A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

They that would privily bring in corruptions to your faith, as the Papists. Here Antichrist had cause to be angry, and plead that he had not his right, if he were not brought in for the ring-leader: whose profession is to make your souls drunk with the wine of his fornications, Rev. 17 2. Beware of these Romish agents and instruments: all their desire is to intoxicate your hearts, and proudly to tyrannize over your consciences. He is that man of sin, that man of pride, that opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; 2 Thess. 2.4. He rose first above Bishops, then above Counsels, then above Kings, then above Scriptures, and now so far as it is possible, above God himself. All that are not dead in sense, know his malice; Killing all those that worship not the image of the Beast, Rev. 13.15. Saint Paul tells us; All things are yours; if all be ours, what unsufferable wrong doth he to us, that takes away from us half a Sacrament, the whole Scripture? For what purpose sends he over his Seminaries, those flies that come humming out of ⟨p. 388⟩the Larder of Hell? They envy, they inveigh, they write, they rail. But as the Jews did with Stephen; when they could not confute him with arguments, they did it with stones: so what they cannot evince by the Word, they will convince by the sword. They have always powder in the pan; and when they spy their time, they will turn their pens into pen-knives, and their ink into blood. O but now they plead Kings truce: yet as in France, when it was said there should be a consultation at Paris, to hear complaints, to redress wrongs, and set all things even: and that the Protestants should have free access to declare their grievances, and safe-conduct to return: one answered, Promise what they list, for Saint Bartholomew-Eves sake I will not trust them. So how ever they show themselves, looking smoothly, and speaking-fairly: yet for the Fifth of Novembers sake let us never trust them. Only bless we our GOD, that though they do so much mischief as they can, yet they cannot do so much as they would. And if our sins provoke him not, Christ will preserve his flock from being a pity to their teeth for ever.