654 Againff Bellarnune, CA P. f. The fourth place is taken out of IThef. 2.6,7, And nowWhat tbithholdeth ye know,tlsat hefhouldbe revealed in his time ;only he that now hindereth,Aall hinder till he be taken away,and thenfhall that man ofSin berevealed, &c.Where the Roman Empare(as you fay)hindereth thecoming of Antichrift, who 'ball take away this Empire for the wit. kedneffe thereof; and `o do the Greek, and Latin Fathers-expound than place. I anfwer, that I acknowledge the ancient Fathers, not to have taken fo right an aime in writing ofthefe matters, as I have of- ten faid,as who living long from the time oftheevent ofmattershere- in contained, were carryed away only withbare conjeç`fures. They knew as much as was belonging for their times to know;Yet remem- ber,I pray ypou,what kind ofdefolation of the RomanEmpire,Ierone sanderfiands, who will have him that kindred tobe taken away inhis time, as we have heard often out ofhis ownwords. So that by his judgement, the Empire of Rome was fo laid wane at that time, that there was nothing hindered in this regard, but that er ntichriii might come. And indeed, Gregory Paid not well,All things are done Which Wert foretold, the King of Pride is neer, ifany Inch defolation wereto be cxpe&'ed, as you fpeak of, or if fuch ten Kings fhould come forth before,as youTapif}s tell us of.Thereforc either thofe Fathers knew not what that wasWhich hindred,or elfe they floated hither ik thither with their doubtfull opinions,fo as no found and fable thing can be gathered out of their Writings. But this Book of the Revelation being now made cleare by the event, and that for the molt parts makes the matter to bewithout all queftion, as alto it doth expound Paul molt certainly and molt faithfully, teaching us, that that Which bindereth, is not the Roman Empire, but the fixth Roman King ; for he faith, five are fallen ; one, namely, the fixth, is now, theother is not yet come, Rev. 1. I o. That is, the HeathenEmperors, who make the fixth King, and do now raigne, who being at length taken away, and leaving Rome empty for the Pope of Rome, the eleventh King dull come, that is, that Antichrif. The Roman empire is one after a fort, but the manner ofgovern- ing it by divers Magdhrates, and kindes of governing, is manifold. And it could not be faid, five Roman Empires have fallen, but five Kings, who were Rulers and Qovernours of that one Empire. Be- tides, Antichrifl is thatfeventh Roman King; for fo faith the Angel exprefly; And the Beall Which Was,aad is not,is both that eighth King, andone ofthefrven,verf i x, What
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