both under the Law and the Gofpel (even as our Bleffed Lord alfo was) by many diabolical Oppofers of the Truth and People of God; fuch were Antiochus Epiphanes, Herod the Son of Antipater, Simon Magus, Nero, Julian the Apoftate, and Mahomet, &c. In the History of the Lives of most of the afore-mentioned Perfons, are to be found fuch Circumftances, and as it were Marks of Antichriftian Oppofition, as may war rant fuch a Perfuafion. The fierce Perfecutions raised by Antiochus Epiphanes against the Jews, who were at that time the Pecu lium, or Vifible Church; as alfo his Prophanation of the Sanctuary and Temple of God, related at large r Macc. I. were fuch as have made many of the Modern Expofitors, who were prejudiced against the Doctrine of a perfonal Antichrift, apply all thofe Places of the Prophet Daniel to him, which were by the Ancients apply'd to Antichrift. And who is moreover diftinguished by the Author of that Hiftory, with this remarkable Epithet, 'Audelwa☺ 'Pika; Words deeply emphatical, and that exprefs a very great degree of Corruption. The Hiftory of Herod is full of Antichriftian Characters; as First, his setting himself up for the Chrift, or at leaft affenting to thofe that did, fallly applying to him that Prophecy of Jacob, Gen. 49. 10. That the Scepter should not depart from Judah, wor a Lawgiver from between bis Feet, till Shiloh Should come; finding that the Scepter was taken from Judah, and tranflated to him. These were they who were called Herodians, not

as

as Origen and fome others imagined, upon a Civil Account, but as St. Jerom, Epiphanius, and Theophilact afferted, because they held Herod to be the Meffiah. Which alfo our Bleffed Lord feems to hint at, Mark 8. 15. bidding his Difciples to beware of the Leaven of Herod; by which the Disciples understood, Matth. 16. 12. the Doarine, &c. Secondly, (not to mention his Cruelties to his own Friends, largely defcribed by Jofephus) his murthering Forty young Men, with their Masters Judas and Matthias, who in their Zeal to the Worfhip and Honour of God, pulled down the Golden Eagle, which he in Contempt of Religion had fet up upon the Porch of the Ant. lib. Temple, Recorded by Jofephus *. Lastly, 17.cap.12. His Diabolical Design to murder the Blef

fed Infant, whom he looked upon as the Rival of his Hopes and Kingdom; which Cruelty extended fo far, as to murder (if what is Recorded by the Athiopick Liturgy, and Greek Menology be true) Fourteen Thoufand Infants; and amongst the reft his own Son, as the Hiftorians of thofe Times atteft. What we have before obferved of Simon Magus, fetting himself up as God, is fufficient to juftify our making him one of the Antichriftian Types; (not to mention his dark Magical Power and Knowledge, whereby he deceived and bewitched the People of Samaria, who looked upon his mighty Works to be Proofs of his Divinity, Acts 8. 11.) which blafphemous Exaltation of himself, because it may feem to fome not to be fairly proved by that Text of Scripture

1

*

*

13.

Scripture which I have before produced, p. 112. I fhall mention a Paffage or two out of fome of the early Chriftian Writers, who lived not long after his own Times. St. Juftin Martyr tells the Emperor, that this Ap. I. Simon Magus had been efteemed as a God, $34.p.51. even in his own Imperial City of Rome; Grab. mentioning alfo an Infcription which he had feen upon a Statue, which he took to be his, with this Infcription, zípov Déw tústw. The fame has been related upon his Authority, by Irenæus, Tertullian, and other later Writers. Which, tho' Valefius in his Notes upon Eufebius † has endeavoured to † Eccl. invalidate, fancying it to have been a Mi- Hift. Lib. ftake in that Holy Father, proceeding from II. Cap. his not understanding Latin; alledging, that the Statue mention'd by him was lately dug up, with this Infcription, SEMONI SANGO DEO FIDIO. Yet he has been clearly answered by the Learned Church-Critick Tillemont, and fo has +Vid. TMr. Le Clerk, under the borrowed Name of lemont. Thereponus, who afferted the fame as Vale- Defenfio S. Auguft. fius; and fince by our Learned Countryman adverfus Dr. Jenkins. Origen * understands that Ex-pherepon: preffion of his being called the great Power animadv. of God, of his being called the Chrift, as IP 176. have explain'd it, p. 96. And further, the Celfum. Fragments of his own Writings teftifie as Lib. VI. much; amongft which is that particularly, p. 282. Ed. quoted by St. Jerom, in his Commentary upon thefe Words, in the 24th of St. Matth. Many fhall come in my Name. Simon the Samaritan (fays he) whom we read of in the Acts of the Apostles, bas left us this Tefti

mony

* Cont.

Cant.

mony of himself, among many others. Ego fum Sermo Dei, Ego fum fpeciofus, Ego Paracletus, Ego Omnipotens, Ego omnia Dei. Besides thofe blafphemous Affertions of his, which are quoted by Mofes Bar-Cephas, a Syrian Bishop, in the Third Part of his Commentaries upon Paradife, which you may fee in the End of Dr. Grabe's First Volume of his Spicilegium. As is alfo that of Nero, in which I'fhall only obferve, that his Apoftatizing (if I may so speak) from his happy Beginnings in his Quinquennium, obferved by almost all the Hiftorians that speak of him, does most exactly answer to the Opinions of the Fathers concerning Antichrift; as doth alfo the Apoftacy of Julian. For thus faith Hippolytus concerning him, in his Oration de Confummatione Mundi, publifhed in the Bibliotheca Patrum, Tom. II. p. 13 & 14. • In his Beginnings he fhall be Merciful, Mild, Religious and Peaceable; he fhall punish Injuftice; he fhall not fuffer Idolatry; he fhall love the Scriptures; he fhall reverence the Priefts: After this he fhall C cleanse the Lepers; he fhall heal the Paralytick; he fhall caft out Devils; he C fhall foretell Things to come; he shall raise the Dead; he fhall fupport the Widows and Fatherlefs; he fhall reconcile Differences. Then all the People, efpecially the Nation of the Jews, fhall meet together to make him King: At first he fhall craftily refuse this Honour; but they perfifting in their Intentions, fhall make him King: Then fhall he lift up his Heart, and change his Manners; he fhall

و

become

become fierce, unmerciful, unjuft, proud, &c. agreeable to what is foretold by the Prophet Daniel concerning him, Chap. 11. V. 21. that they fhall not give him the Honour of the Kingdom, (i. e.) by a ufual Hebraifm, The Honour of a Kingdom fhall not be given him; meaning that he fhall have no Right nor Title to it before this flattering Ufurpation, or elfe it contradicts what follows) but he shall come in Peaceably, and obtain the Kingdom by Flatteries; (php?) by infidious treacherous Dealings. The Story of Mahomet is well known and the Parallel very eafy and Natural; befides whom there have been many others, who have in fome Refpects or other typified this Mystery of Iniquity.

§ 8. THE Man of Sin then whom these of the have reprefented fhall certainly arife in the Birth and latter End of the Kingdoms, i. e. of the Parentage fourth or Roman Empire, when the Tranfgref-chrift. of Antifors fhall be come to the full, or (as the LXXII read it πληρομένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν ) when the Measure of the Iniquities of the World (or perhaps Christendom) fhall be filled up, as we are told Dan. 8. 23. Hippolytus fuppofes (Pag. 30. Edit. Parif.) that he fhall be the Devil himself, who fhall take upon him the appearance of Human Flesh, and fhall falfly appear to be born of a Virgin, (which he exprefly afferts) not knowing otherwife how to reconcile to his Opinion that place of Mofes, Exod. 13 and 2. That whatsoever openeth the Womb is the Lord's, or as K

the