The Nevv Testament of Iesus Christ, translated faithfully into English, out of the authentical Latin, according to the best corrected copies of the same, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages; vvith arguments of bookes and chapters, annotations, and other necessarie helpes, for the better vnderstanding of the text, and specially for the discouerie of the corruptions of diuers late translations, and for cleering the controversies in religion, of these daies: in the English College of Rhemes

ANNOTATIONS CHAP. XIII.

8. A beast comming vp.]* 1.1 This beast is the vniuersal companie of the vvicked, vvhose head is Antichrist: & the same is called (Apoc. 17) the vvhoore of Babylon. The 7 heades be expounded (Apoc. 17) seuen kings: fiue before Christ, one present, and one to come. The 10 hornes be also there expounded to be to kings that shal reigne a short vvhile after Antichrist. This dragon is the Diuel, by vvhose povver the vvhoore or beast or Antichrist vvorketh▪ for in the vvordes folovving (v. 3 & 4) Antichrist is called the beast, to vvhom the dragon, that is, the Deuil giueth that povver of feined miracles▪ and as vve adore God for giuing povver to Christ and his folovvers, so they shal adore the Deuil for assisting Antichrist and giuing him povver.

7. To make battel vvith the saincts.]* 1.2 He shal kil the saincts then liuing, Elias and Enoch, and infinite moe that professe Christ, vvhereby vve must learne, not to maruel vvhen vve see the vvicked persecute and preuaile against the iust, in this life. Then shal his great persecution and crueltie trie the saincts patience, as his vvonderful meanes to seduce shal trie the stedfastnes of their faith,* 1.3 vvhich is signified by these vvordes folovving, Here is the patience and the faith of saincts. And vvhen it is said, They adored the beast, vvhose names are not vvritten in the booke of life of the Lambe, it giueth great solace and hope to al them that shal not yeld to such persecutions, that they are of Gods elect, and their names vvritten in the booke of life.

14. The image of the beast.]* 1.4 They that novv refuse to vvorship Christs image, vvould then vvorship Antichrists. And vve may note here, that as the making or honouring of this image vvas not against the honour of Antichrist, but vvholy for it, as also the image erected of Nabuchodo nosor, and the vvorship thereof vvas altogether for the honour of him, so is the vvorship of Christs image, the honour of Christ him self, and not against him, as Protestants madly imagin.

17. The character or the name.]* 1.5 As belike for the peruerse imitation of Christ, vvhose image (specially as on the Roode or crucifixe) he seeth honoured and exalted in euery Church, he vvil haue his image adored (for that is Antichrist, in emulation of like honour, aduersarie to Christ) so for that he seeth al true Christian men to beare the badge of his Crosse in their foreheads, he likevvise vvil force al his to haue an other marke, to abolish the signe of Christ. By the like emu∣lation also and vvicked opposition he vvil haue his name and the letters thereof to be sacred, and to be vvorne in mens cappes, or vvritten in solemne places, and to be vvorshipped, as the name of IESVS is and ought to be among Christian men. And as the ineffable name of God vvas among the Ievves expressed by a certaine number of 4 characters (therfore called Tetragrāmmaton) so it seemeth the Apostle alludeth here to the number of Antichrists name.* 1.6* 1.7

And here it is much to be noted, that the Protestants plucking dovvne the image of Christ out of al Churches, & his signe of the crosse from mens foreheads, and taking avvay the honour and reuerence of the name IESVS, doe make roome for Antichrists image, & marke, and name. And vvhen Christs images and ensignes or armes shal be abolished, and the Idol of Antichrist set vp in steede thereof, as it is already begonne: then is the abomination of desolation vvhich vvas foretold by Daniel and our Sauiour.

18. Let him count.] Though God vvould not haue it manifest before hand to the vvorld, vvho in particular this Antichrist should be: yet it pleased him to giue such tokens of him, that vvhen he commeth, the faithful may easily take notice of him, according as it is vvritten of the euent of other prophecies concerning our Sauiour.* 1.8 That vvhen it is come to passe,* 1.9 you may beleeue. In the meane time vve must take heede that vve iudge not ouer rashly of Gods secretes, the holy vvrite,

here signifying, that it is a point of high vnderstanding▪ illuminated extraordinarily by Gods spirit, to recken right and discipher truely before hand, Antichrists name and person.

18. It is the number of a man.] A man he must be, and not a Diuel or spirit, as here it is cleere, and by S. Paul 2 Thessal. 2. vvhere he is called,* 1.10 the man of sinne. Againe, he must be one particular person, & not a nūber, a succession, or vvhole order of any degree of men: because his proper name▪ and the particular number, and the characters thereof be (though obscurely) insinuated. Vvhich reproueth the vvicked vanitie of Heretikes, that vvould haue Christs ovvne Vicars, the successors of his cheese Apostle, yea the vvhole order of them for many ages together, to be this Antichrist. Vvho by his description here and in the said Epistle to the Thessalonians, must be one special man, and of a particular proper name, as our Lord IESVS is. And vvhosoeuer he be, these Protestants vndoubtedly are his precursors for as they make his vvay by ridding avvay Christs images, crosse, and name, so they excedingly promote the matter by taking avvay Christs cheefe minister, that al may be plaine for Antichrist.

If the Pope had been Antichrist,* 1.11 and had been reuealed novv a good many yeres sithence, as these fellovves say he is to them, then the number of this name vvould agree to him, and the pro∣phecie being novv fulfilled, it vvould euidently appeare that he bare the name and number here noted▪ for (no doubt) vvhen lie commeth, this count of the letters or number of his name vvhich before is so hard to knovv, wil be easie▪ for he will set vp his name in euery place, euē as we faithful men do novv aduance IESVS. And vvhat name proper or appellatiue of al or any of the Popes do they finde to agree vvith this number, notvvithstanding they boast that they haue found the vvhole order and euery of them these thousand yeres to be Antichrist, and the rest before euen from S. Peter, forevvorkers tovvard his kingdom?

1••. The number 666.] Forasmuch as the auncient expositors and other do thinke (for certaine knowledge thereof no mortal mā can haue vvithout an expresse reuelatiō) that his name cōsisteth of so many,* 1.12 & such letters in Greeke, as according to their maner of numbering by the Alphabete make 666, and forasmuch as the letters making that number, may be found in diuers names both proper & common:* 1.13 (as S. Irenaeus findeth them in Latinos and Teitan, Hippolytus in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Aretas in Lampetis, & some of this age in Ludérus, vvhich vvas Luthers name in the Alman tōgue:) therfore vve see there can be no certaintie, and euery one frameth and applieth the letters to his ovvne purpose▪ and most absurd folly it is of the Heretikes, to applie the vvord, Latinos, to the Pope: neither the vvhole order in common, nor euer any particular Pope being so called▪ and S. Irenaeus the first that obserued it in that vvord, applied it to the Empire and state of the Romane Emperour, vvhich then vvas Heathen, and not to the Pope of his daies or after him: and yet pre∣ferred the vvord, Teitan, as more agreable, vvith this admonition, that it vvere a very perilous and presumptuous thing to define any certaintie before hand, of that number and name. And truely vvhatsoeuer the Protestants presume herein of the Pope, vve may boldly discharge Luther of that dignitie. He is vndoubtedly one of Antichrists precursors, but not Antichrist him self.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Many mysteri∣es expounded.
• * 1.2

  Great perse∣cution by An∣tichrist and his ministers.
• * 1.3

  Their blessed∣nes that conti∣nue cōstant.
• * 1.4

  The honour of Christs image is for the ho∣nour of Christ.
• * 1.5

  Antichrists tri¦ple honour a∣gainst the ho∣nour of Christ.
• * 1.6

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.7

  The Protestāts by abolishing of Christes i∣mage, & crosse and irreuerēce to the name IESVS, make a ready vvay to the honour of Antichrist.
• * 1.8

  Io. 14, 29.
• * 1.9

  Antichrists name secrete.
• * 1.10

  Antichrist shal be one special man, and of a peculiar name.
• * 1.11

  The Pope can not be Anti∣christ.
• * 1.12

  Al scaming of letters to ex∣presse Anti∣christs name, is vncertaine.
• * 1.13

  Irem. li. 5 in fine.