CAP.1. touching Antichrift. 617 writing of the Magifirates ofRome, Book z. Chap. 21. .fit What time (faith he) theProconfull exercifed no ordinary, iurifdillion, butfuch as he hadby delegation, and áfgnement, though afterWards it w u the ufuall cuftom, that this kindeof Ma riftrate had a iurifdïaion of his own fal.tino to hïr flare. And this is that which Dionyf. Halycarnaff. faith in his Romane Antiquit. Book t. That the 'rftproconfuls that Wereordained, Were created in the thirdyeare ofthe eightieth andfourth .01yìnpiad, though he had made mention before of T. Onintius cre- aced Proconfull in the fecond yeare of the feventieth and ninth Olympiad, that is, one and twenty years before, Book 9. The reafonof which fpcech is this, becaufe thefe 7roconfuls, filch as Tit. iintius. was, that exercifed a power onely upon truft com- mitted unto them, were not to be in the Catalogue of the ordinary . Magiftrates, but they onely, who afterthat the bounds of theEmpire were enlarged, had an authorityproper to themfelves, and then firft ofall was the dignity and name of aMagifirate granted unto them, and taken by themworthily. And yet thole Proconfuls upon truf{, were called by that name, as it is plaine by that which Dionyfins faith when he fpeakethof this Tit. sintius. Wherefore Mufculus was hot herein deceived as you fay, but you are egregioufly decei- ved your fel who will not fee a matter that is molt certaine, tho- rough youreager define to fight against the truth. Secondly,you would prove this thatyou fay out of theScripture; out of which you judge aright that the fignifièationof this name is to be fetched, and firft you bring that place where he is called P.4n- tichrijii, Who is extolled above all that is called God, z Thefíaf. which is certainly, fay you, not to be the Vicar, but the enemy ofChrift, Who is true God. I anfwer, firii, that feeinghere is the fame equivo- cationof the name Vicar, that was before, this argument hath as much force in it, as the firft, that is, none at all. Secondly, I fay, that to be extolled above all that is called God, is fpoken figuratively, not properly; for the true God is never called all or every god, but one God, as faith the Apoftle, r Cor. 8. 5, 6. For although there 4e that be called Cods :both in heaven an,d earth, (for there are many Lords)yet to its there is but one God the Father, and one Lord lefts: Chrift: But the reft ofthe Gods becaufe they are more then one, , are often called all the Gods, as Pfal. 97. 7. Worfhip -himallye Cods. Therefore to beextolled above all the Gods, is not to be extolled above that One Godin heaven, but above every God in earth, that is, abode the Civil/ i gfltrate, to which the. Scriptures give the name:
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