A pistle to the Christen reader The revelation of Antichrist. Antithesis

Therefore it is clear that this king should be after christ was preached / & against the lightening of the gospel / with the which the world was illuminate / for where he saith that they should be darkened with transgressions / it is to be supposed that thy should be lightened before which can not be verified in those kingdoms that were before Christ / for they could not be darkened which were never lightened / neither could they decline from the right way which never walked in it. But it is meant of those times in the which Christ also did prophesy abomination to come / in a manner with the same words / saying.¹ Be cause iniquity shall have the upper hand / the love of many shall abate.² And Paul saith / that all they might be damned which believed not the trueth / But had pleasure in unrighteousness.³ And Petre in the .ij. of his second pistle doth reprove with most sharp words the returning again of them to their vomit which shall be in the last times. And almost he only of all the other doth expound and declare what iniquity it is that shall abound / and with which men shall be darkened saying. There were false prophets among the people even as there shall be false teachers among you which privily shall bring in damnable sects / even denying the lord that hath bought them / and bring ⟨p. xvi⟩on their •wne heads swift damnation / and many shall follow their damnable ways / by which the way of trueth shall be evil spoken of / and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make Merchandise of you. Truly here Petre toucheth the master ships / Bishoprics and (as they call it) the administration and offices of the church / and showeth that this mischief shall come by their ministering which sit in the stead of God / and ought to rule the people in his word. Therefore we have the prim ces and heads of the church the authors of these evils .

Therfore it is clere that this kinge shuld be after christ was preachid / & ageynst the lightenīg of the gospell / with the which the world was illuminate / for where he sayth that they shuld be darkened with trangressions / it is to be supposid that thy shuld be lightenyd before which can not be verefied in those kingdomes that were before Christ / for they coulde not be darkenid which were never lightened / nother coulde they decline from the ryght way which never walked in it. But it is meanid of those tymes in the which Christe also did prophesye abomination to come / in a maner with the same wordes / saynge.