2 Cor. vi. IG. The worship of angels, interdiction of certain meats, then will-worship, and shows of himu'lity : Col. ii. 10, ' Let no man judge you in meat and drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbatli-da3-s ;' and ver. 18, ' Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up with his fleshly mind ;' and vers. 22, 2:j, ' Wliy are ye subject to ordi- nances after the commandments and doctrines of men ? which things
2 TlIES. II. 5-7.] THE FIFTH SERMON. 55
have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and nejjjlectinjj^ of the body.' Contempt of magistracy : 2 Peter ii. 10, * But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government ; presumptuous are they, self-willed, and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.' Thus you see how it began to work, and that the devil from the beginning had sown these tares.
But was it, then, in the apostle's time that the mystery of iniquity did begin to work ? Then —
1. We see what need we have to withstand the beginnings, and not give way to a further encroachment on the church of God ; and —
2, That the word of God should dwell richly in us, for we have to deal with mystical iniquity.
III. Proposition : That when that impediment shall be removed, then Antichrist shall be revealed ; only he that now letteth will let till he be taken out of the way. Where observe —
1 . It was before, to Karkxov, that which letteth ; now it is o Kark-xwv, lie that letteth — the empire and the emperor. And mark, a long succession of empires is called 6 Kark-ywv : why not then a long succession of popes, the man of sin, the son of perdition ?
2. He that now letteth will let. Antichrist was but in fieri, and that secretly and in a mystery ; there was desire of rule, some super- stitious and false doctrines, some mixture of human inventions, borrowed both from Jewish and heathenish rites, mingled with the worship of God, some secret rising of antichristian dominion, some playing at lesser game, as Victor took upon him to excommunicate the Eastern churches for the matter of Easter. But before this ob- stacle was removed, he could not fully appear and invade the empire of God and men till the emperor was removed out of that city : while the heathen emperors prevailed, there was no place for churchmen's ambition ; their times were times of persecution, and it is not perse- cution, but peace and plenty, that breedeth corruption in the churches.
3. He, that is, the emperor, must be taken out of the way, that is, either by the removal of his person and throne from the city of Rome, or till the Roman em})ire be ruined, as it was in the East by the Turk, in the West by the incursions of many barbarous nations, parting it into ten kingdoms, and then by the translation of the empire to Charles the Great.
Well, then, note three things for the time of Antichrist: —
1. Before the obstacle was removed he could not appear.
2. When this obstacle was removed, presently he appeared,
3. The degrees of the falling of the one are the degrees of the exaltation and establishment of the other, for Antichrist did grow up upon it.
But they say, the Roman empire is not quite fallen, there being a Koman emperor still. But (1.) the present empire is but inane nomen, or umbra hnperii — a mere name, or a shadow of the empire. (2.) He that then let, in St Paul's time, was the succession of the Koman emperors, but this is the German empire ; now, if tlie Roman empire were the only impediment (the a})ostle useth the word fiovov), therefore as soon as that should be removed, Antichrist would in-
56 THE SIXTH SERMON. [2 ThES. II. S.
fallibly ho revealed. (3.) Thoiifjli this empire be not abolished, but removed out of Rome, it is en(>ii;i;h to make <;o(h1 Paul's prophecy. Dixit (ijwstobffi. itiijicrium esse dr iiwdio toUcndum, noii prorsus (lehmhnn. — {}r/iif((kcr.) Well, then, since the seat is left void, either tlie ])ro})hecy is not accomplished at the time, or else the Pope is Antichrist, lor the nations are loner since fallen away I'roni the Roman empire, and the emperor hath no power nor authority at Rome.
Use. To give a new note to discover and descry the man of sin. Certainly Antichrist is already revealed, and we may find him some- where. I prove it by two arji;uments : — (1.) The mystery began to work in the apostle's days ; tlierefore surely it is completed by this time, and not reserved to a short space of time a little before Christ's coming to judgment ; (2.) This spiritual usurped power was to break forth upon the fall of the cni})ire ; accordingly so it did, though it grew to its monstrous excess and height by degrees, as to ecclesiastical dominion, in Boniface III., who obtained from Phocas the title of universal bishop ; whereas Gregory the Great called Joiin of Constautiuoj)le the forerunner of xVulichrist for arrogating the same title.