¶ Of the ende of this world and seconde commyng of Christ a comfortable and necessary Discourse for these miserable and daungerous dayes 1. Pet. 4. The ende of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch vnto prayer Luke 21. Watch continually and pray that ye may be worthy to escape al these things that shal come and that ye may stand before the Sonne of man. ¶ Imprinted at London nigh vnto the three Cranes in the Vintree for Andrew Maunsell dwelling in Pauies Church-yard at the signe of the Paret Anno Domine 1577. To the most reuerend Fathers in Christ Edmond by the permission of almightie God Archbyshop of Canterburie c. and Iohn Byshop of London Thomas Rogers wisheth the true felicitie of this lyfe and eternall happines by the comming of Christ. IT was the saying of Cambyses reuerend and in Christ most honorable fathers that Cities would floorish wel in prosperitie if the inhabiters of them were watchful and still imagined their enemis to be at haÌ„d That which he said for the prosperous estate of a commoÌ„ weale dyd our Sauiour saye for the happye successe of all Christians And both tende to shewe that whether wee respect the safetie of our bodyes here on this earth or the saluation of our soules in the kingdome of Christ wee may not be in our callings either idle carelesse or secure But yet such is our nature wee rather obey the woordes of Cambyses for temporall prosperitie than the warnyng of Christe for eternall happynesse Wâ—ereby it comes to passe that we haue commonly fayre bodyes but deformed soules much goodes but litle goodnes and glorious wee seeme in the sight of men outwardly but odious inwardly in the eyes of god For it is harde to finde a man saith Aristotle which in prosperitie is not proude disdainful and arrogant of which sort are they whom strength whom riches whoÌ„ clientes whoÌ„ authoritie whoÌ„ fauour of meÌ„ hath exalted And so inioying their harts desire they are of this mynd that no aduersitie caÌ„ hurt them And what is that but as Dauid said The vngodly hath saide in his hart tushe I shall neuer be caste downe there shall no harme happen vnto me But the fayrest Oke is soonest cut down the fattest Oxe is readyest for slaughter and the felicitie of fooles is their owne destruction For how sodainely doo they consume vanishe and come to fearefull ende yea euen as a dreame are they when one awaketh As our Sauiour thought the doctrine against securitie most profitable for his Disciples and all mankynde So hath his faythfull seruant the Author of this booke supposed the same moste necessarye to bee spoken of in these miserable dayes And this was the cause and ende wherefore this Treatise was first written namely that by reciting the signes and tokens of dangers imminent and of the worlds destruction he might draw the wicked from securitie and driue them to a care of godlynesse and vertue A godly zealous and learned woorke and gratefull no doubt to all good men Hippocrates forewarned the Grecians of a greeuous plague which was nigh at hande and for his good admonition he was honoured as Hercules and obeyed as a god The Athenians for telling them the perils which they were like to fall into erected to Berosus a goodly Image with a golden tongue The Grecians to Hippocrates and the Athenians to Berosus were neuer so bounde as all Christians to Schelton for this learned booke For herein the tokens of the ruine not of one Citie as of Athens nor of one Countrie as of Greece but of all the worlde are set downe And here may be seene the wayes to preuent the destruction not of body alone as were those of Hippocrates and Berosus but of body and soule from euerlastyng paine in the pyt of hell So that more cause haue Christians to be thankfull to this author than were the Athenians and Grecians to both them Notwithstanding he desireth not though his deserts be vnspeakeable to be honoured with the rites of Hercules suche idolatrie he abhorreth nor to be kept in memorie with a glorious Image such memoriall he misliketh he only craueth that ChristiaÌ„s would weigh what is said and looke to them selues he seeketh the saluation of all not his owne glory But howe soeuer he be esteemed of others I trust your Lordships wyll like of this woorke and so like it that ye wyll allowe it and so allowe it that yee wyll both against the euyll woordes of the enuious and the captious tongues of malicious persons willingly protect it It pleased the Author to chuse for Patrons at the first two noble Earles but mee thinkes none so meete for defence thereof being a Spirituall Discourse as Spirituall men and because it tendes to the cutting away of securitie who better Patrons than they whose office is to be vigilant whereof they haue their names And among Bishoppes who fitter than they whose authoritie is such as none may better and zeale so great as none wyll sooner seeke and promote the glorye of God Wherfore I trust both because it is diuine your Lordships wyll vouchsafe and because it was wel accepted by two worthy men but yet Temporal your honours wyll much more willyngly allowe the same being Spirituall And that you may doo so God for whose glory it was first made and is nowe translated put into your myndes Your Graces and Lordships most humble at commaundement Thomas Rogers ¶ To the vniuersall Church throughout the world the most holy and chast daughter of Sion and entirely beloued Spouse of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God King of all Kings Health and comfort in the holy spirit and the speedâ—e comming of her Bridegroome c. I Am not ignoraÌ„t sweete Sion daughter of the celestiall Ierusalem and entierly beloued spouse of Christ in howe great miseries thou hast been plunged now a long time for the lacke of thy kinde and louing husbaÌ„d Which notwithstanding thou art black browne by reason of the extremâ— heat of the Sunne light of God the father to which as yet thou canst not approche yet onely wythal his hart embraceth the as his friend for fairnes peereles and as his wife for beautie surpassing For thy blacknes by his holy spirit he hath turned into beautifulnes thy vnseemely spots of sinne by his precious blood are no whit seen by his holy spirit he hath woÌ„derfully adorned thee wythin and endued thee wyth the holy Ghost the seale of beleefe so that now thou canst not doubt but that he is both faithfull and fauours thee with all his hart And yet it greatly greeues thee that thy glory which thou wishest for thy comfort which thou hopest for and thy King and bridegrome for whom thou so lokest and longest for is so long from thee And no maruel for it is the property of a faythfull louer not quietly to beare the absence but ardently to desire
poorely and like a seruant as before but lik a Soueraygne like a King of all Kings in maiestie triumphing in much glory accompanied with Archangels and all the hoast of heauen in the Cloudes he will come that so he may be reuenged vppon his enemies and headlong cast that harlotte and that King of Locustes the sonne of perdition the image of the beast and false Prophet into that burning fornace of vnquencheable fire â–ª but his chiefest comming shal be to drawe thee vnto him and to bring thee into his bed chamber where all sorrow and sighing be layd a part thou shalt enioy the pleasant speech and sweete embracementes or thy louing husband and shâ—lt be bâ—wtified with all celâ—â—tiall beneâ—â—tes which haue been apoynted for thee since the beginning of the world Which being so I thought nothing would be more grateful vnto thee nor better recreate thee in these thy troubles than to learne some certayne tokens and heare infallible tydings of thy husbandes returne The consideration whereof hath caused me for your comfort by wryting to place before your eyes such vndoubted signes of his coÌ„ming although I will not take vpon me to tel the very houre day and yeare which is knowen to God alone that easely you will beleue and perswade your selfe that it will not be long before he come this day will he visit thee before the Sunne be set of which the most part is consumed noone is past it is now one of the clocke and therfore his comming must needes be nigh These and such like things you shall perceyue to be handled in this booke Where I haue erred amend the fault and forgeue the maker for to your iudgement I submit me which is the onely thing I desire after I haue obtayned your ernest prayers to your beloued in my behalfe that I may accompany you in the fayth and spiritual blessings with which in Christ through the meere grace of God the father you are especially adorned and that with you I may haue the same communion of all celestiall benefites and be partaker of the kingdome of Christ and God the father Fare you well and God graunt you now and euermore the quietnes of mind and perpetuall delight with euerlasting comfort in Christ by the holy Ghost Amen From Emden THE PREFACE AMong al sinnes none is more odious before God then is incredulitie doubting both of diuine promises and threatnings notwithstanding that the world and hypocrites placing al religion in external behauiour ceremonies thinke the coÌ„trary Because that froÌ„ that do spring al sinnes â—f doubting both of God in God and al wickednes els whatsoeuer so that we may wel affirme mistrust to be the cause of all euils For who is there so extremely mad that willingly would defile hymselfe with any sinne if he gaue sufficient credite to these woordes of Christ Come ye blessed of my father c. Agayne Depart froÌ„ me yee accursâ—d into that eternall fire which is prepared for the Diuâ—ll and his Angels Or to those wordes of Paule where he sayth We must all appeare before the tribunall seate of Christ that euery one may beare away those things which he hath in his body doone according to that which he hath committed be it good or bad Wherefore of these may certaynly be gathered that none of them beleeue eyther the sweete promises of God or seuere and horrible threates which stubbornly resist his commauâ—dements and do not obey them For it cannot be that either beleeuers should lyue after the flesh or lyuers after the flesh should be beleeuers because not beleeuers but lyuers after the flesh shall dye And of this we haue a manifest example in that rich man crauyng of Abraham that he would send Lazarus to his fiue brethren to warne them least they came into that place of torment By which no doubt he would signifie that they would more esteeme the aucthoritie of Lazarus commyng from the dead then Moses and the Prophetes And therefore what marueyle if he contemned charitie when he cared not for faith That when he flowed with such abundance of all things yet nothing at all fauoured poore Lazarus lying miserably before hym And therfore because he was without fayth and charitie beyng departed from this world was cast headlong into hell And as this vnbeliefe is the very spring of sinne and of all vngratiousnes the gulfe in which all vnregenerated are drowned so contrarywise true and Christian fayth by which we haue a sure trust to Gods mercy and free remission of our sinnes promised to vs through the merites of Christ the sonne of God is the liuely fountaine in Christ by the helpe of the holy ghost of loue both of God and our neighbour and it is at one woorde the cause of all spiritual good which follow her as necessarily as heate doth fire Because it is meete if beleeuers liue after the spirite that the holy ghost stirre in them like motions to hym selfe But yet alas great infirmitie and weakenesse is in the faithfull although regenerate so that not seldome they stande in doubt of Gods promises and therefore haue great neede of proppes to keepe them from falling for we are more delighted with apparant and present things than with future and inuisible For naturally those things which are obiect vnto vs doo more moue our senses than those which are of faith which is the substance of things to be hoped for an argument of things not appearing whose litle sparke sometyme appeareth in vs and is much to be raised by the woord of God that it may the more increase and quicken our dead members with the heate of the holy Ghost Also in our greatest temptations and most cruell persecution the Diuell togeather with our vile fleshe bring great doubts into our myndes of the promises of God especially when we behold the vngodly to liue in this world in al pleasure to their hartes desire ioyfully which thing that kingly Prophet Dauid in his Psalmes dooth at large and plainly teach vs. And therefore the miseries of this lyfe are the more easily borne when we doo as it were behold the ende of them before our eyes Of which it commeth that to the godly truely thinking them selues to wander in this world not to liue in their owne countrey the remembraunce of these euylles is pleasant and is a great comfort in all miseries to thinke by death in that last commyng of Christ at the length that they shall haue a most free entrance into that celestial Hierusalem sweete and eternall Countrey of which in a most assured hope by fayth they knowe them selues citizens Wherfore I haue thought it very expedient by certaine arguments to set against all infidelitie the doctrine of the Prophetes and Apostles concernyng the last commyng of Christ to the vniuersall iudgemeÌ„t before which in the ruine of this wretched world shall in a moment appeare the resurrection of the flesh and a sodaine change of all
men liuyng So that all mistrust and vnbeliefe the Quagmyre of all maner of wickednesse in which many men lye tâ— great slumber and sleepe securely may earnestly be cast away true fayth in diuine promises may be râ—ised our hope of attaynyng an happy life and deliuerance from all troubles may be nourished and we the more vigilant least vpon a sodaine that great day of the Lord horrible to the vngodly but to the godly comfortable vnawares oppresse vs and the spouse find vs sober wise and prepared to the feast not without oyle in our Lampes For his commyng in this last age of the world without doubt is not farre and maketh great hast and wyll not as many suppose linger Wherfore in this litle woorke I haue determined by some euident places of the Scripture first to proue that there shal be one day a generall destruction of this world and an vniuersall and last iudgement of our Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God in which all the promises of God shall to the vttermost be fulfilled and his great threates shall take effect Then by the testimonies of holy Scripture we wil shew that the age of this world shall not be more then sixe thousand yeres that the sixt thousand in which we now liue whose tyme is more than halfe past because of intollerable wickednesse and shamelesse securitie of men shall not be fully finished And to this shal be added certaine singuler signes by course of tyme and yeares woonderfully agreeing with the inclinations of the Starres if credit may be geuen to Mathematicians which things notwithstaÌ„ding I referre to the iudgement of the Church and doctors of more discretioÌ„ Last of al certain proofes out of Scripture shal be brought of the maner of Christ his commyng and of the effect of the last iudgement with an exhortation to watchfulnesse for that most ioyful commyng of our bridegrome ¶ That there shal be a destruction of this worlde a resurrection of the fleshe and a generall iudgement of all mankynde ESpecialy setting apart al other darke significations of the world which in holy Scripture are to be founde euerye where in this place talkyng of his destruction we take the same as Aristotle dooth in his booke of the World for a knittyng togeather of celestiall and inferiour bodyes disposed by Arte which dooth containe liuing creatures and all other things which are ingendred and remaine in euery part And because in the same is to be seene a wonderfull shewe therfore doo the Latines very well take his denomination from fayrenes so that they cal the world as the Grecians doo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a goodly shew or ornament from the perfect excellencie therof as Plinie writeth which woonderful peece of woorke as appeareth by the manner of his creation and holy Scripture dooth plainly and sufficiently auouch the same was only to that ende buylded that it should be a house or dwelling place for mankinde For when our most mighty and eternall God by his woord of power had created of nothing all things as wel senslesse as hauyng life at length he made Adam whom he appoynted Lord of al creatures and possessor of Paradise situated in the mydst of this goodly and glorious world and fashioned him also vpright and innocent according to his owne likenesse that the Lord God of him might worthely be worshipped Here the vnspeakeable loue of God towards mankind is most diligently to be considered For if the Lorde God for our sakes hâ—th erected this famous and excellent peece of woorke to be an abiding place for mankynd of which he would gather to hym selfe a perpetual Church howe fayre and glorious shal we thinke that euerlasting Temple to be which he hath prepared for his elect in Christ and for his heauenly and celestial warriours In which place we shall enioy the sight of our euerlasting God and shal knowe hym in maiestie and glory euen as he is Truely no comparison of excellencie betwene these can so much as in imagination be conceyued although the beautie of this world and vniuersitie be such as mans wit cannot sufficiently thinke of the same Because as betwene the creature and the creator there is no equality so great is the oddes betweene visible things created and supercelestiall to vs altogether inuisible where the sonne of God wyth all Sainctes in the circuite of all Angels with God the father hath his eternall seate and continuall abiding But all men through the fall of Adam are become vnworthy of that place which was appoynted for Adam being pure from sinne and vnspotted Neither had the world any more borne him according to this immutable senteÌ„ce of God at what tyme thou shalt eate of the tree of kâ—owâ—ledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death had not that ouer merciful God through his deep secrete counsayle receyued him al the elect into fauor by the promised seed of the woman by Christ the sonne of God which was to come in the flesh And therfore if the world haue hitherto and as yet shall continue it is onely done for their sakes which are chosen in Christ whose number being full the world must of necessitie fayle and fall downe flat for which cause the Lord hath a certayne tyme of the worlds destruction because by the sinne and wickednes of vngodly men being marueilously polluted and accursed it dooth together wyth all other creatures as Saynt Paule sayth subiect to the same corruption desire a deliuerance from euil And therefore that this vniuersall world maye be brought to his former integritie it must of necessitie be consumed and burne with fyre in the comming of the Lord as Esay witnesseth saying Beholde the Lorde wyll come in fire and his chariot shal be like a whyrlewynde that he may render his indignation in heate and his correction in flames of fire because the Lord wyll iudge in fire And S. Peter saith The day of the Lord wyll come like a thiefe at which tyme the heauens with great speede shall vanish the Elementes with that heate shal be dissolued and the earth with all contayned in the same shal be consumed with fire No marueile then though Ethnikes and most famous Philosophers folowing the deuises of their owne braine straungers altogeather and ignorant in Scripture haue had very many prophane cogitations of the world Aristotle the Prince of Philosophers dreameth that the world neuer had beginnyng because as he saith the gods in this infinite eternitie haue not been idle But Plato beyng of another mynde will that the world was made yet he thinketh the same to be Animal immortale A creature which shall not dye but remayne for euer Plinie beleeueth the world to be an eternall and vnmeasurable godhead neither begotten at any tyme nor shal be destroyed Others as Epicures imagine that there is not one world onely but infinite whereof some take place as others auoyde Plato also iestingly sayth that
before nyne thousande yeares past there was another manner of Athens and farre better citizens Herodotus saith that the Aegyptians haue made mention of tenne thousand yeares and aboue of the worldes continuance and yet they haue obserued that the places of the rising and going downe of the Sunne haue been twise chaunged so that where nowe it falleth there it hath risen twise and hath twise there gone downe where it riseth now But more woonderful and execrable is it that among the people of God should be Saduceis and among Christians should be such men which of set purpose against the manifest woord of God dare boldly say and perswade them selues that the world neither had beginnyng nor shall haue end that there shal be no resurrection of the flesh no lyfe after this lyfe no rewardes for wel dooing no punishment for sinne and that the worlde as it is nowe so hath it been and shall continue for euer which kynd of men are plaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men which neither beleeue there is any God or diuine prouidence at al. And I feare me the most part of mankind such as are called in the holy Scripture worldly mynded and carnal although they seeme neuer so spiritual catholike and would be counted Gospellers by the like fictions and dayly suggestions of the Diuel although not so wilfully flatter them selues and gladly woulde be brought into that opinion that so in a desperate securitie they maye spende their dayes and augment their impietie Against which apparant dotage and wicked cogitations of naughtie men through want of true knowledge by the instinct of Satan and corruption of the mynde of man it standes vs vppon to arme our selues with the woorde of God and confirme our consciences by the testimonies of Christ of the Prophets and Apostles The holy scripture in many places dooth plainly tell vs that one day the sonne of God Christ shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead all fleshe shall rise and the world shall be consumâ—d wyth fire as the aboue recited testimonies beare witnes To proue the resurrection of the fleshe very many proofes may be alledged both out of the olde and newe testament But amongst al the disputation of Paul may suffice vs where by many arguments he confirmes the resurrection of the flesh and copiously and sufficiently dooth also prooue that we must all stand before the tribunall seate of Christ to receiue eternall rewardes for our deedes be they good or bad And Christ saith Maruell not at this for the day wil come in which al which are in the graues shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and those which haue doone well shall come fortâ— to the resurrection of lyfe but those which haue doone euill to the resurrection of iudgement To this purpose may be recyted other infinite places of holy scripture and also the creede of Thapostles Nicene and Athanasian But I pray you what auailed religion faith hope and that great pacience of Christians in all their troubles and cruell persecutions if this doctrine of the consummation of the world and of the comming of the Lorde with that which belongeth thereunto which of all others maye most absurdly be thought were but a vaine imagination of the Prophetes of Christ and the Apostles and of all the Martyrs in the Churche when as no cause can be supposed which myght driue them to the loosing of their fame theyr goods their life So that truth is so plaine apparant that a godly well disposed mynde makes that a sure argument of the worldes decay For these godly meÌ„ of al others in the world most miserable suffred those greeuous and direfull thinges not for the hope of vayne glory or desire of riches but for the loue of Christ through the secrete motions of the holy Ghost perswading themselues that in Christ was hid the treasure of true riches and eternal glory Wherfore it behoueth vs vndoubtingly to think their doctrine to be true and celestiall and not to proceede from their owne brayne but to be deliuered vnto them by Christ and his holy spirit and the rather bycause Christ of himselfe dooth saye that he is the truth and the life and that he telleth vs from the bosome of his father and the father sayth in the presence of three Apostles from heauen This is my beloued sonne in whom I am pleased heare him which voyce of God was also heard in Iordan when Iohn was baptising him This coeternall sonne of God woord of the euerlasting father creator of all things our redeemer Christ of sette purpose taught his Apostles certayne tokens of the worlds destruction and his comming to iudgement And also in his last Sermons before he yeelded himselfe in our behalfe to the crosse he playnly dooth as it were depainte and sette the same before theyr eyes and counsailes them and among them especially those which were to lyue in all tymes to be watchfull sober prepared and ready least in his terrible visitation whose differring bringes too much securitie to the reprobate and condemned persons vppon the suddaine they be entrapped and as it were taken in the snare All which Mathew Marke and Luke do abundantly set foorth So that the truth teaching the same nothing ought to be more credible and certain to a ChristiaÌ„ man then that the world his ful time beyng expyred the prouidence of God the eternall father so disposing the same shall passe away and that Christ our Lorde shall come in the the cloudes of heauen to the last and vniuersall iudgement The holy Prophets likewise haue by diuine inspiration foretolde many things of the comming of Christ in the flesh of hys doctrine death and resurrection also of the chaunge of Empyres and of the ruine of many townes all which are fullye come to passe so that nowe they may seeme not by euent to haue foretolde but to haue drawne a true and certaine historie of these thyngs Howe lyuely Esaie dooth expresse the natiuitie person doctrine myracles death and resurrection of Christ it is well knowen vnto all though but meanely read in the Scriptures Likewise Daniell in many places seemeth now to haue prophecied but orderly to haue written things already done of the continuall alterations of Empyres and of the comming of Christ that well he may be called the great Historiographer Now what shall we saye Syth in these and all other things their prophesies haue taken effect and sith they by one and the same spirite haue signifyed of the second commyng of Christ in which he shall declare himselfe to be an eternall kyng of all kings and principalities that these ought not to be finished Yes vndoubtedly so that he shall put all kingdomes of this world vnder hys feete and shall hewe them lyke a stone which is cut from the mountaine He appeared vnto King Nabuchodonozor without handes to bruse that great Image which
earthquakes which in our dayes haue happened in manye places as of late at Ferraria in Italie and in Friseland the nature of which Soyle is left subiect to the same But I beseech you let vs call to our remembraunce all those euils which as yet we doo as it were beholde and haue tasted not heard of doo see with our eyes and to our great griefe suffer them continually What a greeuous pestilence and plague these many yeeres both with vs and in other places hath reygned and tyrannically dooth exult ouer all persons and bring very many to their graues and according to the iudgment of the learned which are in opinion that it will and must continue yet moe yeeres will dispach many moe What a long dearth of Corne and great scarsitie of all things What a multitude in the cause of religion haue suffred the losse of life and lyuing What theft and robberyes on al sides both on sea and land What an infinite company haue in cruell fight been miserably slayne and murdered in Fraunce Flaunders and Friseland But I am troubled and that greatly to think on and recite the calamities which Friselaâ—â— by strange and vnaccustomed ouerflowings oâ— waters hath felt especially by the two later whereof one happened in the yeere of our Lord. 1574. the fourth of Nouember in which men and beastes in number infinite were drowned and was of such a great depth as almost it myght be called the Frisian floud The other chaunced in a more dangerous and woorse tyme three dayes before the Feaste of Saint Bartholomewe in the yeere of our Sauiours incarnation 1573. the which in many places brought more hurt to many men than the former because by the same all corne on the grounde and other fruite perished miserablie by reason whereof great dearth and penurie ensued So that in those CouÌ„tries it might wel be said that those wordes of Christ were fulfilled saying The people shal be at their wittes endes at the roring of the Sea and salt Waters Wherefore let vs giue credit vnto those words of Christ and let them be vnto vs for most certayne tokens of the suddayne commyng of our Sauiour to iudgement There are besides these other signes of the oldnes of the world and of his ouerthrowe because we playnlie perceyue al things dayly to waxe woorse and woorse and decrease in their vertue The aire is oftentimes corrupt sometime with vntimely showers sometime with vnprofitable drinesse now with too much colde now with extreame heate The fruitfulnes of the feilde is not such as it hath been aforetime Riches and substance we see consumed The Progenie of great and Noble men we perceiue dayly to be multiplyed but their patrimonie is no whit encreased but impayred by discorde By which it commeth to passe that many great men and Lordes bend all their cogitations to the oppressing of their poore Tenantes and by often fines and exactions bring honest men to beggerie â—nd by the example of Pharao make slaues of their seruanâ—â—s and subiects as though they were appoynted of God to liue not for the defence of the good punishment of the wicked and preseruation of iustice but to them selues and to pamper their bellies with good cheare and theyr backes with braue apparell And therefore do those Empires now shewe themselues to be as cancred and rustie Iron which in tymes past were as bright Siluer or glittering Golde But I doe not speake these things of true noble men and of good Princes which do exacte things necessarie to the defence of the common weale and for the conseruation of their Maiestie which things wythout all controuersie the worde of God doth allow them to haue Nowe it is not to be doubted sith for the sinnes of the people such tyrannie is growen to the top but these Pharaoes with suddaine destruction of the world shal be ouerwhelmed euen as that Pharao in persecuting the people of Israel which for a tyme he had with greeuous yoke of slauerie oppressed was with all his hoste drowned in the red sea The reason is not vnlike he is a figure and the same God is now which then was readie to deliuer his people from calamitie and to take reuenge on the wicked for their crueltie Another great argumeÌ„t of the worlds consummation is because all good artes learning haue these fewe yeeres been so contemned and Vniuersities and schooles and scholasticall discipline which are the causes fountaines of knowledge almost in euery place come to decay For God in this last age hath shewed his singuler and marueilous goodwil towards mankynd especially in that so great barbarousnes of our Predecessors when all artes and liberall learning was hid and knowen to sewe the Latin tongue polluted smal cunning in the Greeke by raysyng vp some Vallâ— Agricola Erasmus Melanâ—ton and others which with great study and paynes haue brought al sciences knowledge of the tongues to their puritie and deliuered vnto vs a more easye way to the attayning the perfect knowledge of them all by which almost all Europe is set free from rude barbarousnes Afterward when our most bountiful God had giuen vs such helpes to the vnderstanding of the Scripture by and by he set on fyre the Beacon of true doctrine which of all other gifts and graces of God is and ought to be imbraced as chiefest But by experience we see these giftes of long time to haue been at the ful and now decrease For not aduâ—sâ—d iudgement not that sharpnes of witte not that great industrie and exercise in studies are now which haue been To this dooth appertayne the marueilous contempt of all kinde of knowledge especially of Diuâ—nitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Also the smal regard of godly and faythfull Ministers by which they are brought to such pouertiâ— or almost beggery that their wiues and children must be inforced to liue vppon almes But what is the cause of this miserie Is not that intollerable tearyng and spoyling of Church goodes the chiefest Is it not to be imputed vnto those Magistrates whose care is such ouer Ministers that they will not allowe them abundance of worldly wealth least happely by possessing much they tast of couetousnes the roote of all mischiefe and so desire more or els fall into ryotousnesse and so become Epicures Or if that be not in their minde they doo imagine them selues to be such Lords of body and soule as was of late that Romish Tyrant This may very well without offence be coniectured although it may be that their insaciable desire of worldly promotion which by ryches without vertue may be gotten is the roote from which so diuelish fruite dooth proceede How much better were it if in these things a meane were obserued and that Churche men had wherewithall to lyue honestlye wyth keeping hospitalitie and if that whiche were thought too much for them were Christianly bestowed either on those which liue in pouertie or carefully reserued to
the Pope became the chiefe Monarch of all the worlde ruled all kyngs and obteyned all authoritie of chusing Bishoppes Also howe that third Periode of fiue hundred yeares about the yeare of our Lord one thousand and sixe hundred should be fully perfect that so without all doubt we may looke for a new Metamorphosis of these things if things to come may well be gathered of things past already And what other I beseech you can we looke for but euen that which was seene and heard of Iohn in his Reuelation from hym which sate on the Throne among the foure and twenty Elders saying Behold I make al things new a newe heauen a newe earth behold the Tabernacle of God with men and he shall dwell with them and they shal be his people and he shall be a God with them euen their God. But when those vngodly Decrees and blasphemies which the Romanes froÌ„ the fifty seuen vnto the thousand one hundred yeare in all the tyme that Henrie the fourth raigned by litle and litle brought in are considered and withall compared with our dayes we shall find all those things continually to haue had as it it were peculiarly their fiue hundred yeares a peece Wherefore in my iudgement by the tymes past and state of things present I am the more confirmed to thinke the full and perfect end of all vngodlynesse to be very nigh at hand after which shall ensue that perpetuall and euerlasting world in which the Lord God shall raigne and rule in iustice truth and mercy for euer In the tyme of Henry as out of histories we gather these Decrees of the Bishoppes were published first that the Emperours shoulde haue no aucthoritie to chuse Bishoppes nor Pope for which cause the Senate of Cardinals to whom was geuen that power was instituted and preferred to great honour then also they tooke vppon them to chuse and refuse Emperours at their pleasure as plainly appeared by Hildebrandes electing of Rodolph and displacing of Henry Moreouer vnder this Emperour that horrible Idolatrie of the woorshippyng and carrying about of the bread came into the Church Lastly in the yeare one thousand nyntie and three al the lawes of Popes were gathered set forth by one Iuon B. of Carnot And therfore no doubt but the Lord God also at his certayne tyme wyll briâ—g to nought cut of and by his commyng to iudgemeâ—t to the perpetuall shame of all papistes vtterly abolish all that impietie and wickednes which the Diuell by his ministers to the reproch of God hath caused increased and confirmed For we haue examples both in the people of the Iewes and Gentiles For when as their superstition and obstinate vngodlynes was come to the top then sprang vp the true doctrine and preaching of the Gospell by which their false doctrine was reproued yet in the meane while through the iust and horrible displeasure of God against them most greeuously were they plagued euen as also happened to the Iewes by Ierusalems destruction and also to other nations and lastly to Rome in the miserable spoyling of the Gothes and vandolles But if the tyme since the preaching of the Gospell were well marked we shâ—ll see most euident beginnings of the ruine and ouerthrow of the Pope and Papacie which perchance eyther shall go before the last end of tyme or els in that third space of fyue hundred yeeres or somwhat after by the Lords comming shall come to naught So doo I perswade my selfe thinke you what you will at your pleasure and yet take heede ye rhinke not falsly But if in other places I erre the matter is not great For it is certayn out of the word of God that this errour shall not long continue For Christ is the very truth and cannot erre But let vs note what hath happened and dayly dooth happen among Christians in this our age and playnly and euidently we shall see all things forespoken to haue and daily to come to passe about this very tyme of fiue hundred yeeres For we haue a notable example hereof in the Electors and states of the Empire which in the yeere one thousand fiue hundred fiftye and eight which was about the fiue hundred yeere after the Popes began their tyranny ouer Kings and Princes did chuse Ferdinandus the Emperor maugre the Pope and for euer disanulled that decree of the Cardinals for the confirmation of his election How I beesech you hath Lotharinge a Guisian Caâ—dinall in Fraunce and Granuellus another Cardinal in Belgia for al their Cardinalshippes preuayled in their laboring to confirme the Popes authoritie and to bring in the Spanishe Inquisition haue not the Frenchmen and Belgians by that meane rather rebelled agaynst them cast froÌ„ their shoulders that intollerable yoke of the Popes bondage By which no doubt it is euident that that space of fiue hundred yeeres in which the Cardinals bare the swaye is now passing and will shortly be expired euen as the other peeuish and idolatrous doctrine of the Papistes is well and to their perpetuall prayse banished out of the Dominions of manye good Kings and Princes And now ye Princes deale wisely and with iudgement consider how that Antichrist of Rome hath most shamefully abused your authoritie to the suppressing of the truth and persecuting of innocentes Beare in minde how long you haue been Ministers and slaues to that blooddie beast in crucifying Christ agayne in his members Be learned ye Iudges of the earth be sorye for these things Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce with trembling For the horrible day of the Lord hangs vppon your shoulders Therefore kisse the Sonne least he be angry and so ye perish when his fury shalbè but a little kindled Blessed are all they which trust in the Lord. Now if in that spoken already and other particular lawes the number of fiue hundred yeeres be so rightly filled what shall we iudge of the whole body of all the Popes decrees which afterwarde by Iuon Byshoppe of Carnot after whom Gratian followed in the yeere of the Lord one thousand nintie and three at the commaundement of the Pope was truly collected into one booke as it were by imitating Iustinian the Emperour which by the ayde of Tribonianus and other noble men gathered the Ciuill lawe into an order and made thereof a newe booke But how with absurdities in number infinite blasphemies not to be vttered those decrees of the Pope doo filthily deface the woord of God none of a ryght iudgement is ignorant And yet alas these haue had more aucthoritie now many yeares than the very immutable worde and will of god Which things although they doo agree very well together yet for the sakes of the ignorant we will proue the same both by a Canon of holy Scripture and the Popes decrees manifestly contrarie between themselues Paule sayth to Timothie Spiritus disertè dicit fore c. That is The Spirit saith plainly that in the latter tymes