Alexander whiche aftir this ways came to the kingdome Out of Seleuco was borne Antiochus the greate which had these .iii. sones SeleucuÌ„ Antiochum Epiphanem and Demetrium And when Antiochus the greate warred with the Romans and had left in hostage or pledge Antiochum Epiphanem Demetrium he dyed in Syria â—â— left his sone Seleucum aftir him no king but a foole wherfore Epiphanes knowinge of his fathers death gote himself preuily from Rome and came into his fathers kingdome his vnapt brother deud he enioied the kingdom in the .137 yere aftir Alexanders death witnesse the .1 chapter of the first of the Maccabeis This Antiochus was of Catalinaris crafty witte Wherfore daniel here prophecieth that by Antiochum Epiphanem the sowtheste euen the most pleasaunt lande of the Iewes shuld be skourged and plaged which is called zâ—by in Hebrewe for hir fertilite that is the beutye and flowr of all landis euen as the Iewes for the trwe worship of god delyuered them by Moses and the prophetis are called the beutyfull ornaments hoosâ—es or companies of heuen as be the sonne mone and starres He skourged the sowth when he inuaded Egypt makinge bataill against Ptolome the elder his sisters sone being king and compelled AlexandriaÌ„ to flye for socoure to Ptolome hir yonger brother But how y e senators of Rome desyered of his bretherne expelled false AntiochuÌ„ out of Egypt by their ambassiadour Popilium ye shall se it in .34 boke of Iustini partely here aftir How Antiochus skourged and plaged that pleasant desyred lande throw down the starres into the erth and destroyd the holy habitacle in the first and .ii. of Mac cabeis it is so clerrely and cruelly expressed that I abhorre and tremble not onely to speke but also to wryte any more of this blodye beast But right heuey destines abyde them that euyll deserue which thing I maye confirme by the example of Antiochus the very image of Anticryst For when he inuaded destroyde in the east parties as daniel here prophecieth and not onely from the besege of Elymaid of Persie he was with the great heuines of his mynde repelled and put bak but also when it was tolde him his capitayn Lysiane with his host to haue 〈…〉 fledde he fyll into so greate a sykenes and thought that before his death he confessed himself therfore so greuously to be plaged and so compelled to dye because he had so spoyled and destroyd y 4 temple of Ierusalem and so cruelly skourged the Iewes For it was not enoughe for him thus to persecute the Iewes and subuerte all their lawes holy rytes and godly ceremonies and sacrifices instituted of God but he wold arrogantly blaspheme god himself suppresse his trewth with all his diuyne sacred ordinances yea and he prospered in his mischeif This miche be sayd for the preface of the prophecye Now heare the interpreter ☞ And I hearde an holy one speake saying vnto a certayn meruelouse excellent one How longe shall this vision of the dayly perpetuall sacrifice and of the blasphemose synne which is the cause of this deuasâ—acion and destruccion endure that both the holy sacred temple with all hir sacrifices and the Iewes shal be thus troden downe And he answered me Aftir two thousand and. 300. dayes which containe the daye and night shall the holy temple be restored to the iust and lawfull vse And whylis I daniel beheld the vision desyerouse to knowe it lo there srode before me one lyke a man And I hearde with in the floude eule the voyce of a man crying out sayinge Gabriel teache this man this vision Then he came nyeâ— the place where I stode whose coming so nyghe me made me so afrayd that I fyldowne flat one my face And he sayd vnto me Attende and perceiue thou sone of man For this visioÌ„ shal be fulfilled in the last tyme or in the ende of the captiuite And whylis Gabriel thus spake with me I fylldowne grouelinge as one had bene ouercomen with great sleap And he towching me lifted me vp ayen into my standing And then he sayd Beholde I shall teache the what thinge shall come when this wrath is finisshed for it shall haue an ende at the tyme prefixed Daniel calleth the interpretor of the vision a meruelouse excellent one As Iâ— say calleth cryst a meruelous one a counseller c. Here therfore he asketh this meruelouse one whiche was cryst apperinge lyke the aungell Gabriel so called for his meruelouse excellent strengthe how long y e peple of god shuld be so skourged and persecuted of Antiochus which was the figure of oure Anticrysten Antioches and lytle horne crept vp in the Romane imperye and so consequently what affliccioÌ„s hang ouer the chirches of cryst to the worlds ende for it is manifest that whatsoeuer the aungel tolde before of the heuey affliccions of the Iewes the same be now verified and done vpon the chirche of the gentyles which thinges sith they be past it is no dowt but the rest of the vision is in fulfillinge now and shal be euery daye fulfyssed vpon vs tyll cryst become to iugement This meruelouse one whose name is hidden is cryst Iesus the sone of god which euer from the begining hath bene present with the godly as he now is present and shal be vnto the worldis ende For the kingdom of cryst is cryst himself present with his worde and spirit counfortinge vs certifyinge vs of the casamities to come hearinge vs calling vpon him gouerning oure thoughts wordis and workis by aungels so that death troden downe we mought haue lyfe eternall This is my couenant with them sayth the lorde My spirit which is in the and my wordis which I haue putte into thy mouth shall not go fro thy mouthe nor from the mouthe of thy sead whylis the world stande For where two or iii. be gathered togyther in my name I am in the middis of them For because therfore that vnder Antioche the chirche shulde be so miserably 〈◊〉 and torne and Gabriel the fauorer of the chirche asked howlonge that calamite shulde endure therfore cryst answereth 2000. and 300. dayes that is 6. yeares 3. monethes and. 20. dayes that the godly readers of daniel might haue confort in that persecucion and be assewered Antiochus that blast of the deuyll be yend that tyme to rage no farther For eueÌ„ so came it to passe as the bokis of the Maccabeis testifye For it may be shewed y e image of Iouiâ— olympii to be set vp in y e temple in the yere 145 aftir the deth of asexander y t moneth of NoueÌ„ber then was Nicanor ouercomen and slayne in the yere 151 in februarie called adar vnto the which adde december Ianuarie and februarie with the odde dayes and thou haste the iuste nouÌ„ber And in that he saith the morning euening he vnderstandeth the naturall daye as it was first created containinge the night and
a long or any shorte tyme. Then aftir shal be the iugement and his powr thus taken from him he shal be vtterly slayne and destroid But the kingdom powr and ample maiesty vnder the hole heuen shal be geuen to the holy faithfull peple of the most higheste whose raigne is eternall and all the highe powrs shall serue and obey him And here he ended his wordis But I daniel had many a grete and troublous thought so vehemently was I troubled that my chere my fauour was clene changed But yet reserued I this thing in my herte Now haue ye the exposicion of all this vision as it is afore expowned and nowe declared by the aungel which was cryste himself wherfore it nedeth not to tarye miche vpon this place saue onely to declare the confession of our faith therin to confirme the aungels exposicion by y e other places of the scripture For in that daniel at this vision was so troubled asked one of the by standers and so fast reserued the aungels wordes we ought to lerne this doctryne of the vision of these 6. kingdoms that is to say of the 4 Monarchies of the anticristen kingdom and of the kingdom of cryste to be reuerenced receyued as the worde of god the trwe vnderstaÌ„ding therof to be asked of cryst y e messager of god and not for the crueltye of these beastes and hornes yet persecuting the chirche to fall or once swarue froÌ„ the kingdom of cryst which is the gospell but to contempne all the miseries iniuries and troubles of this lyfe yea and euen death it self for crystis kingdoÌ„s sake Of crystis iugement to come Ioan also saith he sawe a seat sette and 24 cheyers for the 24 eldres c. For albeit cryst be the only iuge w c of his father hath receyued all iugement yet shall the apostles asiste him hauing their trones And therfore saith he here And the iugement was geuen to the highe holy faithfull Cryste is called the olde aged for a iuge ought to be a graue sage man of long experience Whom Ioan called the lambe slayne froÌ„ the begining of the worlde and the worde which in the begining was with god so that we may see that the prophetis aknowleged cryst euer bothe god and man his whight vesture sheweth him to be y e most iuste and incorrupt iuge without spotte and himself in a gloriouse victory ouer syne death deuel and hell to be sene ioyouse and counfortable to his faithfull To coÌ„firme his old aunciet sage grauite he sawe his heares pure as fyne whight woll hore headed pretende grauite and wysdome His flammey seat casting forth long strykes of fyer signifye that god is a terrible consuminge fyer to the vngodly For Ioan sawe him w t a two edged swerde procedinge out of his mouthe for that his senteÌ„ce which he shall there pronouÌ„ce shall be sharper and depelyer persinge thorow then any two edged swerde in separating the stinking gotis from the pure innocent lambes Here Daniel seeth the same swerde lyke a fyery floude flowinge oute of Crysâ—is mouthe whose vehement myghty heuey sentence ouer the vngodly no horne may resiste Then cometh he forth in his hyghe maiesty accompanied with his infinite noumber of aungels so that non of these hornes be able to resist him but the wyked shall tremble and quake desyeringe the mountans to fall ouer them to hyde them from his fyght for hereof is he called the God zabaoth that is the god of hooâ—tes The bokis to be layd open are the conscieÌ„ces of euery man accusing or excusinge them For they shall haue their factis in mynde freshly openly sene wherfore they be worthely condempned For that greate daye shall make opene the secretis of euery herte For when it shal be sene who be set on y e right hande and who on the fyfte then shall all fraudes hypocrâ—cye tyrannye which yet be taken for rightwysnes godlynes and zele be layd open then shall Anticrystes blasphemyes and persecucions be iuged and punisshed as ye see in the text when cryst stode before Caiphas to be condempned he tolde them the same that the aungel here testifyeth That aftir this youre false iugemeÌ„t ye shall see the sone of man sittinge on the mighty right hand of god coming vpon the cloudis of heauen c. in which wordis he did put y e scribes bisshops in mynde of this scripture of daniel but he tolde his tale to deffe men for it was as miche to saye to them as this Now I stand before you as a man mortall to be iuged but here aftir ye shall not so see me standing but coming vpon y e cloudis of heauen so that ye be now warned before of my iugement to come ouer you trâ—wer and iuster thâ—n yours And where he sayth That the iugemeÌ„t shal be geuen to the holy hyghe saintis and y e tyme â—refiyed that they shulde receyue the kingdom and aftirward this kingdom powr and ample maiesty to be vnder the wholl heauen it is the same that the Apocalyp and I saye speke of the newe heuens elements and earth euen the same paradise vnder y e skye vndefyled wher vpon rightwysnes as Peter sayth shall euermore dwell vpon that earth of the lyuinge we shall triumphe ouer death hell and Anticryst singinge Death where is nowe thy sâ—yngel Hell where is thy victory oh thou forlorne beast where be thy x. hornes where is thy seculare swerde and arme where be both thy horned seculare spirituall powrs are they not now broken into dust and thyself with thy hole bodye of bisshops and cardinals and seclare hornes cast into the lake or pitt of fyer now then shall Cryst nomore be persecuted in his members wherfore he shall then be full glorifyed And we shall haue oure bodyes in ioye which once were partakers of oure persecucions wherfore we shall then haue oure perfyt and full felicite which yet in the mean tyme we haue onely in oure sowlis But what meaneth the aungell to saye He shall sâ—arle or destroye y e hyghe sayntis verely els but that with his false doctryne capciouse othes articles interrogacions he shall fraudelently deceyue and trappe the simple innocents and shed their blode tyrannously Also he shall arrogantly take vpon him thinke to change the state of tymes and lawes He weneth to change y e tyme which with swerde and fyer thinketh to shorten the lyfe of man and to preuent and disapoint gods infallible eternall and immutable prouideÌ„ce wherby he hath prefiyed euery manis tyme houre of deth which as noman can differre or prolong it so caÌ„ne noman shorten nor preuent it except men will make God an ignorant persone and so consequently no god at all He chaÌ„geth the tymes and lawes that any of the sixe worke dayes commanded of god will make them vnholy and idle dayes when he lyste or of their owne holy dayes abolisshed make
lyke warnings these 20. yeres Here also maye ye see the figurall temple and cyte corresponding the verite for as that materiall temple and cyte were buylded in those first lxx yeres next aftir y e captiuite with so grete difficulty anxt euen so in this last hebd conteyning also lxx yeares was the very cytie and temple of Crystis bodye the chirche with as grete perell and difficulty buylded and finished by his death in the middis of this hebd as himself in y e middis of this heb declared it saying destroye ye this temple in 3. dayes shall I reare it vp agene And I say 53. confirmeth y e same saying With the perell of his owne lyfe shall he fynde ryches Cryst begane to confirme stablisshe his couenāt when he begane to preche his gospell adding the testimonies of the lawe and prophetis to confirme his doctrine And when he was rysen he begane his eternall kingdō declaring himself to be the geuer of rightwysnes lyfe eternall he sent his Apostles to gather his chirche out of the gentyles and endewed them with his spirit whom he sanctifieth gouernthe and endeweth daily with eternall lyfe sight knowlege and withe his rightwisnes These the very proper workis and benefits of cryste the aungel calleth the confirmacion of his couenant euen the fre forthgeuing of his so plentuouse promises which were made to the fathers and prophetis as saith Ieremie 31. Beholde y e dais shall come I shal smyte vp a new couenant w t the house of Israel I shall geue my lawe into their hertes and be their god c. Here let euery godly reader remember by faith set holde vpon this swete couenant and promise of god in cryste aknowleging w t thankis these so ryche and confortable benefits euen the delyuerance from sin death and hell and the remission of sinnis in crystis blode with lyfe eternall geuen vs in cryste for his deathes sake In the middis of this laste hebdom I shall cease hoste oblacions sacrifices and all rytis and cere of the iewes Oh heuye prophecye Oh moste sorowful and lamētable voice to the iewes and to vs yet ignorant of this one alone for all sufficient sacrifice of crystis bodye once for all and euer offred vp for our sinnes and yet standing gazing vpon our decent cere laudable rites yea we had leifer our throtis torne oute then to lese any one the leste of these begerly cerem wold rather set all the worlde togither by the eares and shed innumerable innocentis blode then one lowsye tradicion◠or a romissh ryte shuldbe taken from vs. The iews receiued their cere and rites of god approued of the prophetis fathers a longe tyme. And yet here be thei constantly decreed of his aungel cryste and writen of daniel to ceasse and to be abolisshed for euer If these rites and cere of god is owne making be prophecied by the mouthe of God to cesse where shall our papistis apere with what face dare thei come before criste which dare institute and make vs the se newe ritis articles cere and dirty tradicions out of theirown idle brains stablissh them with kings actis and princes policies defende them with fyer swerde and maintain them with mischeif and murther garnishing them withe idle significations titles of laudable and decent names What shall ye then saye oh wret ched arrogant Anticristis what shall ye say to god telling you playnly by Gabriel that he wolde haue his owne then abolished for euer Dare you set them vp and god almighty saith I wil pluk thē down Dare you meintain your own sinful ceremonies supersticious ritis with swerde fyer he saith I wil put down my nown For this arrogant exalting of your selues ayenst the most highe god lo the breathe of his mouth now slaythe you The heuey heapis of his hotte indignacion is powerd forth vpon you and vpon all emprowrs and princes ruled by your wiked counsels one to destroye another by cruel batail Oh wretched vepers whelpis sinful sead serpentyn who may shew you to auoid the heuey wrathe of god now comen ouer you If you beleued that cryste were come and had suffred dethe so wold ye beleue that in that oblacion of his blessed bodye on the crosse he had ceassed abrogated all ritis cere c. were thei neuer so decent and laudable But as the iews beleue it not therfore hold thei thē still euen so beleue you it not and therfor set you vp s◠boldly and cruelly your Romissh dampnable ritis c and ye defende them withe the seculare policies perse cutinge the contempners ye slaye thē which is the most dampnable drift of al. well It foloweth in the text And the destroyer or waster shal be set vpon the wing or pinacle of abominacions And the wrath of god shal drope downe vpon them destruccion tyll all be destroid and vtterly consumed Here is lo your miserable end for your abominable idolatrye sinnes and supersticion was this onely writen for the iewes No no it was and is yet writen for owr Anticristen pestelent papistis ouer whō this heuye ende of the world is now comen Conster it therfore my lordis ye bishops and vnderstāde it if ye can Cryste alleging this verse added who so read it se whether he can vnderstād it And if ye can vnderstand it then you that bost yourselues to be the chirche and be not flye vnto the hellis flye to the highe and mighty seculare emperowrs kingis yea and to the turk to rune vnder their wynges for refuge Geue vp your spirituall powr possessions titles dignities and autorites benefices and bisshopriks to that thei with swerde might defende you And you that be now aloft in your pontificalibus in your palacies towers house toppis descende not to carye awaye your euil goten goodis for there be gredy way ters enowe to take themvp ▪ Belyke this is a sorowful signe of a miserable swyft soden flyght Beware my lordis for y e baner is sprede the signe setvp in all your dioces and chirches flye now if ye lyft The iewes aftir cryste had thōdred thi◠threatening at thē had but 40 yeris warning to flye and to auoid the thonder bolt by repentance But I cannot promise you so longe a daye no not 14 yeres to auoid this imminent plage But geue me leaue to conster you this laste verse Et super alampinnam vel portam obominationum vastator erit vel stabit That is to saye And vpon the winged cherubims pinacles gatis of the abominacions shal be setvp abominable destruccions Why Dare the aungell call the holy wingis of the cherubims and pinacles phanes and dores of the holy temple abominacions yea trwly for aftir he had abolisshed his ritis sacrifices ther in by crystis dethe and yet wold the iews contrary to his will vse them there still
to setled in one certain sewer place But where so euer thei be thei call vpoÌ„ one god in the faithe of cryste flyinge ima ges misses and all heithen rites for my shepe saith crysâ—e hear my voice And if my wordis abyde in you aske what ye will it shal be geueÌ„ you This is a grete coÌ„so lacioÌ„ for vs how wyde so euer we be skatered yet to haue god in the middis of vs to hear vs to be present withe vs in his helpe almightye And therfore saithe the text In these dayes shal that mighty pri ce Michael whiche is cryste stand forthe into our defence which wordis criste oft repeteth sainge I meself wil be with you vnto the worldis ende Owr laste cheifeste assewred consolacion is that owr heuye persecucion shall not now longe dure For god nowe haa steth himself to make an ende of this worlde when anticrystis wykednes is at the rypeste and himself thinking to be in moste securite and lenger to lyue This daye of the resurreccion of owr delyuerance into lyfe eternall and the anticrystes into perpetuall dampnacion is diffined apoynted of god which daye all the chosen longe sore fore And we knowe it not to be farre of by many euident signes and coniectures expressed in the scriptures The euangelists cal led their dayes the last howr of the which howr a thousand and. 500. yeres be paste But returne we to the consolacion in the resurreccion expressed by a similitude of men sleapinge in the duste to be vpwakt To dye therfor is not els but aftir labour and wearines of bodye to go to bed sleap and so to ryse vp erly more fresh and lusti er by which vprysinge he describeth our resurreccion By sleap is vnderstanden the reste of owr bodies in our graues for owr souls sleap not but be receiued into the handis of our father in heuen blessed with cryst in the fruicion of his presence and by the rysing vp ayen in the morning is vnderstanden the resurreccion of owr dead bodyes vnto lyfe eternal owr soul is ioyned ayen to them Wherfore when we go to bed and ryse in the morning let vs remember our death resurreccioÌ„ Paul sheweth wherfore we muste ned is dye ayen wherfore we muste ned is ryse ayen Therfore do we but sleape because cryste by his deathe slewe the dethe of the beleuers and turned the same death by his re surreccion into our lyfe saying O death I wil be thy deathe The text saith And many sleapinge for Paul saith 1. Cor. 15. we shall not all sleape but all shal be chaÌ„ ged in the twinclynge of an eye For the daye and minute of the trompet blowing shal be so soâ—denly herde callinge them that then shal be left a lyue that all then present shall neuer be laid in graue to sleape And as Iob setteth the resurreccion ayenste the sorowes and pains of death so dothe daniel here for owr consolacion sette it ayenste our persecucion which did so animate the faithfull in tymes paste that thei refused the delyuerance from death of bodye for that lyfe and resurreccion to come This article of our resurreccioÌ„ Wher in we shall haue that moste ioyouse lyfe perpetuall is the moste present consolact on in this owr persecucion in these laste dayes And the greter is our counâ—orte for that we knowe it and see it now at hand And althoughe cryste saith that daye howr to be known onely to his father wil linge vs not to serche the article howr of it curiously but rather to repent amen de our lyues to awake and be redy loking euer for it wherin he shall shew himself vnto al men triumphinge with his chirche ouer ower enimies yet do the shortnes of the tymes and ages of the worlde and the rypenes of iniquite these warres and the crueltye of anticristes persecucion declare it to be at hande So that we may coniecture of the tyme and yere in ge nerall ☞ Also the techers shall shyne lyke y e brightnes of the firmament And thei w c bringe many to the knowlege of the right wyse makinge shall shyne perpetually lyke the starres Here is declared the vertew and powr of the prechers before the iugement and of their rewards of bodies and soules aftir the resurreccion These prechers be thei whiche bringeforthe the newe and olde store that is the lawe and gospell re pentance and remission by faithe onely prechinge to themselues and to other the iustificacion by onely faith in Iesu cryste Thei shall shyne not onely here as lyghtes in the middis of the euil anticrysteâ— nacion but also foreuer Nether shal thei here alone shyne as y e two great lightes of the firmament aboue them whom thei haue here taught but also as y e greater starres passe the brightnes of the lesser And what so euer these teachers here lese or suffer for their techinge thei shal bothe here and there receyue an hâ—ndred folde for it Wherfore then shuld thei be afraid or troubled The more thei here suffere for teachinge the trwthe the grea ter ioye abydethe them let vs not therfor desiste nor be afraid let vs not neglecte our office for crystis sake good crysteÌ„ brethern but speke wryte as longe as we maye But thou oh Daniel shut vp these wordis and seall vp this boke vntil the laste tyme where many shall turne it ouer be skatred abrode that the vnderstandinge and knowlege might be gretely en creased and multiplyed Nowe is it shewed whom the redinge of daniel shal profit whoÌ„ it shall not pro fite teachinge that at Isay. 8. saithe that is Seal thou vp my lawe for my disciples To shut vp the wordis and seal vp the boke is to hyde my wordis and secrets from the vngodly filthy swyne dogges that thei vnderstand them not To turne ouer the boke of daniel in owr exyle and skate ringe a brode by persecucion and so to fyn de miche knowlege is the chosen persecu ted to fynde the somme and secretis of al the scripture in Daniel diligently often studied and labored Hitherto perteine crystes wordis To you is it geueÌ„ to knâ—w the mysteries but not to them To him that hathe it shal be geuen to him that hathe no pleasure to reade daniel that knowlege he thinketh himself to haue it shal be taken from him No man can know perfectly these prophecies vntill he see them fulfilled or in fulfillinge as thei be euen nowe god so reuelinge them to him Aftir this I daniel loked vp lo there stode two other one on this syde of â—flowde y e tother on y e other syde And I sayd to the man clâ—d with the lyneÌ„ vestuâ—e standinge aboue the floude When theÌ„ shall there be an ende of these meruelouse thinges And I herde
iuge vs to be forsaken of god and man as thei iuged criste to be when his father toke his spirit into his handis the third day reaised him vp agene But many shal ioyne theÌ„selues to vs saith the aungell deceitfully Trowth it is that there were then and be nowe many false bretherne especially sâ—che as were fryres mon kes strewed into many congregacions so me to be curats which vnder the pretence of the gospell as longe as it apered to encrease and was not forboden by gredier begginge dissemblinge and flateringe bothe deceyued and betraied many yet thei scaunder hurte vnder the same colour many a simple and good man Many there be of these dissembling deceyuers preuey false â—rethern euen mo then of the â—â—wthe verely But at that tyme there we re many that fayned theÌ„selues to â—e the frendis of the Machabâ—is butall was to destroye them As y e bisshop Alcâ—mus ioyned himself fraudelently to the host of y e godly ayenst Antiochê° which by the same deceyte slewe many godly citezens of the Iewes And here is to be noted That aftir the returne from Babylon vnto Antiâ— chus dayes there were rulers and princes of the stok of Dauid ouer the Iewes but yet without the name of a king being nethelesse in a mean autorite as capitaines and leaders into bataill Wherfore now begane the bisshops to bussâ—le and bere rule both in the seculare powr pompe ouer the peple and playd the kinges about 160. yere before crystis birth as thei haue and yet shall bere lyke rule gouerne both emprours and kings not long before crystis seconde coming to iugement A lytle before this destruccion by Antioc was Iannes their capitain slayn of Antiochus in the sege of Iericho Aftir that thei were without a seclare goid And the bisshops stroue amonge themselues one kyllinge another set a fyer with desyer of honor rule and ambicion corrupted with all maner mischeif so that thei blotted-out the lawe of God thrustinge in their owne lordely tradicions as thei haue done this daye Which is an eiident token that the world is nyghe the ende and cry ste shortely to come to iugement But as when the very chirche was destitute the ordinarie powrs and seculare gouerners that godly Matathia exhorted the lesse part to resist y e furiouse king euen so now haue we the holy spirit exhor ting vs to resist with his worde their false doctryne and to tell both emprour and kinges and bisshops That we ought rather to obey God then men Here is it playn that euer shall the emprours princes kinges bishops and the seculare sort be the most parte ayenst crystis trw chirche Also as then did Alcimus the bishop associate himself deceytfully with fraude vnto the lytle flok of the godly into the destruccion of many good men euen so do the false brethern falser anointed bisshops and popish preistis this daye And many which neuer were of vs shall as Ioan sayth forsake and go from vs to y e contrary part For in the tyme of persecucion the thoughtis of many false holowe hertis shal be reueled and layd open then shall men be tryed as it were with fyer And many shall turne their myndes some for feare of losse of their goodis and syues some for the displesure of y e powrs and some for dignities and lucre shall renye the verite and full bak from the faith and become cruell persecutors Which when they shulde haue bene tried with fyer to be made whyght thei became very blak Belialis when by the same crosse and fyer y e lerned godly techers be tryed polisshed and made as whyght as syluer for a certeyn tyme apointed of god aftir which tyme there shal be a nother worlde The tyme of oure persecucion shall not long endure Here is lo oure consolacion for albeit oure aduersaries thinke vs to be vttterly forsaken and that oure persecucion shall euer last yet hath god apointed vs a tyme of oure reste and delyueraÌ„ce wherin we shall reioyse And as y e iewes at that tyme were counforted with y e hope of crystis coming then at hand lytle more then an C. yeres to come euen so be we now conforted with crystis coming to iugemeÌ„t which we truste shall not so long tary to delyuer vs and to cast downe ours and his enimies into perpetuall paines Which shall for his chosen sakis shorten the dayes of this synfull worlde Of the hole story of this Antiochus Epiphanes read the boke of the Machabeis THis 12. chap. first contayneth the lyuely descripcion of Anticryste Whose first colour is to coÌ„tempne goddis worde secondly he is painted of his pryde Thirdly setforth in his prosperouse successe Fowrthly he is knowen of his contempt and despysing of matrimonye Fyfte of his idolatrie 6. Of his large giftis Aftir these colours â–ª secondly is his fall described and what shall happen ayenst him and by him ere he fall as first what who shall stand ayenst him how he shall destroye the most pleasant londe And who they be that Anticryste shall not ouercome And who shal be deceyued of him His death and fall place wher he shal be destroyd Thirdly this chap. techeth that the crystianes namely the confessours and techers of the gospell shall before the last iugement suffer the most greuouse persecucions but thei shall wresile oute of them thorow Cryst beinge defended euen ayenst the gates of hell The. 4. place treateth of the generall resurreccion of oure bodyes euen the last consolacion of the cristians The. 5. is of the vertew and power of the ministers of the worde before the iugement and of the eternall rewardis astir oure death The. 6. teacheth what readerâ— shal be profited and lerned by readinge daniel The. 7. sheweth the tyme of the delyuerance of the chirche and of the resurreccion of y e dead The. 8. expowneth wherfore the prophecie of Daniel is so harde and whom it profiteth The. 9. pla ce is of the tyme of the ende of y e worlde The tenth hath an example of the resurreccion of the dead But this kinge shall do what himself lysteth And shall extoll and preferre himself aboue all the goddis or aboue the most hyghe god And ayenst y e most hyghe god ouer all shall he speake horrible blasphemies And it shall prosper well with him vntyll gods wrath be consumed vpoÌ„ him and the impiete of the wyked be at the rypest This is the lyuely descripcion vnder the persone of Antioc of oure two cruell anticrystes that is to writ of the Saracenik fyerce beast the Turke and of his blody brother oure holy horned hypocrite the Romane Pope Whom by their bitter frutes ye maye knowe as the tree by hir sower crab First by the contempt of goddis almighty worde For where the aungell sayth That this kinge shall do what himself lyst and satisfye without any reâ—raint or restraint his owne