718 Againfl Bellarmine, CAP.><,} The fourth point is,that heshallextollhimfelfabove all thatis cal- ledGod,or that is Worshipped, 2. Tiltfi.2.4. that is,fay you,hefhall not Juf -erany God,neither truenorfalfe, nor any Idols. To this argument we have anfveered in part before, tohandling Antichristsname;where we (hewed that theApostle meaneth not the heavenly God , but the earthly, that is, the civil Magistrates , which are venerable : as a11ò that in Daniel i r.3y. Andhe[hall not ofBerne the godofhts Fathers, nor carefor anj God,becanfe hefhall rife up alainflall. Jerome inter- preteth this facrilegious pride, to be a kindeof immoderate power over all religion ; for thus he faith. And Antichriffhall War againb the Saints,andovercome them,audfhall bepujft up Withfogreat pride, ashefhallattempt to change Gods lavesandceremonies, fubjeftingall religion tohis oWn power, Corn. in Dan. Chap.. In which words he finely painteth out Antichrift the PopeofRome, although he was far from this your comment.For,fhall a falfe Prophet lift up himf lf- a- bove everyGod ? A prophet is alwayes the Prophet of some God : needs thereforemust he profefle himfelf fubjeft to Tome God,whom the Scriptures note out by the name ofafalf Prophet. Againti,u: h,n he shall fit in the temple ofGod: whether (hall this be in the templeof another God,or inhis own ? If inanother,then he acknowledgetha fuperiour : but if inhis own,then the Apoflle fpeaks unproperly,and should not have Paid, fo that he fitteth in the temple ofGod as God ; but rather, fo that he fitteth inhis own temple as God. But by this mannerof fpeaking what fruit had redounded to the Saints ? For what manner of figne had this been of this Monfler; when it was nowhere known what manner of Temple he should have , or where ? But thus are they wont to etre from the rior, which reve- rence their lulls for truth. As touching theIdols,whichyou fay Antichriftfhall defpife, here- by perhaps you might Phew that the Pope isworfe thanAntichrif ; but it is ado falfe,tn at Antichrift fhall defpif 'idols. whoredom in the Scriptures is Idolatry : and thecity ofRome,the feat of Antichrift,is that Queen Icrabel,the chef Whore,the great Babylon, the mother of allthe Whoredoms andabominations oftheearth. Shall Idolatry have dominion in his throne,and yet himfelf not be an Idolatry?by whofe authority doth the whore woríhip Idols,but by his,onwhofe (boul- ders fh.e fitteth,&by the majeftyofwholename she is fufteined ?Shal not Achab follow the godsofhis Ier.abel ?TheyWch arekilled by the fourangels loofedat Euphrates., do fùffer thofeevils because ofidola try,Apoc.9.2o.21.But the Angel of the bottomles pit,King Abaddon with
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