Magick Arts, and the People not knowing them in their cauſes, might
and eyery Eye ſhall ſee him ; and of this coming he ſpake, 1 Theſ.4. and [judge them miracles. And being wrought for ſuch ends, are termed in this chapter alſo, as that which was not ſo near at hand as ſome i- {/ig75, for a ſign is any thing that is uſed to make fignification, whether magined, And without queſtion this coming will deftroy him, if not it be a Natural, or Artificial ; an Ordinary, or Extraordinary fign, u- deftroyed before, as well as the reſt of the wicked, Chap. 1. 9, but whe- | [ed either for a good end, as thoſe ſhewn by Chrift and the ApcRtles, ther judgment may not. firſt proceed againſt the Anti-chrijtian ftate, | or for a bad end, as thole uſed by this man of fin. People are apt to and tnole that have ſin'd under the Golpel, is a queſtion, It is ſome- | be attefted with figns. The Fews, faith the Apoltle, Jeet after a fig, times mentioned particularly with reſpe& to them. As in the parable | 1Cor, 1, 22. as they oiten defired Chriſt to ſhew them a tign,and there- of the Tares and Wheat, Mar, 13, of the ten Virgins, Mar. 25. and the | fore this man of fin comes with fizns. Some ſigns are only for repre- Talents. And the Pcaſt and falſe Prophet are caſt into the Lake of fire, | ſentation, as the ſign of the Croſs, and the Images of Chrift, an! of
Rev. 19. 20, betore the General Judgment mentioned, Rev, 20. 12. ſ0
his Death and Reſurrettion, &c, and he comes in theſe : Others are tor
that at Chriſt's perſonal coming, his judgment will,as ſome conceive,be- [confirmation, which are either real Miracles, or ſuch as fecm to ; an
gin here, and then procecd to the reft of the World ; whereupon many
he comes in theſe latter alſo,which are here called 7zgg)]z l:uSs, !ying
align ſome great length of time to Chriſt's ſtay upon Earth, and judg- | wonders, or, wonders of a ye, Heb, Though the Greee word is oft utc: ing the Worid. Others take the briohtneſs of this coming in a ſpiritual | for a real miracle, yet not fo herez for miracles are the ettetts of 3 ſenſe, for aclearer manifeſtation of Chrift in the World. As the King- | Divine Power only, Kom. 15, 19, Heb. 2. 4; and not Diabolical. An dom of Antichriſt, or of this Man of fin is founded in darkneſs, ſo the | call'd lying-wonders, either becauſe they are uſed to confirm a Lye, or brightneſs of this coming will deſpel and deftroy it; with reſpect to his | becauſe they are not real, but feigned Wonders ; Impolſters to clicat
Eternal Generation, Chriſt is ſaid to be the brightneſs of his Father's
the People, and make them wonder ; whereof we have account in Gre-
Glory, Heb, 1,2, but this is a brightneſs with reſpect to men. And |gortes Dialogues, and in Paulus Dzaconus, and others, aud yet ſuch mi-
though he hath come in his Spirit to enlighten his Church from the beginning of the World, and more eminently after his Aſcenſion, yet
racles as theſe the Papitts boaſt of as marks of their Church to be true, though they are here by the Apoftle made the marics of the man of
this will exceed all the former, and is peculiarly ftiled the brighrmeſs of | fig. And Chrift foretels of falſe Prophets that thoutd ſhew grear bis coming : and ſo they expett this deftruttion of this man of ſin be- | /zg715, and wonders, to deceive, if poſſible, che very Elect, Mar, 24. fore Chrift's coming to Judgment, for if it be the ſame wich the fall of | 24. See Deut, 13, I, Rev. 13, 13, 14, : | Baby/on, mentioned in the Revelation ; many things are to be done 10 And with all deceivableneſs of unrizhteoutſnels o l 1 Or here upon Earth after that, before Chrift's laſt coming, and they men- | ;q, * them | that periſh p, becauſe they received not the mg. :
tion the calling of the Jews,the deſtru@ion of thoſe Enemies called Gog love of the truth q that they might be ſaved 7: | o Or, deceit of unrighteouſneſs, unrighteous deceit, or, deceitful ** 75 & unrighteouſneſs, naged with great ſubtilty to deceive : And ſo the ſame with the my- ſtery of iniquity mentioned before, or the myſtery of unrighteoutne!s, as we may read it, All fin is unrighteouſneſs, whether againſt God or man, as all yertue is comprehended in righteoutneis, '1 he \poitle here means unrighteouſneſs ſo cloaked and covered, that men di/- cern it not, but are deceived by it. As the 7harijees who devours:! Widows Houſes, and for pretence ger ng. FTAyC'S, Ani! fo alfy © ] [ - - hey tithed Mint and Cummin as exattly religious, built the Se- wy f5 w—_ = —_ S— [a _ Worn "oe: of the Prophets, made broad ike Philacteries, would not 1. Of Satan 1, with all power 9, and * figns, and lying | «x: with unwaſhen hands, &:. The like wefind in the Church of | wonders i Rome, as I mention'd before, where Nien arc ambitious, COVELOUS, & The Apoſtle {till continues his Diſcourſe about this man of fin, He | cruel, ſuperſtitious, &c. and all under a pretence ot rightcoul neſs, and
had declared whence he aroſe, and to what height cf Power, and the for honour to Chriſt, and the Church, 1.ake ule of 5 cte?”s Keys to open rich Mens Cofters ; and for a ſum of bioney to abſoive men in
fo it, and alſo his deftruftion, with the means of it. But he thought | this World, or to redeem them out of Purgatory in the other Wor ; which is a meer cheat, &c, Thus comes this Man of fin, and by Ju;
and Migop, the coming down of the new Feruſai/em from Heaven,which is ſome glorious ſtate of the Church here upon Earth, However the Apoſtle here mentions nothing of a deftruttion by the Material Sword ; what Princes may do- of different Religions upon a Civil account, I do not know, but as this man of fin roſe out of the Apoſtaſie of the Church, ſo he will not be conſumed, and deſtroyed, but by a return from it, which is done by the breath of Chriſt's mouth, and the brightneſs of his coming, But yet by ſome Inftruments or other, God will avenge the blood of his Servants upon this man of fin in the time and way appoin- ted of him.
manner and place of his exerciſing it, and what opened him the way
It needful to explain particularly the manner of his riſing into all
this power, and preſcrving himſelf in it, and the perſons over whom | ways he hath advanced himſelf, p This ſhe
And it is univerſal, A! ; It is unrighteouſne's ma- 4» 5*
L, is
ws who they are that are