The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times.

Opposit. 5.

The mighty and speedy prevailing of the Gospell of Christ, both at the first publication thereof by the Apostles of Christ, and also at the renovation of the same in these last daies, and that vvithout any earthly helpes or furtherances, yea maugre the malice and spite of the Devill, who set all the power and pollicy of the world with might and maine to suppresse and to roote out the same, declareth the great ••fficacy of this most mighty truth, vvhich thus hath hitherto, and will still prevaile.

IT is a thing worthy to be obserued, that the mystery of iniquity * 1.1 beganne even in the Apostles times, creeping in by little and little, being long in working before it came to the full. So that albeit the spouse of Christ remained a pure virgine whiles the A∣postles * 1.2 liued, yet assoone as they were dead, shee began to be cor∣rupted, and wicked erroures beganne then not onely to be sowen, but also to take roote in the Lordes fielde. The which erroures albeit they were sometimes withstoode, and for a time repressed by the learned and religious fathers that liued in those dayes, yet being counte∣nanced out by the blinde zeale and superstitious deuotion of the multitude, and by the cunning plots and pollicies of their autors and abettors, at the length beganne to be receaued for catholike: as it may in particular more evidently appeare by the historicall observation of the rising, encreasing and growing to the full of that one presumptuous heresie of their Papal supremacy, Where∣as the strange and wonderfull prevailing of the gospell of Christ as at the first publishing thereof by the Apostles themselues, even so at the renevvinge of the same in these last times (al∣beit it vvas vvithstoode vvith all the learning of the greate Rabbyes and Doctors through out all nations, and per∣secuted

by the sword of such as were in authority, and defamed also with all manner of shameful and ignominious reportes) doth manifestly declare that it is the most powerfull doctrine of the al∣mighty * 1.3 GOD, and that strong and puissant trueth that must prevaile: according as it vvas most liuely set foorth in the pro∣phesie of Daniell by the little stone cut out vvithout handes, vvhich * 1.4 brake that goodly and glorious image in pieces, and became it selfe a great mountaine, so that it filled the vvhole earth, wherefore if quicke and speedy prevailing be an argument of the miraculous power of God giuing thereby testimony vnto the truth, according vn∣to Augustines opinion, and Bellarmines also, then is the doctrine * 1.5 of such as embrace the gospell the very truth, and the doctrine of Popery a fardell of lyes, for that the one prevailed with speed, and the other crept in by little and little.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2. Thes. 2. 7
• * 1.2

  Euseb. l. 3. Cap 32. Niceph. l. 3. Cap 16.
• * 1.3

  •…•…b 4. ••4 •• Esd. 4. 4••.
• * 1.4

  •…•…n. 2. 34.
• * 1.5

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 22. de 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dei c. 5.