and by his Apostle doth teach vs, how the disciples of Antechrist, with theyr head, should shine through their great signes and wōders: MarginaliaOf the signes and wonders of Antichrist. But the true disciples of Christ, shall not so do, in the time of Antechrist. For as S. Isidor sayth in his first book, 22. De summo bono: Before that Antechrist shall appeare, all vertues and signes shall cease from the Church, that he may the boldlier persecute the same, as an abiect. For this profit, shall all miracles and signes cease, vnder Antechrist, that thereby the patience of the holy mē might be known, and the lightnes of the reprobate, which are offēded, may be opened, &also that the cruelty of þ^e persecuters shuld be made more fearce. MarginaliaWhy true miracles shall cease vnder Antechrist.Thus writeth S. Isidor, & S. Gregory in his 24. booke of Morals, sayth: For why by a terrible examination of Gods secret dispēsatiō, shall all signes of vertue, or power be takē away from the holy church, before that the Leuiathan appeare, in þ^t most wicked and damnable man, whose shape, he doth take vpon him. For prophecy is hidden, the gift of healing is takē away, the vertue of lōg abstinēce, is deminished, þ^e words of doctrine is put to silence, and the wonderfull workes of miracles are extinguished, which things, nothing can vtterly take away: but onely the dispensation of God. But this dispēsatiō, is not so openly & manifoldly declared, as it hath bene in times past, the which also is done by a maruelous dispensation, that through one onely thing, both Gods loue & iustice should be fulfilled. For a while þ^e power of miracles, being taken away, the holy church appereth the more abiect and forsaken, and the reward of good men doth cease, which reuerēced the same for the hope of heauēly riches, & not for any present signes. And that the minds of euil men agaynst the same, might þ^e sooner be knowne, which neglect to folow þ^e inuisible thinges, which þ^e church doth promise, whiles they be led with visible signes.

Forso much then, as the humility of the faithfull is, as it were destitute of the multitude, and appering of signes, by the terrible working of Gods secret dispensation, wher by mercy is geuē vnto the good and iust, wrath heaped vpō the euill. For so much then it is truely said, that before this Liuiathan, shall playnely and manifestly come, pouerty shall go before his face, for before that time, þ^e riches of miracles shalbe taken away from the faythfull. Then shall that auncient enemy, shew himselfe agaynst them, by open wonders: That as he is extolled through signes & wonders, so shall be the more manly be vanquished of þ^e faythfull, without any signes or miracles. Also in his 16. booke vpon this word, which the blessed man Iob MarginaliaIob. xxiiij.sayde, who shall reprehend his way before him, or who shall cast in his teeth, what he hath done, whilest he did speake of the body of all euill, he sodenly conuerted his speach vnto the head of all the wicked, for he did see, that toward the end of the world Sathan should enter into man whom the scripture calleth Antechrist, MarginaliaThe discription of Antichrist out of S. Gregory.he shalbe extolled with such pride, he shall rule with such power, he shal be exalted with such signes, & wonders, vnder the pretence of holines, that his doing can uot be cōtrolled of mē, for somuch, as his signes & tokens are ioined with power, & terror, & with a certain shew of holynes. Wherfore he saith who shall controll his wayes before him, what man is he, that dare once rebuke or check him, whose looke or countenaunce, is he afeard of? But notwithstanding, not onely Enoc & Elias the which are brought as ample for his exprobation, but also all the elect do argue & reproue his way, whiles that they do contemne and by the force and power of their minde, resist his malice: But for somuch as this thing is not done by their owne power or strength, but by Gods helpe and grace, therfore is it very well sayd, who shall argue or reproue his waies before him who but onely God? By whose help the elect are ayded, and made able to resist.

And a little after, vpon the same booke of Iob Gregory saith, in so much as holy men do withstād his iniquity: It is not they thēselues which do so rebuke his wayes, but it is he, thorowe whose helpe they are strengthened. Also, in his second booke, he sayth: now the holy Church doth not regarde, but despise the signes and miracles of the heretikes if they do any: for so much as þ^e Church doth sufficiently vnderstand, that it is no kind of holynes: MarginaliaThe proofe of holynes.for why, þ^e profe of holines, is not to make signes or wōders, but to loue euery man as him selfe, to thinke truely of the very true God, & to thinke better of thy neighbor then of thy selfe: for trew vertue & holynes, cōsisteth in loue, and not in shewing of miracles. This þ^e veretie declareth, saying: hereby shall all men know þ^t ye are my disciples, if ye loue one an other, but he saith not, þ^t hereby mē shal know þ^t ye are my disciples, because ye worke miracles, but contrary wise: if ye loue one an other, declaring plainly therby, that it is not miracles, but the mere charitie & loue of God, which maketh us the seruants of God. Whereforethe chiefe testimony of being Gods disciple, is to haue the gift of brotherly loue. This thorow out doth S. Gregory write, and often times in other places, he speaketh verye much of miracles, howe that they shall cease amongst the iust, and abound amongst the wicked.

MarginaliaSignes common and indifferent to the ministers of Christ and Antichrist. Also Chrisostome in his lv Homily, sayth thus, it is a common & an indifferent woorke betweneþ^e ministers of God & the ministers of the deuil, to cast out deuils, but to confesse þ^e trueth and to worke righteousnes, is the onely worke of the saints and holy men, therefore whomsoeuer thou doest see casting out of deuils, if he haue not the confessiō of the trueth in his mouth, neyther righteousnes in his hands, he is not a man of God, but if thou doest see a man openly confessing & declaring the truthe and doing iustice, although he do not cast out no deuils, yet he is the man of God. And it followeth: let vs know that like as at the cōming of Christ, before him, þ^e Prophets, and with him thapostles wrought miracles thorow the holy ghost, for such as the thing is which is sturred, such sent & sauor wil proceede frō the same. He writeth also vpon þ^e beginniing of Mathew. The whole world did maruel & wōder at three things, þ^t Christ rose againe after his deth, þ^t flesh ascendeth into heauē, & that he did conuert þ^e whole world by his xj. apostles: MarginaliaThe principall miracles.There is iiij. causes which wrought the same. That is to say, þ^e contempt of riches or money. The dispising of pomp and glory. The seperation of thēselues from all wordly occupation and busines, and the pacient suffering of tormentes. Thus much writeth Crisostome, also saint Isydore in his first booke and xxv. cha. De summo bono, writeth thus, like as in the apostles the maruelous effect & power of works was much more cōmendable then the vertue of their signes, euen so now in þ^e Church is it much more better, to liue wel thē to worke any signes or miracles. MarginaliaThe cause why the church now worketh not miracles. And the cause why that the church of God doth not at this present worke miracles as it did in the time of the Apostles, is this. That it was necessary at that time that the worlde should beleue miracles, and nowe at this present euery faithful beleuer ought to shine with good workes, for to this end were signes & miracles then outwardly wrought, that their fayth thereby might be inwardly strengthned and stablished, for what soeuer faithfull man he be that seketh to worke miracles, he seeketh vaine glory to be praysed of mē, for it is written, miracles are signes and tokens vnto the infidels, & misbeleuers, and not vnto the faythfull. Thus muche wryteth Isidore.

Item Saint Augustine in his Booke of cōfession sayth thus, MarginaliaA great miracle to loue a mans enemie. there is no greater miracle amongst mē, thē to loue our enemies. By these wordes of these holy men, a man may easely gather that both in our dayes and in the time to come, þ^e disciples of Antichrist both do & shall more florish and shewe thēselues by strannge signes & miracles, thē the disciples of Christ, according to þ^e saying of our sauior Iesu Christ. There shall rise vp amongst you false prophets which shall worke straunge miracles. Secōdldy, it is approued, that they are greater & straūger miracles, to confesse þ^e truth & to do iustice, then to worke any other kind of miracle. Thirdly, it is gathered therby, that what soeuer minister or deacon doth loue his enemies, contemneth riches, despiseth the glorye of the worlde, and flyeth frō al worldly troubles, meekely sustaineth & suffreth most terrible and cruel threatnings and strokes for þ^e gospel sake, he worketh miracles, hauing thereby a testimony and witnesse, that he is the true disciple of Iesu Christ. And it is euident by the saying of our sauior Iesu Christ. Mathew. v. Let your good workes so shine before men; þ^t they may see your good workes & glorify your father which is in heauen. MarginaliaThe true miracles of Christes ministers.And likewise Iohn x. Trust vnto your good workes, wherevpon Saint Gregory in his first booke of Dialoges, wryteth thus: the estimation of a true life, consisteth in þ^e vertue of his workes, and not in þ^e shewing of signes, whereby it is fourthly concluded, by þ^t which is aforesaide, that it is a more effectual testimony and witnes for a priest or a deacon, that he is sent of God to confesse þ^e truth and follow Christ in the aforesayde vertues then to cast out deuils, or to do any other miracles. As it is euidēt by the saying of Chrisistome before alleged, whomsoeuer thou doest see to cast out deuils, if the cōfession, or acknowledging of the trueth be not in his mouth, neither righteousnesse nor iustice in his handes, he is not a man of God. This is also confirmed by the wordes of Christ. Math. 7. Many shall say vnto me in that day Lord, Lord, haue not we prophecyed in thy name: haue not we cast out Deuils in thy name: and haue not we also wrought many great wonders and miracles in thy name? Then I will aunswere & say vnto them, forsomuch as I haue not knowne you any time, depart frō me ye workers of iniquity, & as