Cn P. 2. etielatiort ofthe Apocalypfe. 47 iiaughtineffe, either driving faroffthe leven of the Heretiku,or elfe withall fpeed moo earneftly labouring to take it quiteaway ; to coil- Ephcfus< clude,aboveall thefe things, undergoingundauntedly whatfdever the wicked enemies could infli(l. Doth any thing here want any repair- ing or perfeft accomppliíhment ? Nothing truely, had things onely Rood in this their perfetf ¡urity. But godlinefíe languifheth by little and little, unleffe it be continually blown up and fo kindled ; and of- tentimes a certain naked profef ion remaineth, where all the forceof it isBark dead,and lyeth quite put out; as we lhall prefently fee it fell out there with this church. eLr touching theWords here, Montanus andthevulgar dootherwife, diftinguifh this verfe ; they dafh out alfoand change force things ; for fo they read ; And thou haft borne, and haft patience becaufeof my Name, and haft not been Wearied. So Aretas,but with a tranfpofing ofthe firft words ; And thou haft patience and haft borne, &c. But thefe readings want that forcible and fignificant manner offpeaking which our Books have, which do joyne together, burden, trouble, and perfeverance. The fentence is made far more weak when that verb, thou haft been oppre(fed With trouble, is taken out ofthe mica. 4 But 1 have againft thee. Hithertohathbeen thepraifeof this church; the reprehenfion is becaufe Jbehad caft of herfirft love: The which tò have but flackned inthe lighteft manner,couldnot have been without great blame,but toput it quiteoff, how great a crime, how great wickedneffe is it ? For fo the word, Thou haft left, foundeth, as as ifthe Ephefine Angel hadbeen like to thofe WidoWs that Waxed Wan- tonWith luf, Who ( au Paul f tith)Were in a damnablefiate, becaufe they hadcaft away theirfirftfaith, t. Tim.S. 12. And vet this leaving of love, was nothing to that horriblewickedneffeof thofe widowes. for theirs was an open Apolafe,this churchesfault was,that their defire and diligence inand unto duties ofpiety lay afleep onely, or rather was none at all, yea was turned into exceeding carelefneffe, whereas yet they preferved theirprofeflionof the truth. Now the holy Ghoft fpeakethofdiverfe times wherein this church was, as appeareth by that which he faith, thatj e hadforfakcn herfrf1 love; and in the next verfe he biddeth themdo the former Workr.Out ofwhichwe may'eafi- ly fee,what kind of coldneffein love this was,namely,. filch whereby the AnPel,who in the firft times wherein he received the Gofpel, did faithfully difcharge his officeof teaching, .did alfodiligently fee to the manners ofeveryone,applying to them fuch remedies by church cen- fures, as the occafion of tlir: difeafe required, afterwards in his latter
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