the Vulgar Latin has it, Sanctum vocabitur Domino. Which Opinion feems to have been transcribed from him by Ephrem Syrus in his Sermon concerning Antichrift. But this is a contrivance to falve an Hypothefis which is fo far from being neceffary, that it contradicts the very Letter of the Holy Writers. Scriptures, 2 Thef. 2. 3. (where he is exprefly called The Man of Sin) &c. as well as the common Sentiments of most other Writers. Others have been of Opinion that he fhall be an Incarnate Devil, which St. Hilary afferts in his Comment on the aforecited Place of the Theffalonians. This Opinion (notwithstanding what has been faid

串

3.& 6 Ed. Rigalt. Tom, 2.

De Carn. to juftifie the Poffibility of the Incarnation Chrifti,cap of Angels by * Tertullian and † Origen) is, as upon many Accounts unreasonable, fo contradicted by Damafcene, Lib. 4. Cap. 27. Chryfoftom and Theophylact upon the Second Epiftle to the Theffalonians. Others are of Opinion that he fhall be born of a very impure unclean Woman, and begotten by an Incubus, or Evil Spirit. Whether fuch Procreation be poffible, and whether the Traditions of the Ancients concerning fuch Births be true, (as that of Remus and Romulus, and Servius Tullius, recorded by Dionyfius Halicarnaffæus, Lib. 1. that of Plato, by Diogenes Laertius; of Alexander the Great, by Plutarch,

c.) I fhall not here determine; but fhall The moft only fay, that it appears to me probable, Probable that his Generation fhall be according to the ordinary natural courfe, between two Perfons who fhall have filled up the measure

of

Abfurd

Accounts

hereof by Some

+ 2: in Joh.

Paris.

of their Iniquities, the Devil fo magically
Co-operating with them, as to take poffef-
fion of him in the very Womb, and make
him throughout as compleatly diabolical as
it is poffible for a Man to be. This is the
Opinion of Rabanus Maurus (to whom the
later Criticks attribute that little Treatise
de Antichrifto, published at the end of the
Ninth Volume of St. Auftin's Works *,) he* P. 259
fhall be born (fays he) like other Men, not Edit.
of a Virgin, as fome affirm; in the begin-
ning of his Conception the Devil fhall en-
ter into his Mother's Womb, and there fhall
cherish and defend him. So St. Cyril of Fe-
rufalem + fays, The Devil fhall ufe him as + Cat: 15:
an Organ, or Inftrument through which $ 6.
he fhall act. For fo he understands that
Expreffion of his coming' évéçyear të
Zalava, 2 Thef. 2. 9. His Parents, as moft
Writers imagine, fhall be Jews; but I ra-
ther believe a few and an Apoftate Chriftian,
fuch mixt Births having been obferved to
be fatal. Such were the Rebel-Giants, be-
gotten between the Sons of God and the
Daughters of Men (whether by the Sons
of God we understand only the Spiritual
Seed of Seth, or the 'Eyre, as in the Pro-
phecy of Enoch t†) fuch was rebellious Syncelli 】
Chronogr.
Abfalom,the Son of Maachab, the Daughter
p. II. 24.
of the King of Gefhar; and fuch it is com- Edit. Goar.
monly thought was Adonijah, the Son of
Haggith, whofe Country indeed the Scri-
pture takes no notice of.

K 2

$ 9. HIS

That be

P. 12.

Cap. 30.

§ 9. His Extraction by the Jewish Side fball come fhall be from the Tribe of Dan; this is ge out of the nerally afferted by Hippolytus, by Irenæust, who in a myftical Senfe interprets that Paffage of Jeremiah, Chap. 8. v. 16. The Lib. 5. Snorting of bis Horfes were beard from Dan (or as the LXXII read it, ansoula, we shall bear, &c.) of the coming of Antichrift. By thefe Words (faith he) Jeremiah Shows out of what Tribe he shall arife; adding withall, That this is the Reason why Dan is omitted amongst the Tribes that are fealed. Apoc. 7. St. Ambrofe alfo, de Bened. Patriarch. afferts the fame from thefe Words, Gen. 49. 16. Dan fhall Judge his People (viz. the Jews) as one of the Tribes of Ifrael (or as the one fingle Tribe of Ifrael, to whom the Government is given, i. e. Judah;) fpeaking thus, Chap. 7. Sampfon indeed came out of the Tribe of Dan, who judged Ifrael Twenty Years, but the Prophecy pointed not at him, but at Antichrift, who fhall arife out of that Tribe, a fevere Judge and cruel Quaft. Tyrant. Theodoret afferts the fame thing; 109. in adding withall, That as the Scepter given to Judah, did principally point out our Lord, who arofe out of that Tribe, fo the promising a fort of Rule or Government to Dan, did point out Antichrift, who fhould ufurp the Government of Chriftendom in the later Days. The fame is afferted by *De Pre- Profper. Aquitanicus*, in thefe Words: It is mif. Edit.plain that Antichrift fhall arife out of the Tribe of Dan, which is now in Perfia, acp. 67. cording to the Prediction of the Patriarch,

Genef.

Duaci.

Gen.

Dan.

*

Hom. 10.

Lib. II.

+

Cap. 18.

Gen. 49. So does alfo Anaftafius Sinaita *.
St. Gregory mentioning that afore-cited in Hexaem,
Gen. 49. fays, That Antichrift fhall come Biblioth.
out of the Tribe of Dan; for which reason, Patrum.
fays he, in the Division of the Camp of Tom. I.
Ifrael, Dan pitched firft towards the North, Lib. 31.
thereby to fignifie him who faid in his in Job,
Heart, I will afcend into the Sides of the North,
I will be like the most High, Ifa. 14. 13. of
whom also another Prophet fpake, faying,
The Snorting of his Horfes fhall be heard from
Dan, Jer. 8. 16. And this I think is fairly
hinted in the Prophecy of Jacob, Gen. 49.
17. Dan is a Serpent in the way, biting the
Horfes Heels, that the Rider fhall fall backward;
which when he had faid, pointing at Anti-
chrift, he adds, by way of Confidence in
the Promises and Mercies of God, I have
waited for thy Salvation, O Lord! i. e. The
Coming of the Meffiah, Luke 2. 30. as if
he had faid, Dan, out of thee shall arise
the laft and greatest Enemy of the Church
of God; but this is my Confolation, that
the Meffiah fhall come upon thee and de-
ftroy thee, and bring Salvation unto Ifrael,
and unto the Ends of the Earth. And this
the Jews are fo fully perfuaded of, that
Ben-Dan, or a Son of Dan, is a proverbial
Expreffion amongst them, to fignifie a noto-
rious Villain, or Murderer, as David de Pomis
obferves in his Lexicon upon the Word Dan.

S10. As for the Stature, Shape and Fea- of his I
tures of his Perfon, his Education in his fancy.
Infancy, &c. which have been with great
Confidence defcribed by fome Writers of
K 3

the

the middle and later Ages, I fhall omit them as things that have no footsteps in Scripture (excepting only Dan. 8. 23. capable of divers Conftructions) nor Primitive Antiquity; and fhall only obferve, that as it is recorded of our Lord Jefus Chrift, Luke 2. 52. that from his Childhood be encreafed in Wisdom, and Stature, and Favour both with God and Man; fo it is highly probable that Antichrift, during his Minority, fhall be continually improving in Magical Diabolical Arts, and converse with Evil Spirits, by which he fhall be accomplifhed and fully inftructed for the great Work which he is to do.

The Region where he fall first appear.

*Lib. 5. Cap. 28.

SII. As for the Place of his Birth, there are Reasons (tho' not equally convincing to all) why we may think he shall be born in the Eaft, tho' his firft Appearance may be in the West. But that not being very clear, we fhall pafs on to confider what St. John fays of him, Apoc. Chap. 13. that he fhall arife out of the Sea (for of him that Place is interpreted by Irenæus *) by which, upon a two-fold Account,we are to understand the Weft. First, Because the Sea, and the Ifles of the Sea, have been conftantly fo understood by the Jews: And, 2dly, Because it agrees with the Prophecy of Daniel, that he fhall arife out of the Ten Horns of the fourth Beaft; that is, the Roman or Western Empire. The Region of the Western Empire, from whence he fhall come, is the North; as appears by comparing fer. 4. 6. and Joel 2. 20. Joel 1. 2. 2.2. Matth.

•