlie to GOD, and CHRIST IESUS, GOD and MAN; wee see hee sitteth as God, in the Temple of God: All which being so manie Blasphemies, it is no marvell therefore, that, That Scarlet coloured Beast spoken of, Revel. 17.3. Is sayd, to bee full of the names of blasphemies. Amongst which in expresse terms Gregorie calleth the Tytle of Vniversall Bishop, Nomen Blasphemiae; tho there were no more than that name alone, to proue the Pope to bee Antichrist.
From all which former, wee reason thus, he that sitteth in the tēple of God, as God, that is, as in Gods stead claiming to be his vicar generall, and who usurpeth alike Tytles with God, which are only proper to God: and in him are the names of blasphemie spoken of Revel. 17.3.Dist. 19. c. 6. in canonicis. Who also equalleth his decrees & traditions with the verie oracles of God, hee is the Antichrist.
But the Pope doth all this, as we hauehave proven in all this preceeding Chapter, by the witnessing of Romanists themselves, Therefore, it followeth that the Pope is Antichrist.