The arraignment of slander periury blasphemy, and other malicious sinnes shewing sundry examples of Gods iudgements against the ofenders. As well by the testimony of the Scriptures, and of the fathers of the primatiue church as likewise out of the reportes of Sir Edward Dier, Sir Edward Cooke, and other famous lawiers of this kingdome. Published by Sir William Vaughan knight.

LINEAMENT VIII.

1 The Election o•• the Protestants after the imitation of S. Pauls graf∣fing in of the Gentles.

2 Means to discerne the Antichrist by Prophesies out of the Scripture.

3 Meanes to discerne the Antichrist by his pompous manner of li∣uing, and also by his Detractions.

BVt (ye beloued of the Lord) detract not from the word of God, neither descant * 1.1 yee much vpon the bare letter. For I would not, that yee Ministers, mistake this mysterie; how blindnes is partly hap∣pened in the Church of Rome 1 1.2 vntill the fulnesse of the Elect be come in. And againe, 2 1.3 through their fall. saluation is come vnto you to prouoke them with∣all, 3 1.4 Through their vnbeleefe yee haue obtained mercy. Thus hath God reserued you and your flockes as a rem∣nant according to his owne vnsearchable pleasure, and election of grace, without any deserts of yours at all. Thus it hath pleased him, because he would haue his po∣wer knowne, to take compassion vpon some, and to harden * 1.5 some. And all this happily, because the man of sinne, the sonne of Detraction might be reuealed in his time. Con∣ferre therefore one place of the Scripture with another (as I haue done here for the calling and graffing in of the Protestants, and hardening of the Papists) conferre, I say, the conformity of the present state with the state past of the Church (olde age being another infancy) and yee shall see, as cleere as at noone-tide, the true meaning of darke places; which no man that stands vpon his owne high minde, and his owne merites can possibly perceiue.

In like manner, doe ye desire to discerne the Anti∣christ? Compare those things which are prophesied of * 1.6 him one with another, and yee shall firret him out: yee shall finde him cunningly crept into our Christian

Church. Euen as Christ was a mysterie to the Pharisies, so Antichrist is a mysterie to the Papists; I say, a mystery, * 1.7 a mysterie, the mysterie of iniquity, which cannot distinctly be discerned, without the spirituall eyes of faith in the inward man. Looke on him with your bodily eyes, and this Alcimus will deceiue the very Elect, if it were pos∣sible. In outward shew an Angell of light, a sanctimoni∣ous Elder, but inwardly a sacrilegious Serpent, or a Foxe in a Lambes skinne. O Antichrist, thy Dragon is destroy∣ed by Daniels arte, by the bloud of the Lambe thy beast is conquered. O false Prophet, thy Babylonian whore is be∣come * 1.8 wrinckled, her beauty is faded, her wich-craft disco∣uered, her force decayed, her superstitions defaced. What remaines? Thou art driuen to a narrow straight, to thy neerest shifts. Post ouer thy title to another. Perswade thy subiects, that a new Antichrist (but no mysticall) is e∣uen now borne in Babylon. Let Iohn Doleta with all expedition publish this in Print. It is a point of policie to temporize, and to beare thy credulous Catholikes in hand, least suddenly they flinch from thy yoake, and of Romanists fall to be Apostolickes.

By the mysticall allusion of Michea, that saw the Lord putting a false and a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs * 1.9 Prophets, that claymed themselues (like the Pharisies and Papists) to be within the Church; yee shall gather with this, and with the Reuelation of S. Iohn, that these termes of Decemer, salfe Prophet, the worker of false miracles, * 1.10 which set to sale the bodies and soules of men, cannot bee applied more significantly to any other then to him, who * 1.11 went out from vs, but was not of vs. Would ye answere their obiection, w^ch alledge that the Pope cannot be that great Antichrist, because his Holinesse denieth not the Father and the Sonne, nor exalteth himselfe aboue that * 1.12 which is called God? Turne them to the Etymology of these words, Iesus Christ, that is, the Al-sufficient and an∣nointed Saniour of the world, and tell them that the entire

and whole vertue of the Godhead is wounded, it besides him they vse any Mediator to saluation. Turne them to S. Paul, and reade that the Antichrist must sit in the Temple of God. The Pope sits (not with Peters humility, * 1.13 but with pompe and Maiesty) in Peters chaire, in the mo∣ther Church of the West▪ being now become a cruell step∣mother, and a common harlot, shewing that he hath au∣thority to graunt Indulgences and Pardons, to release the paines of Purga••ory, peremptorily to aduance his Standard aboue the Church, which is to magnifie him∣selfe aboue the Holy Ghost, by whom it is ruled vnder Christ; to consecrate beades, water, crucifixes, yea and the glorious body of Christ, which is already consecrated in Heauen. In which prerogatiues he extolleth himselfe a∣boue God, doing those spirituall offices which are flat contrary to Gods word and law. Likewise it is prodigi∣ous that such things be sanctified by sinfull man, specially since the ceremoniall law and partition wall betwixt the Iewes and vs, is broken downe after the resurrection of Christ. It is derogatory (I say) to his sacred Maiesty that a mortall man vsurpe that Promethean pre-eminence: for hee that commits such sacriledge aboue mentioned, doth vndoubtedly vsurpe the power of God in a high de∣gree. He that vsurpes after this manner, detracts from faith only in Christ Iesus and from other gifts of the Holy Ghost▪ He that detracts from these gifts of the Holy Ghost blasphemes, and he that blasphemes so high a Maiesty, sinnes irremissibly, except the Lords mercy left out some other exception, vnknowne vnto vs. Thus (Christian Reader) shalt thou ponder other points of the Bibles mysteries.

And now seeing I haue sore-armed my▪ soule with suf∣ficient exorcismes, and methodically fished out the great Leuiathan, let me anathomize the Monsters principall members.

Notes

• * 1.1

  I
• 1 1.2

  Rom. 11.
• 2 1.3

  Ibid.
• 3 1.4

  Ibid.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 9.
• * 1.6

  2
• * 1.7

  2. Thess. 2.
• * 1.8

  Apoc.
• * 1.9

  3
• * 1.10

  Apoc.
• * 1.11

  1. Ioh. 2.
• * 1.12

  1. Ioh. 2.
• * 1.13

  2. Thes. 2.