thing among the Eastern Gods, to which he could with any probability affix the Name Maozzim. Deum Maozzim prætermifimus, ut planè ignotum aliter ac locus ille unicus S. Hiftoria indicat. De De Dijs Syr. Synt. II. c. 17. It is no improbable Conjecture that it is the Devil himself, represented by the Dragon, the Author and Giver of all that Diabolical Power which is exercifed by both the Beast and Falfe Prophet, Rev. 13. 2. In the mean time (fays a Learned Man) I am inclined to believe that his Name may have in it fome Magical meaning, and that it may ultimately refer to the Forces and Powers of Nature, as awakened by thofe that are skilled in the natural and ceremonial Parts of that fecret Art, and as particularly applied to the Principle of Darkness and Wrath, and alienated from that of Light and Love. Befides this, Daniel obferves that he fhall be a Man of great Craft and Cunning, that he fhall understand dark Sentences, all the Difficulties of Arts and Sciences, which will be an accomplishment very neceffary for the great Business he undertakes. But the great and remarkable Obfervation that all of them make is, that he shall be wonderfully skill'd in the dark Magick, and thereby do ftrange Wonders to deceive and delude Mankind. Thus our Bleffed Saviour, Mat. 24. 24. fays that the falfe Chrifts and falfe Prophets (and no doubt chiefly the laft falfe Chrift and falfe Prophet) fhall fhew great Signs and Wonders, infomuch that if it were poffible they fhould deceive the

the very Elect, much more fhall the Prince and Ruler of them, Antichrift himself. St. Paul,2 Theff. 2. 9, 10.fays, that his coming fhall be after the working of Satan,with all Power, and Signs, and Lying Wonders, &c. St. John, Rev. 13. 13, 14. is fo particular as to tell us what fort of Wonders he fhall perform, viz. that he shall make Fire come down from Heaven on Earth in the fight of Men; i. e. the Earth-bread Beaft or Falfe Prophet by his Power. Befides his healing the deadly Wound, and making the Image of the Beaft fpeak and deliver Oracles, as we have mention'd before. These are the moft remarkable Perfonal Qualities attributed to him in Scripture. The laft of these, viz. his doing Wonderful and Miraculous Works is largely attefted by the Holy Fathers. The Sybilline Oracles, Lib. 3. fpeak largely to this purpose, that Antichrift fhall remove Mountains, ftop the Courses of the Sun and Moon, raife the Dead, &c. St. Hippolytus, p. 36. Edit. Morell, fays," He fhall

remove Mountains in the fight of Men, he fhall pafs thro' the Sea dry-fhod, he 'fhall call down Fire from Heaven, he 'fhall change Day into Night and Night

into Day, and alter the Course of the Sun at his Pleasure. (And elsewhere) He fhall make his attendant dark Spirits appear like Glorious Angels of Light; he fhall bring with him innumerable Legions of Spirits, and in the fight of all Men fhall feem to be taken up into Heaven,with the Sound of Trumpets and Shoutings of his

M

Fol

*

lon. 1603. P. 228.

Followers, he fhall fly to and fro in the Air, and defcend again upon Earth with great Glory &c. Ephrem Syrus in his Difcourfe de Antichrifto gives a particular Edit Co-Defcription of his removing Mountains, adding that he fhall feem to remove an Island out of the Sea to the dry Land, that he fhall gather together an innumerable Company of Serpents, and ravenous Birds, that he fhall walk upon the Sea as upon dry Land, &c. To these might be added the Teftimonies of Lactantius and others, which I omit as being nothing else but Repetitions of the fame Things. One Thing I cannot pafs by upon this Head without a particular Remark, which is that St. John mentions particularly, the Miracle of bringing down Fire from Heaven, which was no doubt for fome particular Reafon. It is to be noted then that all forts of Miraculous Operations were comprehended under these two Denominations, viz. Signs in the heights above, and figns in the depths below, Ifa. 7. II. Now it was (and no doubt ftill is) the Opinion of the Jews, that to work Signs in the heights above was a true proof of Divine Power and Authority, therefore they defired of our Bleffed Lord to fhew them a fign from Heaven, or the heights above, Mat. 16. 1. as a Proof of his Divinity. At which Requeft of theirs, St. Mark 8. 12. fays, our Lord fighed deeply in Spirit, no doubt bewailing the hardness of their Hearts (and probably confidering within himself how fatal to them that Perfwafion of theirs would

would be hereafter, when by that means
Antichrift fhould deceive them.) And St.
Luke, Chap. 11. v. 29. fays, our Lord was fo
far from gratifying them, that he affured
them no fign fhould be given them but the fign of
Jonas the Prophet, which we know was in
the Depths below. And the Holy Spirit
foreseeing that this Opinion would again
prevail in the World, tells us by way of
Caution, that that Deceiver Antichrift
fhould be able to bring down Fire from Hea
ven; i. e. the heights above, that fo when
he fhall fhew that Sign, it may be fo far
from deceiving us into an Opinion of his
being the Meffiah, that it fhall be to us a
fure Token that he is the Antichrift.

World at

S20. Now what a State must we imagine The State the World to be in, when God fhall fuffer of the them to be governed by fuch a Ruler as that time. this, when the Powers of Darkness fhall be thus let loofe, and the Devil himself shall reign corporally, himfelf ruling in chief, and fending forth on all fides innumerable Perfons impregnated with his own Diabolical Spirit, Blafphemers of God and Haters of good Men, mighty in the Powers of Darkness, to be as his Deputies and ViceRoys to rule and domineer in diftant Pro. vinces and Countries. I tremble to read the dismal and terrible Account that both the Holy Scriptures and Ancient Writers give of thofe Times; this will most certainly be that Time of Trouble, fuch as never was fince God made Man upon Earth, nor ever shall be afterwards: For the very M 2 Foun

Foundations of the Natural, Moral, and Political World fhall be deftroy'd and caft down. His Conqueft of the Kings and Nations of the Eastern and Western Empire we have already confidered; besides which, the Prophet Daniel affures us, that he fall Stretch forth his Hand upon other Countries; that be fhall have Power over the Treasures of Gold and Silver, and over all the precious Things of Egypt; and the Lybians and Ethiopians shall be at his fteps. His horrible Contempt of God and Prophanation of Religon we have feen, fetting himself in the Temple of God, and not fuffering the daily Sacrifice, nor any Chriftian Solemnities to be obferved. As to the Natural World, we know: that the Devil is emphatically tiled The Prince of the Power of the Air, Eph. 2. 1. and as fuch has, no doubt, by the Permiffion of God, a Power of raifing Disorders and Commotions there; and efpecially at this time, when by the Divine Nemefis this whole vifible Sphere of Nature will be abandoned and delivered over to the overflowings of the Curfe. Antichrift therefore, and his Magical Attendants and Followers, fhall make ftrange Confufions and Alterations in external Nature; terrible Earthquakes, Storms, Thunders, Lightnings, &c. and, according to their exact Knowledge of the active and paffive Qualities of Nature, may according to fome fecret Rules of their diabolical Art, fo temper them, as to raise poisonous malignant Ferments in the Air, Earth, or Water,