C A P.7. touching Antichriíl. 669 Thirdly, that dl publike Religion (hall be made to ceafe by meaner thereof. NoW youprove itJiiall be matt grievant out of Mat. 14. 2r. ThereThal then be agreat Tribulation,Each as Was notfrom the begin ning of the World, nor Ad!be,and out ofRev. 2o.3. Wherewe reade, that Satanfhal! then be loafed, Who was bound untill that time; and this you confirme by the teftimonies ofS. Astflin, Book 2o. Chap.8.9. Ofthe Cityof God, ofHippolitut the Martyr, andof Cyril, towhich you adde in the end, that the Terfecurion by the Pope, is not the moff grievous, and therefore that he is not Antichrift. I anfwer to each of thefe, and firft as touching the grievoufneffe of the perfecution out ofthe words of Matthew, I fay that you care not a jot what you bring to confirme your points withal!, but you cite Scriptures, hand overhead. For thofe words of Martha', belong to the calamity of the Jewes, which they felt to their woe in the deftrudion of their City by Titus, within a few yeares after Cbrif, Luke Both expreffe this people of the Jewes by name, faying, and there shall be a great Tribulation andWrath ofgoodamongthis People, Chap.2 r. 2. Sodoth Matthew; Then let themWhich are in fudea flee into the mountaines Chap. 24. i6. And what elfedoth that prayer againft the flight on the Sabbathday meane, but even to point out this Nation properly? So that this place is fo far from proving that the Perfecutionof An- tichrift shall be the moft grievous of all, that the flat contrary is concluded out of the words thereof; for they do directly avouch, that there (hall be no Tribulationable to be compared with that of the Jewes, and therefore not that which Antichrift fhould bring in. 1 know that Chryfoime doth referre it unto Antichri4 Typically, but not fo truely and warily as he ought. For Peeing Chrift faith plainely, that therefall be none like to it, he cuts off all Typical! in- terpretation,and doth,and that not in adark manner,forkid tohave the words centered out further to fignifie any thing elfe that is to come. For the Type muff nodes be inferiour to that that is the Truthof ir, and that there fhould a greater diftreffe then this follow afterwards (which is againft that which Chrift faith) if thewords fhould be expounded by a Type; Matthew therefore helpeth no- thing to prove the vehemencieof this Perfecutionyou talke of; And as little helpeth that fecond proof ofyours taken out of the Revelati- on. Satan indeed whet, he is let loofe shall rage, but that cruelty of his which is fpoken of in that place, is nothing fo devillifh as that which he exercifed before he was bound.For Satan is the fame with the Dragon, Chap. 12.9. of the Rev. and before he was imprifoned, Qggq he
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