touching Antichrifl. 673 ofhis banded and brandedadherents, dothfomewhat allay and re- ftrain his corporall perfecuting of Chrif}s Members ; and the Holy Cfbojl hath foretold that thofe evils fhould be at length made to fall upon yourown heads;which you were wont to devife, and toput in prat}ice againft others. For Chrift hath threatened, That heWould kill the ch.ldreu ofJe- aabel with dearh,Rev.2.23, And that theyfhouldgo intocaptivity ,Who had intocaptivity ,andthat they fhould be(lainWith thefWord, that flay With thefiord, Rev. 13.1o. And, laftiy, that thefloods and fountainsof Water fliouldbe turned into blood, and that theyfhould drink blood, that havefhed the bloodoftheSaints, and ofthe Prophets, Rev. i6. 4, 5,6. And this divine Relation is not to beCalled perfecution, unleffe, per- haps, it be perfecution, to beat back force with force or to take away thofe goods from theeves & robbers,ofwhich they haveberea- ved the Tuft owners, or to call thofemen out oftheir countrey,who- have plaid the Traytors to their country : or laftly,to keep and drive away the Wolves from the Sheepfolds. Your Villainies, treafons, patricides,yourpoifonings,fl:abbings,and audacious praftices againft Princes, are now famous throughall the world,all which you do till plot and pradife withall-you power and indeavour, and you do too oftenbring your curledpurpofos to paffe. Theredefignes bring the Halter, the fiord and the axe uponmany of your necks and heads, thefe be the glorious merits ofyour Martyrs, thefe be theirworthy crowns, their renowned Trophees. There is none that wifheth and feeketh thepeace and fafetyof the Church and countrey hee liveth in, but ought to with and defirefrom his heart, that through the faithfull diligence and vigilancie of Magiftrates, who are appointed to be a terror to all wicked wretches, this kinde of.perfecution may wax hotter and hotter - every day more then other. And thus muchofthe grievoufneffeof the perfecution, which howfoever.it be moll-: great, yet now you may fee it to be another, and of another nature then that which you fuppofe. Secondly, you prove that Antichriftsperfecution ,a411 nrot noto- rious and manifet,out ofthofewords of the Rev.2o.8: And they cons- paired the rents ofthe Saints, andthe beloved City. But the Popes per- fecution;fay you,N fuch, that neither they Whofay that theyfuffér it,nor We,that are ¡aid to offer efr infi5t it,canfayWhen it began.' anfwer,that thofe words of the 'Revelationdo not at all belong to that vexation by Antichrifl,but by Go, &Magog. For Antichrif was f}ain,and caf} into theLakeoffire in the endofthe former.Chap,fothat he fighteth never:
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