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V. 5. He fays, They shall be like the noise of the Flame of Fire that devoureth the Stubble. The Prophet Nahum fays, they fhall feem like Torches, they fhall run like Lightning, Chap. 2. 4. Fire, Flame, Lightnings, &c. being common Metaphors in Scripture, to 1o. 17.50. exprefs the Powers of both the light and 11. dark World *.

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*See If.9.5,

18.4. 4.

Zech. 2. 5.
Mal.3.2.
Ecclus. 3.

V. 7,8. They shall run like mighty Men: They shall climb the Wall like Men of War, &c. 6, 7. Here is an Account of their affaulting and Mat. 3.11. taking Jerufalem; under which alfo may Luke II. be comprehended and understood the other 18. Cities belonging to the Church of Chrift. There is, v. 8. one very remarkable Expreffion which doth ftrongly exprefs their Magical Power, that when they fall upon the Sword (or Dart) they shall not be wounded. Something like that Privilege granted by our Lord to his Apoftles, Luke 10. 19. That nothing fhould by any means hurt them. Mark 16. 18. If they fhould drink Poyfon, it fhould not hurt them. That ferufalem shall be taken in this last and great Invafion, is evident from Zech. 14. 2. Rev.

II. 2.

lem.

§ 18. IF Ferufalem is to be taken; it must of the be restored, and the Temple rebuilt before taking of this Invasion, and be inhabited by convert- Jerufaed fews, as will appear by the fequel of this Prophecy. Now the Fathers who talk of Antichrift's fitting Blafphemously in the Temple at Jerufalem, as if he were God, do generally agree that both Temple and City should be rebuilt by Antichrift him

felf,

felf, Vid. Sulp. Sev. Dial. 2°. Cyril Hierof. Cat. 15. 7. Hippolytus de Confum. p. 12. Edit. Biblioth. Patrum &c. Upon what Authority this Opinion was grounded, I am not able to determine; but that it is erronious I am verily perfwaded, particularly by this Expofition of the Prophecy of Joel, which I believe the more it is confi dered, the more reasonable it will appear. For thereby it is plain, that the Temple fhall be ftanding, and the true Worshippers affembled in it at the Approach of Antichrift, Chap. 1. v. 18. Unless perhaps the afore-mention'd Writers meant by Anti chrift, the Eastern false Prophet (whom fome of them call by that Name) as he that should rebuild the Temple, and place the Image of the Western Beaft in it, which is the Opinion of fome. But for my Part I think it more probable, that both fhall be rebuilt by the Jews themselves, many of whom no doubt fhall be converted by the Ministry that fhall go forth with the Everlafting Gospel a little before the great Defolation, they being inftructed in fome of thofe great Truths that have long been hidden under the covering of Darkness and Error, and finding how far Jerufalemi fhall be concerned in the great approaching Revolution, fhall retire thither and build up the City and Temple (the Turkish Empire being perhaps at an End, or at leaft fome of thofe Parts in the Hands of the Christians) where the Chriftian Worfhip may be Celebrated in great Purity and

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Exacthefs, as may be in a great Measure collected, Dan. 11. 31. where mention is made of the Daily Sacrifice (viz.) of the Body and Blood of Chrift, which shall be then counted as an Effential Part of the Daily Worship, without which (as I before obferved) the Service of the Church is Imperfect. (See Mr. Mede's Christian Sacrifice.) Upon the approach of the Antichriftian Army an Alarm is Sounded, and Advice is given upon the Ceffation of the Daily Sacrifice by reafon of the scarceness of Provifions occafion'd by the Multitude of the Armies, and perhaps by a Curfe flowing from these Magicians on all fides; upon this (I fay) advice is given, Chap. 1. v. 13. to the Priests to gird themfelves and Lament, to lie all Night (or Day and Night) in Sackcloath, to Sanctifie a Faft, to call a Solemn Affembly, to gather the Elders, and all the Inhabitants of the Land, &c. i. e. to humble themselves, that they may be worthy to escape this Curfe, and enjoy the following Bleffings. v 14. See Zeph. 2, 3. From v. 14. it plainly appears, that upon the beginning of the Invafion, before the City fhall be taken, the Daily Sacrifice fhall be cut off, that being the Signal for the great Humiliation. Chap. 1. 9, 13, &c. The Fruit of this great Humiliation is v. 18. of the Second Chap. that God will be jealous for his Land, and Pity his People. By which it cannot be fuppofed to be meant that God will immediately oblige the Enemy to rex tire from Ferufalem; no, the City fhall)

be ...

be taken, as was obferv'd before, and the Temple, 2 Theff. 2. 4. or rather the outward Court of the Temple, Rev. 11. 2. will be in the Hands of Antichrift, where he'll fit as God, to receive Divine Worship. What then is the advantage of this Humiliation, if it delivers neither the City nor Temple? Why it is this, that all they that obey and Repent, fhall deliver their own Souls, and be hid in the Day of the Lord's Anger. Zeph. 2. 3. How God fhall deliver them, is hard to determine; it may be most probably by giving them notice to depart, before the City is Invested, and hiding them in the Deferts or Mountains, where the Enemy can't find them, as the Prophets were hidden, during Ahab's Apoftacy, (a Type of thefe Times) 1 Kings 18. 4. Thus Jeboafh the Heir of the Kingdom of Judah was preferved in the Houfe of the Lord from the Maffacre of Athaliah, during the whole Six Years (the Number of AfSome Per- fliction) of her Ufurpation. 2 Kings. II. Jonal Cha- 19. HERE then we fee Jerufalem ta racters at- ken by the Antichriftian Army, and An tributed to tichrift himself fitting in the Temple of God, in Scri- magnifying himself as if he were God, Speaking pture, viz. marvellous things against the God of Gods, fhewHis Blaf- ing himself that he is God, according to what phemy not was foretold, Dan. II. 36. 2 Theff. 2.4. regarding the Defire This is no doubt the ultimate meaning of of Women; the Abomination of Defolation ftanding in the Hobis worship-ly Place.For what can be a greater Abominaing the Godtion to the Divine Nature, than Antichrift, 'his'very Oppofite and Reverfe? Let us here

Antichrift

Maozzim;

his doing Wonders.

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view him in all thofe Characters and diftinguishing Marks whereby the Holy Scriptures point him out in his Compleat and Perfect State, which I prefume he must have attain'd when he is come to this Period. Both the Prophet Daniel Chap. 11. and alfo St. Paul 2 Ep. Theff. 2. 4. and St. John Rev. 13. foretell that he fhall Blafphemously exalt himself above every thing that is called God, fitting in the Temple, and commanding himself to be Worfhipped as God. Daniel fays that he shall not regard the defire of Women, by which I understand (notwithstanding all that Duft that Expofitors have raised about it) that he shall not marry himself, and fhall difcourage it in others, (and perhaps it was with a peculiar Regard to this that St. Paul, 1 Tim. 4. 1, 3. calls the forbidding to marry a Doctrine of Devils, as the place is commonly understood) thereby giving Encouragement to Fornication, and a Promifcuous ufe of Women. The next thing that Daniel fays of him is, that he fhall not regard the God of his Fathers, but in his Eftate he shall Worship the God of Maozzim. Dan. 11. 38. Concerning this there are various Conjeatures of Learned Men, fome taking it for Mars, others for Hercules, others for Jupiter Olympius the Abomination of Antiochus, 0thers applying it to the Papacy make it to be the Saints and Angels which the Romanifts Worship with Divine Honours, others make it to be the Mafs it felf. The Learned Selden, after the moft diligent Enquiry, chooses rather to be filent, as finding no

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thing

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