Antichrist Pointed and Painted Out in His True Colors, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. Of Antichrists, or the Popes spirituall Merchandise or Simonie, Revel. 18.13.
TO put a further Mark upon that Mysticall Babylon and Her Antichristian Head, Revel. 18.13. It is showne with what Merchandise her Merchants should traffeque, amongst which is recounted last, as the most speciall to summe up all, The Soules of men, or practise of that horrible sin of Simonie; in making merchandise of Spirituall things which concerneth mens soules and salvation. And which the Pope doth both by buying, and next by selling, as wee shall showe by Romanists themselves.
First then to begine at buying spiritual offices, and the highest of them, the Popedome it self, let that famous testimonie of Platin… the Popes owne Secretarie make the same manifest, who in the life of Sylvester the third sayth thus, That these who most exceeded in pride and brybrie attayned to that degree of dignitie, all good men being born down & rejected▪ which custome (saith he) I wish our times had not keeped, but this is but little, and except GOD preven… it, we are see worse times, (sayth he) & to show it was an ordinar way of climbing up to the Popedom. In the lyf of Benedict the 4. (he sayth) That the Popes of that age were rather Monsters than men, a quibꝰ ambitione & largitione Petri sedes occupata est, potiꝰ quā possessa, that is, by whō Peters most holy chayre was rather usurped than justlie possessed. Wherupon in the life of another Pope, Sergius the third, he exclaimeth, saying, See then how farre these later Bishops of Rome hauehave degenerat from their predecessours, who being most holie men contemned that honour when it was willinglie offered unto them, being whollie given to prayer and preaching, whereas these later (sayth he) neglecting divine worship, and seeking and attayning to the Popedome by pride and Simonie, hauehave exercised such inimitie amongst themselves, like so many cruell tyrants. &c. The like he testifyeth in the life of Stevin the sixt, as also Onuphrius Panvinius doeth the same in the life of Gregorie the sixth and others.
Glaber also a Monck about the yeare 1047.Glab. monachꝰ cluniacensis. who dedicat his historie to Abbot Odilon speaking of Sylvester the Third, sayeth thus. Now the Pope of Rome the Nephew of his Predecessours Bennet and Iohn is a Child about ten yeares old, L. 4. c. 5. & l. 5. c. 4. See also Baroniꝰ an. 1045.Intercedente thesaurorum pecunia. That is, by the meanes of a treasure of moneyes (sayth hee) by which meanes likewise he telleth that the rest of the prelats in the Roman Church were advanced, Quos aurū potius vel argentum exaltabit quaem meritū, whereupon he concludeth saying, Pro… dolor de his evidentissime scriptura ait, imo os ipsius DEI, principes extiterunt, & non cognovi. That is, Alas for greife, for of these the scripture (yea, GODS owne mouth) speaketh most clearelie, they became Rulers, but not by me, and I did no… know it, that is acknowledge them. This Sylvester the third, Bennet the ninth▪ and Gregorie the sixth, Platina in the life of Gregorie the sixth calleth Triateterrima monstra, that is, three most wicked monsters, and of that Sylvester sayeth, Lyke a Thief and Robber he entered not by the doore, but by the posterne. Cardinall Baronius also calleth these three, Tricipitem bestiam portis inferi emergentem, Baron. annal. 1044 & 1031.That is; That three headed beast, or Cerberus that came from the gates of hell, & yet were in their times counted and called, the heads of CHRISTS Church. From this wicked practise of Simonie, Petrus Damianus Bishope of Ostia took occasion to complayne, that Peter who by a perpetuall curse damned Simonie before, was uow forced to set up a shop of Simoniak trade, and in these verses to cry out.
Heu sedes Apostolica, orbis olim gloria,
Proh dolor efficeris, officina Simonis,
Terunt incude mallei, nummi sunt tar…arei.
This also made a Monk Bernard In his satyrs, wherein hee poynteth out the Pope and his Simoniak cleargie: to cry out likewise, saying.
O mala saecula, venditur inf…la pontficalis,
Infula venditur, non reprehenditur emptio talis.
Next; for selling spirituall and ecclesiasticall Offices and other things. First let their famous Bernard and Abbot of Clarevall speake, who sayeth in his sixt sermon vponupon the 91. psalme. Ipsa quoque Ecclesiasticae dignitatis officia in turpem quaestum & tenebrarum negotium transiere, nec in his salus animarum, sed luxus queritur divitiarum. That is, the very offices of ecclesiastick dignities are turned to filthie gaine & the work of darkness, neither in these is sought the salvation of soules, but the aboundance of riches.
Whence it is that Baptista Mantuanus their carmelit Frier in his book, De calamitatibus temporū speaketh thus of Rome,
Templa, sacerdotes, altaria, sacra, coronae,
Ignes, thura, preces, coelū est venale, deus que
That is, all things are sellable at Rome. Churches, and priesthoods, altars and other sacred things, shaven crowns, purgatorie fire, incense and prayers, yea, Heaven and God Himself is there to bee sold.
Agreeable heereunto speaketh Clenard in his Epistle, being professor in Lovane, and thereafter in Portugall, saying,
Quisquis opes saeras nummo reperire prophano
Querit, eat Romam, sacra sunt venali… Romae.
Their famous Petrarch likewise in his Epistle whose tytle is, Calamitatem Romae deplorat, and which hath beene before cited, speaketh thus, Do they not (sayeth hee) buy, sell, and make merchandise of CHRIST Himself? Whose Name night and day they extoll with praises, & cloatheth his Images with gold and silver. Marsilius Patavinus Inlikemanner anno 1320. in the 24. Chapter of the second part of his book, intituled Defensor pacis, sayth thus, These who hauehave visited the Church of Rome, which I may more truely call a shop of traffique, and an horrid den of theeves, (sayth he) they shall see playnlie that it is become a receptacle of al villanies, & Merchants for all wares both spirituall and temporall, a very haven for all Simoniaks. So also speaketh that noble and learned Roman Laurentius Valla in his book, De donatione Constantini, saying of the Pope, That hee was not onlie a devourer of the People, and not onelyonly destroyeth the Cōmonwealth, which Verres, nor Catelin, nor any robber durst. Sed & rem Ecclesiasticam & Spiritum san…tum questui habet, quod Simon ill… Magus etiam detestaretur, That is, but also he expoundeth to gaine ecclesiasticall things, yea the very Holie Ghost, which Simon Magus himself would detest. Inlikemanner Theodoricus Vricus of the order of the Augustin Monks, in his first book, De consolatione Ecclesiae, dedicat to the Emperour Sigismond, sayeth thus.
Heu Simon regnat, per munera quo que reguntur
Iudiciumque pium gaza nefanda vetat,
Curia papalis fovet omnia scandala mundi,
Delubra sacra facit, perfidiaque forum,
Ordo sacer, baptisma sacrum cum chrismate sancto,
Venduntur turpi conditione fori.
Which is Englished thus.
who now but Simō raigns? bribes al in all
And wicked pelf just judgemēt doth forstall,
The popish court doth foster al disgrace,
And turns the church into a mercat place
Chrism, orders, baptism, all which holy a…
Are basly sold, as at a pedling fayre.
And if we will heare a Popes owne confessiō to wit Pius secundꝰ who before he was assumed to the Popedome & was called Aeneas Sylvius in his fourth epistle to Iohn Peregall his procutor then ar Rome writteh thus, There is nothing which the Court of Rome giveth without money (sayth he) for the very imposition of hands and gifts of the Holy Ghost are sold, neither is the remission of sinnes bestowed upon any (sayeth hee) but upon such as give money for the same.
And Platina the Popes secretarie, in the life of Boniface the ninth, telleth us that the Popes plenarie indulgences were every where so ordinarlie sold, that the authoritie of the keyes and Apostolick letters was altogether vilifyed.
And of late Claudius Espenceus a spanish Bishope, setteth down in his Commentar upon the first of Titus & second digression, a list of the many Tricks and devyces of the court and chancerie of Rome, by grosse Simonie to draw in money, referring these who desire further information heerein, to the book called Taxa cancellariae Apostolicae, & Taxa penitenti…ria, printed at PARIS by Tousant Denis, anno 1520. Wherein every sin or cryme whatsoever is rated, for obtayning of remission thereof. The like practise of Simonie and merchandise of spiritual things doth Lodovious vives regrait, upon Augustins eighteenth book of the Citie of God, and the 22 Chapter. As likewise the worthie▪ English Esquyre Gefrey Chaucer of Woodstock, in his plowe-mans tale, 400 yeares ago, saying of the Popes Clergie.
They Christs people proudlie curse,
With broad book and braying bell,
To put pennies in their purse
They will sell both Heaven and hell.
Whence it is that the Abbot of Vrsperg in his Chronicle and life of Philip the Emperour sayeth, That the waterfloods of all the treasures of the earth did flowe to Rome, to quench her vnsatiable thirst of money, as her Chancerie & penitentiarie courts sufficientlie can testifie.
Hence it was that in the raigne of Henrie the third of ENGLAND, it was found (beside large accidents) that the Popes set rent in England was equall to the Kings, to wit, at that time 60000. merks, as the Monk Mathew of WESTMINSTER in his Flores historiarum, reporteth in the yeare, 1245. Beside that hee exacted of all Residenters at their benefices the third thereof,Pag. 191. & 227. and from non-Residents the half of their yearelie rent and the goods of all who died untested. Duarenus likewise a French Lawier and Romanist in his book Pro desensione libertatis Ecclesiae gallicanae, witnesseth that in the time of Pius the third, the Pope drew out of FRANCE in one yeare for dispensations, pluralities of benefices, and the like; seven and twentie hundreth thousand crownes.