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
regione profana Ter tantum soluent quantum fecere malorum Igni confecti multo tum dentibus omnes Stridentes acri tabescent vique sitique Optandum mori dicent fugientque vocantes Non iam mortis enim requiem non noctis habebunt Multa quidem frustra supremi numina Patris Orabunt sed eos tunc auertetur apertè O that blyndnes of mans mynde and that madde doubting of these diuine promises of eternall lyfe O that hardned and flintie hart of ours which is not mooued no not wyth these horrible threates of Gods heauie displeasure but continuing securely in all impietie neuer asketh pardon for such wilfull offending and amendeth euen as though the scripture were but lyes and these diuine Oracles prophane fables For by those things which haue come to passe and by true demonstrations of Gods holy spirit it is apparant that nothing is more certaine than that the end of all things haÌ„geth oÌ„ our shoulders Truly great is the force of sinne and marueilous is the rage of Satan in these latter dayes he endeuoureth by all meanes that possibly he can to bring the whole world into a desperate securitie of life that so he may haue many partakers of his tormentes in hell from which there is no redemption But how much better had it been we had eyther neuer been borne or at the least been voyde of reason with beastes and serpentes or els been dispactht as soone as we were borne if either we enioy not that place for which we were created or come not to the celestyall Paradyse and to the marryage of our Spouse our Lord and sauiour Iesu Christ where shal be the ful abundance of all delightes and perfection of all pleasure Wherefore let vs cast from vs both our carelesse securitie and mistrust of the promises of God let vs renounce the diuell and all the woorkes of the flesh which are not sufferable by the word of God let vs listeÌ„ to the friendly admonitioÌ„ of our Sauiour Christ warning vs in these wordes Take heed least at any tyme your mindes be ouerladen with surfetting and dronkennes and cares of this life and so the suddayne day of the Lord take you vnawares for euen as a snare it shall come vppon all which sit vppon the face of the earth Be ye watchfull therefore at all tymes and as Matthew addeth because ye knowe not the houre in which your Lorde wyll come praying that ye may escape all these things which are to come and may stand before the Sonne of man. For if the comming of theeues and stealers of our earthly goods be to be feared with how great care with how great diligence and watchfulnes should we seeke to escape those enemies which would spoyle vs of our eternall riches and kingdome of heauen Here we vse great heede and wisedome to preserue our mortall bodyes from hurt and daunger but to saue our soules which are immortal from eternal paynes in hel we are altogeather carelesse nothing circumspect And yet more would it beseeme the children of lyght to be more carefull in seeking and keeping those things which are celestiall than are wordlings paynfull in enriching themselues with such things as they are neither sure to enioy while they are aliue nor can assure them of any ioy when they are dead Yea let vs thinke and perswade our selues that in the sight of God it is not shamefull but abhominable that the elect or chosen people of God which should be wise and circumspect shall in this care be surpassed of wicked worldlings and the more hyghly we displease our god by how much the things which we so litle esteem are more excellent than that which they so hunt after betweene which so surpassing is the treasure prepared for the godly that there is no comparison This exhortation though it pertayne to all men at all tymes yet now especially in these daungerous dayes in which euery where we see so many by suddayne and strange endes to be taken out of this world and because euery man shall dy though the certayne houre and daye none dooth knowe and shall either woofully be sent among the diuels in hell or ioyfully be receyued into the felowship of the faythfull in heauen Wherefore sith the spirit in the faythfull is willing but the flesh very weake and blinde in heauenly things we are to beseech our heauenly father in continuall prayers that by his holy spirit he would dayly more and more encrease and strengthen our weake and feeble fayth And therefore we hartely desire thee O eternall father that thou wilt not vtterly breake vs though we bowe not as we should neither deale with iustice though we doo not our duties according to thy wyll but keepe vs good God in thy welbeloued sonne illuminate our myndes with thy holy spirit by which we may be prepared to all good workes in true holines newnes of life that so with Paule we may desire to leaue this world to be with Christ and so in the coÌ„ming of the Lord being found ready with oyle in our Lamps and adorned with our wedding garmentes we may find entrance to the Lordes mariage which thou for thy son his beloued spouse the holy church hast prepared and appointed from the beginning of the world To thee therfore O heauenly father to thy only begotten sonne and to the holy Ghost our comforter be all prayse honour and glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS Matth. 14.25 Mark. 13. Luk. 21. Aristot lib. 2. Rhetor. ad Theodecten cap. 10. Psalm 10. Prouerb 1. Psalm 73. Cardanus de rerum varietaâ—e Canti Cant. Psalm 51. Roâ— 8. Apoc. 17 Lact. lib. 7. cap. 25. Matth. 24. Lactan. 9. Matth. 25. 2. Cor. 5. Rom. 8. Luc. 16. Hebr. 11. Psal. 73 â–ª The argument of the booke Gene. 1.2 Rom. 8. Esay 66. 2. Pet. â— Aristotle â–ª Plato in Timâ— â–ª Plinius nat hist â–ª lib. 2. cap. 1. Epicures â–ª Plato in Atâ—â—â—â—tico Aegiptians Saduces Esay 56. Sâ—piâ—n 2. Diuers profes â—ut of the worde of God. 1. Cor. 1â— â–ª Iohn 5. The testimonie of tâ—e â—rophets â—f Chrâ—st Apostâ—eâ— â—oâ—firmâ—d by thâ— blooâ— of Martyrs Proofe from the testimony of the holy ghost Christian aucthoritie Matth. 17. Luc. 9. Math. 3. Maâ—â— 24.25 Marke 13. Luke 21. Proofe froâ— Prophesies â—â—ay 9.11.35.40.53 Daniel câ—p â— 7.8.9.11 Daniel 2. Daniel 7. Proofe from the iustice of God. Psal. 73. Esay 66. Iob. â— 9. Esai 25. Proofâ— from the diuine tâ—uth August in hiâ— 12. booke agaynst Mat. Elias prophesie 4. Esdras 4. The iudgement of Bibliander concerning the fourth booke of Esdras The answeare of Vriell to Esdras Psal. 90. 2. Pet. â— Conâ—ectâ—re fâ—om the syx daies of creation Coâ—iecture of Hench by generation thâ— seuenth from Adam Elias 1. Peter 1. Heb. 9. Math. 24. Coniecture from the constitution of the Sabboth The preaching of the Gospell the chiefest signe of Christs comming to iudgement Math. 24. God doth first accuse before he condemne Gen. 6.7 4. Reg 17. 4. Reg. 24.25 Iâ—sephus Egesippus Iosephus Egyptus Dan. 6. Orosius lib. 7. Chap 5. Of other things following the preaching of the Gospâ—ll Maâ—h 24. Luk. 21. An answere vnto certayne obiections Luk. 21. â—om 13. From Pharoeâ— Example Exod. 14. Contempt of knowledge All gifts at the â—â—ppe of perfection Contempt of learning Contempt of the ministerie Math. 24. Securitie of lyfe Horace lib. Serm. 2. Horace lib. 1. Episto Boëtius lib. 2. ante prosam 3. Math. 7. An admonition to Princeâ— Lucan lib. Ouid. lib. 1. fast Luc. 16. Of the successâ— of the Turke Daniel 7. Epito diuinar instit Chap. 11. Rom. 5. 1. Cor. 15. Mat. 24. Melancthonin vita Vaspatiani Ciprian Lâ—ouitius of the strange coâ—iunction of Planes Prayse of Astronomie Gen. 1. Of the comming of Christ into the flesh Gen 49 Dan. 9. Of the comming of Antichrist 2. Thessa. 2. Platina Krants 2. Cap. 18. Ganguinus lib. 4. Lib. 7. Annâ—l Ioan. Auen in exemplari Enstaâ—â—i impresso an 1554. fol. 684. 685. The blasphemous aâ—rogancie of the wicked Pope 2. Distin. 44. Of the comming of Christ to iudgement Ioel. 2. Lib. 8. Plato 8. Polytic Aâ—istotelâ—s 5. pol. Apo. 13. â—usebius Apo. 17. The first Peâ—â—ode The secondâ— Period Apo. 13. Lanf de Sacra Virgi de inâ—entione libr. 4. capi 10. Krantz lib. 5. ca. 8. Blondus Krantz li. 5. ca 7. The last Peryod Apo. 13. Apo. 21. Decretâ— Pontificum Plaâ—ina Sabellicus Krantz lib. 5. ca. 6. Caus. 16. q. 7. Si quis de inceps An admonition to Pâ—inces An admonition to kings Psalm 2. Functi Chron â–ª 1. Tim. 4. 1. Tim. 3.1 paâ—s dist 32. Iâ— Epinemidâ— Philosopho De re pub lib. 2. The definitioÌ„ of Arithmetycall proportion Melant. in Epit mo Phi. Geometrical proportion whar In Gorgia Gâ—lâ— 6. A true Christian Cicerâ— lib 3. Orliâ—i Syrach 27. Quintil. lib. 2. Cap. 3. Plato de Ropub lib. 5. Matth. 8. Quintil. lib. 8. cap. 3. Of the greeke letter χ Of the woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Emeâ— veritâ—â— Eman stabilis Libro 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 948. Lo. Vulteii  2  1 5 3  4  1  2  5  4  3 Arist. li. â— Ethâ—hâ—t 3. Psal. 17. Mat. 21. Apo. 21. Apo. 21. Of the Clemitarian yeâ—es Libr. 2. ca. 10â— Of the golden number Daniel â— Luâ—ae 1. Math. 25. 1. Thes. 4. 1. Cor. 15. Apo. 20. Cice. lib. 2. de diuinatione Eâ—sebius in vita Constantini August lib. 18. ca. 25. de ciuit Dei. 1. Cor. 2. Esay 64. Apo. 21. Math. 25. Lucae 13. Mâ—tth 13. Apo. 20.21 22. An exhortation to watchfulnes Lucae 21. Math. 24. ¶ Imprinted at London nigh vnto the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Gardyner and Thomas Dawson for Andrew Mumsell dwelling in Paules Churchyard
offred it selfe vnto the King in his sleepe vnder which according to the interpretation of Daniell were fygured all the Empyres of the worlde And the same heauenly Prophet by the same spirit dyd foretell that God would rayse vp an euerlasting and perpetuall kingdome which all the Sainctes of God after iudgement shall possesse world without ende Nowe what let is there Why by lyke certayntie those things shall not be fulfilled which haue been spoken afore of the destruction of this world and eternall gouernment of christ Sith that kingdome is perpetuall and not to be ouerthrowen prepared for the Sainctes of God from euerlasting as fayth and Christian Religion do confirme And from the same spirit of truth are these things vttered Gods prouidence also is certaine His eternal pleasure not chaungeable and in his power which of nothing created the worlde nothing is wanting Where of those things none except either a mad man or possessed with some wicked spirit can raise any doubt Besides the eternall iustice of God the ryghteous iudge dooth greatly exact that euery man be rewarded according to his desertes of which must needes be gathered that the state of good men must be glorious of wicked most miserable Which commeth to passe cleane contrary in this wretched world where most commonly good and well disposed persons are with troubles tormented wyth baniâ—hment molested with losse of goods vnpuniâ—hed and with all miseries ouerwhelmed but the wicked are with delicious fare nourished with goods enriched with offices preferred and for aucthotitie honored As Dauid in these woordes dooth bitterly complayne My feete were almost gone and my treadings had welnigh slipt And why I was greeued at the wicked when I sawe them in such prosperitie For they are in no perill of death but are lustie and stronge They labour not lyke other men neyther are they plagued lyke other folke And therefore pryde compasseth them as dooth a chaine and they haue put on the garment of crueltie Their eyes are swollen with fatnesse and they doo what they lyst They marre others and speake marueilously yea they blaspheÌ„e the most hyghest And a little after Behold these vngodly prosper in the worlde and enriche themselues greatly and I sayde then haue I clensed my hart in vaine and washed my handes in innocencie All the day long haue I been punished chastened euery morning yea and I had almost sayd euen as they but loe then should I haue condemned the generation of thy children And therefore there must of necessitie be another lyfe after this in which according to the iuste iudgement of God euery man must receyue eternall and woorthy recompence for their woorkes be they good or bad eternall glory or eternall infamie Euen as Dauid also in the same Psalme to the comforting of himselfe and the Church telleth vs in these woordes Then thought I to vnderstand this but it was too harde for me vntyll I went into the sanctuarie of God then vnderstoode I the ende of these men Namely howe thou hast set them in slipperie places and wilt make them fal downe into desolation O how suddainely doo they consume vanish and come to a fearefull ende yea euen as a dreame are they when one awaketh Lorde when thou raisest the dead thou wilt dispise their image And besides especially it agreeth to the diuine iustice after all good woorkes or bad committed in this body that all bodies knit with their soules doo rise and receiue that which they haue deserued Which thing Esay most plainly dooth signify in this maner All fleshe shall come to worship before my face sayth the Lord And they shall come foorth and see the dead bodyes of men which haue done wickedly against me there worme shall not dye and their fire shall not be extinguished c. And Iob in plaine wordes dooth witnes that those bodies which we now haue we shall receiue again For thus he saith I know that my redeemer lyueth and that I shall rise in the last day from the earth shall be clad again with my skin and in my flesh I shal see God whom I my selfe shal beholde and mine eyes shal see and none other Then as Esay writeth shal death be vtterly deuoured and the Lord God shal washe away al teares from euery face and will take the reproch of his people from the earth because the Lorde hath spokeÌ„ it Neither as Iohn saith in his reuelation shal their be death any more nor weeping nor cry neither anye more griefe because the former things are past Moreouer the Lord God is not onely iust but also truth it selfe And therefore all those things which by the Prophets and Apostles through the instinct of the holy Ghost he hath reuealed touching the end of the world the Resurrection of the flesh the last iudgement of Christ and the eternall lyfe of the godlye and the eternall death of the wicked which is to come shall so certainely come as nothing ought to be more certaine vnto vs notwithstanding that mans reason and the doctrine of the Philosophers cannot sufficiently conceaue the same For if he be truth how can he lie Or sith all which hath been spoken afore of Christes comming in the flesh of his death and resurrection of alteration of Empires be sufficiently fulfilled How can we otherwise thinke but that these things which of the ruine of the world and of Christes eternall kingdome reuealed vnto vs of our most mightie and blessed God must lykewyse come to passe Especially syth all which hath been spoken was to no other end spoken but to proue this and the summe of Christian religion consistes in these things Which demonstration going before and true testimonies of holy Scripture in my iudgement maye suffice both to the strengthening of our faith and cutting of all doubting of that noble coming of Christ our Lorde to iudgement of the ende of this sinfull world of the glorious exhortation of his Church and of the vtrer damnation of the reprobate Wherefore now I will endeuour by testimonies of diuine Oracles probable reasons and coniectures to shewe that the world cannot passe the time of sixe thousande yeares Of the second comming of Christ a comfortable Discourse That the world shall not endure aboue sixe thousande yeares SAint Austine and manie moe of antiquitie together with moste learned men of our tyme and my masters excellentlie seene in all things Philip Melancton and Regner Predin a man of ripe lerning and iudgement Moderator of Groningane haue been of this opinion that that Prophecie of Elias concerning the worlds continuance sixe thousande yeres is without all doubt true and to be credited Notwithstanding that Prophecie is not to be read in the holy scripture but in the books of the Rabines as in the firste Chapter and firste booke Abodazara also in the fourth part of the Thalmudician work in the Sanhedrin book and last Chapter of the same and other places where
that by consideration of our disobedience we may turne to the Lord by repentance and lyue First we haue a notable example here in Noes preaching by which the Lord God dyd first accuse the world of disobedience before he drowned the same for lacke of repentance So lykewise he dyd not bring the tenne Tribes of Israell into captiuitie before he had sent Esay Osee and other Prophets to call them from iniquitie The lyke a hundred and foure and thyrty yeeres after happened to the Iewes when by the preaching of Ieremie Ezechiel and other Prophets of God they would not beware of disobeying Gods maiestie At the length many yeâ—res being spent our mercifull father God almyghty sent fyrst Iohn Baptist after him Christ his onely begotten sonne then the Apostles to call them to repentance and to open the way to saluation in Christ promised before by the Prophets then performed and willing to be receyued if they would imbrace him But they were so farre from beleeuing them that theyr preaching they lothed Iohn they beheaded Christ was crucified and the Apostles eyther by shamefull death cruellye murdered or at least by ill intreating miserably tormented And therefore not vndeseruedly was that famous Citie of so infamous a people by the Romanes vtterly subuerted and the Iewes made a praye to their enemyes and odious to all the world whiâ—h shame of theirs and subuersion of their citie as Daniell before and our Sauiour aâ—terward did prophesiâ— dooth and shall continue till the world hauâ— an ende After this Paule preached to the Collâ—ssiâ—â—s Laodicians and Hierapolians but they contemned and cared not for his wordes and therefore as Orosius witnesseth the earth opened and swallowed them vp And hytherto also dooth that doctrine of Paule tende teaching that the wicked sonne of perdition should be discouered and by the spirit of the month of God defaced and afterward by the glorious comming of the sonne of God vtterly destroyed Nowe who is that same desperate sonne sitting in the teÌ„ple as God himself it is easie to be knowen and how he by the preaching of the Gospell hath been discouered experience doth shew and we hereafter at large will prooue that he is and hath of long tyme continued the Byshop of Rome Now sith we behold his doctrine and authoritie by the force of Gods word to be so ouerthrowen as they are iudged almost mad meÌ„ which seeme any way to fauour him what other thing can follow but that God is ready to come vpon vs and standes at our doores And that not only his hauty courage shal be abated and his execrable crueltie altogether abolished but also that the whole and vniuersall world for all sinnes committed since the beginning be accused so condemned to eternal tormentes because wickedly they haue coÌ„temned the grace of God offred vnto them continually and wilfully refused to tast the sweetnesse of the Gospel and forsake their sinnes and wickednesse by repentance Besides Christe hath geuen many other signes and tokens of his commyng as rumors of warres famin pestilence earthquakes and that countrey shal rise against countrey and that cruel persecution shal be exercised also that in those dayes shal be signes in the Sunne Moone and Starres c. Al which cannot be tokens vnlesse the preaching of the Gospel go before For Signes except they be knowen cannot be signes because in all tymes those aforesayd euylles haue appeared eyther more or lesse and therefore of themselues can not be signes But when al those euyls immediately after the preaching of the Gospel haue come on heapes abundantly vppon vs and more than euer they dyd in any age long before vs no doubt they do prognosticate and foretel vs of the consummation of this most wicked worlde Besides that these tokens which Christ dyd recite do foreshewe the worldes destruction and not the subuersion of the Temple it is apparant because he saith that people against people and kingdome against kingdome shall arise Whiche thyng was not done before the destruction of Hierusalem that euer I could reade For then what kingdome against kingdome what people against people what and howe great warres were then All which we do not onely see to haue been done but also to our paine feele them besides more greeuous things not yet heard of but more to be feared and circumstances bring vs to that mynd to thinke that more intolerable things are prepared to vexe vs both of Turke and Papist And that also in the same place as appeareth the Lord vnderstoode the last preaching not the beginnyng of his Gospel thereof it is euident because by and by he adioyneth That the Gospell beginnyng to shine euery where a visitation shal come and end of all thyngs Otherwise if this place were to be vnderstoode of the first openyng of the Gospel by the Apostles no doubt this ende had been come many hundred yeares agoe Besides the Euangelist returneth to the former question of the Temples and Hierusalems destruction from whence he digressed Peraduenture also the Euangelistes haue confounded these two that not by the same wordes they might finish nowe that now this particularly because peraduenture they were of this opinion that they thought that after the subuersion of Hierusalem should immediately follow the destruction of the world whose ende as Christ said should be so sodaine as nothing coulde be more But Christ our Lorde coulde of his owne accorde disioyne those things to make them darke for a tyme which he would not haue to be knowen and could make them manifest when it were for his glory and our profite at a tyme conuenient But to make of these tokens foretold of Christ any long discourse it were a great labour and peraduenture tedious to the Reader because the thing it selfe and experience do sufficiently proue these signes after the manifesting of the Gospel to haue been fulfylled except onely those in the Sunne and Moone and other Starres as yet haue not appeared whiche Christe doth tel should eyther shew them selues a litle before or in his very comming The Mathematicians and Astronomers iudgement notwithstanding is that in many hundred yeeres past were neuer seene so manye Eclipses in the Sunne and Moone nor yet so strange copulations of Planets as wyll appeare within fewe yeeres which no doubt are to threaten vnto vs daungers and miserable dayes as hereafter shal be shewed Here I will not speake of the prodigious Comets and Meteores which many tymes haue been marked in this our age Neyther wyl I call to mynde the iudgement of Astronomers and chiefest Diuines vpon that Starre whiche within these three yeares shewed her selfe certayne monethes togeather as the very messenger and warner of Gods comming to iudgement and the rather bicause it seemed to be of the same nature and qualytie wyth that which foretolde the birth of Christ the king of the Iewes vnto the wysemen Also I will in silence passe ouer the straunge
some shall depart from the fayth lystening to false spirites and to the doctrine of Diuels by the hypocrisie of vayne speakers whose conscience is marked with a hot iron they forbyd to marrye they commaund to abstaine from meates which are created of God to be eaten of the faythfull and of those which knowe the truth with thankefulnes And a little before he taught a Byshop must be the husband of one wyfe To these woordes of the Apostle the decrees of Popes are cleane opposit which doo forbyd Byshops Priests and all the Clergie to marrie with this interdiction that if they doo so they must be remoued from the Ecclesiasticall calling and which is more if they haue alreadye contracted Matrimonie without any respect of irregularship they must be seperated and shal be compelled by the Ordinarie and remedies of excommunication to refuse their wiues c. By which it is apparant that the Papistes are those which in the latter dayes should depart from the faith and by the Diuels prouoking vnder hypocrisie and with many of the chiefest of them haue not vnder the cloake of ouermuch chastitie forbyd pure and chaste Matrimonie which the holye ghost dooth singuâ—arly commend and also receyuing of certaine meates which as Paule dooth witnes God hath created for the faithfull to be eaten with thankesgeuing And yet notwithstanding these as I said before decrees of Popes although they be cleane contrarie to the wyll of God haue had more aucthoritie among men than the eternall woord of god Bycause those although in deede wicked and vngodly yet haue been called holy and Catholike and they which haue been conuersant in them our chiefe masters and doctors were counted to whom the sacred Scripture was most vnsauerie So that to take an honest woman to wyfe which Paule commaunded his Byshops to doo was dishonestie and more dishonestie than either openly to vse a concubine or secretly to commit adulterie Also on the Friday to eate flesh was a great sinne and heresie and yet on that day to follow drunkennes and carnalitie was no shame but highly commended Likewyse to heare the blasphemous Masse to reuerence an Idolatrous peece of breade and to carry the same about with a pompous Procession was no impietie but good Religion and yet to celebrate the Supper of the Lord soberly according to his institution was no godlynes but great abhomination At a woord the doctrine of Christ a good and godly conuersation was of them suspected as erronious yet forsooth their deuilish decrees and damnable doctrine was holy and nothing pernicious Their impuritie great pietie their hypocrisie great holynes their damnable ceremonies was the diuine seruice of god So that all Christian Religion was vtterly banished and no token of the true seruice of God could be seen But now in the yeare of the Lorde a thousand fyue hundred ninetie and three after Christes birth which is the fyue thousand fyue hundred and fiue yeare after the world was made that expiring of fyue hundred yeares draweth nygh in which these decrees of Popes gathered together by publike aucthoritie to the great defacing of Gods woord and the merites of Christ shall haue theyr ende Wherefore a woonderfull and vndoubted hope of things to come may be conceyued of things past that about that tyme shal be that vniuersall destruction of all the worlde and glorious comming of the Lorde by which all these Popishe decrees shall come to naught and by the iust iudgement of God as erroneous and blasphemous be cast into eternall fire because they haue wickedly burned all the true interpretations of the Propheticall and Apostolicall scriptures and cruelly martyred the learned ministers and true professors of Christes Religion Vndoubtedly that number of fyue hundred yeeres in lyke manner as the others spoken of before doo presage the same lyke thing the Prognostications of the starres as may be gathered by that which is spoken take their effect about the same tyme The preaching of the Gospell and other tokens mentioned of Christ is gonne before and the Iustice of God especially dooth exacte the same ¶ Of the double equalitie of numbers which is represented in the number of yeares of the worlde happening â—n the eyghtie eyght and ninetie thâ—â—e yeare next ensuing NOwe what should I thinke and saye of that course of yeares from the beginning vntill the ninetie three nowe at hand Which is the yeare of the world fyue thousand fyue hundred fiftie and fyue dooth it foreshowe any wonderfull or signifie any perfect thing or no Certainly I find the same to be altogether of lyke proportion as by that which is spoken may appeare euen with the eightie eyght now at hand because it is in his qualitie the fiue thousand fiue hundred and fiftie yeere The Pythagorians and Platonistes men of great aucthoritie haue thought many things to consist in these and haue wondred therat for the lowest number in the highest hath in it selfe a perfect Arithmeticall proportion and from the lowest to the highest it comprehendeth with in it a perfect Geometicall equalitie And Plâ—to in another place greatly dooth wonder at the Arithmeticall and saith that the same dooth make the mynd apt for alâ— speculation and practise And he dooth adde moreouer that numbring is giuen of God himselfe to man as a necessarie instrument of reasoning and discoursing without whiâ—h the mynde should appeare without a mynde and all artes and knowledge would vanish Here I confesse my selfe to haue certaine singular imaginations those not vayne but of waight and agreable to the woord of God as I thinke And thereâ—ore for the profit of all and that I may giue an occasioÌ„ to the learned more deepely to thinke of this matter I will not bury this my talent whatsoeuer it be but wyll set it abrode for commoditie and bring it foorth without any regard of the ouer curious the rather because I knowe that these things if els where perchance I slide doo containe no daunger or heresie within them but rather by occasion many profitable instructions and those sweete and necessarie And that we may returne to Plato he sayth in another place very well That God is an eternall spirit and cause of all goodnes in the world Because in the creation of good things he shewed his vnspeakeable power wisedome and goodnes and iâ— the conseruatioÌ„ of things created his eternal prouidence a wonderful consent and order of al things that by the contemplation thereof man which was made to the image of God should also continue according to the woord reueâ—led in acknowledging and calling on his Maiestie and not as a brute beast beholding the earth should seeke after vayne and transitorie things but should in minde ascend into heauen to beholde things celestiall and of continuance as also the Scripture euerie where doth teach vs Also what kind of meÌ„ would Plato in his Phedrus and Phedon haue in his common weale Forsooth euen such as through contemplating of