e

V. 5. He fays, They fhall be like the noise of the Flame of Fire that devoureth the Stubble. The Prophet Nahum fays, they shall feem like Torches, they fhall run like Light-Seelf.9.5, ning, Chap. 2. 4. Fire, Flame, Lightnings, &c. being common Metaphors in Scripture, to 10. 17.50. exprefs the Powers of both the light and 1. dark World *.

18.4.4.

Zech. 2. 5.

"

Ecclus. 3.

V. 7,8. They shall run like mighty Men: Mal.3. 2. They hall 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 11. 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 should by any means hurt them. Mark 16. 18. If they fhould drink Poyfon, it fhould not hurt them. That Jerufalem shall be taken in this last and great Invafion, is evident from Zech. 14. 2. Rev.

II. 2.

§ 18. IF Jerufalem is to be taken, it must of the be restored, and the Temple rebuilt before taking of Jerufathis Invasion, and be inhabited by convert- lem. ed Jews, 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 falfe 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 themfelves, many of whom no doubt fhall be converted by the Ministry that fhall go forth with the Everlafting Gofpel 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 approach ing 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 Chriftians) where the Chriftian Worfhip may be Celebrated in great Purity and

1

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 fhall be
then counted as an Effential Part of the
Daily Worship, without which (as I be-
fore obferved) the Service of the Church
is Imperfect. (See Mr. Mede's Christian Sa-
crifice.) Upon the approach of the Anti-
christian 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 thefe 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 themfelves, 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 res
tire from Ferufalem; no, the City hall

M

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 moft probably by giving them notice to depart, before the City is Invefted, and hiding them in the Deferts or Mountains, where the Enemy can't find them, as the Prophets were hidden, during Abab's Apoftacy, (a Type of these 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. 11. Jonal Cha- 19. HERE then we fee Jerufalem taracters at- ken by the Antichriftian Army, and Antributed 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. 11. 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 Hohis worship-ly Place.For what can be a greater Abominaing the God tion to the Divine Nature, than Antichrift, bis doing his very Oppofite and Reverfe? Let us here

Maozzim;

Wonders.

view

view him in all thofe Characters and diftin-
guishing Marks whereby the Holy Scri-
ptures point him out in his Compleat and
Perfect State, which I prefume he must
have attain'd when he is come to this Peri-
od. Both the Prophet Daniel Chap. 11. and
alfo St. Paul 2 Ep. Theff. 2. 4. and St. John
Rev. 13. foretell that he fhall Blafphemouf
ly 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 (not-
withstanding all that Duft that Expofitors
have raised about it) that he fhall not mar-
ry himself, and fhall discourage 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.
Concerning this there are various Conje-
&tures of Learned Men, fome taking it for
Mars, others for Hercules, others for Jupiter
Olympius the Abomination of Antiochus, o-
thers applying it to the Papacy make it to
be the Saints and Angels which the Roman-
ifts Worship with Divine Honours, others
make it to be the Mafs it felf. The Learn-
ed Selden, after the most diligent Enquiry,
chooses rather to be filent, as finding no-

thing

I

38.