CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

4. That Antichrist should prosper and prevail; even to the shedding of the blood of so many thousand Martyrs, and yet meet with no remarkable judgement would be an unanswerable Temptation, had not the Scripture foretold it; The Scripture informeth of a twofold Antichrist, a doctrinal one, such as John speaks of, that denieth Christ to be come in the flesh, and a political Antichrist, or one that is chiefly so, in respect of Church-Government, who yet also shall be doctrinally Antichrist, of whom Paul speaketh that he shall exalt himself above every thing that is called God, and of which the Revelation makes often mention, for although this Antichrist shall prevail, and the greater part of the earth shall receive the mark of the beast, yet at last the time will come when those joyful Songs shall be sung, that Babylon is fallen, and the judgements of God are just, who hath avenged himself upon the Beast; Let not then Bellarmine glory in his temporal felicity as a mark of the Church; Let him not say in such a daring manner, If the Pope be Antichrist, and the man of sin aimed at in the Scripture, Why have not horrible judgements from heaven overtaken him? All this is easily answered, The Scripture foretells he shall have a time, and he must for a while make his garments red with the blood of the Saints; But as certainly as he doth this, so also shall his perdition come as certainly; Wonder not at this, or be offended, for the Scripture must be fulfilled.

4. That Antichrist should prosper and prevail; even to the shedding of the bloud of so many thousand Martyrs, and yet meet with no remarkable judgement would be an unanswerable Temptation, had not the Scripture foretold it; The Scripture informeth of a twofold Antichrist, a doctrinall one, such as John speaks of, that denieth Christ to be come in the flesh, and a politicall Antichrist, or one that is chiefly so, in respect of Church-Government, who yet also shall be doctrinally Antichrist, of whom Paul speaketh that he shall exalt himself above every thing that is called God, and of which the Revelation makes often mention, for although this Antichrist shall prevail, and the greater part of the earth shall receive the mark of the beast, yet at last the time will come when those joyfull Songs shall be sung, that Babylon is fallen, and the judgements of God are just, who hath avenged himself upon the Beast; Let not then Bellarmine glory in his temporal felicity as a mark of the Church; Let him not say in such a daring manner, If the Pope be Antichrist, and the man of sinne aimed at in the Scripture, Why have not horrible judgements from heaven overtaken him? All this is easily answered, The Scripture foretels he shall have a time, and he must for a while make his garments red with the bloud of the Saints; But as certainly as he doth this, so also shall his perdition come as certainly; Wonder not at this, or be offended, for the Scripture must be fulfilled.