As touching this calling of the Heathen, speaketh Christ in the Gospell, I haue also other sheepe, that are not of this folde, and those must I bring, and they shall heare my voyce, and there shall be one shepefolde, & one shepeherd. For although the Gentiles be conuerted, from the infidelitie, of their idolatrie, to the fayth of Christ: yet are they not conuerted to the perfection of the law of Christ. And therefore did the Apostles in the primitiue Church, lay no burthen vpon the Gentiles, but that they shoulde abstaine from haynous thinges,as from thynges offred to idols, and from bloud, and strangled, and fornicatyon. As touching this second comming, speaketh Esay: MarginaliaBy this perfection (I suppose) he meaneth the reformation of the church being out of the way. MarginaliaEsay 11. On that day the roote of Iesse which standeth for a signe or marke to the people, to hym shall the heathen make theyr homage and supplication, and hys sepulchre shall be glorious: and in that daye shall it come to passe, that the Lorde shall the second tyme put to his hande, to possesse the remnant of hys people &c. And he shall lift vp a token toward the nations, and hee shall assemble the runnagate people of Israel that were fled, and those that were dispersed of Iuda shall he gather together from the fower quarters of the earth. And the zealous emulation of Ephraim shall be broken to peeces, and the enemyes of Iuda shall come to nought. Paule to the Thessalonians sayeth: We beseeche you brethren, by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Chryst, and of our gathering together before him: that you be not soone remooued from your vnderstanding, neyther that you bee put in feare, as though the day of the Lorde were at hand, neyther as it were by letter sent by vs, neither by spirite, nor yet by talke. Let not any bodye by any meanes bring you out of the waye, or seduce you: For except there shall first come a departyng, and that the man of sinne, the sonne of perdition shalbe disclosed, whych maketh resistaunce, and is aduaunced aboue all thing that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he doth sitte in the temple of God, shewing hymselfe as if he were God. MarginaliaThe reueling of Antechrist. Do ye not remember that whilest I was as yet with you, I tolde you of thys: and nowe you knowe what keepeth hym backe, that he may be vttered in hys due tyme: For euen nowe doth he worke the mysterie of iniquitie, onely that he which holdeth, may holde styll vntill he be come to light: and then shall that wicked one be disclosed, whom the Lorde Iesus shall slaye wyth the breath of hys mouth, and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his comminge, euen hym: whose comming is accordyng to the workyng of Sathan, in all power, with signes and lying wonders, and in all deceipfull leading out of the truthe towardes those that do perysh, because that they receiue not hartely the loue of truth, that they might be saued.

[Back to Top]

Christ being demaunded of the Apostles, what should be the token of his comming, & of the end of the worlde: sayd vnto them. There shall come many in my name, saying, I am Christ, and they shall seduce many. Also he telleth them of many other signes, of battayles, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes. But the geatest signe of all he teacheth to bee this. When you shall see (sayth he) MarginaliaThe abhomination of desolation. that abhomination of desolation stādyng in the holy place, he that readeth, let him vnderstand. But Luke 21. in his Gospel speaketh more plainely hereof. MarginaliaLuke 21. When you therefore shall see Ierusalem be compassed about with an army, then knowe ye that the desolation thereof shall drawe nigh. And afterward it followeth: And they shall fall by the face of the sword, and shalbe led away captiue to all nations, and Ierusalem shalbe troden vnder foote of the heathen, vntill the tymes of the nations bee fulfilled. Now in Daniel thus it is writtē of this matter. And after 72. weekes, shal Christ be slain, neyther shall that be his people, that will deny him. And as for the Citye and Sanctuarie, shall a people (wyth his captayne that will come with them) destroy the sayde Citie and sanctuarie, MarginaliaDestruction of the Iewes temple. and hys ende shalbe to be wasted vtterly, till it be brought to naught, and after the ende of the warre, shall come the desolation appoynted. In one weeke shall he confirme the couenant to many, and wythin halfe a weeke shall the offering and sacrifice cease. And in the temple shall there bee the abhomination of desolation, and euen vnto the end shall the desolation continue. And els where in Daniel, thus it is written. Marginalia1390. days, in Daniel expounded.From the tyme that the continuall sacrifice shalbe offered, and that the abhomination shalbe placed in desolation, there shal be 1290. dayes.

[Back to Top]

Nowe, if any man will beholde the Chronicles, he shal finde, that after the destrnction of Ierusalem was accomplished, and after the strong hand of the holy people was fully dispersed, and after the placing of the abhominatyon, that is to saye, the Idoll of desolation of Ierusalem, wythin the holy place, where the temple of God was before, there had passed 1290, dayes taking a day for a yere, as commonly it is taken in the Prophets. And the times of the heathen people are fulfilled, after whose rytes and customes God suffered the holy Citie to be trampled vnder foote for 42. monethes. MarginaliaFor these 42. monethes looke page 397. For although the Christyan Church, which is the holy Citie, contynued in the fayth from the Ascension of Chryst, euen till thys time: yet hathit not obserued and kept the perfection of the fayth all this whole season. For soone after the departure of the Apostles, the fayth was kept wyth the obseruatyon of þ^e rites of the Gentiles, and not of the rites of Moses law, nor of the lawe of the Gospell of Iesus Christ. Wherefore seing that this time of the errour of the Gentiles is fulfilled: it is likely that Christ shall call the Gentiles from the rytes of their gentilitie, to the perfection of the Gospell, as hee called the Iewes frō the lawe of Moyses to the same perfection, in his first comming: that there may be one shepefolde of the Iewes and Gentiles, vnder one shepeheard Seing therefore that Antichrist is knowen which hath seduced the nations: then shall the elect after that they haue forsaken the errours of their Gentilitie, come through the light of Gods word, to the perfection of the Gospel, & that same seducer shalbe slayne with the sword of gods worde. So that by these things it doth partly appeare vnto mee, why þ^t at this time rather then at an other time, this matter of Antichrist is moued.MarginaliaWhy rather at this time, then any other, the matter of Antichrist is moued: and why rather in this kingdome, then in an other.

[Back to Top]

And why that this motiō is come to passe in this kingdome, rather then in other kingdomes: me thinkes there is good reason  

, because that no nation of the Gētiles was so soone conuerted to Chryst as were the Brytons the inhabitauntes of this kingdome. For to other places of the worlde there were sent preachers of the fayth, who, by the workyng of miracles and continuall preaching of þ^e word of God, and by greeuous passion and death of the bodye, dyd conuert the people of those places: MarginaliaThe first receiuing the faith in thys realme by the Britons.But in this kingdome, in the time of Lucius kyng of the Brytons, and of Eleutherius Byshop of the Romaines did Lucius heare of the Romaines that were Infidels (by the waye of rumors and tales) of the Christian fayth, whych was preached at Rome. Who beleeued straightwayes, and sent to Rome, to Eleutherius for men skilfull to informe hym more fully in the very fayth it selfe: at whose comming he was ioyfull, and was baptised with his whole kingdom. And after the receiuing of the fayth, they neuer forsooke it, neyther for any maner false preaching of other, neyther for any maner of tormēts, or yet assaults of the Paynims, as in other kindomes it hath come to passe. MarginaliaBritaines by the speciall election of God called to fayth.And thus it seemeth to me the Britons amongst other natiōs, haue ben, as it were by the spirituall election of God, called & conuerted to the fayth.

[Back to Top]

Of them as me seemeth, did Esay prophecy saying: MarginaliaThe callyng of the Gentiles to faith For they did see to whō there was nothing told of him, & they did behold, that had not heard of him. And againe, behold, thou shalt call a nation which thou knewest not: & natyons that haue not knowen thee, shall runne vnto thee: for the lord thy God, & þ^e holy one of Israel, shall glorify thee.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaApoc. 12. Of this kingdome did S. Iohn in the Apocalips prophecy (as me semeth) where he said, The Dragō stode before the woman, which was about to be deliuered of child, to the intent þ^t when she had brought it forth into þ^e world, he might deuour vp her sōne: & she brought forth her child which was a māchild, who should gouern al natiōs with an yron rod. And the same sonne was taken vp to God, & to his throne. And þ^e womā fled into the wildernes, wheras she had a place prepared of God, þ^t they may feede her. 1260. dayes. MarginaliaThe woman fed in the desert. 1260. dayes.And agayne in the same chapter, after that the Dragon saw that he was cast out vpō þ^e earth, he did persecute the womā, which brought forth the manchild. And there were geuen to the womā two wings of a great Egle, that she might flee into the wildernesse into her place, where as she is fostred vp for a time, times, & a halfe time, from the face of the Serpent. And the Serpent did cast as it were a floud of water after the woman, to the intēt tht he might cause her to be drowned by þ^e floud: and the earth opening her mouth, did heare the woman, & did swallow vp the floud which the Dragon did cast out of his mouth. Let vs see how these sayinges may bee applyed vnto this kingdom rather then to other kingdomes. It is wel knowen þ^t this kingdome is a wildernes or a desert place, because that the Philosophers & wisemen did not passe vpon it, but did leaue it for a wildernes and desert, because it is placed without the clymates.MarginaliaThis place of the desert in the scripture seemeth here something hardly expounded.

[Back to Top]

Vnto this place fled þ^e woman, that is to say, þ^e Church (which by fayth did spiritually bring forth Christ into the world) where as she was fed with the heauenly bread, the flesh and bloud of Iesus Christ, for 1260. daies,seing that for so many daies, taking a day for a yere, the Brytons cōtinued in þ^e faith of Christ, which thing cannot be found so of any Christen kingdome, but of this desert: and wel is it said, that she flew to this place. MarginaliaFaith came into Britanny frō the East, not from Italy or Rome.For from þ^e East came the faith into Brytaine, not by walking in iourney, not yet by sayling: for then should it haue come by Rome, Italy, Almaine, France, which cānot be found: & therefore she flew ouer those places, & rested not in them, euen as a birde fly-

[Back to Top]