2. The instrumental means.
[1.] By pretence of miracles : * With all power, and signs, and lying wonders.' These three words signify the same thing, and are often joined when true miracles are spoken of ; as 2 Cor. xii. 12, ' Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all ])laces, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds,' — dvvu/jLei'i, ai)ixma, repara. So Acts ii. 22, ' Jesus of Nazareth, a man a]){)roved of God among you, by miracles, wonders, and signs;' so Ileb. ii. 4, 'God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles;' Rom. xv. 19, ' Through mighty signs and wonders, through the power of the Sjjirit of God.' Powers they are called, because they issue from power divinc; and extraordinary ; signs, from their use, because they serve to seal and signify the doctrine to which they are applied; wonders, from
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their effect, because the}' breed astonishment in the minds of the be- holders : these were the true miracles. Now, Antichrist, to countenance his false doctrines and superstitions, would ape and imitate Christ, and pretendeth to powers, signs, and wonders: as Jannes and Jambres sought to imitate Moses, God permitting it in some degree ; so Anti- christ seeks to promote his kingdom the same way which Christ took to promote evangelical truth. But they are called powers, and signs, and lying wonders, i.e., lying powers, lying signs, and lying wonders, for it agreeth to all the words, though affixed only to one of them. But why lying wonders ? Partly because the greatest number of them are mere fables, notorious impostures, and forgeries ; partly because others are diabolical illusions, things beyond human, but not angelical power. If they are 6avfiaTa, — wonders, they are not a-rjfieia, as Chrysostom distinguisheth, fit signs to signify the truth of the doctrines ; partly from the end and scope, for that must also be regarded. God cautioneth his people, that if they gave them a sign and wonder, though it came to pass, if it were to draw them to other gods, it was to be rejected, Deut. xiii. 1-3 ; the spirits must be tried whether they be of God, 1 John iv. 1 ; 1 Cor. xii. 3, ' No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed.' If a wonder be wrought, or pretended to be wrought, to draw us off from Christ, or to promote things clearly for- bidden by the word of God, it is a lying wonder, as all Antichrist's are ; for their end is to confirm the Pope's dominion and false doctrine. The sum is this, then : that many things are pretended, not really done, — impostures and forgeries, not miracles ; other things, done by diabolical illusions, as there may be apparitions, visions, spectres, for Satan will bestir himself to keep up the credit of his ministers. Lastly, if we cannot otherwise disprove them, if they tend to false doctrine and worship, they are to be rejected, whatever extraordinary appearance there be in them.
[2.] The other expression concerning the means is general : 'With all deceivableness of unrighteousness ;' which compriseth —
(1.) Their sophistical reasoning from antiquity, unity, infallibility, without coming to the intrinsic merits of the cause, but condemning the truth rather by prejudice.
(2.) Their practical acts and feats to beguile souls, by fawning or threatening, or preferment and persecutions ; these are the arts by which Antichrist shall deceive men into unrighteousness, that is, to bring this corruption into the church, and acquire tliis power to himself.
Now I shall observe some points.
Doct. 1. The devil hath a great hand in setting up Antichrist's kingdom, as he hath a great interest by it ; his coming shall be by, or after the working of Satan. He is the raiser and supporter of that estate, and he is the great seducer, opposer, and adversary of the gospel. This will appear, if you consider, first, the properties of the devil — how the devil is set forth in scripture, and secondly, by what ways he promoteth his own kingdom.
First. 1. Byignorance; for the devils arecalled,Eph.vi. 12, 'The rulers of the darkness of this world,' and his kingdom is called ' the kingdom of darkness,' Col. i. 13. The prince-like authority and government
€8 THE SEVENTH SERMON. [2 ThES. II. 9, 10.
■which by God's permission he exerciseth in the world, is over those who remain in a state of darkness and ignorance. Well, then, necessarily the devil must be a great friend to Popery, where ignorance not only reigneth, but is commended as the mother of devotion ; it is into the ignorant part of the world and the church that the devil hath brought in errors in doctrine, formality and superstition in worship, and tyranny and usurpation in government.
2. The next thing ascribed to him is error; so it is said, John viii. 44, ' He abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him : when he spenketh a lie, he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the father of it.' He soon apostatised from God and his way, and ever since is an enemy of all truth and goodness ; he turned from God, and is a de- ceiver of others. To our first parents he called the truth of God in question, and was the inventor and beginner of all errors that have since fallen out in the world. Well, then, where should his eminent power and residence be, but in that society of professed Christians wliere most errors and corruptions in doctrine and worship have been introduced, where they teach men to pray to and for the dead, to adore the bread and worship it with divine worship, and to worship images, and to pray to God in a language which they understand not, and maim the Lord's Supper, and profess they can live perfectly without sin, and meritoriously and supererogate besides, and lay up a treasury of merits to redeem souls from purgatory ? &c. There will be errors and mistakes in religion, while men are men ; but where there is a wilful opposing of evident truths, and an obstinate refusing of all heal- ing means, and men will abide in their errors rather than acknowledge that they have erred, surely they are governed by the influence of his counsels who abode not in the truth, and seeketh what he can to hinder the prevalency of it in the world.