Spiritus est vicarius Christi in terra. The poore mans garden, wherein are flowers of the scriptures, and doctours, very necessarie and profitable for the simple and ignoraunt people to reade: / truely collected and diligently gathered together, by Iohn Northbrooke, minister and preacher of the worde of God. Seene and allowed, according to the order appointed in the Queenes iniunctions..

¶ The. xlv. Chapter.

¶ The Pope is antechriste.

IF any shal say vnto you, lo, here is Christ,* 1.1 or there, beléeue it not.

For there shall arise false christes, and* 1.2 false prophetes, & shall shewe great signes, and wonders, so that if it were possible, they shoulde deceyue the very elect.

Babes, it is the last tyme, and as ye haue* 1.3 hearde, that antechrist shall come, euen nowe are there many antechristes: whereby we knowe that it is the last tyme.

Who is a lyer, but he that denieth that Iesus is Christ?* 1.4 the same is the antechriste that denieth the father and the sonne.

But this is the Spirite of Antichriste, of whom ye haue* 1.5 heard, howe that he should come, and nowe alreadie he is in the worlde.

For many deceiuers are entered into the worlde, whiche* 1.6 confesse not that Iesus Christ is come in the fleshe, he that is suche a one, is a deceiuer, and an antichriste.

Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall* 1.7 come, except there come a departyng first, and that, that man of synne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition.

Whiche is an aduersarie, and exalteth hym self against all* 1.8 that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sit as God in the temple of God, shewyng hym self that he is God.

¶ The Doctours.

ANtichriste, notwithstandyng he be but a sclaue,* 1.9 yet he will bee worshipped, as if he were God, and published and proclaimed as a kyng.

Antichriste shall come in the desolation of the* 1.10 worlde▪ for he is the abomination of desolation.

Antichriste shall faine hym self to bee holy, that he maie deceiue men, vnder the colour of holinesse. Yea, and he shall call hym self God, and shall cause hym self to bee worshipped: and shall promise the kyngdome of heauen.

The abhomination of desolation, is the cursed commyng* 1.11 of antichriste.

For that we beléeue, that antichrist shall come vnto suche a height of vaine glory, it shall bee lefull for hym to doe suche thynges, bothe towardes all men, and also towardes the sain∣ctes of God, that many weake men shall thinke, GOD hath forsaken the care of the worlde.* 1.12

Antichriste shall cause all Religion, to bee subiecte to his power.

By the abhomination of desolation, wee maie vnderstande* 1.13 any maner of peruerse, and false doctrine.

The abhomination of desolation, shal stande in the church, vntill the consummation, or ende of time, and shewe hymself as God.* 1.14

When ye shall see the abhomination of desolation, stan∣dyng in the holie place: Christ spake these wordes of the tyme of antichriste.* 1.15

One thyng I reade you: Beware of antichriste, for it is not well, that we should be thus in loue with walles: It is not well, that ye should honour the Churche in houses, and buil∣dinges. Is there any doubt: but Antichrist shall sit in the same.

He is antichriste, that shall claime to be called the vniuer∣sall* 1.16 Bishop: and shall haue a garde of Priestes to attende vp∣pon hym.

I speake it boldely: who soeuer calleth hym self, the vni∣uersall* 1.17 Prieste, or desireth so to bee called in the pride of his* 1.18 harte, he is the forerunner of antichriste.

By this pride of his, what thing els is signified: but that the* 1.19 tyme of antichriste is euen at ha•…•…de?

Whereas he is a damned man, and not a spirite, by liuyng he faineth hym self to be God.

This antichriste is called the abhomination of desolation: for that he shall cause the soules of many Christians to be de∣solate,

and forsaken of God.

As longe as the Emperour shall bee had in awe, no man shall streight waie submitte hym self to antichriste: but after that the Emperour shalbe dissolued, antichriste shall inuade the state of the Empire standing voide: and shal labour to pull vnto hymselfe the Empire bothe of man, and God.

This is a token that thei hate God, for that thei will haue* 1.20 them selues called by the name of God.

That beaste that is spoken of in the booke of Reuelations, vnto whiche 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is giuen a mouthe to speake blasphemies, and to kéepe warre against the sainctes of God, is now gotten into Peters chaire, as a Lyon prepared to his praie.

What thinke you, reuerende fathers, of this man (the* 1.21 Pope) sittyng on high in his throne, glitteryng in Purple, and clothe of golde? What thinke you hym to be? Uerely if he bee voide of •…•…haritie, and bee blowen vp, and aduaunced onely with knowledge, then is he antichriste, sittyng in the Tem∣ple of God▪ and shewyng out hym self, as if he were a God.

Thei haue brought to passe, that Godlinesse is tourned in∣to* 1.22 Hypocrisie: and that the sauour of life, is tourned into the •…•…auour of death. Would God thei were not gone wholie with generall consent, from Religion to Superstition: from faithe to infidelitie, from Christe, to antichriste: From God to Epi∣cure: saiyng with wicked harte, and filthy mouthe, there is no God, neither hath there been this greate while any pastoure, or Pope, that regarded these thinges. For thei al sought their owne, and not so much as one of theim sought for the thinges that pertaine to Iesus Christe.

Antichriste is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 borne in Rome, and yet shall* 1.23 be higher auaunced in the Apostolique See.

Hildebrande Pope, vnder a colour of holinesse, hath laied* 1.24 the foundation for antichriste.

Rome, the whore of Babilon: the mother of all Idolatrie, and for•…•…ication: the Sanctuarie of heresie, and the Schoole of errour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. 24. 24.
• * 1.2

  25
• * 1.3

  1. Iohn. 2. 18.
• * 1.4

  22
• * 1.5

  Chap. 4. 3.
• * 1.6

  2. Iohn. 1. 7.
• * 1.7

  2. Thessal. 2. 3.
• * 1.8

  4
• * 1.9

  Ireneus in his. 5. boke, and last Chap▪ saue one.
• * 1.10

  Gregorie Na∣zianzenus in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Anselmus in the. 2. Thesa. 2.
• * 1.11

  Ambrose in his. 10. boke and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Chap. vpon Luke. •…•… Augustine in the. 9. Psalme.
• * 1.12

  Hierome to Algasia.
• * 1.13

  In his booke vpon the. 24. of Math.
• * 1.14

  Hillarie in Math. 25. Ca∣non.
• * 1.15

  In his boke a∣gainst Auxen∣tius.
• * 1.16

  Gregorie in his 4. boke, &. 38. Epistle.
• * 1.17

  In his. 6. boke &. 30. Epistle.
• * 1.18

  In his. 34. Epi∣stle.
• * 1.19

  In his. 25. boke vpon the. 34. & •…•…4. c•…•…p. of Iob. Chrisostome in his. 49. Ho∣•…•… of the vnperfect worke. In his. 4. Ho∣mily vpon the 2. Thes. 2. cap.
• * 1.20

  Eusebi•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his 7. boke of pre∣paration. Bernarde in his 125. Epistle Pag. 1316.
• * 1.21

  Arnulphus in the Counsell of Remes, amōgs the workes of Barnarde.
• * 1.22

  Cornelius •…•…∣tonto in the Chap. of 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.23

  Ioachini Ab∣bas.
• * 1.24

  Auentinus Franciscus in •…•…he Counsel a•…•… Reinspurge. Petrarcha in his. 20. Epistle.