646 .Agaïníl Deltarifiine. CA7. 4: In this therefore I will not Rand againft you, moreover I doe af- ter a fort grant your proofe hereofout of the Text. For the Gofpell was to be preached before that great tribulation, ofwhich we read, Mnth.al. a t.but herein you erre,in that you think, both that tfiis tri- bulation here fpoken of,is that laft great one that (hall bee, and that it is the perfecution of Antichrifi.For it is`no other than the deftruai- on of Ierufalem,as Chryfoflomdoth alfo acknowledge, though hce would have it to be referred typically untoAntichrift.Let Antichrift then come after the generali preaching. But what of that ? Hath not the whole world rung with the Go- fpell till this day ? So you held indeed,though the matter it felfe be otherwife.Chrift when he was about to afcend into heaven,comman- ded his Apoftles,togo into ail the World,Mar.i 6.z y.And he promifed them,thatthey fbouldbe hüWitneffes even to the end ofthe World?Alin 1.8. It cannot be,that either the Apoftles werenegligent in fulfilling (hridts commandernent,or that our Lorddidnot perform that which he promifed,neither did theevent íhew to the contrary ; as the Apo- ftle teacheth,faying,thatthe faith oftkeRomans Was puiblifhed throígh- out the Whole World,Rom.i.8. And that the Gofj'ell carne unto the Co- Iaafans us it did alfo untoall the World,Col. i .6. a3.You anfwer,that the whole Worldis taken in thefe places not properly andlimply, but by aft- (7-tire ; but that the Gornell is to be preached properly andlimply its every nation, before eArntichriff come : Which thing you prove by thé tatimony of the Fathers, and by three reafons, the Fathers are Autiufline,Oriven and Ierom,befides thole that were cited above ; I anfwer,that it is not to be doubted, but that the Fathers apply their words to the words of the Scriptures,and therefore that they fay of- ten that the Gofpel is to bepreached in the Whole World,ia the univerfäl World inall lands,&c. But it may wel be doubted, whether they fpeak expreffely or no, and whether they will have it to be their exprefje meaning , that thefe kinds of fpeeches are to bee taken (imply and not figuratively. From faith in his Epia.to .1çertscbia,he that hindred,is taken out of the Way;and do we not herehy underftand,that Antichrift is nigh?ßv which wordsof his it is plain,that he underll:ood not any other kind of preaching in the whole world, but fuch as had been in and before his time;for otherwife howcould Antichrift b.: at hand ?fo faith Gre- gory,as we haveheard,that all things Which Were fore-told Werefulft"l- led,the King ofpride Was at the doors. Therefore this univerfall prea- t1>.ing was then accompliíhed,butnot prior city as you take it,fecing it is
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