Ch. 2. Antichrift. ' I. Johrì: .fntichrit. Ch.2 which 'way.did they hear it, but by the Apo- come in theflefh. This it a deceiver, and one Mlles, as front Chrift, whore words the Evange- .Anteehrifl.l lifts have not omitted ? Now Chrift's words And (thy they ) when ho other Text in were, (Many (hall come in my Name, raying. I Scripture hath the name Antichrift, and there ,east Chrift and Anil deceive many) Here he four allthus expound it ofetich as deny Chrift's .lothnot fix the Name on any one more than Incarnation,anddiredly oppofe him ; and fuck on others. Andit is certain that Chriftwas not as were then in being, andofmany fuch Here- miftaken ; but what he foretold did come to fies, andnot of one Man or Order alone ; and pets . though we read not of any that was ex- 'when all this concurreth with Chrift's own ;Pretty ll'd Chrift, and commonly fobeliev'd, words, ofmany falle Chrills, that should de- that was nor,- caufe none attempted fo to de- ceia the yews to their de(lrudion, whence 6 can we expedi a Curer Expofition of Anticlui. (Hanky, whether we take the name for an , ld- verfary to Chrifl, or for a fafe Chrifl? When Grotius frngleth out Barchochebas, as the chief Antichrift, who call'd himfelf the Meffiah, and feduced thoufnds, and even the Sanhedrim of Rulers, into his Error, to their deltrudlion , it is anlwer'd by fonte, That this was all doue before this Epiftle was written: To which fame reply, 1. That this is utterly uncertain, becaufe that Epiphanies faith, Sohn was firft banifh'dunder Claudius And becaufe the contrary Tradition hath no good Evidence, and becaufe the poralyps isahe belt Expofitof, whole very Stile implieth that at lea¢, much of it waswritten before the deftrudlion of ye- rufdem ; and fo may thisEpiftle. a. Were it certain, John maketh no one to be the only or grand Antichrift, and thereforeChrift's Words might be fitft fulfill'd in Parchochebas,and filth others; end yet more after may fucceed them. The two otherOpinions (r. Thatit is only Simon Magus. 2. Or P`efßaften) I think not worthy the confuting. In theft difficulties I only advice the Reader, . that he never forfake great and certain Truths or Duties, for any thing uncertain : And that Humane Faith overflow not Divine Faith: and no Man's Opinion draw him to depofe Chrifl, by delaying all his viable Church, and making it all in any Age (much leas in itsbelt ftare) to be Idolatrous and Antichriftian; or to be frightned from Chriftian Love, Unity, and Peace, or from, any lawful thing, by the meet- Name ofAntichrift ; but to judge ofDodlrines by Scripture, and ofPerforls j their Dodtrines, Pra/ices and Perfonal Qtalification ; and to hate Sin impartially, wherever he findeth it ; and to actufe rallyand unjuftly neither Per- fens, Parties or Societies. :ceive men, but caufe their Succefs was final', and loon ftifteil, aí d not like Mabemets. 130x4, on the Text Mat, 4, faith, E in my Name, is, Thèy pa ofarf the ameofthe MefCiah or Chrift. Such tpas that Dofitheus, whom Theophiladl ffeaketh of, and Simon, andTheudas; andafter there, Manes, wlo alfa chofe hita twelve .Apofìles. 'and-incur memory the Munfter-.Anebaptifls at- tempted thefame; andwfter themDavid George the Prince of the Libertines.) (So games Noilor lately, the9uaker, whole Tongue the Parlia- ment bor'd through, whip'd him, and impri- fon'd him till he died, for folemnly perfona. tinaChrifl, riding intoBriflel.) But there were others that promis'd to deliver the Jews, till they drew them into Rebellion, to their de- ftrudion, and Co took on them to redeem Ifrael, tho' they call'd not themfelves the Chrift. Al- mod all Expofitors agree, that there were the Aetichriftsmeant by Chrift,Mat. 24. But tho' theft were then Ihorely to arife, it followeth not, but that more fuch might arife after them. And fuch wás Mahomet; above all others no- torious by his Alcoran, Kingdom and Succefs. And as Elio:, Cerinthus, and Come other Here. ticks, were against Chrift in force degree, .fo more notably is the Pope in that degree, as he arrogateth Chrift's Prerogative, and maketh himfelf a Vicaribes Head of the whole Church on. Earth. So that there grant, that fuch Popes are one fort of thofe Antichrifts that fhould af- ter arife ; but that the Pope is not he that is meant. by Chrift in Mat. 24. nor here by yohn. And whereas-2 Tiler2. is objeled for One Man of Sin, &e. they fay, that it is not Anti- thrift properly that is there mention'd, but the '.Anti -God, the Raman Idolatrous Emperor, that Mould cattle yerafalem s Delolation, and fer up there the Idol of Abomination. There is the like mentionof Antichrifl.a= gain, Ch. 4. 3. [ Every Spirit that confeffeth not that yefusChrifl is come in theflefb, is not of Ged ; ..And.this is the Spirit of .Antichrifl,where- 'efye have heard that it Amid come, and even how already is in the World.) So Ch. 2.20. (He is,Antichrifl, that.denietb the Father and.the Sen.) And 2 yob. [For many deceivers are entred,in- se the World, whoconfers nut that yefm Chrift is 59. They went out from us, but they were not of us : for if they had been of us, they would, nodoubt, have continued with us : but they went out, that theymight be mademanifeft that they were not all of us. 19. There Deceivers (the Nicdaitans, Ebienò Cerinthus, &c.) were indeed in our Consten- nine5
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