The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

VI. Ridley Burned for Repudiation of Papal Antichrist

NICHOLAS RIDLEY (c. 1500-1555), famed English martyr, was born in Northumberland. Beginning his higher education in Pembroke College, he went on to the University of Cambridge, then to the Sorbonne in Paris, and to the University of Louvain in Belgium. Impelled ever onward by a thirst for knowledge, he followed a steadily rising university career, becoming a fellow of Cambridge in 1524, then receiving his M.A. in 1526, his B.D. in 1534, and his D.D. in 1540. He was made senior proctor of the university (charged with maintaining discipline) in 1533, master of Pembroke Hall in 1540, and rector of Soham in 1547. But Ridley also gained fame as a preacher who gave great attention to Scripture, especially to the Greek, committing to memory almost all the epistles in Greek. He wrote numerous works. ³⁴ PFF2 364.1

In 1534, when Ridley was proctor of Cambridge, the question of the pope’s supremacy came before the university to be examined by Scripture. The decision was that the bishop of Rome had no authority and jurisdiction derived from God over the kingdom of England, more than any other foreign bishop. This decree against papal supremacy was signed by the vice-chancelor, and by proctors Ridley and Wilkes. ³⁵ PFF2 364.2

Appointed as domestic chaplain to Cranmer in 1537, Ridley was progressively vicar of Herne in 1538, chaplain to Henry VIII in 1540, canon of Canterbury in 1541, and canon of Westminster in 1545. In 1547,, after Henry’s death, he became bishop of Rochester, and in 1550 was made bishop of London. About 1545 Ridley renounced the doctrine of transubstantiation, and during the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553) he was very active in promoting PFF2 364.3

his Reformed views. He was deputed to set forth the doc trines of the Reformation in York, Durham, and other dioceses, and about 1549 to place Protestantism on a firm basis at Cambridge. In 1551, as bishop of London, he assisted Cranmer in composing the Forty-one Articles of Faith. Ridley attempted to convert Princess Mary and offered to preach in her presence, but Mary took offense at his visit and offer. ³⁶ PFF2 365.1

Upon her accession to the throne Mary I, or Bloody Mary (1553-1558), had Ridley arrested and committed to the Tower of London. In 1554 he was removed, along with Cranmer and Latimer, to Bocardo jail at Oxford for a time. Ridley there took part in an open disputation on the questions dividing Protestants from Roman Catholics. And in 1555 he was ordered to stand trial before the Divinity School of Oxford, where he was declared a heretic. ³⁷ PFF2 365.2

1. MAKES ISSUE OF SEPARATION FROM ANTICHRIST

The utter incompatibility of Christ and Antichrist was the theme of one of the recorded conferences between Ridley and Latimer. The unequivocal necessity of separation from Rome was apparent. In their second conference these words from Latimer are recorded: PFF2 365.3

“Yea, what fellowship hath Christ with Antichrist? Therefore is it not lawful to bear the yoke with papists. ‘Come forth from among them, and separate yourselves from them, saith the Lord.” ³⁸ PFF2 365.4

2. CHOOSES DEATH RATHER THAN ACCEPT ROME

Promised life if he would recant, Ridley replied, “So long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ, and his known truth.” ³⁹ PFF2 365.5

During his last examination, in September, 1555, before the queen’s commissioners, Ridley said: “‘I acknowledge in no point that usurped supremacy of Rome, and therefore contemn and utterly despise all authority coming from him.’” ⁴⁰ PFF2 365.6

And in the course of his masterful response Ridley denied the primacy of Peter and the apostolic succession of the Roman bishopric, sustaining his positions from Scripture and history. ⁴¹ PFF2 366.1

Because of his beliefs, Ridley was degraded from his ecclesiastical position the day before he suffered death by fire. On the day of his death, upon reaching the place of execution, he kissed the stake by which he was to suffer for his Master. ⁴² PFF2 366.2

He attempted to reply to the brief papal sermon, but the bailiffs and the vice-chancelor ran and stopped Ridley’s mouth with their hands. As the flames were slow in doing their work, again and again Ridley cried, “Let the fire come unto me; I can not burn.” His lower members burned first, the end coming when the fire reached a bag of gunpowder that his brother-in-law had tied about his neck. ⁴³ PFF2 366.3

Those were tremendous times, when one’s prophetic faith often meant death. (See Martyrs’ Monument, page 359.) PFF2 366.4

3. IDENTIFIES ANTICHRIST AS “BABYLONICAL BEAST” OF ROME

In his Piteous Lamentation, Ridley gives perhaps the clearest declaration of his prophetic identification of the Papacy. Asserting that Rome “hath bewitched almost the whole world,” he says: PFF2 366.5

“The head, under Satan, of all mischief is Antichrist and his brood; and the same is he which is the Babylonical beast. The beast is he where upon the whore sitteth. The whore is that city, saith John in plain words, which hath empire over the kings of the earth. This whore hath a golden cup of abominations in her hand, whereof she maketh to drink the kings of the earth, and of the wine of this harlot all nations hath drunk; yea, and kings of the earth have lain by this whore; and merchants of the earth, by virtue of her pleasant merchandise, have been made rich. PFF2 366.6

“Now what city is there in the whole world, that when John wrote, ruled over the kings of the earth; or what city can be read of in any time, that of the city itself challenged the empire over the kings of the earth, but only the city of Rome, and that since the usurpation of that See hath grown to her full strength? And is it not read, that old and ancient writers understood PFF2 366.7

Peter’s former Epistle to be written at Rome, and it to be called of him in the same Epistle, in plain terms, Babylon! By the abominations thereof, I understand all the whole trade of the Romish religion, under the name and title of Christ, which is contrary to the only rule of all true religion, that is God’s word.” ⁴⁴ PFF2 367.1

4. SAYS MARK OF BEAST INVOLVES ALLEGIANCE TO BEAST

Declaring that “the abomination that Daniel prophesied of so long before, is now set up in the holy place,” Ridley appeals to men to flee out of her. Citing the call of Revelation 18 and 1 Corinthians 6 to come out, he understood this to be to flee out of “the realm.” ⁴⁵ on the mark of the beast he made this observation: PFF2 367.2

“Wherefore what I suppose is to bear the beast’s mark, I will tell thee, and commit the judgment of mine interpretation, as in all other things, to the spiritual man. I suppose he beareth the beast of Babylon’s mark in his forehead, which is not ashamed of the beast’s ways, but will profess them openly to set forth his master the beast Abaddon. And likewise he beareth his mark in his hand, that will and doth practise the works of the beast with his power and hand.” ⁴⁶ PFF2 367.3

5. TELLS OF MARKED MEN OF THE BEAST

In speaking of the beast’s “marked” men, Ridley states clearly that this is a spiritual relationship and not a physical mark: PFF2 367.4

“Thus I suppose these prophecies are spiritually to be understood: and to look for other corporal marks, to be seen in men’s foreheads, or in their hands, is nothing else but to look that there should come some brute beast out of Babylon, or some elephant, leopard, lion, or camel, or some other such monstrous beast with ten horns, that should do all the wonderful things spoken in John; and yet of a beast speaketh John; but I under stand him so to be called, not for that he shall be any such brute beast, but for that he is and shall be the child of perdition, which for his cruelty and beastly manners is well called a beast.” ⁴⁷ PFF2 367.5

6. LAST FAREWELL WARNS AGAINST SHARING ANTICHRIST’S FATE.

Ridley’s last Farewell (in letter 32) before his martyrdom on October 16, 1555, is a moving message. Bidding good-by to his wife, brothers, sisters, kinsfolk, and countrymen, the Cambridge Cathedral church, and London, and giving a review of his faith and his life, he showed how the Papacy was centuries in developing, that it had “set up another religion, hath exercised another power, and hath taken upon it to order and rule the church of Christ by other strange laws, canons, and rules.” Then he declared in the strong language of the time: PFF2 367.6

“The see is the seat of Satan; and the bishop of the same, that maintaineth the abominations thereof, is antichrist himself indeed. And for the same causes this see at this day is the same which St. John calleth in his Revelation Babylon, or the whore of Babylon, and spiritually Sodoma and Egyptus, the mother of fornications and of the abominations upon the earth.” ⁴⁸ PFF2 368.1

“This whore of Babylon and the beast whereupon she doth sit maintaineth at this day with all violence of fire and sword, with spoil and banishment (according to Daniel’s prophecy), and finally with all falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy, and all kind of ungodliness—are as clean contrary to God’s word as darkness is unto light, or light to darkness, white to black, or black to white, or as Belial unto Christ, or Christ unto antichrist himself.” ⁴⁹ PFF2 368.2

“The whore of Babylon may well for a time dally with you, and make you so drunk with the wine of her filthy stews and whoredom (as with her dispensations and promises of pardon a poena et culpa), that for drunkenness and blindness ye may think yourselves safe. But be ye assured, ... the living Lord shall try the matter by the fire, and judge it according to his word.... For he that is partner with them in their whoredom and abominations, must also be partner with them of their plagues, and on the latter day shall be thrown with them into the lake burning with brimstone and unquenchable fire. Thus fare ye well, my lords all. I pray God give you under standing of his blessed will and pleasure, and make you to believe and embrace the truth. Amen.” ⁵⁰ PFF2 368.3