c The way was prepared by degrees for the man of ſin, before h= came attually to be revealed, or conſtituted in his compleat exiſtence, And this was by the working cf the myſtery of iniquity, A Myſtery i ſomething in general which is abſtruſe, intricate,and not eaſily diſcern. ed, And there are myſteries in Dodrine, and in Prattice ; and there are myſteries of Godlineſs, and myfteries of Iniquity , myſteries of the Kingdom of God, and the Devil's Kingdom. So there are the deen things of.God, 1 Cor, 2, 10, and the depths of Satan, Kev. 2. 24, the myſtery ufhering in the man of fin is a myſtery of iniquity. It is no: open finand wickedneſs; but difſembled piety, ſpecious errors, wicked- nels under a form of Godlineſs cunningly managed that is here meant, See the Book called The myſtery of Fejurti/om;, or, The 1 rgvincial Lt ters, Andit is a myſtery that worketh ; it doth exert and put forth it ſelf, but ſecretly, as a Mole which worketh under gruund, And its working 1s not againſt the Being, Providence, and Atrributes of God, or natural Religion; but to undermine Chriſtianity in the peculiar Do- ctrines, Worſhip, and Prattice of it. In Do&rines are brought in pri- vily damnable Hereſies, 2 Pet. 2, 1. In Worſhip, inventions and com- mandments of Men, under pretences of greater reverence, devotion and humility, Co, 2, 23. In practice, diſpenſations to moral impictic3 under colour of {cryice to the Catholick Church. And this myſtery, faith our Apoſtle, already worketb: In the falſe Dottrines of the falle Teachers of his time, in the Traditions, and Inventions of men 99trud- ing themſelves into the worſhip of God in his time,in the afe&ation of pre-eminence in the Church in his time, and making merchandife of [the Goſpel in his time, and gain Godline(s: And in mingling Philoſ- | Phical notions with the ſimplicity of the Goſpel, and gratifying the fleſh under a form of Godlineſs, ard pretence of Goſpel liberty, An! it was not among the Heathen, or the Jews, but among the Profefors of Chriſtianity that this myſtery was then working, as I ſunpole the Apoſtle meaneth, - And when the man of Sin was fully revealca, a!! theſe corruptions did centre in him, as finks in the comman ſhore: t1.- lefſer Antichriſts in the great Antichriſt, 4 The Ilolatrics and Perſc tions of the Heathen Emperours muſt be taken out of the way to mak? way for thoſe that ariſe under a Chriftiin ar rather Anti-chriftian State, the Dragon giving his Seat, Spirit, and Power to the Beaſt, And the Power that was in the Roman Emperour,whetherHeathen or Chriſtian, muſt be taken out of rhe way to make room for the Exaltion of this man of oin., For notwit:ftanding all corruptions in Do&rine, Worſhip or Practice, which might he introduced before, yet he is not fully re- vealed till he hath his juriſdiction and ſecular power alſo in his han!, And then this Myſtery of Iniquicy is arrived to its height; which St. Fobn ſaw written in the forchead of the Great Whore, &e, L7. 5o Myſtery, Babylon the great, &c, and which ſome have ſaid, was written anciently in the Pope's Mitre,
8 And then ſhall that wicked be revealed e; whomthe Lord ſhall conſume f with the ſpirit of his mout yg, and ſhall deſtroy b with the brightneſs of his coming '; _
e This revealing I think differs from that mention'd before, v7/2 3» he is firſt reyealed as I ſaid, quoad exiſtentiam, when he comes forth in- to being, and then quoad apparentiam, when he comes to be 41/03/2704, And this I ſuppoſe is meant here, becauſe his deftruftion is mentioned
as following upon it. For the diſcoycring of him is the firſt ſtep to 11s ruine, and here is called by another name. At his firſt riſing he 1s 4 man of fin ; but after he hath violated the Laws of God, and tt: Law's of Chriſt, by ſetting up his own, he is well called dy2uG, 14: & 1?! One, and now he that pretended ſo highly for Chrift, is dilcovered f0 be Anti-chrift, The myſtery of Iniquity that before lay hid, comes 0 be revealed, God enlightning the eyes of many learned Minifters and Princes, yea and of multitudes of people herein ; the <criptures be- fore ſhut up in an unknown tongue being now tranſlated t9 fe under- ſtanding of the common people, thoſe that were made drunk We eee wine of her Fornication, Kev. 1 7. 2, now put away their Wine from them, as Eli ſaid to Zannah, And the Kings and Kingdoms cha: "Ibn their power to the Beaft, now come to hate the Whore, &c £11& Tine being come for the fulfilling the words of God herein, 17+ 17 And this Revelation is fignified and foretold when the Angel ſaid fo Fo, J will tell thee the myſtery of the woman and the beaſl that carrieth her, H\ZVs I 7.7. There is need of a divine Revelation to know the 1M) wy bo iniquity,as well as the myſtery of godlineſs. And theWom?! 1 the fame with the man of fin mentioned before, once the Spou's Of © i1ts, aur now by her Idolatry becomes a whore, and divorced fron it. 0! thy be allo that Great City which reigneth over the Kings of th: For ! by ns laſt ; by the underftanding theſe things this wicked ONE CONe> t0-De Te vealed, f Which is nor done all at once ; his con{umption g04s Og j his deftruttion, As Fezabel the Prophetefs wi educed the SET\ pgs God to commit fornication, is ſaid to'be cait 11:0 a bed of lang lNNgy
1 ——— 111Ys Rev. 2. 22, as he 10ſe up by degrees, ſo ſhall he be confunec. g! ail. 4
. . a we. dio od His power declines by degrees both Civil and &CCICUAIUC:, Ge 4 tb 44s +
Chap. 1.
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anthority he had got both in, and over the Conſciences of men. The | of Satan.
IL THESSALONIANS
Tt in the firſt ſenſe, it ſhews by what Spiric the Anti-chri-
.
ren Vials are the ſeven laſt plagues which do gradually conſume him ;| ftian Church was firſt formed, and by which it i5 Xilt in forme4 ans
and this is faid to be done by the Lord himſelf, which is the Lord Jelus. | acted,
As in Natural Bodies the matter is formed and informed by
He that made war wich the Lamd is overcome by the Lamb, Rev. 17. theSpirit within ir, The trae Church hath the Holy Spirit that forr:;
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11. thouzh many inſtruments may be imployed herein ; for ne is (aid it into a Spiricual Temple, Eph, 2, ulr, The falſe Church hath the 5pi- to have thofe with him who are ca/-4,choſen,and fatrbful, ibid, and it be-] rit of tne Devil forming it into the Synagoruc: of Satan, Rev, 2, The
2