Church of Rome.

BEllarmine de Rom•no pon∣tif. lib. 3. c. 13. The seat of Antichrist shal be in Ierusalem▪ not Rome; for E¦noch and Elias are to fight with Anti∣christ in Ierusalem.

Ibid. c. 12. Anti∣christ shall properly come for the Iewes, and shall be receiued Page  38 by them as the Mes∣sias; he shall be cir∣cumcised, and keepe the Sabbath for a time.

Ibid. cap. 18. The frensies of Hereticks are refelled, by w^ch they do not so much proue, as impiously affirme, that the Pope is Antichrist.

This conclusion is the scope of his whole third book; and he, and all Pa∣pists, who haue written of this ar∣gument, apply themselues wholly to proue, that nei∣ther the Pope per∣sonally, nor the Popes successiuely constitute that An∣tichrist, described in the Apocalyps.

Appealer.

ANsw. to Gagg page 74. 75. I am not of opinion, that the Bishop of Rome personally, is that Antichrist, nor yet that the Bishops of Rome successiue∣ly, are that Anti∣christ, so spoken of.

App. p. 146. Whe∣ther the Pope of Rome, or the Popes Page  38 of Rome, either are, or may bee accoun∣ted, or is that An∣tichrist, or Anti∣christs, my irresolu∣tion grew, as I haue remembred, from the much insuffici∣ency of their proofs, that tender it stout∣ly, strongly, affectio∣nately, and tantum non, as a point of faith. Not any one of their arguments is, not all their ar∣guments together are, conuincing.

Appeale p. 149. I incline to the more moderate, and tem∣perate tenent, and rather of the two, embrace, the Tur∣kish & Popish estate, not seueral, but con∣ioyned, doe consti∣tute That Anti∣christ, then either of the two states disioy∣nedly: and of the two states, rather the Turk by much, then the Pope. Ibid. p. 144. Why Page  39 should it not be as lawfull for mee to opine, that the Pope is not that Antichrist, as for others to write, to preach, to publish, to tender to proceeders this proposition, The Pope is Antichrist? Ib. p. 154. The Turk is, and hath bin long possessed of Ierusalem, that holy City. The Iewes, when Mahomet first declared himselfe, came flocking vnto him, as to their Messias, the sooner, & rather, because hee was circumcised.