674 Againíi ellirmtne, C. A P.7. never a,{troke, in this batten, neither (hail the tall afïliCtion (Atilt Church be railed up by him,as you do often and falfly fay,but by ano- ther enemy that flu' fomewhat furvive Antichrift.But that you might know, that csIntichriits perfecution (ball not bemolt manifeft while it is in aEting, you ought to have remembred that it is Antichrifírs property to come upon men with all craft, and couzenage, not with his banners difplaid, and in battell array ; Therefore he falleth to his bufineffe clofely and with as great fdence as he can, which is a cunning fetchofhis, aloft fir to deceive men, and he loth not keepe fuch an open coyle, that he might be feet and known ofall men what a monfter he were; Betides, feeing the whole earth fhould worfhip the 73e,,61., 7v. 13.3. It Inuit needs be, that he fhould alp flit`} the leffer part ofmen, and therefore that his perfecution fhould not be known of moft men. That which is done by molt men,is thought commonly to be done lawfully, and not to deferve any reprehen(ion. Betides, the chiefeft part of it is fpirituall, which Both eafily deceive the fence and the eyes of the body ; fo that though it fhould not be fo readily known, either when Aquilinecame, or who were they that he appeared first unto or whenhe beganhis perfecution ; yet this maketh not the matter it felfe to be any whit more uncertaine,and doubtiull, then it is uncertain that thepeftilence is the pestilence, becaufe it is not ma- nifeft untoall men,whence it came at firft,or thata fire upon an houle or town,is fuch a thing,and doth confume and devour all things with the rageof it,becaufe it is not fo well difcerned, andmade knowne, how it began at firist, and where, and by what degrees it proceeded to filch violence ; But howfoever thefe things have been, perhaps, fomewhat likea riddle beforethis, yet now fee how muchwe have profited by that underftanding, which God bathgiven us of this heavenly Book ofthe R velation,by the help wherof,we have touch- ed neer upon thatfirf} beginning ofthis peftilence and confirming fire ofthe world,which you ask after.For we havelearnt from hence,that prefently after that the Heathen Emperors Were difcerded, the Woman fled into the wildernetre, and the burning Mountain W cal into the Sea,Chap.i & 8. For then did theambition of the RomanBifbops break afunder the barrs and bounds of humility, and fobriety, not induring to be kept in any longer, then began errors and fuperftiti- uns ofall forts to flie into the Church fwiftly, then was the'Feafìt of the crolres findingout, ordained, and then was confirmation made a new Sacrament,a id that ofgreater honour then Bapti fine it felf,as it was Pope A1iliriades his pleat-tire to make it. Then
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