Anti-Christ pointed and painted out in his true colours, or, The popes of Rome proven to bee that man of sinne and sonne of perdition fore-prophesied in Scripture by the clear witnessing of Roman Catholicks themselves, who lived and died in the communion of that church / by William Guild.

CHAP. IX. Of the tyme when Antichrist should come and be revealed, 2 Thess. 2 7 8 (Book 9)

HAving spoken of the Place where Anti∣christ is. We are next to enquire of the tym when he should come & be revealed, which the Apostle declareth to bee in these words When hee that letteth (speaking of his owne times) should be taken out of the way,* 1.1 and then that wicked man should be re∣vealed, &c. To wit, Antichrists. Wherein wee have two things to consider. First, What the Apostle meaneth by him who did then lett or hinder Antichrists rising and revealing. 2. Whether he who then did lett be taken out of the way.

* 1.2First then Bellarmin acknowledgeth by the uniforme consent of Fathers, and of latter writers, that by him who did then lett, the old Roman Empire as it was then in it grandure and integritie, is understood; For who shall be taken out of the way, but the Roman state (sayth Tertul∣lian) whose taking out of the way by the di∣vision thereof amongst ten Kings shall bring in Antichrist,* 1.3 So also sayeth Ambrose, That after the decay of the Roman Empire, Paull sayeth that Antichrist shall appeare;* 1.4 So speaketh Cyrill, Ierom ad Algasiam, Oecumenius, Theophy••act, Sedulius, Pri∣masius, & Auselmus upon that place of Paull, and m••re remarkable Chrisostome, who sayeth That when the Empyre shall be dissolved, hee shall seize upon the vacancie, and shall challenge to himself the rule or go∣vernement both Humane and Divine, as Mantuan sayeth of the Pope, Ense potens gemino, &c. And as the Pope claimeth. Extrav. c. unam sanctam. Next, the same likewise doeth Romanists affirme, as Aquinas, Cajetan, Lyra and others upon this place of Paull.

It resteth then next to consider, If the ••ld Roman Empire be taken out of the

way (in so farre speciallie as it did lett Antichrists comeing or rising and appea∣ring in his collours.) For probation whereof we haue a cloude of witnesses.

First Haymo a german Archbishope, who lived anno 800. writing upon this place sayeth, The Apostle showeth that our LORD shall not come to judgement, till first a decay be of the Roman Empyre, which wee now see fulfilled (sayeth hee) & that Antichrist doeth now appeare in the World, who shall kill the Martyrs of CHRIST; Lyra likewise upon the same words of Paull, sayth, That in his time (anno 1300) The whole Kingdomes of the World had al∣readie revolted from the Roman Empire, de∣nying subjection or tribute thereto. Aquinas in like manner upon these words sayeth thus, That it was a signe of CHRISTS comeing, to wit, the rule over all the World of the Roman Empire, so it is a signe of Anti∣christs coming, to wit, the revolt of Coun∣treyes frrm the Roman Empire, but (sayth hee) Countreyes haue long since revolted from the Roman Empyre, and now in place of of that temporall Monarchie hath succeeded one which is spirituall, into which the tempo∣rall is changed, That is, in playner termes,

that the Antichristian Monarchie fore∣prophecied by Paull is in the place ther∣of erected. Salmeron also the Iesuit (on 2. Thess. 2. disput. 2. sayeth, The Roman Empyre is long ago overthrowne and divided in many Kingdomes, and as it were (sayeth hee) altogether extinct. So that hee who is now called the Roman Emperour is but a very smallest shaddow (sayth he) of the old Em∣pyre, in so farre as hee possesseth not the very City of Rome from which hee is styled Roman (sayeth hee.) The like doeth the Iesuits Iustinian, Viega, and A••osta affirme, commenting upon Paulls words, with Stapulensis and others.

The Author likewise of Fasciculus tem∣••orum; A Charter Monck showeth that this irrecoverable decay begane, anno, 639. So that now (sayeth hee) all the foure Monarchies are decayed and there rests none now but that of Antichrists. Which decay in like manner when it begane by the in∣vasion of the Gothes and Vandall's and became thereafter divyded into so many Kingdomes, There Paulus Iouius in the beginning of his Historie declareth, and sayeth, That at that time, Potentia Caesarū ••ato cessit, or, the old Romā Empire expi∣red

and (as it were) gaue up the ghost, (sayeth hee) where I cannot omitt, how that Bellarmin and others frō the greeke Article 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.5 that mā of sin, & son of perdition, would prove Antichrist to be an individuall person▪ & not collective or successive government of many, to whom I must for answer,* 1.6 ask heere, whether doeth the like article v. 7. praefixed before 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, He who letelh,* 1.7 denotat one individuall Roman Emperour who then lived and did lett, or acollective & successive government of many singular Emperours, who were to come one after another, till the abo∣lishing thereof, which therefore in the preceeding verse is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.* 1.8 And which I think no learned Romanist will haue face to deny.

Now, as for the revealing of this man of sinne, whereof Paull speaketh, There are two principall degrees; The first, when Boniface the third assumed to him∣self the supremacie over the whole uni∣versall Church, which he did when hee usurped the tytle of Vniversall Bishope & Head of the Church, which his prede∣cessour Gregorie the first had declared to

bee Antichristian, and that hee nor none of his predecessours had ever usurped the same, which was done about the yeare 607.

The second degree was when Boniface the eight (as their own author of Fascicu∣lus temporm speaketh) In tantam arro∣gantiam seipsum erexit, ut Dominum totius mundi se diceret, tam in t••mporalibus, quam in spiritualibus, That is, (sayeth hee) who exaltet•• himself to that hight of pride▪ that he affirme•••• himself to bee the supreame Lord of the whole World, aswell in temporall as in things spiritual. Which is that proper mark of Antichrist, whereof the Apostle speaketh 2. Thess. 2.4. & which Gregorie also the first, setteth down in his moralls & expos••ō of Iob, 29. of whom also Platina the Pops Secretarie speaketh thus, Who endeavoureth (sayeth hee) more to strick with terrour, Empe∣rours, Kings, Princes, Nations and People, then to promove Religion, and who attemp∣ted as it pleased him, to give or take away Kingdomes, and to depose Kings from them or restore them to them.* 1.9 Which is the Pops practise unto this day, and whereof their own Sigebert in his chronicle spea∣keth

thus, Haec novitas, non dicam Haeresis nondum in mundo pullular••••. That is, be∣fore this time, this noveltie, not to call it Haeresie, had not before that time sprung up in the World, which maketh this u∣surpation of supremacie over Emperours and Kings by Gregorie the 7. (alias Hilde∣brand) and Boniface the 8. his successour, after the Thousand yeare of GOD, to be esteemed the second degree of the re∣vealing of Antichrist: Whence it was, that (as their own Aventin reporteh,* 1.10) Plerique tunc Hildebrandum Antichristum esse praedicabant. That is, that sundrie did preach that Hildebrand was Antichrist, and under the tytle of CHRISTS vicar, did play the part of Antichrist▪ sitting in the Temple of GOD, and exalting himself a∣boue all that is called GOD, as if hee were GOD: glorying also (said they) that he can∣not erre, and what ever hee sayeth, that it is the Law of GOD. So that Omnes boni▪ aperti, justi, ingenui eo tempore Antichristi Regnū cepisse cernebant. That is, all good, playne, just, and ingenuous men, (sayth hee) saw that then beganne the King∣dome of Antichrist. Wee hold then that Antichrist was come, and first revealed

himself in Boniface the Third, and there∣after came to his full growth and clearer revelation, in the person of Gregorie the 7. and his successours, Boniface the 8. and others, in whose time Platina reporteth that there was such a terrible Earth∣quake that the like was never seene be∣fore and a dreadfull Comet portending great calamity to come upon the World.

From all which former wee frame this argument, how soone as the Roman em∣pyre (which did lett in Paul's time) was abolished and taken out of the way, then Antichrist was to come: and thereafter to be revealed. But the Roman Empyre which did lett in Paul's time, is manie ages agoe abolished, and taken out of the way: Therefore, many ages agoe Anti∣christ is come, and revealed, and conse∣quentlie is not yet to come, as the Pa∣pists do fancie.

The major proposition is contained in scripture. 2. Thess. 2.7.8. Expounded to be the Roman Empire by the generall consent of Fathers and Romanists them∣selves, the assumption likewise is clearly proven by a cloud of witnesses of Roma∣nists themselves in like manner, there∣fore

the conclusion inevitablie follow∣eth.

Having then seene 1. Who is Anti∣christ, for his person. 2. Where he is, for place, & 3. When he was come, for time, Followeth now 4. How hee is to bee known by his marks, and first.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2. Thess. 2.7.
• * 1.2

  Bel. l. 3. de pont. Rō c. 5.
• * 1.3

  Tertul. de refur car∣••is.
• * 1.4

  in 2. Thess 2. Cyril Ca∣techesi 16.
• * 1.5

  Bell. l. 3. de pont. c. 2.
• * 1.6

  2. Thess. 2 and 3.
• * 1.7

  verse 7.
• * 1.8

  verse 6.
• * 1.9

  Sigeb. mo∣nach{us} Gēb lacen in Chr. anno 1088.
• * 1.10

  Annal. B••¦jor. l. 5.