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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14107	The figure of Antichrist with the tokens of the end of the world, most plainly disciphered by a Catholike and diuine exposition of the seconde epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians, collected out of the best and most approued diuines, both olde and new, very profitable for all men in this age to reade: published by Thomas Tymme, minister.	Tymme, Thomas, d. 1620.	1586 (1586)	STC 24417; ESTC S102039	69,608	190

the knowledge of mortall men to himselfe alone so on the contrarie part they ought to beware of that securitie which made the foolish virgins to be secluded from the ioye of the bridgrome Mat. 25. and to be vigilant because they know neither the day nor the houre 2 That yee be not sodenly moued from your minde nor troubled neither by spirite nor by worde nor by letter as it were from vs as though the day of Christ were at hand By this worde mind he vnderstandeth a sound faith which is grounded vpon wholesome doctrine For they had beene carried and rapt as it were into a traunce and astonishment by this forged imagination which the Apostle reiecteth He reherseth here three kindes of deceit of the which he would haue the Thessalonians to take heed The first of which is this Neither by spirit That is to say by reuelation or prophesie by which vngodly men haue deceiued many boasting of the spirit of God when as they were led by their wicked desires and lustes They knew that the name of the spirite was honorable and that it brought great authoritie and credit to prophesiyng Wherefore as the manner of the Diuell is 2. Cor. 11.14 to trāsforme himselfe into an Angel of light so the deceiuers had stollen this title to deceiue the simple withall And although Paul might haue pulled this visor from their face yet he thought it better by way of concession to speake thus As if he should say howsoeuer they pretend to haue the spirite of reuelation yet beleeue them not according to the saying of Saint Iohn 1. Iohn 4. Prooue the spirits whether they be of God or no. With such a spirite sometime the Montanistes and Valentinians and now the Catabaptistes were and are endued by which they haue greatly deceiued the simple Therfore the Apostle would not haue the faithfull to be moued from holesome doctrine Gal. 1.8 though an Angell come from heauen and teache otherwise then he hath taught already Nor by worde The other kinde of deceit is by worde that is to say by doctrine deliuered by the mouth the which if it be furnished with eloquence and probabilitie it is most pestilent Such are those sophisticall deceiuers which gadding to and fro from place to place without calling doe cause great sturre and doe greatly trouble the godly preachers and are therefore aptly termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a subtill kinde of deceiuers Nor by letter The third kind of deceite is by counterfeit Epistles or writings For it is the manner of wranglers to counterfeit an Epistle vnder the name of some excellent man to the end they may deceiue and may get that commended by the authority of man which els comming naked would not be receiued Hereby thē it doth appeare that this impudency hath beene practised long since to counterfeite the names of other men Whereby the mercy of God toward vs appeareth the greater and more woonderful that Paul being yet liuing and seeing his name falsly abused in forged writings his Epistles notwithstanding haue been preserued safe and sound vntil this age Verily this could not so come to passe neither by chance nor yet by the industry of men if so be God by his power had not suppressed Sathan and al his ministers By this sathanical practise which Paul here condemneth it cannot be told how filthily certaine lewd varlets haue deluded the Church of God who haue thrust vpon vs many bookes and manie moe Epistles and decretals as if they had come from the Apostles or from Apostolicall men or else from such writers as were had in greate estimation for their learning and holinesse which writinges notwithstanding these good men neuer knewe and if they were liuing would neuer allow For there are carried about Canons and Decretals of Rome certaine Canons of the Apostles certaine Epistles of Apostolicall men and many other bookes beside bearing the name of Augustine or Ambrose which bookes these men neuer saw And yet notwithstāding there want not some who taking this place for their ground and warrant will thurst vpon the Church of God whatsoeuer they list obiecting that all thinges are not reuealed in the Scriptures which are necessarily required to true pietie and godlinesse because mention is here made of spirite of worde and of an Epistle by which say they a more absolute doctrine hath beene reuealed to posterities But these men do not see that this same very place doth forewarne men that they be not seduced from a sound faith already receiued by the traditions of men which these men couering with the visor of spirit worde and of Epistle decretal or of Apostolical and most holy doe enforce vpon vs. For thus they offer vnto vs their Masses and all other thinges which they are not able to prooue by the testimonies of Scriptures ernestly affirming that they were iustified by Apo●tolical tradition afterward confirmed ●oth by the Epistles of Apostolicall men also by the reuelation of the holy Ghost Let vs therefore beware of these rauenous woolues Mat. 7.15 which being couered with sheep ●kinnes doe come to no other ende but to ●rouble rent and deuoure Let vs faith●ully hold and keepe the minde of Christ ●nd the sound and Apostolicall groundes ●f holesome and true religion So shal we ●e deceiued by no manner of meanes As though the day of Christ were at hande This place semeth to be con●rarie to many other places of Scripture where the holy Ghost doth pronounce that day to be at hande But they are easily recōciled for in respect of God it is at hand Psal 90.4 2. Pet. 3.8 with whom one day is as a thousād yeers a thousand yeers as one day Neuertheles the Lord would haue vs daily to wait looke for the same not to appoint vnto our selues a certaine time Watch saith our Sauiour Christ for ye knowe not when the time is Mar. 13.33 But these false Prophets whom Paul confuteth seeing it stood them vpon to hold mens mindes in suspence least they shuld be wearied with the tediousnes of delay commanded them to be carelesse concerning the short speedy comming of Christ 3 Let no manne deceiue you by anye meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first that that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition Paul againe admonisheth the Thessalonians to beware that they bee not deceyued that hee might make them the more vigilaunt and heedefull to themselues and that he might discourage and dismay those whiche laye in wayte to hurt the simplicitie of such as beleeued That daie shal not come except To the end the Thessalonians might not in vayne promise to them selues that the day of their redemption was at hande he propoundeth vnto them a lamentable prophesie of the defection and dissipation of the Churche to come This agreeth with that sermon of Christ which he made vnto his Disciples when

Scriptures and beside this the most cruell enimies to the doctrine of the faith in Christ Who notwithstanding doe swimme in the welth and riches of the Church in other countries at their pleasure and liue like fatte hogges in the stye In whom most aptly are fulfilled these wordes of the Apostle 2. Pet. 2.12 They count it pleasure to liue deliciously for a season Spots they are and blots deliting themselues in their deceiuings in feasting with you hauing eyes full of adulterie and that cannot cease to sinne beguiling vnstable soules c. Moreouer by these wordes of Paul as with thunderclappes from heauen the rites ordinances and rules of begging friers and monkes being touched are ouerthrowne who being a counterfeit sort of pore do notwithstanding fill their bellies with other mens trenchers whom a man most truly may call idle droanes For this kind of beggery of all other is most wicked and vngodly and no better then a kind of rapine and theft Furthermore we must note that there are diuers kinds of labouring For whatsoeuer he be that doth any manner of way seeke to benefite the society of men by his industrie whether it be in gouerning a familie or in dealing in publique or priuate affayres eyther in counsayling or in teaching or by any other manner of way the same is not to be reckoned among idle persons For the Apostle here speaketh against idle droanes which liue by the sweate of other mens browes they themselues doing nothing to benefite the common wealth 11 For we heard that there are some which walke among you inordinatly and woorke not at all but are busie bodies Now he doth speake more plainely strictly of that which hetherto he hath spoken at large The cause sayth he why I do so greatly vrge these things is for that I doe heare that some do liue inordinately among you that is doing no woorke at all but curiously busying them selues It is very like that this kinde of slothfulnes was a certaine sede of idle monkery for euē in the very begining of the primitiue church there were some which vnder the colour of Religiō did rob other mens tables or els did subtilly drawe vnto thē selues the substance and riches of the simple And in Augustines time they had so greatly preuayled that hee was constrained to write a speciall booke against idle Moonkes wherein he doth iustely complaine of their pride who contemning the admonition of the Apostell doe not onely excuse them selues of infirmitie but also will therefore seeme to be more holy than other men because they labour not But this mischefe hath so increased and ouerflowed that slowe bellies haue almost possessed the tenth parte of the earth whose onely Religion is this to haue their bellies well filled and to giue them selues from labour to ease and pleasure And this vile kinde of life they commend with this title or that name of order But what doth Paule by the mouth of the spirit one the contrary parte pronounce verely he pronounceth them al to be irregular disordered with what title soeuer they be couered And woorke not at all but are busie bodies That is to saye liuing idlely vnder the cloake of the Gospell and hating others By these woordes he doth expound what it is to liue inordinately And he noteth a speciall vice with the which idle men are infected namely that they are troublesome to themselues and to others by being importunate medlers and busie bodies For we doe see by common experience that those men which haue nothing to doe are much more wearie doing nothing then if they were busie and occupied about a very serious worke They runne hyther and thither whether soeuer they come they make a shew of wearinesse they gather vp all the tales that they heare and busily disperse them abroad againe A man would thinke that they carried vpon their shoulders the waight of a kingdome Can we haue a more euident example of this matter in any other sort then in the monkes For what sorte of men are more vnquiet Where doth there raigne greater curiositie Also in this place those which are Bishops Pastors only in name are noted which haue no care of the Lords flock but are onely curious in those thinges which serue to maintaine voluptuousnes coueteousnesse oppression and such like 12 Therefore them that are such we commaund and exhorte by our Lord Iesus Christ that they woorke with quietnesse and eate their owne bread At the inormities of the Church men ought not to winke neither are idle and curious men vnder the pretence of the Gospell to be tollerated in the Church Therfore Paul vseth now a more seuere and sharpe reprehension least such men flatter themselues in that kind of life By our Lorde Iesu Christ To the end all men may know that he doth not cōmaund thē in his owne name but by the cōmaundement and authoritie of the Lorde Christ he hath added this Notwithstanding the worde of exhorting doth signifie that he doth not behaue himselfe imperiously or that he would rule but that he would doe all things according to his office That they worke with quietnesse He correcteth both those vices of the which he had made mention afore namely troublesome vnquiet medling and idlenesse from profitable labour First of all therefore he commaundeth that they imbrace quietnes that is to say that they do quietly keepe themselues within the boundes of their vocation For they are most quiet of all others which occupie themselues in honest labours but they doe both trouble themselues and others which haue no worke to doe Secondly he exhorteth them to labour that is to say that they busie occupy themselues diligently in their vocation and that they be doing in iust and honest exercises without the which the life of man is erronious Therefore to woorke with quietnes is to labor in their vocation without curiousity and so to follow their laboures that they doe not rashlye meddle in other mens functions And eate their owne breade Thereby he commaundeth that they eat their owne bread whereby hee giueth to vnderstand that they must bee contented with their owne that they bee not greeuous and troublesome to others Drink sayth Solomon the Water of thine owne cestern Prouerb 5. and of the riuers out of the middest of thine owne well Let thy fountaynes flowe foorth and the riuers of waters in the streetes This is the first rule of equity that no man vsurp that which is another mans but vse that onely which is his owne and which lawfully he may cal his own The second is that no man like a greedy gulfe do swalow vp al that is his by himself alone but that he be beneficiall to his neighbors do help their need with his abundāce Ephes 4 2● Let al idle bellies consider these thinges and al bishops falsely so called abbots priors Moonkes and such like Let them heare I say the Apostle commaunding and exhorting by our