Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: Apocalypse
shews more at large that their reverencing images in churches is no idolatry. And again, (p. 149) "having shewed, says he, why the Church of Rome cannot be charged with idolatry, I may from hence infer that the pope cannot be antichrist." Yet Dr. W. on the Apocalypse, has another argument to prove that the pope is antichrist, that is, by a new invention, the mystical antichrist, foretold by St. John, and his reign to be twelve hundred and sixty years, only because he supposeth that the pope and papists give divine honour, the honour that is due to God alone, to images, saints, and Angels. This he continually repeats, and takes it for a thing granted. It seems very strange, that so learned a doctor, after such mistakes have been canvassed and cleared, as appears by what hath been written by Mr. Thorndike on this subject, should still run on in this groundless supposition, contrary to all the protestations which the Catholics have constantly made. Every little papist boy or girl can assure the doctor, that they have been always taught to give divine honour and worship to God alone: they will recite to him the words of their catechism, that they pray indeed before images, to put them in mind of things thereby represented, but they do not pray to them, because they know they can neither see, nor hear, nor help them: they will tell him that the Angels and saints, even the blessed Virgin Mother of Christ, and the true mother of God made man, is no more than a creature below God, at an infinite distance; and so that the inferior honour that we pay to them, is nothing like to that supreme and divine honour, which we pay to God alone. In a word we know, and have always professed that images, Angels, and saints are but creatures; and as we are not such fools as to think them Gods, so neither are we so senseless as to pay them divine honour.
Bible Text & Cross-references:
Of the Lamb, and of the virgins that follow him: Of the judgments that shall fall upon the wicked.
1 And I saw: and behold a Lamb stood on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand having his name, and the name of his Father, written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder: and the voice which I heard, was as of harpers, harping on their harps.
3 And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four animals, and the ancients, and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth.
4 These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, the first-fruits to God, and to the Lamb:
5 And in their mouth there was found no lie: for they are without spot before the throne of God.
6 And I saw another Angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to preach to them that sit upon the earth, and over every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people:
7 Saying with a loud voice: Fear the Lord, and give him honour, because the hour of his judgment is come: and adore ye him, *who made heaven, and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And another Angel followed, saying: *She is fallen, she is fallen, that great Babylon, which made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third Angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: If any man shall adore the beast, and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead, or in his hand:
10 He also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mingled with pure wine, in the cup of his wrath, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the sight of the holy Angels, and in the sight of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever: neither have they rest day or night, who have adored the beast, and his image, and whosoever received the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints, who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me: write: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours: for their works follow them.
14 And I saw, and behold a white cloud: and upon the cloud one sitting like to the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another Angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat upon the cloud: *Put in thy sickle, and reap, because the hour is come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud, put his sickle into the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 And another Angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another Angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire: and he cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying: Put in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vineyard of the earth: because the grapes thereof are ripe.
19 And the Angel put his sharp sickle into the earth, and gathered the vineyard of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God:
20 And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, even up to the horses' bridles, for a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
____________________
*
7: Psalm cxiv.; Acts xiv. 14.
8: Isaias xxi. 9.; Jeremias li. 8.
15: Joel iii. 13.; Matthew xiii. 39.