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Men unreasonably afraid of giving Scand by the Reftitution of that Difcipline, whic others were not afraid to give by abolishing it. However, this may with too much J ftice be faid, and is too evident to be deny ed, That the Spirit of Antichriftianif reigns at this Day far and wide amongf much the greater part of the Members.even of the beft conftituted and pureft Church, and other Congregations of the Reformati That the on. For the Antichriftian Spirit of Emo Spirit of and Delufion has fo far infinuated it felfi Antichrift reigns alfo to almoft all forts of Profeffions, that unde in the re- the cover and pretext of Religion, and the -formed Caufe of God, they ftand in direct Oppo Churches. fition to the Great End and Defign of Relilee Thorndikes gion; depending in the mean time upor their Blind Zeal for each of their particula Just weights Schemes and Discipline, and (that Grand LImeasures + dol of the Reformation)hearing of Sermons, which one part is come to that abule a this day, as to juftle out an effential part of Chriftian Worship, the Celebration of the Holy Eucharift, without which the Service + See Johnson of the Church is imperfect (as hath been learnedly proved) and which doth too appounbloody fitely fall in with one of the Characters of Sacrified A

Antichrift, viz. the taking away of the Mede's an daily Sacrifice or Oblation. Though at the

Sacrifice proste

fame time it must be confeffed to our Grief and Shame, that even that most Sacred Symbol of Chriftianity is as capable of be ing abused as any of the other, and actually is fo. With thefe outward Duties and Forms (as they make them) of Christianity though few doe obferve even thefe) Men

+

liar

Jam
is for
so many

are

are amufed, and made to believe that they are good Chriftians, though really in their Hearts they have not one of the Qualities of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift. This is a Truth too melancholy to be infifted upon, and too plain to be denyed. And all thofe Perfons who are in this Spirit, who either practice, encourage, or fupport thefe Corruptions, are properly Members of the myftical Body of Antichrift, of whom when a (perhaps determined) number fhall have filled up the Measure of their Iniquities, they fhall produce as the Genuine Fruit of their compleat Apoftacy, an embodied or Perfonal Antichrift, who fhall be the Reverse or Oppofite of the Bleffed Jefus; fo that as the Perfection of Goodness was lodged in the Perfon of our Lord Jefus Chrift; fo the Perfection of Evil fhould be in him who is called Antichrift; and as the One is the Son of God, fo the other is the Son of Satan. So Origen tells Celfus. Cant. § 6. Now this Opinion of a Perfonal Antichrift is (I.) plainly the Doctrine of Scrip-rities for a ture, in fome places whereof there is an Proof of a indifputable clearnefs, and others (that perfonal have been controverted, and by the Modern Antichrif. Writers upon that Subject have been applied to the Papacy) have been fo understood by the Ancients. II. It was the uncontroverted Doctrine of the Primitive Church! III.It was a common Doctrine amongst the Jews, which is to this Day retain'd by thofe among them who treat of this Subject.

*

* Lib.6.p. -306. Edit.

The Aut ho

I. THE Remarkably fingular Epithets From Scripgiven in Scripture do plainly point out a ture. particular

14

and to this day

particular Perfon, fuch are, 1. 'O 'Arrixes, ̓Αντέχεις, or the Antichrift, by way of Eminence, 2. The Man of Sin, the chief Author and Servant of Sin, the Head of the Apoftacy. 3. The Son of Perdition. 4. 'O'ArlineiuerC, or the Diabolical Adverfary. 5. '0 'rme

receive me

us, the Blafphemous Ufurper of the place of God. 6. '0'Avou. The Lawless one,who pretends to be above all Laws, and violates all both Human and Divine: Whofoever, I fay, will obferve these Titles and Characters muft needs think them fufficient Arguments of the Truth I am pleading for; but there is yet another Place that will, I think, put the Matter beyond all doubt, and that is the remarkable Declaration of our Bleffed Saviour to the Jews, John 5. 43. (who fought to kill him for afferting his Divine Miffion. v. 18) I am come, fays He, in my Father's Name, and ye not, if another fhall come in bis own Name, him ye will receive. Which Words are a Prophetical Denunciation (notwithstanding what fome have objected from the conditional Particle ar which they understand to include a degree of Doubt and Uncertainty) of the juft Judgment of God upon their Infidelity, that forafmuch as they had rejected the Lord of Life and Glory, coming in the Name, and doing the Works of his Father, therefore by the Permiffion of God there fhould arife one in the laft Days, who should come in his own Name, and glorifie himself, exalting himself in the place and ftead of God, whom by reafon of the Darkness and Blindness of their Understandings

derstandings, they fhould receive as the Chrift. Now can any Expreffion in Nature be conceived more plainly to point out Perfonality than thefe! How can we elfe understand the Oppofition between I and Another; between coming in his Father's Name, and coming in his own Name? Befides, is it to be imagined that the Jews, who did from the Beginning, and do to this Day expect their Redeemer to come as a Deliverer and a Prince, cloathed with all the Majefty and Splendor of an Everlasting Kingdom, fhould ever believe any Civil or Ecclefiaftical Society, efpecially that are now in being, to be their Meffiah? Much lefs can we imagine, that they will ever fix upon the Bishop of Rome, or look for Deliverance from his Hands? This can hardly be conceiv'd. There are moreover, many Places in the Prophetical Scriptures, which by the Ancient Fathers were generally apply'd to the fame Perfon; as Ifa.

118.

14. and 17. was by St. Cyprian*, with many * Lib.3.ad others, which falling more properly under Quirianother Head, I fhall at prefent omit, and num, cap. endeavour to give a brief Anfwer to Twoor Three little Objections which have been made by the Reform'd against this Doctrine. The First was that Affertion of St. Paul, Two Obje Theff. 2. 7. that the Mystery of Iniquity did tions aneven then work; and that of St. John, 1 Ep. Swer'd. Chap. 2. v. 18. that there were then many Antichrifts; and Chap. 4. v. 3. that the Spirit of Antichrift was then in the World. All which Affertions amount to no more than this, that the Antichriftian Spirit was actually operating

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may

operating at that time in the Beginnings of the Apoftacy; and that there were many engaged therein, who according to ay not what I have laid down, p. 113. are therefore called Antichrifts, but do by no means bisante: weaken the Truth contended for; but (as is I have there fhewn) are very confiftent with it. The other Objection is taken from the Prophecy of Daniel, who, Chap.7. faw the Vifion of the Four Beasts, and the Ten Horns of the fourth Beast, and the lo little Horn that arofe out of the midst of them. Now (fay the Objectors) the Four Lave the Beasts are explain'd, v. 17. to be Four Kings, i. e. Monarchies or Kingdoms, as literal & it is explain'd v. 23. and if by the Ten exional Horns of the fourth Beaft be to be underftood Ten Kingdoms, into which the fourth Monarchy fhall be divided; then by the fame Rule of Interpretation, by the little Horn arising out of the Ten, if it be apply'd to Antichrift, which is generally own'd by the Ancients, must be understood find what not a Perfon, but an Antichriftian Society,t Church, State, Monarchy, or Kingdom. To this I anfwer, Firft, That I fee no reafon why we should understand by the Four Beafts Four Kingdoms, and not Four Kings, as the Letter of the 17th Verfe expreffes it; that is, the Founders of the Four Kingedoms or Empires; and fo the calling the

County

10

fourth Beaft the fourth Kingdom, may be, eafily reconciled to the common way of. fpeaking in Scripture, where not only Families and Cities, but even Countries and Kingdoms are exprefs'd by, and compre

ance? I here hended evere of oncetrist is pow hitriting. There wants noth