yeares betwixt the ende of the. 62. hebd and the death of cryst A lyke speche is it That aftir the takinge awaye of the scepter Sylo shulde come but not immediately for he came not tyll 47. yeres aftir the takinge awaye therof Albeitkinge Cyrus of a good hert gaue them licence to departe and buylde their cyte yet was it not finisshed in his dayes For the good purposes of kings be oftyn tymes letted for nothing can they do except god saye Amen The wrath of God for oure synnes is the cause that with so greate difficultye y e temple of god is not yet finisshed but rather letted so cruelly But yet propter Christum promissum for crystis sake promised vs it shal be at last although with great difficulty and losse of many a good manis lyfe finisshed But here lo was the Iewes cytie temple and all their comon weall vtterly destroyd for the slayinge of cryste Let all crysten emperours kings and bisshops that yet slaye cryst in his members beware and wayte for a lyke destruccion The text hath Et nihil ei that is and nothing to him Some vnderstand it of Cryste As this might be the sence Messias shal be slayne and yet coulde they laye no cause worthey of death to him Some vnderstande it of the Iewes as I haue translated it signifyinge that because they shall putt him to death they shal be vndone and vtterly destroyd For aftir that full mesure finisshed of their wykednes in denyinge and slaying their king they shall nether haue any more kinge nor preist nor ruler nor temple nor cyte no they shall nomore be called the peple of god For they cryed and denyed him to be their king sayinge We haue no kinge ouer vs but the emperour and therfore it foloweth ☞ For there shall come a mighty armye of the emperour destroye both their cytie and temple yea their destruccion ende shal be as it were with a diluuie And aftir the bataill their shal be an vtter perpetuall vastitude and destruccion of them Lo they refused their owne kinge cryst for the emperour sayng We haue no king but the emperour and now see how beneficiall themperour was to them lyke wyse oure spiritualtye this daye refuse the gospell and cryst geuing vp their auctorite powr and goods to emperours and kingis to defende their kingdome But in shorte space shall ye see their seclare emperours and kings serue them worthely as Titus and his host serued the Iewes their cytie and temple He compareth their miserable destruccion to the floude of Nohe For very fewe or none of the Iewes were left in Ierusalem so destroyd but all were slayne or famisshed or dyed of the stinke and pestelent corrupcion of their dead innumerable carkases or els caryed awaye captiued as a vehement floude caryeth all awaye with it For very hard sharpe and bitter was that consuming siege and storme The RomaÌ„s with many ofte and diuerse assawtes bete downe the Iewes miserably aftir the batails were done there remayned a perpetuall vastite desoâ—acion For neuer aftir was it nor shall their Leuitiâ— preisâ—hed nor their kingdoÌ„ of Iuda nor the policye and comon weall of Moses nor cytie of Ierusalem be restored But as I say Ieremei O see sayd Aftir that calamitose destruccion shulde the gentils be called the peple of God which enbrace the gospell as it is wryten Rom. 9. 10. Playne it is the Iewes often aftir this destruccion to haue had enforced to reedifye and restore their comon weall of Moses For in y e tyme of Adrian emperour they gathered them thyther a great multitude inuadinge y e lande with armor But Adriane puttynge them to flyght destroyd many of them Aftir that Iuliane the apostata for the hatered he bore to the crysten religion graunted the Iewes licence to reedifye their cyte temple The worke was Begune and miche money gathered to performe it But with many terrible erth quaâ—is and flammes of fyer oute of the foundacion the edificacion was throne downe and miche peple slayne with the stones tymber falling vpon them Also Nazianzene telleth that their clothes were wondrefully stayned thik with red figures of the crosse as it were with blode imprinted in their clothes wherfore the Iewes thus afrayd with these celestiall wondrefull signes left their worke and fled from the place For god had decreed their policie neuermore to be restored God wold haue thexample of his wrath sene of all the gentylee to monissh vs therby that he wolde horribly and terribly punisshe and plage the contempt and crucifyinge of his sone he is yet dayly crucifyed afresshe among the papistis He will also that Moses comon weall be buried with Moses nomore to be sene nor knowne left the opinion fayth in their ceremonies and rytes be coÌ„ firmed men beleuing to be iustifyed with the Iewes by their rytes ceremonies workis and tradicions Also one hebdomade shall confirme the couenant made with many men And the middis of this hebdomade shall abolishe and abrogate sacrifice and oblacion Here he attribueth to the hebd the same thinge that perteyneth to cryste For cryst in this hebd confirmed his testameÌ„t and couenant as Paul disputeth it largely to the Hebrewes by his death sacrifice once for all for euer sufficieÌ„t This one hebd recheth from the birth of cryste vnto the destruccion of the cytie coÌ„teyning lxx yeres In the middis of this hebdo that is in the. 34. yeare of crystis age the Iewes fulfylled the mesure of their wykednes by kyllinge him and so were they worthely reiected This hebdom the aungell diuideth in the middis geuinge the first half to cryst preching and suffering and to tother half to the peple and cyte to their sacrifices rytes all to ceasse be abolisshed For himself hanging on the crosse sayd that all was ended and enclined his head and yelded vp his spirit which done the veyle of the temple was kut in sondre from the hyghest to the lowest parte that by these woundrose signes god wolde testifye to the herdnecked Iewes by the host and oblacion of his sone all the figuratiue sacrifices now to be ceassed and gone Well therfore sayth the aungell In the middis of this heb shall ceasse the hostes and sacrifices But this thinge wolde not the Iewes beleue but went on styll with their wont and somtyme holy but now vnlawfull and to be abhorred sacrifices to be offered And y e holy men which thus preched they persecuted and banisshed many they slewe for this so soden a gospell and new lerning as do our phariseis But yet did god by his long pacient suffraÌ„ce call them to repentance by all the reste of this tother half hebdomade euen 35. yeres folowing yea and with threatenings he wold haue frayd them from their conceyued pertinate styffe malice but all was in vayne as ye see it lyke wyse this daye wherein we haue had
and to defende the good Wherfore here doth Daniel by the whightnes of cryste his vesture and purenes of his heare describe his confortable defence of the good men For as he in his whight clothes clarifyed in his transfiguracion and also rysing from death apered ioyouse and glad to the heuey peniteÌ„t synners euen so shall he make glad his glorifyed chosen once rysen from death with this voyce Come ye y t blessed of my father c. Siche a beutye of the chirche in cryst is paynted also in the. 45. psal but it is not sene in this miserable vale of weping teres as Ioan sayth we be not yet sene as we shal be The heuey vengeance of the euyll men is paynted by y e flammye trone long fyery beames procedinge therout For deuouering fyer shall go before him and a burninge flame aftir him Ioele to wytnes and as cryst arysing was sene so terrible to y e kepers of his sepulcre euen so shall he apere a ferrefull iuge to all vngodly in the last iugement saynge auoyd fro me ye cursed into eternall fyer Also y e multitude of mynisters is taken for his infinite noumber of aungels as Mat. 25. saith all the aungels shall come downe with him To sit in iugement is to rendre to euery one accordinge to their dedis as speketh Paul Nether is it any thing els the bokes to be opened then that Paul saith In that daye god shall laye open y e secrete hid thingis of menis hertis by Iesu cryst according to my gospell Wherfore there is no difference betwixt daniel and Paul saue that as they both wrote not in one tyme so did they not with the same wordis expresse the same iugement of cryst Then I behelde namely for the voyce of those stoute great word is which the horne spake and I loked so longe tyll the beast was taken awaye and his body slayne and the beast casten into the fyer But the â— other beastis yet left deposed their power to them was there graunted longer to lyue vnto their prefixed tyme. Hytherto haue we treated the descripcion of the iugement into the consolacion of the chirche militant Now shall ye lerne iii. thinges in the declaracion of this prophecye First he teacheth vs not to be offended nor in oure trouble to cast away all hope seing these anticrystis the pope with his coniured hornes and the Turke with his Mahumete thus to prospere in their mischeif Secondly he therfore threateneth death and destruccion to all these anticrysten beastis At last he conforteth the chirche beinge yet as a shepe apointed to the slaughter howse with a newe descripcion of crystis coming For what thinke ye shal be the ende of this oure troublose tragedy shall we be thus euer persecuted shall these sharpe heuey hornes always goore vs thus cruelly will not god come once downe and declare his rightwysenes will he neuer auenge the iniuriouse oppressions persecucioÌ„s of his iuste and chosen chirche Aftir oure many and greuouse affliccioÌ„s daniel seeth a newe and greate change I loked sayth he namely for that arrogant great voyce of so blasphemouse wordis which the horne spake I merueled whether god wolde leaue so great wykednes vnpunisshed and wolde neglect the glory of his name He wolde not so long suffre it in Sennacherib he punisshed it anon in Pharao he was anoÌ„ euen within Goliath and with all his blasphemers in tymes past And shall he now suffer thus long his chosen derely beloued to be thus cruelly for his sake brent and slayne and his gloriouse name thus so spightfully blasphemed Daniel loked vpon y e long pacient suffering of God not once turninge his eyes from him vntyll he sawe his iugement at hande and the iugement seatis set downe We may not therfore behold the onely tribulacions of the iust which may sone thrust vs into desperacion but we must sett the iustice of god before oure eyes wayt for the apointed happy helpe in tyme of tribulacion promised vs and the greate rewardis prepared for all that iustely fight in his cause Daniel merueled to what ende the false doctryne and prowd wordis of anticryst wold come and where at last he shulde abyde He sawe that in the last ende of y e worlde these Anticrystis shulde haue in their affayers great prosperouse successe the emperours and kinges to bring home gloriouse and happye victories the pope to gather home great ryches noble victores hyghe and solempne tytles and his doctryne and lawes to be fered greatly and receyued ouer all crystendom emperours and kings mightely to assist and defende them He sawe the Turkis dominion to sprede mightely and his doctryne to take place wyde and euery where With these prosperouse successes many men what for weaknes what for hypocrisye what for fere and the anguisshe of their persecucions be auerted from the gospell of peace vnto these anticrysten actis articles false doctryne popish rytes supersticioê° ceremonies and vnto their deuyllish tradicions and many vnto Mahumets mischeif Wherfore he premonissheth vs to be consiant and to hold fast in mynde the last iugement that is the glorye of the godly to come and the paynes eternall of the vngodly so resting vpon godis worde in oure ferueÌ„t prayers that for the gretenes of the euerlasting ioyeand felicite we maye nothing fere ne regard the infinite troubles of all oure lyfe Hytherto loked Paul when he sayd I thinke not the sufferings of this lyfe to be wortheily coÌ„ pared to the glory to come which shall be reueled in vs. Now will we speake of the coÌ„minacions cast vpon these beastis Where Daniel saith I loked vntyll I sawe the beast slayne and his body smyten downe dead and casten into the fyer and the power of the other beastis there left taken awaye he threateneth not onely to this last beaste the empyre of Rome with his spirituall Pope his hole bodye and all their x. helpinge hornes agaynst the lorde and his anointed euerlastinge death and destruccion but he also in these wordis threteneth the same miserable ende vnto y e Turkish or Saracenik kingdom for the lambe shall haue the victory as it is wryten in the Apoca. 17. 19. chap And I sawe the beast and the kings of y e erth and their hoostes gathered togyther to make warre with the kinge of kinges and with his hoost but the beast with his false prophetes were taken c. where Ioan expowneth y e bodye of the beast to be his holy cardinals bisshops doctours prethers his cananized saynts and miracle makers to deceyue the peple and all the smered preistis hauinge the beastis mark which haue worshiped the image of this beast Also in the. xx chap. The deuyll is casten into a ponde of fyer and brimsâ—on where the beast and hir false prophetâ— shal be tormented daye and night for euer This beast so perissheth that there foloweth nomo aftir him
an example howe in trouble we shuld calvpon God and our desyer obtained 〈…〉 geue him praise and thankis as he commandeth saing call vpon me in tribulacion aÌ„d I shall delyuer the and thou shalt glorifie me To call vpon God is to aske his promises in cryste for all the promises of God ar Amen that is ferme fast and sewer in cryste For what so euer saith cryste ye aske my father in my â–ª he shal geue it you To geue thaÌ„kes is to 〈…〉 God for his benefits geueÌ„ vs in cryste by whom the sorowful and sadde be animated whiche delyuered do thanke him Of the Psalter boke we may lerne to call vpon and to geue god thankis The sense of all the places in Daniels thankis geuing is all giftis to be of God not onely the giftis of soule but of bodye and fortune as Paul affirmeth in his pistles to the Corinthes and Ephe. Iam. also Wherfore the very worship of God to be setforth in this place we may confirme it by the Psal. 50. Wherfore Daniel going vp vnto Arioch the kings cheif officer sent of the king to slaye the wyse men of Babylon biddeth him hold his haÌ„dis lead me to y e kinge I hal expowrte hi his dreame Daniel geueth vs an ensample to loue our enimies but yet to condempne their falsedoctryne and their synnes the trwe doctrine of cryste constantly to affirme For the wise polityk enimies of goddis worde in babyloÌ„ he so loued that he wold excuse their ignorance and for their ignoraÌ„ce praye that thei be not slayne the consideracion of his excusacion and peticion was for that he knewe the natural wyse men not to perceiue those thingis which be of the spirite of god For the spirit of god onely seeth the mynde of God Whetfore it is he only that may before saye and tellout gods will Wherfor this example of loue is very rare and selâ—… sene to delyuer our enimies apointed to dye because thei be ignorant of the worde Let vs therfore no lesse thirst the bloude of our anticristeÌ„ enimies then crist wold not dampne the aduouteres accused and condempned of the Magistrates IoaÌ„ 8. But yet their false doctrin let vs as stroÌ„gly and boldely confute condeÌ„pne as cryste cryed wo wo vnto the Pharisais and with as inuicte a mynd and manly an herte let vs confesse the worde of God as wold cryste dye for his gospell The cause of your dreame in your slepe was this you being kinge reuolued in mynde as ye laye in bedde what was to come aftir wherfore the reueâ—ler and opener of secrete mysteries sheweth to you what is to come and vÌ„nto me verely is not this mistery reueled for 〈◊〉 wisedoÌ„ where by I excel al other mortal meÌ„ but that the interpretacion shulde be declared to you y e king that ye shuld knowe the cogitacions of your own herte Now is the occasioÌ„ of the kinges dreame expressed y e dreame because it had a certain consternacion of mynde feare therwith al to be of god of god to be ex pressed because the kig desyâ—… what maner king doÌ„s there shuld be aftir him therfore â–ª god by this dreame sheweth 3. monarch to come aftir his empyre in the thirde cryst the eternal king to come whiche shuld delyuer mankind from the deuil â–ª dethe hell to destroye the worlde with fyer in the laste daye to geue lyfe euerlasting to the beleuers and to dampne the vnbeleuers into fyer perpetuall It is an highe vertew a man not to boste and attribute that thing to hiself which is of God but to teache cryste purly â–ª wherfore Daniel where he sayth The reueeler or opener of mysteries shewethe it you c and not I he wold a voide the prayse and estimacion of himself that the kinge might conceiue therby some godlines by Daniel but God saith he reueleth it to declare the kinges cogitacions So that by the know of cryste to come the king and his realme might a voide the wrath of God and obtaine thorow cryste the benediccioÌ„ of the gentilis promised to Abraham that is by faith in cryste to haue eternall lyfe But let vs heare the dreame kynge behold Thow didstsee a great image large highe of a mighty forme terrible to beholde standing before the whose head was al of golde his breste armes syluer his belye and loynes brasse his leggis his feete were parte of and parte of pot baerthe Thou didste beholde it vntil there came a stone smyteÌ„ out without hand is which smitte the image vpoÌ„ his â–ª erthen feete breking them al to powlder Then was the teste or potsherd the brasse golde syluer redacte into duste so that not onely of the wynde were thei blown away as chaffe from the floer in somer but also that their place could no more be fownde But the stonne which had smitteÌ„ the image was made so great that it fulfilled the vniuersal erthe This is your dreame nowe wil we expowne it before y e king The telling of his dreame expresseth not onely 4. ciuile empires vnder the w e the iews crystis chirche shuld be afflicted vnto the ende but also it sheweth an euangel â–ª spirituall kingdom of cryste to be ouer all kings monarchis But first lerne we kingdoms to be constituted of god the later to be worse theÌ„ the former and lerne we crystes kingdom to be described of the tyme of powr when he shal come to the world to destroye it with fyer geuing to al the beleuers eternal lyfe in a newe worlde And as in the firste parte of this narracioÌ„ he signifieth as it were in a legale or seculare sermone the kingdoms to be made to be howses nources defenders of the gospel but sewerly what so euer is in the world without the gospel it is but idolatry death dampnacion euen so in the â–ª other parte as it weâ—e with an euangeli sermone he calleth them all vs to the knowlege of cryste monisshing the king and al mortall men to remeÌ„â—ber and thinke vpon the miserye and shortnes of the worlde of the resur reccion of the dead and lyfe eternal Thou king art the moste noble of all kinges vnto whom the God of heuen hathe geuen powr Maiestye c. Thou art therfore this golden heade The firste Monarchy which stode first vpon the caldeis eft sence on the AssirioÌ„s and at last by succession al ioyned into one called the kingdom of Babilon is here the golden head And in describing the kinges maiestye powr c he shewth kingdoms to be geuen of God not goten by manis powr And where daniel saith god to haue geuen althingis into the kinge of Babylons hande he tellethe him that not by the powr of his idole and image of Beeâ— of Babylon the king sitteth so sewer from al his
thou shalt see euen the selfe same king to be an example bothe of the wrath and also of the mercy of god We see also here not onely the kinges herte but also al the hertes of his nobles and officers to be in the hande of God them to folowe the kinges confessioÌ„ and religion nonother wyse theÌ„ the shadew â–ª folowe the sonne All creatures be compelled to confesse the firste commandement to be trwe and what so euer be ayenst it to be false And as the king therfore asketh his officers counsellers because thei shuld be coÌ„pelled to be witnesses the doctrine religioÌ„ of the babylonits to be idolatry that in falling downe before an image with any reuereÌ„t behauiour is playne ayenst Gods worship forboden in his lawe euen so for nonother cause calleth he our these 3 holymen from the â—yer but to approue Gods first and 2 commandements and to confirme the faith in cryste Iesu to be the very trwe religion and worship of god Furthermore by the fowerth man sene of the kinge in the fyer I vnderstand Emanuel cryste to be with vs which conserued the goodmen and made of the sewer of the worde a confessor of the same this aungel of God owr sauior cryst smittout the flame of the fornace vpon the menburners making the middis therof as it were a swete wynde so that not an heare of thier headis perisshed signifying that of the faitful in God not an heare shal fal from their heades without the will of their heuenly father Nether want it a mistery that the burners being with out the ouen were brent the goodmen being so false in the middis of the fyer for siche burners shall fede the fyer of hell when thei whom thei burned shall reste in ioye For he that was sene with the 3 men in the flame said Oh hell I wil be thy destruccion and delyuer my faithfull out of thy handis Wherfore Beware ye emâ—… and kinges whiche yet burne or permitte cristen men to be brente for the gospell And nowe be ye taught and vnderstand the trwthe for except ye repent with this kinge ye muste nedis be brent your selues with all the deuill is in hell perpetually Cryste graunt it that al sewers myght repent as did Nebucadnezar And here Nebucadnezar brokeforth into these wordis saying Praysed and thanked be the God of drach Mesach and Abednego whiche hathe sent his aungel aÌ„d delyuered his worshipers which thorow their faith in God haue changed and frustrated the kinges commandement offering their bodies rather to be brent then thei wolde worship or fal downe before any thing then their owne god Wherfore it is my decre proclamacion â–ª That whatsoeuer peple or nacion shal speke any blasphemye ayenst the god of drache mesach Abednego he shal be torne in peses his house shal be made detestable â–ª for verely there is no nother God that may thus delyuer as dothe he A diligent reader conferring one place withe a nother and remembring that in the ende of the 2. chapter aftir Daniel had ex powned Nebucadnezars dreame the king fyldowne before him â–ª honouring Daniel with diuerse giftis confessing affirming it constantly The god of Daniel and of his company to be the god of and aboue all goddis and the lorde of all kingis and reueler of all secretes wolde think that the kinge had ben then conuerted to the trwe faith and not nowe thus cruelly to constrayne them to image worship idoll honor into the great blasphemy of godis name But here crysten reader thou shalt vnderstande that in all those 16. yeres from that tyme of his confessioÌ„ to daniel the king had aboute him many magos sacrificers â–ª flateres which as the dragon kept the golden aple tre layd wel awaite and watched diligently that daniel nor his felowes shuld not come nygh the kynge to confirme him any farther in their religion and so conuerte the kynge from his olde false faith â–ª sou â–ª in with his mothers mylk yea thei kept daniel from him so farre and had brought the kynge nyghe home ayen vnto his idolatry that thei caused him to erect this golden ymage as ye here see supposynge therby to haue destroyed Daniel with his felowes as many as wolde not worship images He is not therfore a godly emâ—… and prince which diligently enquireth and sercheth the trewth when it is fownde and knowen he neglecteth it and forgeteth god and commandeth his owne image to be worshipped that is at the perswasions and flaterye entysments pestilent counsels of the enimyes to godis worde setteth vp theyr articles rites ceremonies and false religion preferrynge them aboue gods worde kyllyng the transgressours of his owne false religion and fauourynge the brekers of gods lawes Let all kyngs beware how aftir they haue once tasted of gods trewth they admitte siche popish flatterers into their court and counsaill But why was not Daniel here accused and cast into the ouen verely the kynge had before so worshipped and ex tolled him into so hyghe dignite geuynge him the name of his owne God that yf he shuld now haue casten him awaye he myght haue had bene noted of inconstancye yea and this later acte shuld haue bene sene to haue bene contrary and preiudiciall to his owne former facte And so the kynge thought it to be agaynst his honour so to deal with daniel and therfore there was no mencion made of him here Now therfore was the kynge yet mercifully called ayen with a nother miracle at the which not himself onely but all his nobles officers counsellers were present Nethelesse yet for his pryde securite in ryches and welthe he was not fully conuerted and trwly repentant vntyll hâ— had theâ— other vision folowinge in the next chapter and was greuously punished as ye shal ther see it aftir the which punishmeÌ„t he coming ayene to his right mynde and restored to hys kingdomme sent oute this godly decree or proclamacion wherein ye see the dowble office of an vnfaynedly conuerted kinge of which the first is to fere serue god accordinge to his worde commandments not aftir other menis enstruccioÌ„s blowne into his eares by flaterers Secondarily to sende forth thorowe all his realme the ve ry trwe doctryne and gospell of god decla ringe his owne confession faith repentant herte exorting al his subiectis vnto the iust and right waie swiftly effectuously to plant the gospell in his realme for as the kinge beleueth so beleueth the moste parte of his subiectis Hither to y e king deceyued by his wyked flaterers pro ceded in wykednes vnto his owne damp nacioÌ„ in to y e destruccion of his realme nowe by repentance and thankis geuing he is turned into the path of saluacion of him self of all the gentyls folowing his steapes Before he did setup the image to get himself a name and glorie with the blasphemye
office and dewty is to geue thankis to god for the frutes and shadewe of their tree and serue and obeye their prince praying incessantly for him And albeit the golden head and this fayer tree signi fyed the babyloni monarchie and kyng yet perteineth this doctryne vnto euery em â–ª 〈…〉 and prince yet lyuing which doinge his office is the very golden gifte most flourisshing frutefull tree of god Secondarily where he seeth the spedy watcher and holy aungell so haastely descending c. He monissheth the kynge warning him of the iugement of god and of his owne humiliacion and deiection For the voice of the holy watcher was y e sentence and decree of the most hygh god against the kynge which vseth his aungels thus to serue kynges and all good men which are sayd to come downe that they shulde knowe manifestly whether ther were so great arrogancye securite and ingratitude in the kynge or no as in Gene. 11. The lorde speaketh lykewyse of y e Sodomits I will go downe see whether the noyse which is comen vp to me be done in dede And ayen when they had buylded the towr of babel The lorde went downe to se the cyte which phrase of speche lerne all iuges to not be to swyft in sentence geuing but before all things diligently to serche oute and knowe the cause Here therfore first came downe the aungels and knewe the arrogancye negligent securite of the kynge Wherfore they 〈…〉 kut downe the tree That is to saye cast downe the kyng from his dignite and honour and let him be humbled Then was he for his melancholyâ— furye and haastines cast oute of his realme of his owne nobles which was for that tyme his confusion destruccion And now he not being aknowledged of his nobles nor of his comoÌ„s it is verefyed his branches to be 〈…〉 of both greate bowes and small twigges and all bothe his birdes and beastis to flye from him oh meruelouse soden mutacion of y e hyghe hande of god by his iust iugemeÌ„t to lese his subiects because himself wold not be a subiect vnto God which because now he lyued a beasily barbarosse lyfe beinge mad aâ—â— out of his witte he was counted worthely with beastis as to eate lyke meat with them to lye wett in stormes without to be associated with them his heare his nayles ouer growne his bodye made harde and wrinccled with cold and heate And that by seuen tymes that is half an heb domade euen thre yeres and an halfe For the persians diuide the yeare into 2. tymes that is into wynter somer or 7. tymes is taken for y e iust complete tyme sufficieÌ„t for his punishmeÌ„t geuen of god And here be we lerned y e holy a waking aungels to be the kepers of godly kinges their realmes in al their wayes as saith the Psal. The aungell of the lorde bullworketh rownd aboute y e godly Hitherto perteineth the examples of godly kinges of whom there was euer but a fewe euen in y e peple of god wytnes Iesus Syrache 49. Also the holy watching aungels do threaten plages vnto vngodly emâ—… and princes as ye here see him crye kutdowne the tree where ye see the example of arrogaÌ„t prowde ingrate negligeÌ„t princes transgressours of gods lawes and the nowmber of them to be great in the peple of god vnto whom their destruccioÌ„ is tolde them before of the prophets As saide â—onâ—s to the king of y e Niniuites There be yet but. 40. dayes before thy destruccion At laste we be lerned god to mitigat the plages to the trwe repentaÌ„te as biddeth the holy watcher the stok with the rotes to remayne that is his kingdom not vtterly to be destroyd yf he repente example of Niniue wihch repentant was reserued For the watchinge holy aungell sayde Thy kyngdom shall stand sâ—ill to the as long as thou aknowlegest the power and dominion therof to be of God So that in fine he saith no nother wais to be to conserue a kingdom but to abyde in the feare of god as testify eth the. 33. Psal. of all kings princes worthy to be lerned The sermon of daniel is the some of y e hole diuine scripture Iesus to witnes euen the mouthe of god commandinge to preche the lawe gospel thus saing preache ye in my name repentaÌ„ce and remission The counsel of daniel is the worde of god as it is clere by dauid daniels brother in cryste saing The worde of god is my counseller As daniel hath taught vs so it behoueth vs to teche other as saith Paul diuyde trwely imparte the worde of god to other wherfore wheÌ„ daniel wysshed that his counsel might please y e kinge he wolde teche the kinge no nother waye to eskape the wrathe of god to come then by repentaÌ„ce accordinge to the lawe and so to beleue all his symes to be forgeuen him for and thorowe onely the faith and confiâ—â—â—â—â— of the mercy of god promised in cryste Herof may the godly sprited be led into the knowledge of the other iugements of god For god nowe punissheth to amende vs w c shal at last if we amende not plage vs to punisshe vs. Nowe he seeth the figge tee planted in the vyne yarde he coming to seke therof frute none fynding biddeth y e vyne keper kut it downe saing wherfore occupieth it the grownde vnto whome he answerthe Sir let it yet this yere growe vntill I haue digged it aboute dunged the rote And if it bringe forthe frute it shal stonde orelis let it be kut down The vnthrifty sone taketh his fathers substance and spendeth it vicioeâ—sly at last was compelled to come to the hoggis troffe for hunger but aftirwarde he repented him remembring his fathers benignite and so he retourning home is receiued withe grete ioye Let vs conferre these lyke parables with this storye And we shal lerne our first parent 〈…〉 created of god to haue bene in so highe a dignite that he might haue bene compared with the aungels reching to heuen for that he was so excellently 〈…〉 with glorye innocencye beinge sewer immortal and lorde of the creatures of the erth of the sea and ayer made vnto the image of god But yet did this vnhappy felicite make him forgete god his maker and as an vnprofitable tree to be kut out of paradise But yet abode the stok in the rotes and in criste was his dignite conserued yea and encreased to in that he repented And euen thus haue we ourselfs lost our kyngdom loking for greuouser punishment vnlesse we obeye this most holsom counsell of daniel which couÌ„sell also all the scripture geueth vs and cryst exhorteth vs ernestly therunto Onely the deuyl reclameth and shutteth vp the bowels of mercye oure myndis he puffeth vp and entyseth vnto vnrightwysnes to make vs his perpetuall captiues The hebrwe text hath redeme thy
synnes with rightuousnes Of the which the defenders of their merits and aduersaries to faith iustifying can take no holde as they seme to themself For the very rightwisnes or forme of rightwyse making before god is onely of faith wherby oure synnes be sorgeuen of y e which faith trew almose and workis of mercy procede as doth the light from the sonne and heat out of the fyer Synnes be redemed before god in the rightwysenes of faith And they be redemed before men in the rightwysenes of the lawe of good workis of mercye as ye se here the almose to the pore to folowe at the redeming and remission of synnes before god in the rightwysenes of faith So that the kyngs iust dealing his mercy compassion of the pore were the testimonies of his repentance iustificacion by faith This counsell of daniel coÌ„taineth the hole lawe gospell First to know our synnes by y e lawe then to repente and by faith to be absolued of which all as out of the tree ther procede y e frutes of repentance faith that is the workis of loue and mercye to the pore afflicted This counsell of daniel geuen to the kyng declareth God straightly to require of the kyngs and princes not onely the obedience of his ten commandemeÌ„ts but also princely iustice that is the diligent cure and charge of his chirche which was then as it is nowe cruelly entreated in captiuite of menis tradicions by the chirche vnderstande his subiectes to whom the kynge 〈…〉 a publike peace and fredome quietly to heare tryst the worde of god preched And what Daniel taught his kyng the same ought all prechers to teche their kynges For danielis doctryne perteineth to all emâ—… kynges and preachers vnto the worldis ende and especially vnto this last tyme of the last Monarchye wherin the same face of y e churche apereth which then was sene ☞ Nethelesse yet came all these thinges ouer the kyng Nebucadnezar For aftir 12. monethes the kynge walkinge in his princely palace of Babylon sayd thus Is not this great and mighty Babylon which I myself haue buylded by my nowne mighty power into the glory of my maiestey a worthy bewtye for a kinges house familye Whyles the kynge was thus speking there fyldowne a voice from heauen sayinge Vnto the oh kynge Nebucadnezar it is answerde and decrede that thy kyngdome shal be taken from the thou shalt be casten out fro menis companye and with wylde beastis shalt thou lyue eatinge grasse lyke an oxe tyll thy seuen tymes be passed ouer to then tent thou shuldst knowe the moste hyghe God to gouerne and rule the kyngdome of mortall men to change and to geue them to whom he willeth And euen in the same hower was this thing so fulfilled in Nebucadnezar that fro men was he casten forth to eate grasse lyke an oxe to lye forth wette vnder the skye vntyll his heares were growne lyke y e fethers of egels and his nailes lyke the clawes of byrdes These wordes speaketh thâ— kynge of himselfe as it were spoken in the persone of another man All these thynges came to him because he corrected and fered by dreames and monisshed by Daniel yet wold he not repent and amende his lyfe Nether did it repent god of his sentence But he toke him in the middis of his vngodlynes when he thought himself most sewer welthy blowinge forth his owne gloriouse pryde his triumphes and magnificence not rendering the glorye vnto god and therfore by this voice from heauen was he thus condempned and punisshed God had taryed longe enough for his repentaÌ„ce but because he was euery daye worse and worse he printed into him the depelyer his punishment rebukinge him the more sharply But here let vs note the condicion and state of an impeniteÌ„t kynge for all his godly teachings prechings to him exhortacioÌ„s monicioÌ„s and godly bokis delyuered him by his prophetes and lerned men He walked vp and downe whiche is a token of an ydle and priuate persone he behelde his gloriouse cosily buyldings with sich wordiâ— as declared wherin stode his transitory felicite and vayne affectis Here thou seist a kyng ouer so many nacions prouinces and tongues ydely walking praysing himself as though in all his so wyde a realme there had bene no seriouse thinge for him to do How many poore afflicted persecuted good men were there oppressed was daniel and his felowes the peple of god there preching vnto him in captiuite all thinke ye well entreated Wanted the kynge at that tyme no good counsell nor lerning where stode the pore men with there causes to be hearde Whatsoeuer honest paste tymes as they call them be imagined for kyngis to recreate their spirits pressed with studye and labours for the preseruacion of their realmes defense of their pore and punisshing of malefactours yet in their passe tymes let them beware lest iustice equite and iugement be neglected as they were in this kyngis ydle deambulacion For by siche ydle securite kyngis haue fallen with Nebucadnezar into arrogancy pryde and at last into blasphemyes and so cast out of god from their realmes And especially siche noble men as haue bene endewed with great giftis prosperouse successes For when they worship their giftis their powrs strength triumphes victories their ryches c. as their strange gods then beginne they to despise the very god Whose comminacions once neglected they will themselues to be worshipped for goddis Example of Sennacherib thinking himself stronger then God Timothe of Athenes bosted himselfe openly in his oracion sayinge This victory haue I done and not fortune Great Pompeius sayd he wolde with one spurne of his fote fill all Italie And thus by siche securite fill Nebucadnezar into pryde and synned agaynste the first table trusting to miche to his owne wysedom and strength rightwyssnes policye and power of which ydolatry he fill into the breaking of the second table euen into the oppression and persecutinge of the chirche of God Also God not to maye bere nor suffere long these sewer and welthey proude contempners of his worde namely the rulers of his peple not onely by all the comminacions of god but also by the example of all kynges and princes destroyed for their securite and pryde we maye well confirme it Howe miserably was Sennacherib destroyed 〈…〉 Timothe aftir that proude sayinge nothinge prospered And howe wretchedly Pompeius that vpspurner of the erth perisshed Lucanus describeth it And how heuey was the image of this kynge Daniel here paynteth him tellinge him not onely to lese his kyngdome but also his mynde and glorye which was miche beter Further more that this example of the wrath of god not being able to bereâ— sewer and prwde kynges be not wryten for ploughe men and carters but for emâ—… and kynges to lerne them most of all to fere god when they most flourissh haue yet moo examples If god in dauid crystes father might
princes neuerwant Thei laid ayenst the king the ferme auctorite of his actis lawes saying it shulde be a perellose example and to boldean enterpryse to make any innouacions and changes of the olde religion laudable customes rites cere c. At laste therfore the king ouercomen by the importune wiked perswasions of these peruerse couÌ„sellers permitted to them their mischeuouse dryft Nethe lesse a cristen prince ought to haue a princely manly herte in gods cause and of no weaknes to geue place to his maliciouse magistrats priestis Be ought himself to take the boke of the lawe in his own haÌ„d to studye be lerned aboue all his Magis bisshops and counsel to But because this king sinned not of a set purpose willingly therfor a non was he smiten with pitie and repentance but so were not the false accusers of daniel and the wiked counsellers It folowth therfore that the king repented with so manly a faith that he punisshed these accusers and his couÌ„sellers of this perellouse nouite and mutacion put into his head so vngodly Wold God all emperours and kings wold practize this Darius his example Thei be persewers which nether loue nor will heare nor reuerence the true doctryne nor will suffer themselues to be taught nor study to profit therin nether will defende the teachers and prechers thereof nether suffer it to be setforth which themselues know it to be trwe and godly But had leauer to bury and burne it and bringe it into hatered and sclaunder Let these men thus synninge ayenst the holy gost loke neuer to repent but to haue the present iugement of God ouer them And these dampnable wretches Paul biddeth vs aftir once and the seconde warning to esâ—ie we as heretiques for thei be condempned by their owne testimonye Let kings therfore by Darius his example aknowleg their infirmities and studye strongly to go forthe with the verite pray with him that sayd Lorde I beleue but yet helpe my vnbeleif ☞ Then the kinge going into his palace went to bed souperlesse no meat brought him he slept not that night as sone as it was daye syght the kinge arose went spedely to the denne of the lyons and beinge therat he with a moorninge voyce called daniel sayinge Oh daniel the seruant of the lyuing god hath not y e power of thy god whom always thou hast worshipped delyuered the from the lyoÌ„s Anon daniell answerd the kinge sainge oh king euer moughst thou lyue My god hath sent me his aungell which hath closed vp the lyons mouthes that thei shuld not hurt me For before him am I founde innocent nether ayenst the oh kinge haue I coÌ„mitted any fawlte Then was the king excedengly ioifull and commanded daniel to be plukt out of the denne in whom now plukt out there was no hurte founde done to him of the lyons because he beleued in his god Then at the kings commandemeÌ„t were his accusers enimies brought forth which w t their chyldren and wyues were throne into y t lyons whom ere they coulde come to the floer of the denne the lyons toke them broke all their bones The cruell vnreasonable lyons were meker to Daniel then his owne felowes The merciable kinge gote mercy of god and repented he departed from these his wyked counselerswith great heuines he refused all meat mirthe and solace consyderinge his so faithfull a counseller and seruaunt of god thus to be entreated Of this example maye some of oure bisshops and some Crysten princes be asshamed themselues in all delicat excesse wealthe to see daysy the innocent blode shed for the trewth their subiectis for their salfgard and defence of their realmes to be slayne themselues in the mean tyme playing and banketing Daniels wordis to the king thus teache him Oh kinge of this mayst thou lerne the iustice of god before whom I am founde innoceÌ„t in this mater and haue not offended the. I had trewly offended the greuously yf I had worshiped y t with my peticions prayers for so had I confirmed the in thy nowne synnes â–ª making the to beleue thyne acte to haue bene godly Now the king aftir his repentaÌ„ce and gladnes coÌ„ceiued beginneth to iâ—gâ—iustelyer he commandeth the innocent to be drawne out from the lyoÌ„s his false accusers to be throne vnto them And for because they went about to deprrue the kinge of his most wyse counseller best beloued frende therfore did the kinge iustely punisshe these false accusers with their beste beloued wyues and chyldren But wherfore was daniel delyuered Because he beleued saith the text in his God I cannot se els now a dayes wherfore men be persecuted and brent casten into oure lordely lyons mouthes but because thei beleue in their God one alone for all sufficient for their faith onely in him to be iustifyed of him onely to depende to him onely to praye him onely to call vpon c. vpon no saynt nor non els to worshippe no not images It was nether the kinges repentant heuines nor his fastinge and watching nor yet daniels innoceÌ„cie nor prayers that closed vp y e lyons mouthes but it was cryst y e messager of his heuenly father because daniel beleued in him Here be emperours and kinges taught to retract and call in ayen their vniust lawes actis articles decrees and proclamacioÌ„s to punisshe the counsellers and auctours of siche actis Which ensample all hinges ought this daye diligently to loke vpon Also all siche vngodly actis and lawes we be bounde with daniel to not obey but rather to flye out of the lande then to be yoked with them Sely innocent daniel was casten into the lyons signifying the innoceÌ„t poore chirche of god euer to haue the most sâ—â—ong empreours kings and princes and the deuyll to withe the pope and all his lyons to be hyrpersâ—wers To be breif Darius and daniel be serforth to vs the example of the mercye of god daniels accusers are thexample of y e wrath of god The example of Darius first teacheth the office of a crystiane to repent to beleue and to aknowleg his synnes aftir the lawe and gospell and to saue the godly dampne the vngodly The kinge without meat and sleape all the daye and night continueth For the lawe is as it were a fyery veper euer bighting euen y t comminacion of god saying I shall viset thy synnes for the kinge ayenst his faith and conscieÌ„ce had commanded daniel to be destroyd for kepinge the first precept of god He thus commanded it not as the king and lorde but as an idolater murtherer of innocents But the kinge to see daniel a lyue conceiued no lesse â–ª miracle in his conscience then was the delyuerance of daniels bodye Greate therfore is the ioye of y e faithfull aftir their crosse thus to se god to preserue glorifye them Then king Darius vnto the peple nacions all tongues vpon the vniuersall
princes and prelatis consentinge to their false doctryne and wyked enstruccions The signes here described are the manifest markis of an vngodly king and kingdome One is to teache and suffer to be taught any doctryne contumelious iniuriose â—lasphemose ayenst god Another is to kyll the faythfull good prechers professors of gods worde and to take awaye the scriptures the fode of their souls from the simple poore thirstinge for the worde of their saluacion Vnto these tokens god addeth this testimonye and threteninge That he will dampne this beaste be he Turke emprour prince or Pope or all togyther and translate their wyked kingdoms into strange gouerners Also here is to be noted a nother heuey thretening which precheth the calamitouse affliccions of y e chirche He sayth these hornes shall moue and make bataill against the godly and destroye many Crystians and their congregacions Which is an heuey sermon and contrary to manis iugement thus reasoning Wherfore shuld god geue so prosperous impery and victories to so open wyked men and to peple so contumeliose and coÌ„trary to cryste openly blaspheming the scriptures and slayinge the trewe prechers wherfore suffreth he vs callinge vpon him onely and oure onely mediator Cryste holdinge his doctryne thus cruelly to be cast awaye and oppressed Trewly daniel here speketh of a grete greuouse calamite and long persecucion For in all Aphrica and in a greate parte of Asia many yeres hath the name of cryst bene quenched In Europa albeit here and there in the Turkis empyre there be left yet some crysten congregacions yet are they with so cruell heuey fierce bondag oppressed that no good studies of crysten letters maye there be excercysed frely lerned and professed the chirches beinge without trewe techers there many by lytle and lytle haue casten awaye y e name and religion of criste As ye see this daye amonge vs many to fall bak to the Pope and to his popish doctryne because y e seclare policye so strongly and cruelly yet defendeth it The turk plucketh from the parents of cristians a certayn noumber of their chyldren to enstruct them in bataill and to nosell them in his Mahumetis tradicions rytes and religion as do some Crysten emprours princes pluke the yonge lerned from the vniuersites and scholes into their courtes which once poisoned with all courtly corrupcions anon be they made bisshops cardinals pastores and rychely beneficed Which miserable seruitute in courte is harder to a crysten curate then the bondag in the â–ª fornace of Egypte And yet are there many so madde that with greatsiewte labors thrust themselues for luker and honour into this miserable derke Egypte But what are the causes of these calamities aftir manis reason verely it is thought by manis iugement the trwe chirche to be the synagoge of satan them to be heretiques which cleue to gods worde or els why shuld god thus suffer them thinke they to be oppressed and brent if he loued them And thus manis reson douteth whether they be redemed with Crystis blode which suffer pacienly for his worde But here must we beholde the face of the very chirche euen from y e beginninge where oure first pareÌ„ts sawe the testimony geuen oute of heuen in the sacrifice of Abel wherby they had hope the chirche to be continued and brought forth into Abels posterite But lo anon was Abel slayne of his owne brother and wyked Cain a lone was left whose vngodly posterite bylt a cyte and playd the tyraunts whylis yet his first parents lyued and coÌ„ tempned of Cain their owne sone Ayen aftir Nohes flode Babylon once buylt the heithen the doctryne of Nohe Sem contempned fyll from god And but a very lytle flok of godly men was there left which sely flok wandred carefully hyther and thither poorely bysted euen the family of Abraham And sone aftir the same sely sorte of Abrahams families posterite were tossed into Egypt there oppressed with heuye seruituâ—e in myer and â—ley groning vnder their intolerable burdeÌ„s which aftirwarde comen into Palestine there to dwell in the lande of Canaan what slaughters suffred thei How great mutacions and destruccioÌ„s of their realme folowed them what hard captiuities vexacions and affliccions endured and sustayned they And how lytle a parte of the worlde was Israel and the Israelites whylis yet in the mean câ—asen the gentilis which knewe not god obtayned the most hyghe empyres of the worlde When we see therfore siche often poore troublos states and faces of the chirche let vs aknowleg the wrath of god ayenst the worlde not fall from god although in this last tyme we see the trew chirche greuousely shaken and afflicted but let vs kepe fast in mynde this playn descripcion and ferfull face of the chirche That is by the meruclous counsell and will of god the chirche to be layd vnder y e crosse The causes wherof be shewed in the doctryne of the prophets and apostles Onely this thing let vs consyder concerning this fast olde age of the worlde That the Prophets and Apostles prophecied the world to be plaged because that aftir the gospell be publesshed and preched in certain regions the tyrannous horned kinges and papistis shuld wex wode and tame their fierce furye vpon the sely weak members of cryste And besidis this for that euen of them which shuld defende nourish chirches the pore congregacioÌ„s shuld be persecuted seduced and polluted with images false doctrin cruell slaughter of saintis and with almaner prodigious lechery lustis we must knowe that of these seadis stories do shewe y e Mahu meti poyson and the popish pestelente religion to haue had their beginings When Arabia and Egipt and the Rome chirche were 〈…〉 and torne into many monstrose doctrines and sectis then the confusion of sondry opinions and of supersticious semely ceremonies aÌ„d rites did moue light men to cleue to and folowe their false doctrine cloked and coloured with hypocricye and apparent chosen holines And therfore daniel lykeneth bothe Mahumete the pope vnto that horne which hathe manis eyes that is a fayer decent semely shewe of vtwarde deuocion as they sey of laudable rites and gods holy seruice Aftir this as the turkis powr encreased so did the popis auctorite and false doctrine take place and sprede ouer all crystendom so that as the world was is corrupt with their false religion so is it and shal be greuously plaged with the same two forked hornes for their idolatrye for their worshiping of ded saintis and for the prophaning and filthefying of the holy souper of the lorde and for their stinking wyue les chastite But see nowe howe the tymes agree It was decreed of the transubstancion as thei call it in the yere of cryste 1215. Nocentius the thirde being pope Which decree hath confirmed the most horrible prodigiose idolatrye that euer was And anoÌ„ aftir in the yere
verite euen cryst and his rightwismaking and trede down the trewthe vnder their sinfull fete Of these bothe secular spirituall anticrists thus saith the text There shall stondvp a bolde vnshamefaced kinge euen the very blasphemose arrogant cotempner of god he shal be subtyle fraudelent vnderstaÌ„ding how to satiffye his couetuâ—se and libidinose lusâ—es This kinge shall growvp and obtaine his wiked plesures non suiâ— viribus not by his own powr strengthe or lerning but as did Antiochus rob the temple by the fraudis of the bisshops and by the inconstant leuite of the peple And aboue al mens estemacion he shall waast and consume infinite ryches of his owne other menis He shal abolish the trwe worship of god and bring in idolatry causing it to be spred ouer all he shall nosel his peple with haithen rytis and ceremonies And he shall haue great successe fortune He shal slaye many godly men and wyn many men with great giftis ryche byshopriks and benefices and fayer promyses whom when he hathe taken with his beastly bely beightis he shall reteine them in seruice to augment his profits to satisfye his lustes and plesures in encreasing his riches dignities titles and his owne carnall affectis But atlast without handis shal be be destroid Antiochus was not slaâ—n of the iews but â—s he prepared himself vnto a newe betail being at home fyll down out of an high place and hurt himself vnto dethe as write some writers And this heuyechaunce was because he sawe his owne peple and all other nacions fall from him which hated him for his cruelty and despised him for his beasily lyuinge For he which shulde haue bene graue sober and sadde wolde daunce and dalye amonge mommers and maskers in open tauâ—rns stewes He wold drinke dronken among whores in euery comon howse and skater money in the sâ—rcates so that of many men he was nomore called Epiphanes noble and clere but epimanis that is to saye mad or out of his mynde Now conferre me the image of Antiochus vnto oure seclare emperours kinges popes and bishops which studeing to rai gne aboue all in all welthy pleasures coÌ„tend to destroie those princes which wold receyue the gospell and they sâ—inge all powrs both rulers and peple cheiâ—ly to be holden with supersticion luere and profits craftely therfore they deuyse and inuent worshippinges and seruices which they know men will wonder at and sone delight therin and menis myndis miche to be moued at these their prodigiose praises and apparent deuocions with admiracions in their â–ª sses therby to meryt almaner goodnes as victories aduantages and prosperose successe luere good fortune in all their affaires And because y e wyked soule cannot wayt for helpe from God only therfore it seketh many Gods and siche as thei thinke wil be sone pleased And for this cause is the worship and inuocacion of dead saintis very desyerose and accepted sone perswaded vnto ignorant men Aftir this begune the chirches to be thrustfull of saints images wherof there folowed y e most fierce madnes in gadding and running to committe idolatry By this wylde wodenes was y e doctryne of y e rightwysemaking by faith and the trewe religion vtterly extincted and the supersticiouse tradicions of men receyued with fylthey vowes and synfull sole lyuinge difference of meatis of habits and siche lyke monstrose monkery brought into y e chirche And in these madnesses to be inueÌ„ted they vsed serpentyne subtyltye and bolde arrogant audacite For it is a very arrogaÌ„t act the worde of god despysed to institute newe worshippings or newe doctrynes ayenst gods coÌ„mandemeÌ„t or without his expresse word And a subtyle deceyte is it to studye by what engins menis myndis mighte be trapped snarled what nettis might be bent and layed to augement their Anticrysten powr lucre and lustis Wherfore by lytle and lytle as the ryches of the popis kingdome encreaced euen so shall the ryches dominion and synfull pleasures grow vp and encreace in certain seculare kingdoms and in the Turkes to succedinge y e romish beast in lyke or in crueller impietie persecucion wherfore they that be yet sworne to the Romesh whore or to any secular sone of perdicion they be reteined partely by supersticion partely with the greate benefites and profites they possesse or be in hope to receyue of these two ryche beastis For hytherto pertayne the wordis of Daniel saing His innumerable ryches with his appareÌ„t prosperite shall deceiue and sley many That is to say Both these Anticrysten estates shall prouok many to siewe to theÌ„ for promocioÌ„â— and dignities which being once reteined and they once masshed morteused in their courtesy palaces fetered with ryches lymed with glorye and dignites glytering in their owne conceyted reuerence and honor then be they captiued of Anticryst sworne to his miserable dampnable seruice as ye see it this days And as the spirituall Anticrystis kingdome is not goten nor defended by their owne strengthe but partely by the supersticion of emperours and kings euen so be the seculare Anticrystis hoâ—pen by the spirituall councels and conuocacioÌ„s of their bisshops vnto their Anticrysten exaltacion autorite aboue god And all because vngodly men gladly desyer defende these their owne so greate profitis As ye se now how fiercely y e nobilite fighteth to reteyne in their handis collegis abbeis chauntres bisshoprykes benefices c. for their owne profite And ayen the kinges defende the pompe and pryde of their bisshops that they might the gloriouslier serue them in their courtes and legacies and might haue their hawles the gorgiouslier haunted and furnesshed with siche monstrose myters and croked crosses And therfore sayth daniel ☞ He shall growe and that not by his owne power and might For the one anticrysten belybeast shall klaw the tothers bak one promouing the tother And yet in coÌ„clusion the one shal be the destruccion of the tother As did y t bishop Menelaius bringin and prouoked Antiochus so to rob the temple settinge before him so many ryche proyes and iewels and also the kingdom of the. Iewes so cruell a slaughter of innocents made vpon the resisters of their wykednes And Antiochus ayen made Menelaius a secular armed man with a great host hauinge auctorite ouer the Iewes euen as now by the counsell and prouocacion of y e Bisshops to reteyne sâ—yâ—â— their papistry shall certeyn seculare magistraâ—s take their pleasures ouer the chirche goodis the very ecclesiasti offices and trw ministracioÌ„s of the worde neglected and despysed Also the seculare sort consydering the bishops compelled kyndenes to serue them ayen in their turne shall geue them a company of armed men at their desyers to excercise cruelty to persecute the gospell and to presse downe crystis religion with their seculare swerde and to mainteine the popis poisoned doctryne yea and that ayenst their owne consciences
because that betwixt these rauisshinge hulkis thus spoylinge and slayinge eche other Iudea lying in the middes amonge them was taxed pilled and robbed vnto the ba re bones But y e sonnes of him set on fyer shall gather a mighty houge multitude into an hosâ—e And one of them coming as it were a vniuersall floude flowing all ouer shall come vpon him go thorow his realme come ayen preasinge and persinge euen vnto his most strongest castels The two sonnes of Seleuci Callinici king of Syrie which sonnes were Seleucus Ceraunius and Antiochus the great thus set on fyer came with this so great an host ayenst Ptolomeum Philopatrem the kinge of Egypte This one of them here mencioned was Antiochus y e greate and ayer of the hole kingdom of Syria aftir that he had ouercomen Milo For his brother Ceraunius betrayd in Asia dyed in y e tyme of this bataill Antiochus therfore coming with so great an host recouered and oppressed many cities in Egypte and in Phenicia which were subiect to y e EgypcioÌ„s Here he came vpoÌ„ him that is vpon Ptolom Philopater king of Egypt lyke a floude and as Polybius wryteth describinge the begininge of the gestis of Antiocho with thre score thousand fotemen and. 6000. horsemen brought vnto RaphiaÌ„ the king of Egyptis most strong citie where ayenste him he pitched his tentis where the bataill faughten Antiochus had the victory rekouered his former lost cities And here were the Iewes compelled to change their lordes gouerners in which mutacion what vex acions and how greate losses and affliccions thei suffred ye maye well coniecter For whose heuye cause and persecucionâ— to be knowen the aungell thus prophecieth But how Ptolom Philopater with might and strength repelleth this violence it foloweth Then the south king shal be prouo ked with anger shall lede forth his host to fyght ayenst y e north kinge which shall bringe forth in bataill an infinite greate multitude whiche multitude shal be delyuered into the sowth kingis handis which karyinge awaye this multitude shal be eleuated with a proude herte because he hath throne downe and goten so many thousandis But this victorye shall not long stand fast Now is the bataill treated which Ptosomeê° Philopater kinge of Egypt faught ayenst Antioche y e great Philopater was wealy and prowed anon angred and sone moued to warre here he hath y e victory of Antiochus and therfore was his herte so puft vp that he had throne down so innumerable an hoste and recouered his lost cities for now he thought to take his case in all idle lustis at home Iusti nus wryteth That Philopater might haue depriued Antiochus of his kingdome now if his vertewe had holyen his fortune Sed vincere scis Hannibal vti victoria nescis Oh Hannibal thou knowst how to haue victories but how to vse and kepe thy victories thou knowest it not Iustinus in his 29. boke sayth Ptolome to be to named Philopater of a contrarye facte for that his father and mother flay ne he gote Egypte Wherfore an euyll tree must bringforth euyll frutis For Phi lopater returned home slewe his owne wyfe Euridice which was his owne sister all the nightis continually was he geuen to whordom and the dayes to banketing He permitted his man concubyne Agathoclern and his woman concubine Agathocleam to rule Egypte oh what maner a ruler had then miserable Iudea But this his victory stode not long sewer and faste For he lyued not long aftir but had a miserable ende By his lyfe he caused y e Iewes to be rent of elephants In theis dayes were the Iewes greuously afflicted and scourged For first they had ioyned themselues with Antiocho y e greate Aftir that were they taxed and mulcted of the EgypcioÌ„s and thei that were then in Egypt were cruelly handled For the kinge of the north shall yet come ayen vpon him bringing forth a greter host then before and aftir a fewe yeres shall he come ayenst him with a migh ty greate coÌ„pany strongly prouided with greate ryches This is the prophecie of a new bataill by Antiochus the greate ayenst Ptolom Epiphanem the sonne of Philopater now dead For a non aftir Philopater beinge dead and his very yonge prince Ptolom Epiphane left behynde him Antiochus moueth bataill agenayenst Egypte But here was Antiochus commanded of the senatours of rome which had taken y e tuicion of y e yong prince to let Egypt a lone Which thinge he heuely takinge ioyned himself confedered with Hannibal and Philip kinge of Macedo but yet was he ouercomen of the Romans and was com pelled to geue ouer not onely y e hole Asia vnto the mount Taurns but also geue in pledge to the Romans his sonnes Antioche Epiphanem and Demetrium But in these dayes many shall resiste and ouercome the king of the south For albeit the Romans had taken the tuicion of the yonge fatherles prince of Egypt yet be these tutors oftin tymes ve ry slowe And therfore ceased not Antiochus now confedered with Hannibal and Philip Macedo which sent ayed to Antia chum to molest the yonge prince Ptolom Epiphanem and by the wayes were the Iewes most greuously vexed both of the Syrians and also of the Egypcions ☞ And the cruell men of thy nown peple euen many bakfallers from the lawe shal be puft vp and extolled all to fulfyll the prophecie of their owne fall to be all to broken This verse declareth the impictie vngodly cruelty and the forsaking of the lawe of god to be the cause of the calamities of y t Iewes For he cannot suffer these synnes of his peple which sayd I shall viset their iniquite c. Here he paynteth the wyked bisshops of the Iewes which being both cruell and forsakers of Gods lawes puft vp with pryde seduced drewe aftir them many Iewes into lyke synnes for their fallinge bak from the lawe of God When Antiochus burned the bokis of Moses and commanded the kepers of the lawe to be slayne Machab. 1. then were the Iewes a frayd and especially the bisshopes and hyghe preistes they tyll bak quyte from the lawe which shuld haue geuen example of constancie godlynes animating and exhorting other to standfast in the feare of god cleuinge to his promises by faith These bishops were Iason Onias Menelaus one procuringe the death of his owne brother that he might haue his bisshopryke Onias w t many lyke bakfallers from god fled into Egypte where in Helioposi they buylded them a temple and altares and vsed there religion as they were wont in Ierusalem whom god had directely coÌ„manded to haue but one temple one tabernacle one altare no where els to be any buylded but in the londe of Canaan For so knew God the consent of his doctryne to be the beter kept For he had decreed from what place his voyce shuld sowne be hearde caryed
lustes pleasures he signifieth the turke and the pope with their coniured hornes to be lawlesse nether to goddis worde nor to their owne lawes to be subiect but all thinges that thei lyst to be lawfull Hytherto perteineth this .4 verse of the .x. Psalm This vngodly casteth vp his nose despiseth all other in al his mischeuouse wyked cogitacions he setteth naught by god Not onely the turke Mahumete the popis of Rome their cardinale bisshopes monkis preistis and fryers haue playd and yet play this parte but also all emprours kinges and princes which ensen ced by their serpeÌ„tine perswasions haue yet do persecute and suppresse the gospell which now the daye of their mercyfull visitacion by the gospell offred them yet wyll thei the aungell calleth anticrist a kinge do what thei lyst make what proclamacioÌ„s and articles of oure fayth thei lyst as doth the emprour this daye in the nether parties of Germanie strayghtly commanding no printer to printe nor boke seller to sell any godly boke to the edifying of crystis chirche nether in dewche Latyne Frenche English Spanish nor in the Italion speche Secondly he is described of his pryde He shal be extolled and thrust vp himself aboue and ayenst the moste high god speking horrible and meruclouse blasphemies ayenste him Here was it prophecied That Anticryste shuld not onely sitte in the temple of god but that he shall proudly lift vp himself as Paul prophecieth it of this place takeÌ„ aboue euery thing that is called god but also by his doctrine fighting playn ayenst the gospell contumeliousely skorne god and cryste and accurse and excommunicate his chirche as it standeth in the .10 Psal. His mouthe is ful of malediccions We exhorte therfore as many as we may for the glorie of god that thei separat themselues from this vngodly faccioÌ„ both in iugement will as did the Maccabeis exhorte many to auoid the company of the counsels confedered with Antiochus we warne also the lerned and prudent which yet for the studie and zele of peace as thei wolde be sene or for a certain singulare precise morosite wolde apere to abhorre and estiewe these new facions and soden mutacions as thei call them being alto ware to wise and to charely circumspecte in this their slake santering leste their rasshnes as thei pretex it shuld confirme the enimies of the gospell therfore decree thei thus to staÌ„d still lyke idle idols and in securite as it were afarre of loking vpon and beholdinge the bront of the bataill no handis putting forthe nor yet once wheÌ„ thei might to helpe to any amendement or reformacion But the mater is to manifest and to farre gone as may easely be perceiued of men of clere iugement not being corrupt with any affeccions But here thei say that in healing these euills and enormites we do more hurte then good as to make tumultes sedicions and cause the peple to rebell ayenste the magistratis and the ordonarie powrs and thus geue them the brydle to all licen ciouse libertie And by this example and occasion the curiose persons shall trouble the trwe doctrine We see say thei the Anabaptists the Seruetis the caÌ„panes the loites georgiaÌ„s dauides and other pestlences encrease at your steringis As wheÌ„ some of the hyders headis were smiten of other headis arose vp of their bloude Euen so these deceiuers in this or that one place repressed yet shall there other as euill sectis aryse in other places say you ye aske be what enterprices take the great men vpon themselues with what discipline suffer thei their maners to be ruled Howe diligent I praye you be thei to nourish godly studies and scoles Whother translate thei the chirche and abbey goodis What thinke ye Is not this distraccion and diuision of princes now emonge themselues an infinite and sufficeÌ„t euil We se it saye thei that nether great nor small maters can thei with a comon consent bringe well to passe At laste thei say If now the beginings of this stryfe be so perellouse what shall chance thinke ye vpon owr posterite when there shal be lesse lerninge and then by the lenger custome the audacite of grete men shal be the more confirmed yet is there nowe in princes some zele to godlye doctrine Siche a study zele shal there not be in their childern Wherfor if ye wil nedis haue althings sodenly chaÌ„ged say thei ye shall encreace fiercenes and crueltie These thinges thei saye ayenst vs when we rebuke their errours ty rannye and open mischeif And ful grete sorows do these heuey sighthes bring vpoÌ„ vs. Ciuile discordis geÌ„der infinite euils and perels But yet is it an vniuste yea an vngodly towche to caste the cause of discorde and licenciouse rebellion vpon y e peaceable gospell For thei that rebell wilnot obay god nor his trwthe but defend their owne lyes and erroneose affectiâ— ayenst the open verite thei I say by their sediciouse studies stere vp these vprores Images and all false opinions muste geue place to the almighty voice of god These abominacions when thei be defended pertinatly of the enemies of the gospel then their stifnecked pertinacie inflammeth discordis And euen these be the comon and worthy present plages of all cristen realmes now set on fyer withe bataill I thinke there was neuer a fayerer and goodlyer realm then was Egipte constituted of Ioseph and yet did Moses sament it to be vtterly destroid for repugning gods message and withholding his peple in bondage ayenst his will And miche more did Ieremye bewaeil and sorowe the destruccion of Ierusalem the teÌ„ ple and the iews comon weall Nowe con sider the tyme of Antiochus the figure of owr anticristes and thou seest euen the image of owr present plages and calamities in the storie of the Maccabe Few or almost non was the nomber of the godly vnto whom yet were there ioyned many vayn light false and deceitfull persons The princes could not agre amonge theÌ„selues Their cheif leader and defender of the godly died before the ende of the batail as nowe of late the cheife mainteiners writers and prechers of the gospell haue bene taken awaye But yet shall the beter and lest parte haue the victory But what confusions and destruccioÌ„s of the iewes londe folowd that persecucioÌ„ Trewly Matathias toke not to him his weapens to the entent that his neuei hir canê° shuld be a â—autor of the saduceis false doctrine nor yet that his childers I hil dern shuld constitute their kingdom with mutuall murt her slaying so cruelly the ci tesens Nether yet that their childers childern as were the The banes brether ne emong themselues shuld with wiked wepens and batail one kil a nother troublinge the religion and bringinge in vpoÌ„ them the Romans to prophane their tem ple. For it is manifeste that aftir the batail of Antiochus Epi. the iâ—ws were gre uously plaged withe the domestik tyrannye of the posterite