Section X.

X.

And the apostles, who speak of God,¹⁹⁰⁷ in establishing the truth of the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, have each of them indicated the appearing of these abominable and ruin-working men, and have openly announced their lawless deeds. First of all Peter, the rock of the faith, whom Christ our God called blessed, the teacher of the Church, the first disciple, he who has the keys of the kingdom, has instructed us to this effect: “Know this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.¹⁹⁰⁸ And there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.”¹⁹⁰⁹ After him, John the theologian,¹⁹¹⁰ and the beloved of Christ, in harmony with him, cries, “The children of the devil are manifest;¹⁹¹¹ and even now are there many antichrists;¹⁹¹² but go not after them.¹⁹¹³ Believe not every spirit, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”¹⁹¹⁴ And then Jude, the brother of James, speaks in like manner: “In the last times there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts. There be they who, without fear, feed¹⁹¹⁵ themselves.”¹⁹¹⁶ You have observed the concord of the theologians and apostles, and the harmony of their doctrine.