ings, in matters temporal and fpiritual, as being the vicar of Chrift, and the representative of God.

The nature of his government is different from that of the other kingdoms of Europe, having an ecclefiaftical fupremacy joined to the temporal power. His rage for propagating idolatry; his intolerant fpirit exerted frequently, extenfively, and violently, in perfecuting those who have adhered to God's written word; his attempts to alter or annul the eternal laws of God, by difpenfations and indulgencies, and to eftablifh, by his own authority, as pretended head of the Church, a mode of worship diametrically oppofite to that which pure Christianity enjoins, are facts which the annals of Europe fully afcertain.

"These things were not done in a corner.” "He that runneth, may read."

In the 11th chapter of Daniel, the spirit of prophecy having introduced the fame arrogant opponent of the Deity mentioned before, illuftrates more particularly the circumftances of his oppofition; that he fhould not "regard the "God of his fathers, nor the defire of women," (or wives, as it might be rendered ;) that inftead of the God of his fathers, he "fhould ho"nour the god of forces, (God's protectors,) "with gold and filver, and with precious "ftones, and pleafant things." That he fhould

fucceed

fucceed for the defenders or priests' of those gods-protectors, so as to cause them " have rule "over many, and divide the land among them "for their reward."

Now though the Pope, by his authority, has not established nominally the Pagan fuperftition of ancient Rome; yet he has enjoined celibacy to the clergy, and fuch as devote themselves to a religious life; instead of the demon-worship of the ancients, he has established that of faints and angels, under the notion of their being protec tors to individuals, families, provinces, and kingdoms. He has perfuaded men to build temples, and confecrate offerings to them; and thefe offerings confift of gold, filver, precious ftones, pleasant veffels, and ornaments of various kinds.

He

(1) I take the liberty of differing from Mede in his tranflation of this paffage. The word Asah is repeatedly tranflated, fucceed, in the former part of the chapter, particularly ver. 28. The word tranflated frong holds, ́is allowed to be a figurative expreffion here, and therefore equally applicable to the priests as to the temples; but the fenfe of the paffage reftricts it to the priests. It could be no gain or reward to saints and angels, that temples were erected, and that they were worshipped, but it was certainly great gain to the priests. Befides, the construction requires this tranflation; for the particle Le, for, is joined to the word Michtsui, defenders, not to Meham, protectors, as it ought to have been, according to Mede's tranflation.

He has fucceeded fo far as to render the clergy that fupport his worship, objects of veneration to the multitude; he has introduced them into the courts of princes as their confeffors and counsellors, and procured a great part of the revenues and lands of Europe to be divided among them for their reward.

As the time approached when this extraordinary character should appear, the spirit of prophe cy more clearly unfolded the circumftances refpecting him, which were before wrapped up in myftery. After all that is revealed to Daniel, it remained still uncertain, Whether this opponent of the Deity fhould be a fecret or an open enemy? How his government fhould be divers from the other governments contemporary with him? Upon what grounds he should claim fuch unli. mited authority? And by what means he should establish that authority in the world? But we have an illustration of these particulars in the fecond Epiftle to the Theffalonians, chap. ii. ver. 3.-12. The paffage affords to the unprejudiced mind a fatisfactory answer to these feveral queries. The apoftle intimates, "that there "fhould be a falling away first, and that then "that man of fin fhould be revealed," that is, that there fhould be an apoftasy from the faith, which would produce Antichrift. At the fame time, by the apoftafy mentioned, he

could

could not mean an abfolute renunciation of the Christian name, for he calls it "a mystery of "iniquity," and hints that the beginning of it appeared in his own time: "It doth already "work;" of course he must have in view Hymeneus and Philetus, and others, who fell away from the true doctrines and pure precepts of Christianity, while they adhered to the profeffion of it; fo that the man of fin could not be an avowed, but fecret enemy, who, under the mask of an outward profeffion of Christianity, fhould contradict its doctrines, and counteract its precepts.

Again, he reprefents him as "fitting in the "temple of God." The Jewish Doctors fat when they taught; the temple, in the language of the New Teftament, fignifies the church. By the expreffion, therefore, the apoftle intimates, that this extraordinary perfon fhould claim and exercife the office of a paftor or teacher in that fociety, which is by profeffion

the church of Chrift. This ecclefiaftical authority, together with the civil dominion reprefented in Daniel, muft form a government different from that of the contemporary princes.

He further afferts, that " he fitteth in the tem"ple of God, as God, fhewing himself that he "is God," which implies that Antichrift would not exprefsly deny God, but claim a delegated authority

N

authority from him, as being his visible represen, tative, at the fame time ufing that authority, In oppofing God and exalting himself. In perfect correspondence with this idea, the Bishop of Rome claims authority to alter the laws of God, as being the vicegerent of God on earth, the visible head of the church, and the visible judge of controversy.

The means by which Antichrift would efta. blish his authority in the world, the spirit of prophecy lays before us in thefe expreffions: "His coming is after the working of Satan, with "all power, and figns, and lying wonders, and with all the deceivablenefs of unrighteoufnefs" That is, he shall arrive at his authori ty and power, not in the way in which princes commonly extend their dominions, by open force, but by secret fraud, particularly by pretend. ing to work miracles', fome of which fhall be preternatural, performed by the operation of Sa, tan*, others fhall be illufions, performed by flight of hand; together with thefe, he fhall ufe the feveral

(1) The Church of Rome, and her fpiritual head affert, that miracles are a mark of the true Church; and chiefly by pretending to this power, they maintained their authority in the dark and fuperftitious ages."

(2) Aliquando fit in Ecclefia (inquit Lyrannus in Dan. c. xiv.), deceptio populi maxima, in miraculis factis a facerdotibus, vel eis adherentibus, propter lucrum tempo rale. Miracula fieri hominibus ad imagines confluenti

bus,