Ch. z, Warningagainfi the I.Jo Chriftians, bccaufe, to know God, as he is Love and a Father to us, is your chief Princi- ple of Faith, On you ancient Chriftian, be- caufe it is your old Religion. On you, among Chriftians, becaufe you that have moft ftrengthi and victory over Saran, mutt have aloft of this GraceofLove andObedience. 15. Love not the world, neitherthe things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 s. And I mutt accordinglywarn you againft the love that is contrary to this Divine Chri- frian love, which is the carnal inordinate love of thisWorld; and - worldly Interefrand Things. Avoid this with all poflible care, for in that meafure that you thus love the World, you are fo far deftituteofthe love ofGod, elfe it would prevail againft it. 16. For all that is in the world, the lurk ofthe flefh, the lull of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Fa- ther, but is of the world. 16. For all that is the Bait of Senfuality in the World, whether it be the PleafuresofAp- petite, Loft,and other Senfes, or the pleating of a covetous, luftfid, or vain Imagination by the F,yes; or Preferment, Dominion, pompous li- ving, and Pride oflife, are none of them the way to Communion with God . and Salvation, but are the Worldly Inrerefr, and Temptation of the Flefh, which turn mens hearts to the World, from. Gad. 17. And the world paffeth away, and the luft thereof: but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever. 57. And theWorld, and all its Pomp, Plen- ty and Pleafure, and the flefhly Lofts that are pleafed by it, are haftily palling away, while they Teem enjoy'd: but the reward and the pleafureof thofe that do the Will of God will have no end. t8. Little children, it is the lait time : and as ye have heard that An- tichrift (hall come, even now are there many Antichrifis, whereby we know that it is the lait time. 18. I yet fpeak to you, as Children liable to Deceit. It is now the latter part of the Age of the World; and, as you have heard that .Antfkrifl.fftall come, fo, even now there aremany falte Teachers rifen up, who, in feve- ral fortsand meafures, are Adverfaries to Chrift : which thews us, that indeed It is already the beginning ofthe haft Age. Note, Of the Controverte about,Antichrill, fee the Notes on z 214.. u. there are four Opi- kin. Love ,ofthe World. Ch. z pions very commonly pleaded for; and others, by fome few; I. Molt of the old DaEfors and Cariffians, that have left us their Thoughts, took Anti- chriftto bea' falle pretendingChrift thatlhould rife up towards the end of theWorld, little dreaming that the Pope was he, much lets that all the vilible Chriftian Church was then, in its -mot flourifhingg frate, Idolatrous and Antichri= frian, as fome hold. By which it appeareth, that it is a Point that godly men may be igno- rant of, for few now but the Papifts are ofthis Opinion. II. Others think that Mahomet is the great Autichrift,as being that open Enemy ofChri= ftianity, whoby pretending hatred toIdolatry,, hash fet up himfèlf, and won more of the Worldthan all the Chriftian part of the Earth, by far. III. Moil Proteffants hold, that the Pope is the Antichrift, but theygreatly difagree ofthe time when he began to be fo, Some fay, at theChurches Deliverance by con/Lavine, which was three hundred and four years after the birth ofChrift; Some fay, about .Anna 604. when Phocaa named Pope Boniface the Third, Univerfal hilltop of the Empire, And thence rifeth a Doubt, whether the fáme Claim made not 7 hn of Ccn'iaatipcp!e Antichrift before, and fo there be not two Autichrifis: And whether the like Ambition made not Cyril, Theophilnu, andother Patriarchs of.Alexandria, anddivers other Bifhóps, to be fo many Antichrifts: Some fay, he began about Hildeárane°s time, when the claim ofUniverfal lead, and Vice- Chrift over all the World, began, with power over Princes, which was abovea thoufand years after Chrift, And Come few fay, he began about Innocent the Third, when the General Council of the Lateran own'd that Power, with Tranfubftantiation, and the Murder ofRe- formers, ask/el-click,. The Reafofts for the Opi- nion that the Pope is the Antichrift, you may find in many Volumes, and particularly Bishop G. Dawnarae's, 1V. Others think that Antichrift was a falfe Chrift, who was to-6ppear in thedays of tome ofthe .Apoflles, or gist Generation, to (educe theJews into Rebellion againft the Romans, to their deftruétion. And they are very confi- dent that here meant no other than Cbrilf himself meant in Mar, 24. and receiv'd his Notice fromnone but Chrift, and that Chnift's own Words are the fureft Notification, who is the Antichrift : For , it is mentioned here, not as a thing known only by spe- cial Infpiration to them, or the ;Apefiles, but as a receiv'd former Prophecy , t.As yolk have heard that Antichrift Pall come, ] And which
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=