Synopsis papismi, that is, A generall viewe of papistry wherein the whole mysterie of iniquitie, and summe of antichristian doctrine is set downe, which is maintained this day by the Synagogue of Rome, against the Church of Christ, together with an antithesis of the true Christian faith, and an antidotum or counterpoyson out of the Scriptures, against the whore of Babylons filthy cuppe of abominations: deuided into three bookes or centuries, that is, so many hundreds of popish heresies and errors. Collected by Andrew Willet Bachelor of Diuinity.

THE SECOND PART OF THIS CON∣trouersie, about the manner of Christs com∣ming to iudgement.

The Papists.

[error 109] 1. THe faithful shal iudge and giue sentence with Christ (say they) at the latter day, Rhemist. 1. Corinth. 6. vers. 2. They shall sit in thrones with Christ, Matth. 19. vers. 28. Ergo, iudge together with him, Rhemist. ibid.

The Protestants.

Ans. 1. TRue it is, that the Saints shal iudge the world, 1. Corinth. 6.2. But on∣ly Christ shall giue sentence, Matth. 25. and is properly and onelie the iudge of the world: for the father hath committed al iudgemēt to the Sonne, Iohn 5.22. If all, then there is no part left for any other. The Apostles therefore and Saints are said to iudge, as Christ saith of his word, that hee will not iudge the vnbeleeuers, but his word shall iudge them in the last day, Iohn 12.48. That is, shall bee a witnesse against them, accuse them, lay in matter of iudgement against them. So the word preached by the Saints vpon earth, and practised in their liues, shall bee the condemnation of the worlde. And not onely so, but they shall bee aduanced to greater honor: They shall sit in thrones and seates: that is, they shall not stand amongst the wicked to re∣ceiue sentence, but shall meete Christ in the ayre, and bee caught vp in the cloudes, 1. Thess. 4.17. Yea, they shall in the sight and beholding of the vngod∣ly enter into the kingdome of God, Luk. 13.28. But in any other sence they cannot be iudges of the world: for shall we thinke, that Christ in that day shall neede vnder officers and iudges, as Moses did? Exod. ••8. Augustine saith, Sanc∣ti sedebunt cum domino attendere,* 1.1 qui fecerunt misericordia••••: The Saints shall ••it with the Lord, not to iudge, but to marke and attend, and to witnesse, who haue followed the workes of m••••cie.

The Papists.

2 THey are so bold as to appoint the place, where Christ shall appeare, name∣ly [error 110] in the East: for his comming shall bee as the lightening that shineth from East to West, Matth. 24.27. Bellarm. de cultu sanctor. lib. 3. cap. 3.

The Protestants.

Ans. FIrst, by that similitude Christ onely sheweth the suddennes of his com∣ming: therefore it must be prest no further, then to that purpose for the which it serueth. Secondly, our Sauiour saith plainely, that the kingdome of God commeth not with obseruation, Luk. 17.20. either of time, or place: And therfore, when men say vnto vs, Behold here, or beholde there, we ought not to beleeue them, vers. 23. As though they would point out Christs comming with the finger, either in the East or West. Whereas Mathew therefore nameth the East and West, in the similitude of the lightening, Luke leaueth them out, say∣ing, As the lightening shineth from one part of the Heauen to the other, 17.24. Least we should thinke any great matter to be in nomination of those partes.

Augustine saith notably, Non ab Oriente veniet, nec Occidente: quare? quia Deus iudex est: si in aliquo loco esset, non esset Deus:* 1.2 quia vero Deus iudex est, non homo, noli illum expectare de locis: He will not come, either from the East, or from the West: why so? Because God is iudge: if he were tied to any place, hee were not God: but because God is iudge, and not a meere man: wee must not looke for him from any place.

The Papists.

3. THe Sonne of man shall appeare in the day of iudgement, with the signe [error 111] of the Crosse borne before him. Then shall the signe of the Sonne of man appeare in Heauen, Matth. 24.3. that is (say they) the signe of the Crosse, Bellarm. de sanct. lib. 2. cap. 28. Rhemist. in hunc locum.

The Protestants.

Ans. 1. THe signe of the Sonne of man in the Heauens, is nothing else, but his conspicuous and glorious appearing, who shall come in great glorie, as a signe in the heauens to bee seene of all the worlde. It cannot signifie any such visible signe as they imagine: for Mark. 13.26. Luke 21.27. wee reade thus: Then shall they see the Sonne of man. So then, the signe of the Sonne of man, is the Sonne himselfe in his glorious appearing. Secondly, it is great pre∣sumption therefore, so boldly to affirme, that it shall be the signe of the Crosse, hauing no Scripture for it. Other signes wee finde, that Christ hath appeared

with, as the signe of the rayne-bowe, Apocal. 10.1. with a two edged sworde, Apocal. 1.16. with a booke in his hand, Apocal. 10.2. We haue better reason, that Christ may appeare with those signes, by the which he hath sometime she∣wed himselfe, then they haue for the signe of the Crosse.

3 It is more like, that Christ at his comming should shew the markes and prints of the nailes and speare in his bodie, then the signe of the Crosse: for those were felt and seene in his bodie after his resurrection, so was not the o∣ther. But it is a loose coniecture, and a vaine surmise, without any ground of Scripture, that the woundes are either now in heauen to be seene in the glo∣rious bodie of Christ, or that they shall bee beheld and looked vpon in the daie of iudgement. The wicked in deed shall behold him, whom they pearced: but it followeth not thereupon that he should appeare as pearced. How is it pos∣sible, that either the bodie of Christ being perfectly glorified, should still re∣taine any spots or blemishes, or that they could be espyed in so glorious a bo∣die, which with the brightnes thereof shall obscure the Sunne?

* 1.3Augustine giueth this iudgement: Sic voluit resurgere Christus, sic voluit quibusdam dubitantibus exhibere in illa carne cicatrices vulneris vt sanaret vul∣nus incredulitatis. So it pleased Christ to arise, and to shew in his flesh vnto some that doubted, the skarres of his woundes, to heale and take awaie the wound of their incredulitie or vnbeleefe. This then being the onelie cause, why Christ would at that time haue the printes and markes in his flesh to bee seene, namelie to confirme the faith of them which doubted: the cause being now ceased, for is it to bee thought that there are any doubtfull persons in heauen, which may be confirmed by beholding Christs woundes, or shall vnbeleeuers finde any reliefe in the day of iudgement? The cause being re∣moued, wee haue no warrant to thinke, that there are any such skarres, ei∣ther now to bee seene in the glorious bodie of Christ, or which shall appeare in the day of iudgement. And seeing there is no ground for this opinion, the shewing forth also of the signe of the crosse in that day, is also but a wandring and a foolish conceite.

The Papists.

[error 112] 4. SVch is their boldnes, that they dare assigne the very yeare, moneth, and day of Christs comming to iudgement: for they say, that Antichrist shall raigne three yeares and an halfe, and one moneth, 1290. dayes, and counting 45. dayes after that, they shal see Christ comming in the cloudes: Blessed is hee, saith Daniel, that waiteth and commeth to the 1335. dayes, Dan. 12.12. Bellar. de pontif. Rom. lib. 3. cap. 8.

The Protestants.

Ans. 1. THe prophesie of Daniel we haue alreadie shewed, Controuersie 4. Quaest. 9. to haue been fulfilled before the first comming of Christ,

in Antiochus that cruell tyrant and persecutor of the people of God: how hee should cause the daily sacrifice to cease 1290. dayes, that is, three yeares and seuen moneths, 2. Macchab. 11.33. And that 45. dayes after, Antiochus being dead, the Church should finde ease, 1. Macch. 6.16. Wherefore, seeing this prophesie hath once alreadie had his effect, it is not necessarie to looke for any other: as Augustine saith of another prophesie of Daniel, Quae pro∣phetia si tempore primi aduentus impleta est, non cogit intelligi,* 1.4 quod etiam de fi∣ne seculi implebitur: Which prophesie if it hath been fulfilled in or before the first comming of Christ, it need not be vnderstoode of the latter.

2 This presumption of theirs is flat opposite and contrarie to Scrip∣ture, which saith, That the houre and day of Christs comming is not knowne to the Angels, nor to the Sonne of man, but to the Father onely, Mark. 13.33. How then dare they presume beyond the knowledge of Angels?

Augustine saith, Vtiliter latere voluit Deus illum diem,* 1.5 vt semper sit para∣tum cor ad expectandum, quòd esse venturum scit, & quando venturum sit, nescit: The Lorde to great purpose would haue that day kept secret, that our heart should bee in continuall expectation of that, which it is sure, shall come, but knoweth not when it shall come.

Thus haue I through the Lords gracious assistance, now at the length fini∣shed and brought to an end this long and tedious worke, which I trust shall not be so yrkesome to the Christian Reader, as it was wearisome and painefull to the flesh, in the collecting and compiling thereof: and yet not so painefull, but that God hath made me able and willing to endure this, and greater paines, and that with comfort for the good of his Church.

I excuse not, whatsoeuer hath fallen out of my pen in this worke, if I haue failed any where in the manner of handling: But as for the matter handled therein, I trust I haue throughout maintained the truth: in the prosecuting whereof, if sometime I chance to misse, I say with Augustine, Nunquam er∣rari tutius existimo, quàm cum in amore nimio veritatis,* 1.6 & reiectione nimia fal∣sitatis erratur: I thinke a man can neuer more safely erre, then when he erreth in the too much loue of the truth, and the reiecting of falsehoode.

I haue labored in this worke, to set downe not onely the chiefe and prin∣cipall, but euen the most, and in a manner all the controuersies of religion, betweene vs and the Papists, maintained this day: If any thing bee mis∣sing, I say againe with Augustine, Tale esse arbitratus sum cui mea responsio necessaria non fuisset, siue, quia ad rem de qua agitur, non pertinet,* 1.7 siue quod tam leue esset, vt à quolibet redargui facillimè posset: I thought it to be such, as vn∣to the which mine answere was not needefull, either because it was not per∣tinent to the matter in hand, or else of so small moment, that euery man might easilie answer vnto it.

I haue no more to say, but this: If thou findest thy selfe any thing profited or helped (good Christian Reader) by these simple labou••s of mine, giue God

the praise, and I will praise him with thee: but one thing, let mee pray thee: Quisquis legis nihil reprehendas,* 1.8 nisi cum totum perlegeris, atque ita forte minus reprehendes: Whosoeuer readest in this booke, reprehend nothing, before thou hast read the whole, and so perhaps thou wilt be more sparing in rephending. The Lorde giue vs all grace to loue the truth, that they which knowe it, may liue thereafter, and they which as yet knowe it not, may seeke for it: and wee all may embrace the Counsell of the wise man, to Buy the trueth, but in no wise to sell it: that is by all possible meanes to labour for it: and hauing attained thereunto, for no earthly respect, for feare or fauour to depart from it. The Lord God, Iesus Christ, Iehouah, Emmanuel, our blessed Sauiour and Redeemer, who is the way, the truth, and the life, giue vs of his heauenlie grace, that wee may walke obediently in his waies, and constantly professe his truth, that in the end he may bring vs to eternall life. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In Psal. 121
• * 1.2

  In Psal. 74.
• * 1.3

  Homil. de temp. 147.
• * 1.4

  Epistol. 80.
• * 1.5

  In Psal. 36. conci. 1.
• * 1.6

  Lib. 1. de mendac. cap. 1.
• * 1.7

  Defid. & operib. c. 27
• * 1.8

  August.