figns of the enemies of Chrift, which are to oppose his Gospel, down to his coming to reign upon earth; and applied them to a prophecy, which had been fulfilled long before he wrote. We have seen him, as I have had occafion to fhew before, applying all the marks of the Little Horn, of the Man of Sin, and of Babylon the Great, with all their refpective crimes and abominations, to the Church of Rome; and to give to their figns a plaufible refemblance of her policy and conduct, he has twisted and tortured the accurate and beautiful allegories of prophecy, into meanings they were never intended to exprefs, and at which even common fenfe revolts. Nor content with thus overloading that ecclefiaftical power with fins the had never committed, he has, in common with all Proteftant commentators fince the Reformation, branded her with the opprobrious name of Antichrift. To fhew the error of this application, and to place the prophecy in its true light, we fhall firft confider the argument upon which he founds his opinion. The bishop afferts *, that "the name "Antichrift is proper and expreffive enough (to be "applied to the church of Rome), as it may fignify both the enemy of Chrift, and the vicar of Chrift; "for," fays he, in a note, "the Greek word avτ fignifies pro, vice, loco, as well as è contra, ex ad"verfo ;" and, aware that the word taken in the latter fenfe, that is, to fignify a great adverfury, in direct oppofition to Chrift and his Gofpel, could not, with propriety, be applied to the church of Rome, he has chofen to take the word in the former sense, as meaning the vicar of Christ, because the Popes of Rome have affumed that title; not perceiving that the word, in this fenfe, was lefs applicable, if * Newt. Diff. vol. ii. p. 113. poffible, poffible, to the church of Rome than in the other. For a vicar is a perfon really appointed by another in his place, to act under and by his authority, and to do his duty. Now can it be fuppofed, that the fpirit of truth could intend to defcribe the church of Rome as a power appointed by Christ, to take his place, and to perform his office? If fuch was its intention, the defcription would not anfwer the purpose. For when did Chrift appoint the church of Rome his vicar? When did he conftitute her Antichrift, or the vicar of Chrift, as the word imports, in the fenfe in which the bishop has interpreted it? He never has made, nor ever will make fuch appointment; and therefore this word Antichrift cannot be applied to her in this fenfe. But it is faid, that The has affumed, or pretended, to be the vicar,of Chrift. Be it fo; it will not help the argument. St. John is not here foretelling a falfe and pretended vicar of Chrift, but, on the contrary, a real adverfary, and great enemy of Chrift, who is to come "in the laft time." Had the first been within the contemplation of his mind, he would have described it according to the truth of the fact, and not have omitted a part, most effential to a juft description of it. The fpirit of truth, by which we must suppofe he was directed, would have called it Falfus Antichriftus, or a pretended and falfe vicar of Chrift; and then the expreffion would be properly defcriptive of the Pope, because he has falfely affumed the title, and then it might be juftly applied to him. But could any perfon, confiftently with truth, defcribe a woman by the terms of the wife of A, when he knew he had never been married to him, although the might affume that character, without being a deceiver? By much ftronger reafon then we muft conclude, that the spirit of prophecy, which is the fpirit of truth, would not have defcribed the Pope, the falfe and pretended vicar of Chrift, by the unqualified GG 2 unqualified term Antichrift, which is a real vicar of Chrift, in the fenfe into which it is here perverted. On the contrary, we find, in every fimilar inftance, it is firicly accurate in all its defcriptions. When foretelling the coming of perfons who would falfely affume the character of Chrift, it calls them " falfe "Chrifts" Prophets pretending ONLY to the gift of prophecy, "falfe prophets." Perfons pretending to be apoftles,falfe apofles *." So "false teachers §, falfe brethren," &c. &c. were we to fearch the Scriptures throughout, we fhould not find one prophetic type, or expreffion, whether figurative or literal, which does not fully embrace the object intended to be delineated, when they are underfood, and candidly compared together. In short, Nor can the word "Antichrift," when taken in the other (which is certainly the true prophetic fenfe), as a power è contra and ex adverfo, or a power the great enemy and adverfary againft, or in direct oppofition to Chrift, with any degree of propriety, be applied to the church of Rome. For it is well known that the profeffes faith in God, and holds, as parts of her creed, the miffion, incarnàtion, miracles, crucifixion, afcenfion, and atonement of Chrift, which are the fundamental doctrines of his Gofpel; and although the has wickedly mixed with them a variety of abominable tricks, frauds, and falsehoods, to gratify her temporal pride and ambition, yet, as he holds with, and teaches thofe effential articles of Chriftianity, the cannot be faid to be the great Antichrift, or the greateft enemy and adverfary of Chrift and his Gofpel. Indeed, when *Matt. xxiv. 24. 1 John, iv. 1. Gal. ii. 4. +Ibid. vii. 15 xxiv. 10. Luke, vi. 26. † 2 Cor. xi. 130 1 911 $2 Pet. fi. 1. We we confider the doctrines of the Mohamedan church, we find them far more adverfe and contrary to the Gospel of Chrift. For fhe denies all the fundamental articles of Chriftianity, except that there is a God. She denies the miffion, incarnation, atonement, and divinity of Chrift in his Gofpel, and afferts that he was nothing more than a great prophet, fent to reform the world by miracles, and peaceable and perfuafive means; and that, as he had failed in executing his commiffion, God had fent Mohamed in his flead, to convert the world by force doctrines these much more adverse to thofe of Chrift than the doctrines of the church of Rome; and yet our commentators upon Antichrift, have never applied the term to the Mohamedan church. The truth is, it was intended to be applied, to neither of them, but to a greater adversary of Chrift, who fhould deny, and directly oppose, all the truths revealed by him, not even excepting that which teaches us that THERE IS A GOD! This truth will appear evident upon an unbiaffed and candid confideration of the texts relating to it, which I fhall now haften to give them. The texts, which the reader has feen at the head of this differtation, are all that are to be found in the Scripture in which the name of "Antichrift " is ufed. They are taken, as he will perceive, from the Epiftles of St. John, and not from his prophecies. Upon a ferious perufal of them, the following obfervations will, I imagine, naturally ftrike his mind: That he makes ufe of the word "Antichrift" in a general way, merely as an apofle preaching the word of God, and not as a prophet foretelling an event, of which the church had not been before fully informed. For he fays, "Ye have heard that "Antichrift, GG 3 Antichrift fhould come." They had heard it from Daniel, who had foretold the fame power, under the type of the Little Horn; of St. Paul, under that of the Man of Sin; and of St. John himfelf, under the Beast of the bottomless pit, of which we cannot fuppofe the church could be ignorant. It is evident from the context of this chapter, that the subject treated of by St. John, is the everbleffed fruits and divine excellence of THE LOVE OF GOD, and of the worthleffnefs and mifchiefs of the love of the world: two paffions of the foul, of which every man who attends to what paffes within himself must be daily fenfible. And as the firft fprings from a pure faith in Chrift, and an unfeigned and grateful fenfe of the mercy of God in fending him in the flefh, to reveal his will, and to suffer and atone for our fins; and the other from our difobedient, fallen, and corrupt nature; they are perpetually contending with each other: the one ftriving to lead the foul to everlafting peace and reft, out of its uncertain, anxious, and miserable ftate in this life; and the other to plunge it for ever into miferies and woes inexpreffible, in a life to come. Of this enmity and contention between thefe two paffions, St. Paul fpeaks in very decided terms: *What fellowship," fays he, "hath righteoufnefs with unrighteoufnets? What com"munion between light and darkness? What con"cord hath Chrift with Belial? What part hath he that believeth, with an infidel?" So here St. John, fpeaking of these two inimical paffions, admonifhes the church to cultivate and hold fast the first, and to reject the other, as leading to certain deftruction. "Love not the world; neither the things that are in the world. If any love the 66 * 2 Cor. vi. 15 + Ver. 15, 16, 17. "world, |