1.60 Chrifis giuing ofthe law to the comming ofChrifl, was about one thoufand andliuehundrtdyecres: and from the law to the creation aboue two thoufand. Nl!W if Eli41 cannot fer downe a iufl number forthe time pafl, whicha meane man maydoe, what!hall we thinkethat he can doe for the time to come? And ifhee decciue vs in that whi'ch is more eafie to lindc, how fhall wee trufthim inthings that bee harder? The fecond reafort is this: How long God was increating the world , fo long he !hall bee in gouerningthe fame; bnt he was fixe daies incrtatingthc world, and in the feauenth he refteth, and fo proportionally he fhall be fixe thoufand yeeres in go!.lcrning the world; euery day ant\vering to a thoulimdi•eeres, as Perer faith, • Pet. 3.8. Athoufondyeeres are but M oneday with God, ami then !hallt!Jeend be. Anfw. Thi; rcafonli~ewife hathno ground in Gods word: as for that place of'Fettr.,the meaning is,rhat innumerable are butas a fhort timc with God, and wee mayas twothoufand or tonne thoufand yeeres are but as with God. For Peter meant nor ro fpeake any thing ftincHy ofa thouf.1nd yeeres,burofalong time. [A ccrtainc hifl[~~~,i~~~~;~~;·d~;~[.'(~~.;:.~~~~~;~~~;,:~~.~h~ number putfor an~ncertaine.] Thirdly,it is alleadged,that 01 auouched withill fixethoufand yeeres from the creation ofthe whofocuerdid taketo himfelfc the name !haIappeare inthe hoaueos ftrangc cottiutttltions,a;nd jpoliti~ I 'liijbop,the fame was Antichrifl.Now ons of the ftarres,which fignifie nothing elfe fucceeding him , wa• by Phoca~ the fion efthe ftate ofthe world : nay fome haue noted that the Vniuerfal Bi!hop,Paflour ofthe Catholike end thcrof!houldhaue bin in the yeere ofour Lord, a thou- in theyeereofour Lord, 607. and of all fand fiuc hundred eightie eight:their writings are manifefl: firft knowne Antichrift, and fince him all b"t we linde by experience that this opinion is falfc and fri- haue taken vntothem the fame titleof Vniuerfall and uolous,and their grounds bee as friuolous. For no man can tholike Bi!hop, where~y it doth rtai~elyappeare, that gather by the ordinary change of the hcaucns, rheextraor- Rome hath beene and u the A~uchnll. And this figne diltary change of thewhole world. alfo pall:. The fecond opinion is, that the end of the world !hall The third , is a generall departingof moll: men bethreeyeeres and a halfe after the reuealingof Antichrifl:. faith. For it is f.t id in the place before named And it is gathered outofplacesin2Janiel and the ReLte[oti· "-ceiuey•u: for the d4y of Chrift JbaO not come' on,abuftd. Where atime andtimesand halfe a time fignifie bee« ekp•rtmgfirf/, 'aTheff. z. 3• Generall acp•atttltelmhl no: three ycerc and a halfe,but a !hort ti'lle. And therefore beene in former ages. WhenArrim fpread to take the words properly, is fatrcfrom the meaningofthe tooke fuch place, that the whole world almofl beClme holy Ghoft. For marke,ifthccnd fh11l be three yeeeresand Arrian. And dnring the fpace of nine hundred a halfe after the rwealing ofAnrichtift , then may any man from the timeof'li•nif.r<t, the Popi!h herelie kr.ow aforehand the partiwlar moneth wherein theend ouer the whole earth, and the faithfull feruants the worldOtonld be,which is norpofsible. were but as a handfitll of wheate in a mountaine NoWthe rrurh which may bee auouched againft all, is which can fcarce bee difi:erned. This figne is in this,that eo man canknow,or fftdowne, or conieL'ture the rt:ady pall: , ncuerthcldfe it fhall continue to day, the weeke, the moneth,thc yeere, orthe age wherein becaule men Otall cominually depart from the the fccondcomming of Chrifl and the !aft the nearer the end of the world is, the more he. f or Chrifl himfclfc faith,Mathew geth and feeketh to bring men into hi• · hourckz!owcth 110 man~no uot the tore it fi:andethvs in hand to labour for the ~::~);'~~~~~~~·n my,Chrill himfllfeas he is manknewitnot. And true Religion, andhauinglcarnedir, moll h, difciples asked Chrill athisafcenfion,whether h~would rethe fame. Qore thekingdom< vnro Jfrael,he anfwered, It u notforyu The fourth to k?Jow tbe timesandfeafim.J~whichtheFathe~hathput in hi4 own power,AU.I·7·And7'au/(aith, 1 TheJTs.z. Ofthetimes eafons,brethren,yolt hauenot needetho'lt IwritevntO]!JU,Foryou •o~rjiiHes k!Jow perfoctiJ , that the d4y ofthe Lordjh•ll come, fbe,,l>"'"'•lifi>!w/Jenttoo,arents.vnt·haltkei'u/1. euen .uathieftinthenight. Now wee know thata manthat k-eepeth his honfe, can n0t coniecture or imagine when a thiefe will come: an:d therefore no. mln can fet downe rhe plrticn!artimeor age , when Chri(l: !hall come to iudge– ment. Thismufl wee hol:l lledfafl:ly, and if weereadethe contrary i~l the writings ofmen, we arc not to beleeue their fc!.)ings, but accoum ofrhemasthc: dcuicesofrnen, which hOtUeHogroundinGods word. · To come to thethir d point, namely, the fignes ofthe are of rwo forrs:fomc goe before the fome are with it.The
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