ender it; yet LXXII render it by (og) Wrath or Anger, as they have alfo in Chap. 3. v. 26. Chap. 14. v. 1. Chap. 39. 7. 24. and Habb. 3. v. 1. fo calling it the Voice of his Anger; and he fays it was o terrible to him, (though we may supofe him to be too good and too wife a Man to be frighted at Trifles) that his Heart trembled at it, and was moved out of its place. Lastly, Fires in divers Places, which fhall devour Towns and Cities, and all the other Inftruments of Vengeance, which God has reserved in his fecret Treasures against the time of Trouble, against the Day of War, and Battle, and Deftruction of the Ungodly. By all thefe various Tokens of his Indignation, is our Good God at this Day alarming. and awakening the impenitent World, and warning them to flee from the Wrath to come; which is now ready to be poured out to the full in the Heighth of the Antichriftian Kingdom, when that Man of Sin fhall be revealed, who is the Perfection of the Apoftacy, the Top-Fruit of the Myftery of Iniquity, whofe coming will be after the Energy of the Devil, with all Power, and Signs, and lying Wonders, and with all deceivableness of Unrighteousness, in (or among) them that perish; or (as the Word Touuévos rather fignifies) that are already loft or reprobate, i.e. whofe Measure of Iniquity is full, because they would not receive the Love of the Truth that they might be faved, 2 Theff. 2. 13. I fhall conclude this with thefe remarkable Words of Hippolitus, pag. 10. (Edit.

H 4

Par.

Par. per Morellium, 1561.) De confum. Mundi & de Antichrifto, &c. "Thefe Things have

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we told you before, that ye may know C the Trouble and Affliction that fhall come in the laft Days, and the Envy, Hatred and Strife, that fhall be at that time rife among Mankind; the neglect of the Clergy towards their Flocks, and the Contempt of the People to their Paftors: The Children fhall lay Hands C on their Parents; the Wife fhall deliver up the Husband to Death, and the Hufband the Wife. Mafters fhall be cruel to their Servants, and Servants fhall be ، difobedient to their Masters: None fhall reverence the grey Heirs of the Ancient, or pity the Beauty of Youth; Churches fhall be as Common Houfes, and in many places fhall be deftroyed: The Scriptures fhall be defpifed, and Prophane Songs fhall be fung C up and down: Out of those who call themselves Chriftians, fhall arife falfe Prophets and falfe Apoftles, Deceivers, Corrupters, Evil-Doers, Lyers, Adulterers, Unclean, Greedy, Covetous, FalfeSwearers, Slanderers. The Shepherds fhall be as Wolves; the Priests fhall embrace a Lie Thofe who have dedicated themfelves to God (Movages vox meritò fufpecta) fhall covet the Things of this World. The Rich fhall be unmerC ciful to the Poor; Great Men fhall caft off all Compaffion; Magiftrates fhall be unjuft, and for Bribes fhall pervert the Truth. The Elements alfo fhall be con⚫ founded,

founded, and become irregular in their Motions: There fhall be Earthquakes in divers Places, and Peftilences in every City; Thunders, Winds, terrible Lightnings that fhall burn up Houses and 'Fields: Tempestuous Winds which shall do unspeakable Mischief both by Land

and Sea. The Earth fhall be barreny 'the Sea fhall roar; and there fhall be great Trouble for the Deftruction of fo many Men: There fhall be Signs in the Sun, and in the Moon, and the Stars fhall be irregular in their Courfes: There fhall be Diftrefs of Nations; the Air fhall lofe its Temperature; grievous Hail; infupportable Winters; unufual forts of Ice; intollerable Heats; fudden Lightnings; unexpected Fires; and, in a Word, unfpeakable Afflictions over all the Earth. All which, according to this Bleffed Author, are to precede the coming of Antichrift, in whose time they fhall be compleatly fulfilled.

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on this subject of Famine, how alarming is the prospect throughout all Europe from the uncommo inclemency of the Weather of this Year 1789?

PART

106

PART IV.

Of ANTICHRIST.

Zech. 11. 16. Lo, I will raise up a Shepherd in the Land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall feek the young Ones, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that which standeth ftill: But he shall eat the Flesh of the Fat, and tear their Claws in · pieces.

V. 17. Wo to the Idol-Shepherd that leaveth the Flock: The Sword fhall be upon his Arm and upon his right Eye: His Arm "fhall be clean dried up, and his right Eye fhall be utterly darkned.

'A'

LL the afore-mentioned Evils, of which I have been treating, fhall be ultimately and compleatly accomplished in the Reign of Antichrift; the different Notions and Doctrines concerning whom, I fhall endeavour to fet in their true Light. The Terms of Antichrist, and Antichriftianifm, have been fo liberally beftowed upon each other, by the differing Parties of Christendom, each of them cafting it upon their Adverfaries, and difclaiming it themselves, that he who attempts to fix it, if he act counter to the commonly received Schemes, and does not fet himself to vindicate one of the contending

ending Parties, and make all the reft Members of Antichrift, will certainly be ooked upon as a Traytor to that Church n the Communion of which he lives, and Man of Latitude and Comprehenfion Towards all the reft. Notwithstanding all vhich Difcouragements, I fhall endeavour in the Fear of God) to speak my Thoughts reely and impartially upon fo momentous Subject.

SI. THE Word Antichrift expreffes a Prin- The Word ciple, Spirit or Perfon, ftanding in Op- Antichrift pofition to our Bleffed Saviour, the Lord confidered. Jefus Chrift; which Term being originally Scriptural, is certainly intended to exprefs the most perfect Oppofition, according to the Analogy of Nature, and the plain import of the Word. The Paffages of the prophetical Scriptures relating hereto, were by moft of the Ancient Fathers (as I fhall fhow at large) interpreted of one particular Perfon, who fhould emphatically and efpecially deferve that Title, which in a more lax and open Senfe fhould be applied to many others. This Senfe of the Primitive Church was generally retained without publick Oppofition, till the Times of the Reformation; upon the dawn of which, many of those who had long groaned under the Tyranny and Idolatries of the Church of Rome, and confidered how oppofite fhe was, both in her Principles and Practices, to the true Spirit of Jefus Chrift; and withal, how agreeable fome of the great Antichriftian Characters were to the Pope, as Visible

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