Apocalypsis

VNTO THE RIGHT NOBLE PERSONAGE OTHO GRINALDIVS, FRANCISCVS IVNIVS SENDETH GREETING.

NAture it selfe (most noble Grinald) hath taught the husbandmen that are skilfull in grafting, & inoculation, to fence the imps engrafted into the stocke, with clay, straw, morter or lome mixt with chaffe vntill the plant haue got a just strength, left by anie iniurie of the wether it might receiue hurt. The same thing hath God, the author of all wisdome & of euerie good gift, of his exceeding mercie, towards all mankind, prouided cōtinually in ye husbādrie of his Church. For he hath both infused inwardly into his most excellent plants, that vi◊al sap which is necessarie vnto cōtinuance, or rather vnto eternitie, as those which are borne againe of his mightie word: & also by the couert of the same word, hath fenced those that are plā ted in Christ against the iniuries that outwardly might happen vnto them. In this manner was that auncient Church of the Iewes confirmed of old by the holy seruaunt of God Daniell a most faithfull Prophet, against the violence & fraud of tyrants and of false prophets that were to come: And so also this our Church since the first comming of Christ, remaining in expectance of his second and glorious appearance, hath euermore by all his good seruants, and especially by this most holy Apostle and Euangelist S. Iohn, the disciple whom Christ loued, bin preserued against like, or also greater tempests: strengthened with his owne forces, and couered as with certaine eaues least by this perpetuall shower of incommodities, it should rot, or anie way drop through. For this Apostle, vndoubtedly inspired of God, hath both mightily defended the truth of the doctrine, and person of Christ, and the loue of the Church from the venimous teeth and bitings of heretickes by his Gospell, thereby adding an accomplishment vnto the other holy and diuine Gospels: and also hath in this booke of Reuelation maintained the faith and pacience of the saints, from the violent inuasions of most cruell enimies, and of most false hypocrites. This diuine and wholesome prouidence, most familiarly layd out vnto vs in this booke, Satan hath not ceassed from the beginning to oppugne, that he might plucke the same (if it were possible) out of the mindes of the godly and elect.

For as he hath striuen against the credit and authoritie of this booke verie much: so (when the authoritie thereof was established) he went about by all possible meanes to corrupt the sence and meaning of the Authour. What and howe mightie engines, howe cunning and daungerous vnderminings he hath employed to shake and ouerthrow the authority of this booke, many godly & learned men haue long since declared. He hath pretended the vncertaintie of the Author, the phrase, stile, and arguments, and hath abused the labour of some good men to bring this his purpose to passe. What? is the Author vncertain of that booke which was committed vnto the custodie of seuen Churches, and those the most noble and renowned of all Asia, and preserued of them most religiously? It is a fable. For shall those Epistles which were written vnto the onely Church of Rome, of Corinth, and the like, be of certaine and constant authoritie from the testimonie of that one Church vnto which they were written, and shall the authority of that booke be called into question (if God will) which was written vnto seuen Churches? They that pretēd incongruity of speech, verily shew themselues to be of rude and rusticall iudgement: who do not thinke that our speech, as much as may be, ought to be attempered vnto the heauenly lawes. They obiect strangenesse of the stile, the publicatiō of his own name, & the oftē repetitiō of the same things. O worthie thetoricians! who wil not haue the stile to differ in a different matter. They thinke it agreeth with the modestie of S. Iohn to haue concealed his name: as if S. Iohn in this argument did not see it more materiall, that by diuerse times expressing of his name, he should (as Daniell did of old time) commend the credit and authority of the booke vnto posteritie of time to come: then by suppressing his name to prouide for this imaginarie modestie whereof they speake. Is it not as modestly done of S. Iohn, that he doth in expresse wordes professe him selfe the Author of this booke:

as when in the last chapter of his Gospell, he doth by circumlocution describe him selfe? Verely in neither booke did he erre from modestie: but did in both of them, by addition of his name, confirme the credit and authoritie of his writing, necessarily & for the publicke good of the Church. That they thinke the same thing is often repeated, is partly false, and partly where any such repetition is, necessarie: which thing our interpretation shal declare. How necessarie this argument was in the Church of God, we declared in the verie entraunce: and no man will denie, that with cleane eys shal looke vnto the history of the Christian church. Wherefore, albeit the authoritie of this booke seemed not so great vnto some good and godly men in times past, yet can not their particular iudgement ouerthrow the publike credit therof: but it is necessarie that the authoritie thereof should in the Catholicke Church be accompted entire, beleeued, professed, and preserued. As for the meaning and sence of the Author, what need many words? Here verely if any where else, that saying is true, how many heads, so many opinions. But this euill of ignorance, and dissenting in iudgement, is partly borne with vs from the darknesse and infirmitie of our nature: and partly increased or heaped vp by singularitie of affection: which inconuenience that common aduersarie of our saluation hath much increased, both by his owne practise, and by the indeuor of his ministers and instruments. Therefore the darkenesse of that ignorance infused into our minds within, and scattered abroade without, hath for the most part affrayed good men, otherwise excelling in pietie, learning, vtterance, art, and authoritie, from writing any thing in this argument, or at least from publishing the same. This modestie I commend; but I follow it not. Why so? wilt thou say; I will shew in few wordes what cause mooued both others to require it of me, & me to write of this argumēt. So shall I (as I hope) both approue mine enterprisevnto good men: