Page images
PDF
EPUB

and as upon Rome, fo alfo upon all the Gentile Chriftians, who have a Name to live but are dead, being fallen away from their First Love and Faith, and fo having made themfelves Veffels fit for Deftruction, when this fore Judgment fhall go forth."

IV. ANOTHER Reafon for the Preference of the Antient Notion of Antichrift to the Modern, and the Diftinction of Babylon from Antichrist, is taken from St. Paul's Account of the Time of his Rife. For this is laid as a Foundation by him, That there muft come a great Falling away, Defection, or Apoftafy, before the Time of Antichrist. And if fo, then the Apoftafy of the Gentile Church, or of fome Eminent Part of it, cannot rightly be accounted the State of Antichrist which is to follow upon it. The Roman (or any other) Church may leave her First Love, and may fuffer Falfe Prophets and Teachers to feduce the Servants of God to commit Fornication, and may Defile her Garments with fundry Abominations and Spots of the Fleshly Wisdom, and may boast of being Rich in all Spiritual and Temporal Goods, and having need of nothing, at the fame time that the is in the Sight of God molt miferable and wretched: But though all this will and muft make ready the Way for the Revelation of Antichrist, that Man of Sin who is opposed to Chrift, the Lord our Righteousness; yet is not this Falling away of the Roman, or any other Church, in ftrict Propriety to be called Antichriftian, though in a more large Senfe it may take well enough that Name.

Where

[ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

Wherefore there may be an Apoftafy from the Primitive and Apoftolical Faith, with out paffing thereby directly over to the Tents of Antichrift: And the Corrupt Wor fhip of an Unfaithful Church may be Idola trous, more or lefs; and yet not be an Antiehriftian Worship, or the Worship of the Beat Moreover it clearly appears from what Chrift revealed to this Apoftle, that an Apoftafy from the Orthodox Faith fhall precede the Times of Antichrift; though neither the Place where this is to be, nor the exac Time when, be here determined at all. But moft certain it is that fuch a preceding Apoftafy there must be, fo that any true Faith fhall hardly longer be found among them that make Profeffion of it: which will be an Harvest indeed for Antichrift. For they (and only they) fhall be feduced by him who have not received the Love of the Truth; neither have believed the Truth [of the Gofpel in its Purity]; but have had Pleasure in Unrighteousness. Since this is the very Caufe for which God fhall fend them strong Delufions, that they fhould believe a Ly, that is, the Great Ly of Antichrift setting up him. felf for God. And whereas the Apoftle opposes to ['Axnbea] Truth, 'Adixia, which is tranflated Unrighteousness, this manifeftly fhews it to be an Error in Practice rather than in Speculation; because 'Adixia is Unrighteousness in Fact, or a Falfhood in the Nature of the Thing, called alfo a Lying Vani ty, that is, Idolatry. For by this Name of Adixia is Idolatry, which is the higheft In justice

F

justice against God, always understood in the first two or three Chapters of this very Apoftle's Epiftle to the Romans, where it is notoriously meant of the Roman Idolatry,orUnjust Worship, whereby theGlory of theCreator is in any Degree given to a Creature: as likewife in his Second Epiftle to the Corinthians, as may appear from that famous Text, Ch. vi. 14. And here alfo in this to the Theffalonians, as it feems in his very Revelation concerning Antichrift, Chap. ii. 12. where it must be obferved that the Adixia, or Falfe Worship, of the Corrupt Chriftians, is plain-worship is ly fuppofed Introductory to that of the Anti

is take

This

chriftians: and therefore not the Same. So reading fash that the modern Notion of Antichrift is in-amay Protes confiftent with the Account of his Rife gi-tents as well ven us by St. Paul: And the falfe Worship of the Corrupt Church, which is Spiritual Whoredom, muft needs be distinguished from that Worship which is to be introduced by Antichrift, being no less than a Total Apoftacy from Christianity.

V. A Fifth Reafon for the Distinction aforefaid betwixt Babylon and Antichrift, is, because Antichrift, according to the general Opinion of the Antient Ecclefiaftical Writers, fhall exprefs his utmost Hatred of Idola try, and of every Appearance thereof. Thus Hippolytus fays Antichrift fhall not fuffer Idols; St. Cyril of Jerufalem, Antichrift shall abhor Idols; St. Ephrem, he fhall proclaim himfelf an Enemy to Injustice, ['Axia, Idolatry] abhorring Idols; St. Chryfoftom, He fhall diffolve and destroy malas rises, all the Gods, f

by

Papists.

by utterly rooting out all manner of Idola try; and fo in like manner others of the Antient Fathers when they speak of Antichrift. And this Opinion antiently fo uni verfally received, that Antichrist was to fhew himself an Hater of Idols, they did ground not merely upon the Silence of Scripture a to the Charge of Polytheifm, or even of fo much as eating the things offered to Idols, and communicating in the Idols Temples, or bowing before an Image; but upon the exprefs mention of his Oppofition to all that is called God, with the Atheistical Exaltation of himself to receive more than humane Honours in the Temple of the true God, and his fending or leading his Tributary Kings with their Armies to extirpate the Idolatrous City and Kingdom, as before hath been fhewn. Antichrift therefore is not the fame with Babylon: but on the contrary he shall be her profefs'd Enemy, running into a quite contrary Extream and defpifing all + This is the that the holdeth Sacred, or that is worshipped, case with that fo he may fet up himself upon the Ruine thereof. Whence it appears that the our modera spiritual Adultery of the Church of Rome, if Rome be Babylon, and the Idolatrous MixUnitarians tures that may be found in her Worship, cannot properly be called an Antichriftian they Worship, notwithstanding it may be the moft affect to be called,

proper and effectual Means to introduce it. The which is further confirm'd by the following Argument; which fhall be the laft that I will here mention.

VI. BE

VI. BECAUSE Antichrift by this Declaration against Idolatry, as aforefaid, fhall affume to himself the Name of Divine Majefty, and be worshipped as God with proper and Divine Honour. This Idolatrous Worship of Antichrift, as a God by Commiffion, or Appointment, is confirmed by St. John, in that he fays they worshipped the Beast [i. e. Antichrift] faying, Who is like unto the Beast? which Words contain a Periphrafis of the True God, of whom the Holy Scripture ufeth to speak in fuch Terms as these. For this fee Pfal. xxxv. 10. lxxi. 19. lxxxix. 8. cxiii. 5. and Mic. vii. 18. To which the Original of the Surname of the Maccabees, from the Inscription on the Banner of Judas that was first fo called, is generally referr'd by the Learned. As alfo in a blafphemous Allufion to the name of the Lord of Hofts, or the Lord mighty in Battel, and to the aforefaid Military Infcription of Judas Maccabeus, it is likely enough that the Worshippers of Antichrift may cry out, Who is able to make War with Him? Nor would it be hard from hence to derive the true Signification of the Word Maozzim in Daniel, comparing it with ant Expreffion of St. Paul in Phil. iii. 19. But howfoever that may be, it doth not seem as if Antichrift would exalt himself, by favouring any thing that may look like Idolatry; but rather on the contrary as if he would honour no other God but himself,and would erect his Empire chiefly upon the Principles of Mr. Hobs's Leviathan,by affuming to himfelf all Religious Power whatfoever. For

[ocr errors]

the

« PreviousContinue »