A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

The B. of Sarisburie.

What néeded you,* 1.1 M. Hardinge, to talke so mutche in the fauoure of Anti∣christe? Or, why should you be gréeued, to heare him called the Abomination of Desolation? S. Paule calleth Antichriste, the Man of Sinne: Somme saie, He shalbe wholy possessed of the Diuel: Your owne Hippolytus saithe, He shal be the Diuel him selfe. Yet haue fewe menne founde them selues gréeued with sutche saieinges.

I knowe, the Woordes of Christe, & of Daniel, by diuers Expositions, haue beene diuersly applied. Yet maie ye not wel thus condemne al their Iudgementes, that haue applied the same to Antichriste. Origen one of the moste Ancient Fa∣thers of y^• Churche, entreatinge of Antichriste, contrarie to your Exposition, saith thus:* 1.2 Ipse est Abominatio Desolationis: Antichriste is y• Abomination of Desolation.

S. Chrysostome saithe, Hic Antichristus dicitur Abominatio Desolationis: quia multorum Christianorum animas facturus est desolatas à Deo: This Antichriste is called the Abomination of Desolation: for that he shal cause the Soules of many Christianes to be desolate, and foresaken of God. Gregorius Nazianzenus saithe, Antichristus veniet in Desolatione Mundi.* 1.3 Est enim Abominatio Desolationis: Antichriste shal comme in the Desolation of the worlde: For he is the Abomination of Desolation. S. Hie∣rome saithe, Abominatio Desolationis intelligi potest omne dogma peruersum: By the Abomination of Desolation we maie vnderstande any manner Peruerse Doctrine: Whereof, no doubte, in Antichriste shal wante no stoare. And againe, speakinge namely of the Man of vvickednesse, the Aduersarie of Christe, vvhiche is Anti∣christe, that lifteth vp him selfe aboue al,* 1.4 that is called God, He saithe, Abominatio Desolationum erit in Templo, vs{que} ad Consummationem temporis: The Abomi∣nation of Desolation shal stande in the Churche, vntil the Consummation, or ende of time.

S. Ambrose saithe, Abominatio Desolationis execrabilis Aduentus Anti∣christi est: The Abomination of Desolation is the cursed comminge of Antichriste.

S. Hilarie expounding these selfe same woordes of Christe, When ye shal see y^e Abo∣mination of Desolation standinge in the Holy place, saith thus, De Antichristi tem∣poribus haec loquutus est:* 1.5 Christe spake these woordes of the time of Antichriste. Like∣wise saith Theodoretus, writinge vpon y^• Prophete Daniel, Abominationem De∣solationis ipsum vocat Antichristum. And bisides others, the moste Ancient, & most Catholique Fathers, likewise saithe Eusebius Emissenus in a special Homilie to this purpose. Now, M. Hardinge, whereas ye so certainely assure your selfe, y^• these woordes of christe maie in no wise be taken of y^• confusion, & horroure, y^• shalbe at y^• ende of y^• worlde, bisides al these Learned & Godly Fathers, I beseche you, con∣sider the whole drifte,* 1.6 & circumstance of the place, & the woordes, that Christe spake immediately before. The Apostles demaunded him this question: What is the token of thy Comminge (to Iudgement) and of y^• ende of the worlde? To this question Christe answeareth in this wise: Take heede, y^t noman deceiue you. Many shal comme in my name, and shal saie, I am Christe: and shal deceiue many. Yee shal heare of warres, and talkes of warres: But be not yee troubled: Al these thinges must happen: yet this is not the ende, &c. Ma∣ny Passe Prophetes shal rise, and shal deceiue many. Iniquitie shal encrease: Charitie shal waxe colde. Who so continueth vnto the ende, he shalbe saued. And this Gospel of the Kingedome shalbe Preached in al the worlde, for a witnesse vnto al Nations, and then shal come the ende. The nexte woordes, that folowe, are these, Therefore when ye shal see the Abo∣mination of Desolation, y^t was spoken of by Daniel, &c. Thus maie yee sée, M. Harding, by the very course, & te••oure of Christes answeare, y^t, if the Iudgemente, be the Iudgemente: if the Ende, be the Ende: if the VVorlde, be y^• VVorlde, then must these woordes needes haue relation to the Ende of the vvorlde: what so euer any of your beste Learned Diuines, of whom ye haue hitherto named none, haue taught, or saide to y^• contrarie.* 1.7 Whereas wee saie, Antichriste shal stande euen vvithin the Churche, y^•, ye saie, we finde not in S. Paule. Notwithstandinge, oure good wil, ye saie, ye vnderstande: although ye finde in vs neuer a good Reason. As for the good∣nesse of our Reasons, wée wil not striue. But whether S. Paule saie, y^• Antichriste shal stande in y^• Churche, or no, let vs be iudged by S. Paule. His woordes be plaine Adeò,* 1.8 vt in Templo Dei sedeat, tanquam Deus: So that he wil sitte in the Churche of God, as if he were God. If the Churche of God, be the Churche, then dothe S. Paule saie, Antichriste shal sitte vvithin the Churche. In like sense Christe saith, An∣tichriste shal sitte in the Holy place:* 1.9 By whiche woordes many of the best learned Fathers haue expounded, the Churche. S. Augustine saith, Non enim Templum alicuius Idoli, aut Daemonis, Templum Dei Apostolus diceret: For the Temple of an Idole, or of a Diuel, the Apostle would neuer cal the Temple of God. And he addeth further, Quidam putant rectiùs Latinè dici, sicut in Graeco est, nō, in Templo Dei, sed, in Templum Dei sedeat: Tanquam ipse sit Templum Dei, quod est Ecclesia. Sicut dicimus, Sedet in amicum, id est, velut amicus: Somme menne thinke, we should bet∣ter reade it in Latine,* 1.10 as it is in the Greeke, not, He sitteth in the Temple of God, but, he sit∣teth For, or As the Tēple of God: As if he him selfe vvere the Temple of God, vvhiche is the Churche. As we saie, He sitteth for a Frende, y^t is, He sitteth as a Frende. Here S. Augustine saithe, Antichriste shal not onely sitte in y^• Churche, but also shal shewe him selfe in outwarde appearance,* 1.11 as if he him selfe were the Churche it selfe. Now, M. Hardinge, who this shoulde be, I reporte me to your owne Do∣ctoures, of whom one hath written thus, Papa quodammodò virtualiter est tota Ec∣clesia: The Pope in a māner by waie of vertue, or Power,* 1.12 is the whole Vniuersal Churche. S. Hierome saith, Antichristus stabit in loco Sancto, id est, in Ecclesia, & se ostendet, vt Deum: Antichriste shal stande in the Holy place, that is to saie, in the Churche: and shal shewe him selfe, as if he were God. S. Chrysostome saithe, Incident in Abominatio∣nem Desolationis, quae stat in Sanctis Ecclesiae locis: They shal fal into the Abo∣mination of Desolation, that standeth in the Holy places of the Churche.

S. Hilarie saithe,* 1.13 Vnum moneo: Cauete Antichristum. Malè enim vos parietū

ch. coepit:* 1.14 male Ecclesiam Dei in tectis, aedificijs{que} veneramini. Anne ambi∣guum est, in ijs Antichristum esse sessurum? One thinge I reade you: Beware of An∣tichriste. For it is not wel, that ye should be thus in loue with walles: It is not wel, that ye should honoure the Churche in houses, and buildinges. Is there any doubte, but Anti∣christe shal sitte in the same? S. Paule saithe, Mysterium iniquitatis operatur: (Sathan) woorketh the Mysterie of iniquitie: That is to saie, he openeth not him selfe, but what so euer he doothe, he doothe it in couerte. Vpō whiche woordes Ansel∣mus saith,* 1.15 Iniquitas eorum est Mystica, id est, Pietatis nomine pallia••a: The ini∣quitie of them is Mystical, that is to saie, It is cloked, and coered with y^• name of Godlinesse.

Therefore S.* 1.16 Chrysostome saithe, Christiani, qui sunt in Christianitate, vo∣lentes accipere firmitatem Fidei verae, ad nullam rem fugiant, nisi ad Scripturas, &c. The Christianes, that be in Christendome, willinge to haue the stedfastnesse of the true Faithe, let them flee to none other thinge, but onely to the Scriptures. Otherwise, if they looke to any thinge els, they shal be offended, and perishe, not knowinge whiche is the true Churche: And so shal they fal into the Abomination of Desolation, that standeth in the Holy places of the Churche.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2. Thessalon. 2. Nicol. Lyra. Hieronym. ad Algasiam. Hippolytus ma••.
• * 1.2

  Origen. in Mat∣thae. Tracta. 29. Chrysost in Ope∣re Imperfecto, Homil. 49.
• * 1.3

  Gregor. Nazian. Significatio in Ezechielem. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.4

  Hieronym. in Matth. Cap. 24. Eodem loco. Ambrasi in Lu∣cam, Lib. 10. Ca. 21.
• * 1.5

  Hilari. in Mat∣thae. Canon. 25. Theodoret. in Daniel. Ca. 12. Eusebius Emis∣sen.
• * 1.6

  Matthae. 24.
• * 1.7

  Antichriste standinge in the Churche of God.
• * 1.8

  2. Thessalon. 2.
• * 1.9

  Matthae. 24. August. De Ci∣uita. Dei. Li. 20, Cap. 19. In eodem Cap.
• * 1.10

  2. Thessalon. 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.11

  Herueus De Po∣testate Pap. Ca. 23.
• * 1.12

  Hieronym. in Ca. 24. Matthaei, Chrysostom. in Opere imperfe∣cto, Homil. 49.
• * 1.13

  Hilarius contra Auxentium.
• * 1.14

  Abomina∣tion of Desolation 2. Thessal 2.
• * 1.15

  Anselmus.
• * 1.16

  Chrysostom in opere Imperfe. Homil. 49.