Antichrist Pointed and Painted Out in His True Colors, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Of Antichrists or the Pope and his Clergie their fained Miracles & lyeing wonders, 2. Thess. 2.9.
OF this the Apostle forewarneth, speaking of Antichrist, and saying, 2. Thess. 2.9. Whose comming (sayeth hee) is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lyeing wonders, which he there calleth also, The deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnes, & which … called lyeing wonders,l. 20. c. 19. as Augustin teacheth in his book of the Citie of God, because they are either fained by men, or the tricks of lying spirits for inducing men to believe lyes, and so are eyther … falso as their Authour, or ad falsum in their end. All which popish miracles I distinguish in three ranks, the first is of these who are falslie reported, but not done, the second is of these that seeme to be done, but are onlie counterfited, the third is of these that are trulie done, but by satan. The first of which are bred of lyes, and nourished by credulitie, the second sort is bred of fraud, and fed by superstition, it being hard to tell whether Iuglers or priests (like these of Baal) hauehave beene greatest Cozeners. The third is, the working of Satan (as the Apostle speaketh 2. Thess. 2.9.) and his strong delusion of such, who because they receive not the louelove of the trueth, therefore are given over to believe a lye, so that all popish miracles are either falslie reported, or falslie done, or falslie ascribed to God, saint, or angel. Whereof I may say with the learned & noble Romā Laurentiꝰ Valla, in his book, de donatione Constantini, Non desiderat sinceritas christiana patrociniū falsitatis, the sincerity of Christiā religion standeth not in need of the patrocinie of falshood, It is sufficientlie defended (sayeth hee) by it self, and by it owne light & veritie, without these counterfit and jugling tricks or fables, that are most contumelious (sayeth he) both against God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
The first end of which lying wonders, their owne Lyra showeth to be filthie gaine, saying upon Daniel the eleventh, and historie of the dragon, The people were then deceived sayeth hee) by their Priests who worshipped the Dragon, for their temporall gaine, and even so now in the Church there is sometimes great deceiving of the people, by miracles fained by priests and their adherents (sayeth he) for their gaine inlikemanner.
Their own Cassander likewise showeth us that the fostering of errour in the mynds of the people is another end,Consult. Art. 21. And that wicked men continuing in their wickednesse, notwithstanding hauehave believed, that by the intercession of saints only, they would readilie be pardoned, which pernicious errour (sayeth hee) so farre as can be; hath beene confirmed by counterfit miracles. Of which sort that book called, the golden Legend and Speculum exemplorum is fraughted and full, and which their own Melchior Canus Bishop of the Canaries, ingenouslie & with a sorrowfull heart (as he professeth) calleth both false and ridiculous.Loc. co…. 11. c. 6.
To begin then with these fained miracles whereof their owne Lyra speaketh which are for gaine, I will instance first, That notable one practised by Pope Boniface the Eight (as the Pope… owne Secretarie recordeth it,Platina i… vita Bonif. 8.) not for a pettie gayne like inferiour priests, but to attayne to a Popedome, which was thus.
Boniface perceiving his predecessour Caelestin (who had beene a Here…ite and was against his will elected Pope) to be a simple man, to move him to resign over the Popedome to him, suborned one in the night time to be in the house neare to his Chamber, & to counterfit himself to be an Angel sent frō God, & by speaking thorow a hollow reed to him to direct him to dimitt the Popedom to Boniface, if he would be saved, which the simple man took to be a miraculous advertisment, and so dimitted the Popedome.
Another notable and later example in anno 1534. known to all FRANCE was this,See Sleid. com. lib. 9. f. 94. The provost of Orleans wife died, and forebade her body to be buried with great solemnitie (as use was) whereby the gray Friers in whose Church she was buried, being disapointed of the great gayne which they expected, suborned a young Frier, placed aboue the syling of the Church in the time of even-song, to make a great noyse, whereupon many resorting thither, and conjuration of the spirit being used to declare who hee was, Answered, that it was the soule of the Provost of Orleans wife, & was damned for the Lutheran heresie (tho shee died a Roman Catholick) and she made that noyse that her bodie might be raysed out of the graue in that Church, and laid in some other cōmon & unhallowed place, which thing the Provost, & some both of his and her friends, suspecting this to be a fraudulent trick of revenge, because they had not gotten their expected gaine at her death and buriall, they went to the King and desired the matter to be tryed, which being done before the Parliament of PARIS, it was at last found out and confessed; and the young Frier, with the first Devysers, who were Colimannus, and one Stephanus Atrebatensis with their associats, were adjudged to be carryed to Orleans, where the fact was committed, and thereafter to bee brought foorth to the place where publick execution is used upon Malefactors, and openlie there to confesse their fraud, and to be accounted thence-foorth infamous for ever.
Wherefore is it likewise but for gain? that the Pope ascribeth such wonders that his consecrated Aguus Dei's can work, if any do weare …hem about them, as is comprehended in these verses following.
Fulgura doorsum depellit, omne malignum
Peccatū frangit, vt Christi sanguis, & angit,
Pregnans servatur, simul & partus liberatur
Munera fert dignis,Let 88. disprove this. virtutem destruit ignis,
Portatus mundae de fluctibus erip… undae.
So that the Pope cannot onlie work wonders himself, but as he pretendeth heere, can giuegive a constant vertue to a dead thing carryed about to do the like.
But of all popish miracles this may be accounted the greatest lyeing wonder, which a priest daylie doth work by his whispering over a little piece bread fyve words of consecration, that he thereby immediatly turneth the same into the substance of Christs flesh and blood, and that thus Christs body is multiplyed in so many thousands of places at once, where the masse is said, and the creature becometh the Creator of his own creator.
Next to come to these Fabulous fained wonders that are for confirmation of errours, they are either fabled to be so by men, or if they be reallie wrought they are (as their own Biell heereafter declareth) by the operation of the divel.
These then which are fabulouslie reported by men, we hauehave one, whereof Platina maketh mention in the life of Sergius tertiꝰ, to confirme the great reverence that is due to the Pope, which was, that after Sergius the 3. had raised out of the graue the bodie of his predecessour Formosus, & after beheaded him, as if he had beene alive, & did cast his bodie into the river Tyber, as unworthie of Christian buriall, yet thereafter his bodie being caught into a net by some fishers, and brought to S. PETERS Church, all the Images that were there, bowed to him and did reverence.
Another to confirme the reverence & adoration that is due to the Hostie, Bellarmin telleth us in his third book of the Eucharist & 8. Chapter of a hungrie Mare, who notwithstanding, the Hostie comming by, left her corne and turned her about to worship the Hostie.
Another doth Gabriel Biell report, That some Shepheards in the field,Biel in c… non, missae, Lest .15. having laid down their bread upon a stone, and having pronunced over the same words of consecration, the bread turned into flesh.
Another to confirme the order of their Friers▪ It is reported that S. Dominik had such power over the Devil, that hee forced him, when he appeared to him, by his conjuration: so long to hold his Lamp in his hand till it was consumed, and that the Devill was not onelie troubled there with,Loc. com. 11. c. 6. but also greatly tormented. This their forecited Melchior Canus reporteth, and yet ingenouslie giving his owne judgement thereupon, calleth it a thing that is most ridiculous.
And more particularlie to come to such sort of miracles that are reported to have beene done in Rome, in a most ancient book (which I hauehave beside me) called Mirabilia Rome, printed at Rome by one Iohn Besicken, anno 1500. in the tenth yeare of Pope Alexander the sixth.
1. In the Church of S. Paull, at the right side of the Quire, it is reported that there standeth the Crosse which spake to S. Bridget for her continuall Prayer before the same 2. That in S. Maries in the porch, are two Images of CHRIST, and the Virgine Mary, which a noble Roman Ladie, named Galla received while shee was at dinner, sent down to her from Heaven for her great devotion. 3. In the Church of S. Alexiꝰ upon the hill called Aventine that the image of the virgin Mary which is ther, spake to the keeper of that Church much to the praise of Alexius. 4. That in S. Maries Church, is Her image, which spake to Pope Gregorie, saying, Why doest thou not of…ner salute me, seing ever as thou passeth by thou saluts this my image? for which neglect upon his knees he presētly craved Pardon, and ordayned that all who should salute her there, should hauehave 15. yeares of indulgence.
This made that learned Valla of their owne, cry out saying in his book of Constantins donatiō, O miram hominū dementiam qui his anilibus deliramentis fidem habent. That is, O wonderfull madnesse of men who giuegive credit to such old-wyves fables & fancies. And therfore he subjo… neth saying, …r…bescat Christianus homo qui veritatis se ac lucis filium nominat proloqui quae non modo vera non sunt nec veresimilia. That is, let any Christian man be ashamed who cals himself a son of truth and of the light to utter these thinges which not only are no-wyse true, but hath not a lyklie-hood of trueth.
Last of all to come to such signes and lyeing wonders that are for confirmatiō of popish errours and are by the delusion or operation of the devill, whose vicar the Pope is more trulie than CHRISTS, First, for apparition of soules, and confirmation of purgatory whereas we have sundrie popish histories, let Chrysostome declare in his 29 Homile upon Mathew, what these are, for thus he speaketh, These voyces that say, I am the soule of such a one proceedeth (sayeth he) from the fraud and deceat of the devill, for it is not the soule that departed that sayeth that, but Satan (sayeth he) who that he may deceive the Hearers faineth himself to be that soule.
Next whereas for confirmation of the worship of Images & going to such places in pilgramage as Loretto, our lady of Hales, & the like, sundrie miracles ar ob…ruded to be believed to be wrought by them set down by Turselin the Iesuite. Their owne famous Gabriel Biell in his 49. lecture on the Cannon of the Masse speaketh thus. If at any time miracles be wrought upon men (sayeth he) who hauehave recourse unto them, this is not by vertue of the Images, but by the operation of the devil sometimes, to deceive (sayeth he) such disorderlie Worshippers, God so permitting, & their infidelitie so deserving the same.
Of all these miracles then, that are pretended to be wrought by the Pope, or the Roman Church,, we may justly answere them in Augustins words, & threteen treatise upon Iohn, saying. The Lord hath forewarned us of these who pretend miracles, fortelling us that in these last dayes false Prophets shall aryse, working signes & wonders that they may seduce (if it were possible the very Elect, & that the cōming of Antichrist shall be after the working of Satan, with all power or efficacie, and with signes & lyeing wonders. So that how many miracles or wonders Romanists do alleadge for them, to prove them to be the true Church, with so many argumēts do they furnish us against them, to prove their Church to be Antichristian, & the Head therof to be that foretold Antichrist.
For Moyses did showe Deu. 13.1. that a false Prophet may work a signe and wonder, and for this end to draw Gods people to idolatrie, as our Saviour likewise did forewarne that false Prophets should aryse and work foreign, great wonders.Math. 24.24. The Romanists therfore argue preposterouslie, while they would prove the trueth of their doctrine by miracles, whereas they should proue their miracles to be true, by the truth of their doctrine, and agrement with scripture, this alone being the true and golden rule which Iustine Martyr setteth down to know true and divine miracles and discerne them from others,Quest. 5. to wit, by the doctrine which they confirme, if it be that, which is registrat in the Word of God, to which they are seales
As for that Revel. 13.13. Where it is said, that the second beast (whereby Antichrist is meaned) doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven upon the earth in the sight of men, allusion thereby being made to that fact of Elias in destroying his enemyes by calling for fire from heaven to come downe upon earth in the sight of men. 2. King. 1.10.11. Their owne Lyra expoundeth this saying, Hic accipitur ignis metaphorice sicut & alia quae hic dicuntur, That is, fire is taken here metaphoricallie, as other things also which are heere spoken. And thereafter, Inconspectu hominum, id est secundum falsa… estimationem credentium (sayeth he) that is, according to the false estimation of them who believed so. Whereby may be denotate the Popes thunder-bolts of excomunication against such as opposed him, and which (according to the false estimation of them who believed it) he hath power to throw downe to destruction both their soules and bodies as unto fire eternallie.
These things therefore being demonstrat concerning Antichrist, First, who he is for Person. 2. Where hee is, for Place. 3. When he came for Time, 4. What were his properties for Marks. To wit, 1. Exorbitant pryde under a pretext of humilitie. 2. Grosse Idolatrie, under colour of devotion and pietie. 3. Bloodie crueltie, palliated under the pretext of holie zeale and sanctitie. 4. Merchādize of spirituall things or simonie, joyned with horrid tytles of blaesphemie. 5. A Lawlesse life, and in lecherie, through fained holienesse and continencie. And 6. Lyeing wonders, by subtilitie, abusing Christians simplicitie.
From all which former premisses in all the preceeding Chapters, I repeate that argument Wherewith I beganne, thus. Unto whom the whole prophecyes of holie scripture describing that grand Antichrist, and being joyntlie or collectivelie taken, doth sole and onelie agree. He is that grand Antichrist, foretold in the scripture.
But unto the Pope the whole prophecyes of holie scripture describing that grand Antichrist, being joyntlie and collectivelie taken, doth sole & only agree. Therefore it followeth that hee is that grand An…ichrist foretold in the scriptures.
And I defye any Priest or papist to find out any other to whom these prophecies or properties collectivelie taken, (as said is) doth agree. And speciallie by the testimonies of these, that are of that persons profession, as we hauehave brought the testimonies of Romanists to prove these of the Pope.
Whence it is, that since the Pope came …o that Meridian or foreign of his hight, about the thousand yeare of God in the time of Gregorie the 7. (as hath beene said) and was fullie then seene to bee that man of sin spoken of 2. Thess. 2.4. The Lord hath stirred up from time to time in every Centurie since, some witnesses to avow him to be that grand & foretold Antichrist, as in the yeare of God, 1100. or thereby. The Bishope of Florence in the time of Paschalis the second declareth clearlie that the Pope was that Antichrist. anno 1100The same likewise did one Dulcinus Navarensis preach, as may be seene more ample in that book, called, Catalogus testium veritatis, & the Mageburg centuries, Cent. 12. As likewise Ioachimus Abbas declareth the same, being asked by Richard the first of England, as witnesseth Roger Houeden in the life of Richard the first. So likewise did Honorius Augustodunensis dialog▪ de lib. Arb. & predest. And as their own forecited Aventin reporteth, All good, plaine, Iust, and ingenous persons (sayeth he) saw, that then beganne the kingdome of Antichrist. Avent. annal. Bojor. lib. 5. c. 10.
Inlikemanner, anno 11200. one Walter Mapez Arch-deane of Oxford, anno 1200a famous man both for life and learning, of whom Giraldus Cambrensis maketh mention, in his book, called, Speculum Ecclesiae lib. 3. c. 1. and 14. Avowedlie maintained that the Pope was that Antichrist. The same did Eberhardus Archbishope of Salisburg in a publick imperiall dyet at Reinsburg, as Aventin recordeth in his 5. and 7. bookes of the Bavarian annals· As also Robert Grosthead called the worthy Bishopeof Lincolne, as Mathew Paris reporteth in the life of Henrie the third Whose bones therefore were thereafter caused to be raised by Pope Innocent and cast out of the Church.
anno 1300Likewise in the 1300 yeare of God, Marsilius Patavinus in his book called Defensor pacis, c, 25. affirmeth that the Pope was that foretold Antichrist. So likewise did that worthie gentleman & famous Poet in his time, Gefrey Chaucer in his plow-mans tale at large. As also Michael Caesenas principall or pryor of the gray Friers, with diverse others. But most speciallie their famous Petrarch in that Epistle where hee deploreth the calamitie of the Towne of Rome cited abefore.
Inlikemanner, in the yeare 1400.anno 1400 Iohn Wickleff in England, whom thereafter followed Iohn Huss and Ierom of Prague in BOHEME, avowedlie taught and did proue the Pope to be Antichrist. Witnessing the same to their death. Which then many houndreths, yea thousands publicklie professed & maintained with their blood.
Last of all in the yeare 1500.anno 1500 or little after, beside Ierome Savanarola in Italie▪ The Lord stirred up Luther in Germany, Melancton and many more to discover & declare the Pope to bee that man of sin and foreprophecied Antichrist. which in all reformed Churches is now held for a most sure and true assertion, upon the grounds an d reasons that alreadie hath beene declared. So that it is no new doctrine, braoched onelie since Luther's tyme (as papists affirme) that the Pope is Antichrist. But grounded upon scripture and avowed by many who lived and dyed in the externall Communion of the Roman Church, long before Luther.