So do

out taking Notice of St. Cyril's Comment upon it, p. 209. as being but too apposite to our Cafe upon another Confideration. Many Falfe Prophets (or Teachers) fhall arife and de

ceive many.

CC

Men (fays he) are fallen from CC the true Faith, fome confounding the "Perfons of the Ever-bleffed Trinity, as "the Patripaffians and Sabellians, others making the Blessed Jefus to be a meer Creature, as the † Arians: And formerly Herethe Soci- ticks were detected and made manifeft,but nians of CC now the Church is full of private lurking our Time. Hereticks. Men are fallen from the Truth, and have itching Ears, if you preach to "them pleasing Doctrines, and prophefie "fmooth things, they run after you, and hear you with Greedinefs. But tell them "of Repentance, Mortification, and the "Love of God, they all forfake you. Men are fallen off from good Works, and had "rather feem good than be fo. This is the falling away, (viz. that is mention'd, 2 Thell. 2. 3.) and the Enemy (viz. AntiGC chrift) cannot be far of.

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The next Sign is v. 12. That because of the abundance of iniquity, the love of many shall wax cold. Upon this faith St. Cyril, Ibid." Can any here prefent fay, that he does in all Refpects love his Neighbour with Sincerity? Are not our Words very often friendly, our Countenances fmiling, "and our Eyes chearful, whilft the Heart contrives Deceit, and he that fpeaks Peace, has War in his Heart? (A little after) The Want of brotherly Love will

C.

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make

"make Way for Antichrift. The Devil "makes Divifions and Strife amongst Men, "that the Enemy (viz. Antichrift) may CC be more easily let in. The fame Account is given by Lactantius of the Times preceding the Reign of Antichrift, pag. 646. "There fhall be fo little Righteousness in the World, and fuch Abundance of Co

CC

Orthodox:

vetoufnefs, Impiety and Luft, that "the few good Men that fhall be left "fhall become a Prey to the Wicked. They fhall live in Plenty, whilst the ἐσ Righteous fhall labour under Contempt and Poverty; Right fhall be oppreffed, "the Laws fhall lofe their Force, there "fhall be neither Sincerity, nor Peace, nor common Civility, nor Truth among Men. The fame Account is given by Methodius Patarenfis,* And alas! who is there at this day that may not take up Jeremiah's Lamenta- * P. 396. tion, chap. 9. and wifh in the Bitterness of Edit.Bafil: his Soul for a Lodging of way-faring Men, in the filent retirement of a wilderness, that he might leave his people and go from them. For they be all Adulterers (loving the World, and the Riches and Pleasures of it more than God) Jam.4.4. An Affembly of treacherous men, they bend their tongues like bowes for lies, but they are not valiant for the truth upon the Earth. Take beed every one of his neighbour, and truft ye not in any brother, for every brother will utterly fupplant, and every neighbour will walk with flanders, and they will deceive every one his neigbour, and will not Speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to Speak lies, and weary themselves to commit ini

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ye

quity s

quity; their tongue is as an arrow shot out, it fpeaketh deceit; one speaketh peaceably to his Neighbour with his mouth, but in heart be layeth wait, v. 2, 3, 4, 8.

BUT you will fay, if these be the infallible Tokens, whereby we are to judge of the near approach of that Time; How comes it to pass that fo many Holy and Good Men have been miftaken in their Judgments about it? Since fo many of the Ancient Fathers, who have written about these Matters, have taken Pains to apply them all to their own Times, and to perfwade themselves and others, that the Day of the Lord was at hand? To this I anfwer, That the Illuftrious Ideas which the Ancients had receiv'd from the Holy Scriptures as then understood, and from the Traditions of their Venerable Predeceffors. in the Faith, concerning the Glorious Kingdom of the Meffiah, and the Reftitution of Nature (which will be the Confequences of the Great Affliction) were fo tranfporting and ravifhing, that their inflamed Affections could not chufe but outrun, or at least lay a ftrong Byafs upon their Judgments, and make them often believe, that what they wifh'd to be fo near at hand, could not be far off. So even the Difciples themselves, as foon as ever our Lord was Rifen from the Dead, could not chufe but think that the Kingdom fhould immediately be reftor'd to Ifrael, Act. 1. 6. But if we, upon whom the Ends of the World are come, have not the fame long

ing

ing Expectation that they had, to fee the return of our Dear Redeemer, to fee his Church triumphant, and all his Enemies. put under his Feet; yet let us however be driven by the Terrors of the Lord, and not put far from us the Evil Day, confidering that whatever Reasons our Fore-fathers had for judging the Confummation to be at hand, ought more clofely to affect us, who at this distance of time are fo much nearer to it than they. So then if we do in good earneft watch for that Day, in Abstraction from the Darkness of this World, and ftanding in the Spirit of Light and Truth, we fhall as Children of the Light and of the Day fee when Evil cometh, fo that that Day fhall not overtake us as a Thief, 1 Theff. 5. 4,5. So fays Hippolytus, $50. But let us, having "the Mystery of God in our Hearts, faithcc fully attend to thofe Things that have "been spoken by the Holy Prophets, that we knowing them before-hand, may not "be deceived; for in the Fulness of Times He, concerning whom thefe Things are fpoken (viz. Antichrift) fhall furely be "made manifeft. Whilft on the other hand they that neither love nor believe the Truth, but take pleasure in Unrighteousness, upon them God Shall fend the Energy (or Strength) + 'Evegfes t of Error (viz. Antichrift) that they shall and believe a Lie to their Condemnation, 2 Theff. vs.

2. II, 12.

I

BUT whether we regard it or not, whether we be provided or not, that Day will furelycome, the Times are ripening apace; God

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God hath begun to fhake the Heavens and the Earth; An Alarm is founded to the Ends of the Earth; The Day does already dawn upon the tops of the Mountains. And the Spirit of Love and Peace is defcending in plentiful Showers, like the latter Rain upon the Earth, to unite, ftrengthen, and prepare for himself, a peculiar People to be the Firft-Fruits of the Kingdom of the Lamb. Even fo, Lord Jefus, come quickly! Turn Thee, O Thou Beloved of our Souls, and come swiftly as a Roe, or a young Hart over the Mountains of (Bether) Divifion (even the Divifions and Diftractions of the Chriftian Church) till the Day (even Thy Day) break forth, and the Shadows of Darkness be perfectly diffipated. O! That Thou would 'ft rend the Heavens, that Thou would't come down, that the Mountains might flow down, and melt at thy Presence! Lord pity the Stones of Zion! It is Time that Thou have Mercy upon her, yea the Time is come. Thine Holy Cities are a Wilderness, Zion is a Wilderness, Jerufalem a Defolation. Our Holy and Beautiful Houfe where our Fathers praised Thee is burnt up with (the) Fire (of Contention and uncharitable Zeal). We fee not our Tokens, there is not one Prophet more, there is none amongst us that knoweth how long. Wilt thou refrain thy felf for these Things? O God! Where is thy Zeal and thy Strength, the Sounding of thy Bowels, and of thy Mercies towards us; are they reftrained?