The figurative high ex are the Antichrift are not known. the Quades, Goths, Burgundians, &c. confeffes the time of the coming of Antichrift could not be far off. 9ly, I. Chrift not known by fo many peo. ple, was however acknowledg'd by fome of the na tion of the Jews. Antichrift not known almost by the whole Church, however hath been fo by divers particular perfons, whofe teftimonies we have produced in the first part of our prejudices against popery. That which is more admirable in this parallel, is, that I. Chriftand Antichrift were not known almost for the very fame reasons. The Prophecies that were defigned to make known 1. Chrift, were in part the cause why he was preflions not acknowledged. For if in fome places he be caufe why reprefented to us in his natural and true eftate, in Chrift and others he is reprefented in lively & bright colours, with magnificent and pompous figures. So that by these descriptions one would have taken him for a King of this World, and his Empire for an earthly one. The Jews ftretching these defcriptions of the H. Spirit, not comprehending the fense of them, and not entring into the meaning of those figures, had an Idea of the Meffiah quite different from what in truth he was to be in his firft coming. In like manner the Prophecies concerning Antichrift, are exprest sometimes in terms plain and natural enough, but at other times in high terms borrowed from the most hideous objects that are in the Old Teftament, of Sodom, Egypt, Babylon, the apoftacy, a revolt from the faith, the Doctrine of Damons, the Cup of abominations, adulteries, whoredoms; every thing is brought in here, and upon these high expreffions men have ftretcht the Idea of Antichrift. The two comings of I. Chrift, that gave occafion to Antichrift known,was original, 267 to these two forts of Prophecies, were the occafion The chief of the mistake. I. Chrift was to come in aftate of reafon why humiliation and abafement, and he must come in a was not ftate of grandeur and glory. The Prophets often the means speak of this laft ftate, the Jews give heed only to of his this fort of Prophecies and neglect the others, affix- and the ining them to another fubject. The two degrees of fenfible. Antichrift's coming have done the fame thing. The growth. Antichriftian Empire in its beginning was low, creeping, its firft years did favour of weakness and infancy. The malice, the corruption, the pride, the tyranny, the Idolatry of this Empire, were but in their beginning, they were buds and the first draughts, which men did not perceive. And this is the great reafon why Antichrift hath not been known. If the Papifm in the fourth age had endeavoured to introduce into the Church, both the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, and the idolatrous, worship of the creatures, fuch as it was afterwards, all the world would have revolted from him, and the Antichriftianifm would eafily have been obferv'd. But in that way that the Devil took, it was impoffible that it fhould not fucceed. The firft degree of tyranny and fuperftition was fo fmall, that though it was new, yet it was not at all perceived. What evil could one imagine, for inftance, in having a refpect for the memory of the Martyrs, and making an honourable mention of them in the celebration of the mysteries? How could one have been on ones guard, when nothing was treated of as yet, but fome honour of precedency between a Bishop and a Prief; and between a Bishop of one fee and of another? I am alfo fure that the mystery of iniquity was advanced by ways where the Apostles had no fufpicion of evil. For inftance, it was the cuftome in the Apostles times fometimes to hold nefs of his appear the in the world, their affemblies in the Dormitories and on the tombs of the martyrs. I believe, 'tis to this that Saint Paul referrs, in that famous paffage in the 15th of the firft Epift. to the Corint. If the dead rife not, why are they then baptized for the dead? That is to fay, to what purpose do you honour the martyrs, fo as to celebrare the mysteries on their tombs, if they are no This did longer any thing, and must never return? To pray molt inno-to God in a Dormitory, and upon the tomb of a dead cent thing man, to teftify that one would dye in the fame faith wherein the Martyr died? Yet this was the first fountain of the popish Idolatry about Saints. From the first degree to the fecond, there is but one step; in like manner the paffage is infenfible from the fecond to the third. And men found themselves funk down into fuperftition, and swallowed up in tyranny, without perceiving it, and without its being poffible for them to perceive it. When corruptions are infenfible in their progress, those that are engaged in them, cannot know them. They must be without. When one is carried in a vef fel, one doth not perceive its motion, one must be out of the vessel and in a fixed point to difcernit. In this manner it was, that the Devil laboured about this myftery of iniquity in the time of St. Paul; be began to work, as he fpeaks, he began with vending a little wicked Philofophy about the mediation Coto 2. and interceffion of Angel's: Platonick Philofophy, which is the very fame that the Apostle calls the Doctrine of Demons, by which fome would introduce the ferving of Angels, from which Saint Paul Ch.2. v.8. would remove the Coloffians, in faying to them, beware left any man spoil you through Philofophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, &c. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humili ty and worshipping of Angels, intruding into thofe 18. things, things, which he hath not feen. Satan also beat out a path for tyranny by thofe difputes for precedensy and honours; of which we may fee a pattern in the differences that reign'd in the Church of Corinth, where one faid, I am of Apollo, I am of Paul, and ĺ am of Christ. But who would have fufpected, that things could have gone fo far, as they have fince proceeded? the an chrift, be hath been chrift's not when he Laftly, The ancient Writers, and the prejudices The falle which men took from their errours and overfights, Idea which did mightily ferve to the cauling Antichrift not to be cients had known. The further one is removed from the ac- of Anticomplishment of the Prophecies, the lefs one under- fore he was ftands them. So 'tis certain, the Fathers of the fe- revealed, cond and third age understood almoft nothing of the one caufe Revelation. Yet they did bufy themselves to inter- of Antipret it, and have vented nothing but vain imagina- being tions about it. They had in their minds a Chimæra known of an earthly paradife yet in being. This terreftrial did come, Paradife muft not be useless; one dream draws another after it, as one deep calls on another. This earthly paradife then mult be defigned to receive fouls, and contain them before they were tranflated into the Heavenly paradife, which was not to be till after the day of judgement. Into this terreftrial Paradife were tranflated in body and in foul,according to them, Enoch and Elias. For there was no colour for the putting them in the fuperiour Paradife, while all the Saints and Patriarchs were only in the inferiour one. Now why were Enoch and Elias tranflated both body and foul into that place? It hath been found very convenient to place them there, expecting the laft day of judgement to be fent back, into the World to encounter Antichrift. And fo Enoch and Elias are transformed into thofe two wit neffes, that were to prophecy clothed in fack-cloth for not known fooner. for three years and a half, which are the days of Antichrift. There was no colour for making Enoch and Elias fojourn on the Earth 1260. years. So that it was neceffary to take the 1260 years, of which the Revelation fpeaks, for fo many natural days, which make three natural years and a half. The name of Antichrift made them believe he would call himself Chrift. The Temple of God, where St. Paul faith, that the fon of perdition muft fit, hath made them think of the Temple of Solomon, and they have concluded that ferufalem was to be the feat of this Empire. Confequently that Antichrift must be a Jew; and for the reasons we have obferv❜d above, he muft moreover be of the tribe of Dan, and by confequence a fingle perfon. Behold the vifions Why Anti Which St. Ireneus vends in his fifth book against Hachrift was refies; vifions for which we are apparently indebted to him, that forged the falfe Oracles of the Sibyls in the fecond age. They that came after him adopted thefe vain imaginations, and added others to them. The Ancients did copy one another,almoft without confidera- any judgement, and always without confideration. Thofe that were very fond of this vain phantome of a Chimerical Antichrift, could not difcern the Character of the true Antichrift. The later ages have been much more enlightned. The differences of the Popes with the Kings of Europe, & particularly with the Emperors, open'd the eyes of many, and made them fee the Antichriftian Empire in Rome Chriftian. But being in part very fond of the old Idea of Antithrift, in part being kept in by that refpect they had for a See, which they believed was once the Chair of Saint Peter, in part through cowardice and want of zeal; and above all because the time defigned by providence was not yet come,they ftopt in the way, and never reached to a perfect Idea of the Antichriftian thers did copy one another without tión. |