Antichrift. The first works in and by the two laft. The devil worketh in the children of difobedience, Eph. ii. 2. He is at the bottom of all the disasters which befal the church: The roaring lion that goeth about feeking whom he may devour. He tempted our mother in the garden, our Saviour on the mount, and numbers are still taken captive by him at his will, 2 Tim. ii. 26. Perfecutors in particular, are that old lion's whelps, thirsting after the blood of the faints. Headed by him as their king, what they do is exprefly afcribed unto him. So Rev. ii. 10. Behold, the devil fall caft Some of you into prison, that ye may be tried. And as wicked men are inftigated by Satan, fo efpecially the man of fin, that wicked one of Rome. The dragon gave him his power, and his feat, and great authority, Rev. xiii. 2. His coming is according to the power of Satan, 2 Theff. ii. 9. And, at laft, the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, shall be caft into a lake of fire, burning with brimftone, Rev. xix. 20. and xx. 10. 2. It is obfervable, that the Antichriftian enemy, or the Romish church, is held out under different figures. Sometimes that church is defcribed, efpecially in her pretended head, as a man, fometimes as a woman; at other times as a beaft; and at other times as a falfe prophet. And all these in oppofition to the Redeemer, and his people. Anfichrift is the man, in oppofition to the man Chrift, the Son of man, feen amidst the feven golden candleflicks. The Antichriftian church, is the woman, in oppofition to that woman clothed with the fun, crowned with twelve stars, and having the moon under her feet. Antichrift is the beast, in oppofition to him who is at once the Lamb fain, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Antichriftian beast, is also a false prophet; for he speaks, and doth great wonders, making fire to come down out of heaven on the earth, in the fight of men; and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by thofe miracles which he has power to do, Rev. xiii. 11,-14. And he is a false prophet, in oppofition to the two witnesses who prophecy in fackcloth. When they fhall have finished their teftimony, The beast shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. • Rev. xi. 7. As the magicians of Egypt withfood Mofes and Aaron, fo does the falfe prophet the true witneffes of God. Under whatever figure the enemy is described, ftill there is fome additional epithet, added to fignify infamy or difgrace. If ́ called a man, he is a man of fin, that wicked one, that fon of perdition. If a woman, fhe is the great whore, the mother of harlots, and drunken with the blood of the faints. If a beaft, it is a feven-headed monster: It is not fimply Zov, a living creature, as the four living creatures around the throne, Rev. iv. 6.; but Onpiov, a wild, a favage beast. If called a prophet, he is a FALSE prophet; and therefore an abomination to Jefus Chrift, the faithful witness, Rev. i. 5. 3. See God's great goodness to his church, in describing the enemy fo clearly before he came. As the Old Teftament was full of prophecies concerning Chrift, fo is the prophetic part of the New concerning Antichrift.. In the one, the church was told of her Beloved, her Friend who was to come; in the other, fhe is forewarned of that great adversary who was to distress her in the latter days. In the one, Chrift was fo clearly pointed out, that all who compared the prophecy with his character, when actually come, could not but know that he was indeed the Meffiah, of whom Mofes, in the law, and the prophets did write. In the other, we have fuch a pointed defcription of Antichrist, in the doctrines he should teach, the feat he fhould affume, the place where he should refide, and the blood he should shed, that every one in the diligent use of the scriptures, may easily know him. Such as compare the work of providence with the word of prophecy, cannot but fee that the great Antichrift is come, and that the priest of Rome is he. What a precious legacy to the church is the Revelation, in this point of view? The canon of fcripture was not to be clofed, till the church should have a thread of prophecy to lead her through the most intricate labyrinths of time and tribulation. Though in that myfterious book, there are depths wherein elephants must swim; yet there are also ftreams wherein lambs may wade.—Such are several of the descriptions of the Antichriftian church, as we have feen. But, 4. As many did not believe in the Friend of the church when he was come, ftill looking for another; fo multitudes will not believe that the enemy Antichrift is already come. The Romish church, eager in this, as in many other inftances, to fmother, or to mifapply the truth, has feigned ftrange ftories concerning Enoch and Elias, coming as the two witneffes before the fecond appearance of our Lord, and Antichrift rifing up to refift them.Antichrift, fay they, fhall continue three years and an half; and there shall be only forty-five days betwixt his destruction and the last judgment. According to them, Antichrift has been in embryo upwards of these seventeen hundred years. But it would feem they are willingly ignorant: they wish not to fee the truth. What else was the meaning of that ftrait commandment, which the Pope gave in the laft Lateran council to all preachers, that no man fhould prefume once to speak of the coming of Antichrift? The king of France alfo, with advice of his council interdicted, that any one should call the Pope Antichrift f. If Antichrift be not yet come, the church has not yet known tribulation, except from the Heathen world. But who that is not loft to modesty will aver this? What keener fires can be kindled; what greater engines of torment invented, than has been by papal Rome? There are who would apply the notes and characters of Antichrift to the Turk, rather than to the Pope: But their egregious miftake must be obvious, I think, to the unprejudiced. -The feven mountains on which the woman is faid to fit, Rev. xvii. 9, 18. put it beyond all controversy that Rome is intended. 5. And lastly, fee the wisdom and the goodness of God, in adapting the trials of the church to her ftrength and experience. Her great enemy was not. to come during her minority, or under the Old Teftament; no: fhe was not to grapple with him * Turret. Inftitut. Vol. III. p. 654. Dr. Newton on the prophecies, Vol. II. p. 421. + till fhe had feen her Head and Husband in the flesh. He was to spoil principalities and powers, and to triumph over them on his crofs, 'ere his church should take the field against the Antichriftian foe. Knowing that her Lord has overcome, the is girt with greater strength than ever, to go forth and fight his battles. In his victory, she has the fureft pledge and earnest of her own. She has what she had not in her. ininority. Then, fhe had the promise that the victorious feed should come, but now she has seen the performance. Then, she had a promise concerning him to come in the flesh; now she has promises which dropped from his lips, while he tabernacled among men. What What encouragement in that word, John xvi. 33.-In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Now, the can argue in the words of the apoftle, He that fpared not his own Son, but de livered him up for us all; how fall he not with him alfo freely give us all things? Rom. viii. 32. Knowing that her Lord is afcended on high, fhe can break through the greatest difficulties to be where he is. Being better fhod with the preparation of the gofpel of peace than formerly, through a thorny wil derness she can walk; through feas of blood fhe can wade, to fee нIм whom her foul loveth. her minority, fhe fuffered fore things in Egypt and Babylon. And towards the end of the Old-Teftament difpenfation, the waters of affliction rofe to a moft enormous height. The faints had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings; yea, of bonds and imprifonment: they were ftoned, they were fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the fword; they wan In |