judgment; that he is Lord of all the univerfe; that he hath a divine Majefty; that he ought to be adored by all people and kings; that to him alone is given all power in heaven and in earth; • and that in him is all power over all the powers, as well in heaven as in earth; that he is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; the root of David, whom God raised up for the Saviour of the church.'It appears from their own writings, that after the election of the Pope, he is placed upon the great altar t, where he is worshipped ‡.

Picteti. La Theologie, Vol. II. p. 384. See alfo, Vol. III. Part II. p. 134.

The Pope, being clothed with his pontifical robes, the Cardinals come and kifs his feet, which ceremony is called, adoration. "They first elect, and then worship him; as in the medals of Martin V. where two are reprefented crowning the Pope, and kneeling before him, with this infcription, Quem creant, adorant; whom they create, they adore ." It is well known what was infcribed on a triumphal arch, in honour of Sixtus IV.

Oraculo vocis mundi moderaris habenas,

Et merito in terris crederis esse Deus: i. e.

By thy command thou ruleft the reins of the universe, and art justly believed to be a God on earth.

And if the Roman Pontiff thus afpire to pafs for a God on earth, it is quite in character.to exalt himself above all that is called God, and particularly above civil magistrates, who are fo called, Pfal. lxxxii. 6. John x. 35. And in many instances, he has treated them with the utmoft haughtiness and contempt, obliging them to proftrate themselves before him, to kifs his toe, to hold his ftirrup, and to wait bare-footed at his gate; as did Gregory VII. to Henry IV.

Dr. Newton on prophecy, Vol. III. p. 140.

From all this, it is abundantly evident, that the Roman Antichrift is that man of fin, that fon of perdition, who, according to the apostle's prediction, was to be revealed. The characters given agree exactly to him, and to none other. The apostle foretold, that such a one should come; and he gave the mark of the monfter fo clearly, that all might know him, foon as he appeared. And if the Romish Antichrift be not he, we may challenge all the world to fay who is?

Further, the apostle, when speaking of the man of fin, who was to be revealed, intimates, that he was even then as in embryo. The mystery of iniquity, fays he, doth already work; i. e. the Antichriftian leaven was then got as into the mafs, threatening to leaven the whole lump. So fays

Henry II. of England, was whipped by papal orders. Frederic I. falling down at the feet of Alexander III. the haughty Pope trampling on his neck with his foot, is faid to have thundered out these words, Upon the adder and the ferpent, thou shalt tread; and thou shalt trample on the lion and the dragon. To whom Frederic replied, This was faid not to thee, but to Peter; both to me and to Peter, faid the Pope. Celestin with his foot kicked off the crown of Henry VI, Gregory II. fined the emperor Leo III. in part of the empire. Zacharia depofed Childeric, king of the Franks, and placed Pepin in his room. Leo III. translated the empire from the Greeks to the Romans. Gregory VII. depofed the emperor, Henry IV. and commanded another to be elected. Innocent III. depofed Otho IV. And Innocent IV. in the council of Lyons, depofed Frederic II. who had been excommunicated by Honorious III. *

* See Dr. Newton on prophecy, Vol. II. p. 397. Turret. De Neceff Secefl. Difp. II. fect. 19. Difp. V. fect. 17, 20.

the apoftle John, Little children as ye have heard that the Antichrift fhall come, even now are there many Antichrifts. He is Antichrift that denieth the Father and the Son. Beloved, believe not every Spirit, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Every fpirit that confeffeth not Jefus Chrift, who is come in the flesh, is not of God. And this is that Spirit of Antichrift, whereof ye have heard that it Should come, and even now already is it in the world, 1 John ii. 18, 22. and iv. 1, 3. fpirit was working, even in the apoftolic times. So Diotrephes loved to have the pre-eminence, and caft the brethren out of the church, 3 John 9, 10. Whatever opposed Christ, in any respect, whether in the dignity of his perfon, the purity of his doctrine, or the atonement made by his death, that was the spirit of Antichrift, according to the profense of the word, as ufed by the apoftle, viz. an enemy to Chrift.

per

The Antichriftian

The mystery of iniquity, ftands in direct oppofition to the mystery of godliness, mentioned, 1 Tim. iii. 16. as does Antichrift to Chrift. And with this may be compared, the name written on the woman's forehead, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth, Rev. xvii. 5. What a mystery indeed! What a myftery of iniquity is known in the church of Rome! Her head one while pretending to pardon fin, at another granting dispensations, and all to fill his coffers with the gain of ungodlinefs. How juftly may fuch a one be called, by way of eminency, The man of fin, i. e. the moft finful man! prefumption to affume the feat of God, to arrogate

What

the very diadem of Deity, Holiness! And to allow what the Moft High has forbidden! What a deftroyer of the fouls of men! What a stumblingblock to Gentiles and to Jews! How juftly is he ftigmatized with the name of that wicked one! 2 Theff. iii. 8. where the apoftle has an eye to what the penman of my text fays in his prophecy, chap. xi. 4. With the breath of his lips fhall he lay the wicked one. I read, wicked one, as the original word is in the fingular. Remarkable are the words of the Chaldee paraphraft on this paffage, He fhall deftroy the wicked Roman *.

It is further to be obferved, that the man of fin is called the fon of perdition; which name our bleffed Lord gave to Judas, John xvii. 12. and the identity of the name indicates a certain unity of character. Was Judas a profeffed difciple of our Lord Jefus? So is the priest of Rome. Did Judas betray him whom he pretended to love? And is not the Romish prieft a moft notorious traitor, pretending to honour the Redeemer's perfon, while he tramples on his authority, and perfecutes his members. Did Judas go into perdition? Him shall the Lord confume with the Spirit of his mouth, and deftroy with the brightness of his coming.

The apoftle having faid, The mystery of iniquity doth already work, immediately adds, Only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way. There behoved one to be taken out of the way, before the man of fin could openly appear. Then,

*Remarkable indeed, when we reflect, that he lived about forty years before Chrift. Turret. Inftit. Loc. II. Quest. xiii. Sect. 4.

viz. when he who letteth is taken out of the way, then fhall that wicked one be revealed. The Theffalonians knew who was the let or impediment here intended, ver. 6. Te know what with-holdeth, that he might be revealed in his time. It did not feem good to, nor was it neceffary that, the apoftle fhould exprefly name who or what that let was. But as the Theffalonians had it from the apoftle's own mouth when he was with them, ver. 5. it is reasonable to believe, that they would communicate it to other Christians, and particularly to their own pofterity. And, from the concurrent teftimony of the Fathers, it appears that it was the Roman empire. Tertullian, who lived about the end of the fecond century, expounding these words, Only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way, fays, Who can this be but the Roman ftate? The divifion of which, into ten kingdoms, will bring on Antichrift; and then the wicked one fhall be revealed.' And he affigns it as the reason why the Chriftians prayed for the prolonging (pro mora finis) of the Roman empire, because they knew that the greatest calamity hanging over the world, was retarded by it's continuance. To the fame purpose Origen, in the third century, Lactantius, Cyril, Jerome, Auftine, Chryfoftom, and Ambrofe in the fourth*. And taking the let for the Roman empire, fuggefts a folid reason why the apostle did not exprefly name it: as that had been the high way to provoke the civil powers

Turret. de Seceffione, ab Eccl. Rom. Difput. vii. Sect. 12. Dr. Newton on the Prophecies, Vol. II. p. 413,-418. Pictet. Theol. Chret. Vol. 1I. p. 381.