Secondly, I come to consider the time of his appearing, and there to observe three things : —
I. That Antichrist was not then revealed because there was an im- pediment hindering his revelation: 'and now ye know what withholdeth
2 ThES. II. 5-7.] THE FIFTH SERMON. 49
that he might be revealed in his tinie,' that is, what keeps him back for the present, until the time that God had prefixed. The apostle doth not expressly mention what this to Karexov or impeachment ^ was, either because he thought it enough to appeal to their memoiy and knowledge — nowye know what withholdeth; there was no need of repeat- ing that wliich was formerly mentioned, they sufficiently knew ; or partly because he would not give the heathen an occasion of raising a persecution against the Christians, if they should come to understand that one professing himself a Christian should erect a throne for him- self at Rome, and that the empire should be taken away to make Avay for him. The Romans were very jealous, on jSaatXeiav ovofid^ofiev — because they talked of these innocent notions, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of heaven ; they were a})t to accuse them Iccsce majes- tatis, as if they would with open force and violence attack or assault the empire ; therefore the apostle had spoken that which he thought not fit to write in an epistle ; or, lastly, he leaveth it in this obscurity because all i^'ophecies were but darkly uttered, that their accomplish- ment be not hindered, since it is the will of God that such events shall fall out in the world, and out of indulgence to his people he is pleased to foi-etell this. It is not meet that the prediction should either be too clear or too dark ; if too clear, the event would not follow, nor God's government of the world be carried in such a way as might suit with the liberty of mankind ; if too dark, the comfort and caution of God's people would not be sufficiently provided for.
But what was this impediment ? The ancients generally determined it to be the Roman empire ; for so Tertullian — the empire of Rome, which was to be divided into ten kingdoms ; and reason showeth it, because the man of sin could not rise to his greatness as long as the Roman empire stood. Why ? Because he that was to exalt himself above all that is called God, and above all that is august, could not bring his designs to pass as long as the Roman empire retained its majesty ; but when once that was eclipsed and removed, then he was to be re- vealed in his time : all things have their time, and so the man of sin. Well, then, it M'as the Roman empire that stayed the manifestation of Antichrist, he being to build his tyranny on the ruins and wreck there- of; and therefore the primitive Christians prayed ^ro morajinis, that it would please God to defer the fall of this empire, fearing worse things u])on the dissolution thereof.
Now this impediment showeth both the time and lilace of Anti- christ ; and time and place, next to the nature and state of things, are the best circumstances to discover him. (1.) The place: Antichrist's seat and throne was to be there, where the seat of the Roman empire was ; and St John telleth us it was situated on the city that had seven hills : Rev. xvii. 9, ' The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth ;' and that is Rome, which is famously taken notice of to be seated on seven hills or mountains. Now Antichrist had not room as long as the seat was filled with the Roman emperor, for this seat could not be filled with two irajierial powers at once, especially with such a tyrannical power as that of Antichrist is, exalting itself not only above kings and kingdoms, but irav o-i/Saafia, the august
^ Qu. ' impediment ' ? — Ed. VOL. III. D
60 THE FIFTH SERMON. [2 ThES. II. 5-7.
state of the emperors themselves ; there was no exalting this chair, till there was a removaU)f the /Arojic ; while theKonian enii)eror possessed Eome. tlie seat was full, and till it was void it eould not be the seat of Antichrist.
(2.) The next circumstance is the time when the impediment is taken away, when the lioman empire is so weakened and removed from Fu)nie that this ]K)\ver may grow up ; and that was when the Uoniau empire was divitled into ten kingdon)s. as TertuUian saith, and is agree- able enough with the i)rophecy of St John, Hev. xvii. 12, ' And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have not received their kingdoms as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast ;' that is, near that time when the Roman empire was broken and divided, which began near (lUO years after Christ's birth.
II. The next observation is, that though he was not revealed in the apostle's days, yet the mystery of iniquity did begin to work, but secretly ; for it is said, ver. 7, beginning, * The mystery of iniquity doth already work.' Tliis is given as a reason why it would break out sooner ; but it was kept back ; there was something a-brewing that would make way for Anticlu'ist, some disposition of the matter, some ju'opensity thereunto, something begun, which would afterwards show itself more eminently in the great Antichrist.