648 Againft De/tart/fine,. C A P. á preachixg fpoken of in the Scriptures,one figurative,anotherproper; aswe (hall declare more fully at the end of this Chapter But what make thefe things to the commingofAntichrift ?Wehave dernonftra- ted, that he came a thoufand and three hundred yeares fince.Befides, his overthrow (hall goe before the laft judgement a long time, as we wil thew after in the 9. Chapter of this confutation; where we (hail, fpeakofpurpofe touching the end of the world,as alto we(hall Phew it in expounding the reft of this bookof the Revelation. Therefore that may goe beforeChriffs comming,which (hall follow Antichrifts deftrwftion. And indeed this proper general] preaching (hall not be- gin, before that Antichriftbe at an end,or elfe at leaf} be about to fil- thy dye. The times are not to be confounded, neither is that to be transferred to one time, which is proper to another. Your third reafon is this, becaufe the Go. fel(hall bepreachedin the *hole Worldfor a teflimony to all nations;Therefore there mutt be a ge- neralpreaching before thegenerali iudgement.. I anfwer, that this ar- gument is all one, with the former,fave that it is after a fort diftingui- fhed by the fubjec s. That fpake of the falvation of the elea, this of the ju(t condem- nationof the Reprobates, Yet the anfwer is all one , For I confeffe, there mull go a generali preaching before the general judgement;but whenyou (hall have proved, that the generali judgement and Anti- chrift are things fo neerely coì:joyned,that that which goeth before that Iudgesament,muft needs go before Antichrift allo ; then will I not thinkmuch to zffent unto you, and to"think , that a generali prea- chingproperly taken,(hall goe before Anticbrit And.now as ifyou had put the matter out of all controverfe,you fall to anfweringofS. Danis words, Rom. to.' 8, Their-found is gone ont into all the World, the interpretation wherofyoubring out ofAa gnflin,7rrom,and The- m. s;the fum ofall is, that thofe Words are to be nnderftoodfiguratively. Which you might have obtained .eafity without fo great ado : There is no man but will grant that this and the like Scripturesabove ci- ted are not t!) be taken properly. But feting Paul freaks figuratively, why fhould not Chrift fpeake fo likewife ? Becaufe. fay you,it is not abfurd ifWe.{houldgrant that the Lordfpakeproperly ,and the Apoflefiguratively.For the rcafonsvvhich sompel us to take the Lards vvord. in4 proper fignification, have not the fame force,ifthey be apply ed to Pauls Words , fteciallyteeing the Lord fpeaks ofa thing tocome, but Paul Make of a thing pall.. I anfwer, fee- ivig that end ofwhich Ciariftfpake, was onely ofthe City, not of the world
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