xxix

A Sermon or Homily_concerning
Antichrift, and the End of the
World.

Ho

OW fhall I Ephraim the meaneft Pag. 359. of the Servants of God, a Sinner laden with Iniquities; How fhall I be able to inftruct you in Things that are above my Capacity. But as our Blessed Saviour was pleafed in meer Mercy to inftruct his illiterate Difciples in the Myfteries of Wisdom, and by them to con vey Divine Light to all the Faithful: So he will without Grudging blefs me with the Gift of Utterance, to the Comfort and Edification both of me who am to speak, and all you that are to hear.

But I can

not preach to you without Sighs, nor fpeak without Tears of the approaching Confummation of all Things, and of that moft blafphemous and terrible Serpent, who fhall put the whole Earth in Confufion, and fhall infufe Cowardize, Negligence, and Infidelity into the Hearts of Men, and do Signs, work Wonders and dreadful Sights, infomuch that if it were* Mt. 24. poffible he should deceive the very Elect, and 24. feduce all Mankind by lying Wonders and miraculous Appearances that shall be wrought by him. For by the Permiffion

b 4

of

of the Righteous God he hath Power to deceive the World, because the Measure of their Iniquities is filled up, and all Places are full of all Kinds of Abomination. And for this Cause the Holy God will fuffer the World to be tempted by the Spirit of Error because of their Iniquities, because Men have forfaken the God of Truth, and loved a Lie. My Brethren, great will be the Tribulation of the laft Days, especially to the Faithful. When Signs and Wonders fhall be wrought by this Old Serpent with great Power. When he fhall again fhow himself, as if he were God, in dreadful Operations, (a) flying to and fro in the Air with Legions of evil Spirits, accompanying him

as

(a) Even as Simon Magus, a Type and Forerunner of him, is reprefented flying in the Air, and thereby oppofing the Gofpel of Chrift, as preach'd by St. Peter: And as the fame is alfo reported concerning Apollonius, another Representative of him, and other dark Magicians, Ancient and Modern. Whence one of our Modern Pfeudo-Prophets was, it feems, not well advis'd by the Spirit which acted him, not to content himself with the Power of walking upon the Water, as Chrift; but to lay claim likewife to a Promife of flying in the Air, according to the exprefs Characteristick of Antichrift and his Apoftles. This is very agreeable to the Devil being call'd in Scripture the Prince of the Air, and to his Tranfportation of our Bleffed Lord, when tempted by him, from the Wilderness to the Pinacle of the Temple in Jerufalem; if that were a Real and External Tranfaction, as commonly, is fuppos'd, and not meerly tranfa&ted i Spirit,

as miniftring Angels to this terrible Tyrant. For he roareth mightily, appearing in Variety of Forms, to the unfpeakable Amazement of all Mankind. Who, my Brethren, will then be found standing bold and unshaken, having the (6) Seal in

(b) There is a twofold Seal: viz. The Seal in the Heart, and the Seal in the Forehead. The former precedes the latter, and is the Cause of it. The latter follows this, and is the external visible Sign thereof; which is to be imprinted by an Angelical Power in the laft Days upon all the true Followers of Christ, to diftinguish them, even outwardly, from the Followers of Antichrift. Of the former St. Paul has made fufficient mention,2 Cor. i. 22. faying, Who bath SEALED us, and given the Earnest of the Spirit in our Hearts: And again, Eph. i. 13. In whom (i. e. Chrift) ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of Promife. And iv. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are SEALED, unto the Day of Redemption. And of the latter St. John has made like mention, calling it emphatically the Seal of the living God; and that with a particular refpe&t had to the Time of Antichrift. See Rev. VII. 2,3-9. and ix. 4. Now as for the outward and visible Seal, wherewith Baptiz'd Chriftians were at Confirmation anciently. feal'd, and which was for a fenfible Sign of the inward and invifible Seal of the Heart; it was certainly no other than the Sign it felf of the Son of Man, or of Chrift confidered in his Humanity, being as a Counterpart to the faid Seal of the living God, or of the fame Chrift confider'd in his Deity. Thus the Firft Sealing was to be chiefly into the Merit of Chrift's Death; but the Second is to be into the Power of his Refurretion. Accordingly the visible Zoey is of Chriftianity which was given in the Primitive Church, by the Miniftry of the Ecclefiaftical Angels, was the anointing the Forehead with Oil, and making therewith the Sign of the Crofs thereupon. Whence egyik and exicoμa are thus us'd in Ecclefiaftical Authors;

and

in his Heart, the Holy Appearance of the Only Begotten Son of God! When he fhall

and even St. Paul himself may poffibly allude hereto
in that remarkable Paffage, Rom. xv. 28. And it is very
obfervable that Chrift Himself is theFirst of the Sealed
Ones, according to his own Word, Tror 5 & Пalie.
Eye, eds, Joh. VI. 27. Whence by this
Divine Sealing, and Powerful Inauguration, he may
with refpect even to his Mediatory Office, no less than
to his Divine Nature, as He is the Only Begotten of
the Father, be call'd Χαρακτὴρ τ ύποςάσεως αὐτό: And
it is the holy Appearance of this Only Begotten Son of
God in the Heart, which is the Secret and Invisible
Seal wherewith we first must be fealed; that fo we
may be fitted for the fecond Sealing, viz. that on the
Forehead, againft his fecond Coming and glorious Ap-
pearance from Heaven, Outwardly to all the World.
Wherefore by the Firft we are Sealed to be as the
exprefs Image of His Perfon, even as He is of the Father's
Perfon, through the impreffed Character of his Nature
and Life in us: And to as many as fhall attain this,.
and thereby overcome the Power of Satan, it re-
mains that Chrift, whom they are made to reprefent,
and of whom they are living Images, fhould fulfil the
Promife which he has made to his conquering Saints,
Rev. iii. 12. Which is to be effected by that Eaftern
Angel, to whom the Evis Os Can fhall for
that End be by Him committed; and which, not
without a wonderful Propriety of Speech, He calls
the Infcription of the Name of HIS GOD, and of the
Name of the CITY of Hus God: For he speaks this in his
Human Capacity, and as raised from the Dead: And in
the Words there is an evident Relation to the State
of the First and Bleffed Refurrection. But however
this may be now efteem'd, it was no fuch ftrange
thing in the earliest Days of Chriftianity; and parti-
cularly among the Oriental Chriftians, in the midst of
whom this Holy Father was a Bright Star in his Day:
And both the First and Second Sealing eis (alu aiavior
were moft fignificantly exprefs'd by the Ancient Forms
of Confirmation, as may be feen.

fhall fee that unfpeakable Tribulation that fhall come upon every Soul, without any. Profpect of Reftor Confolation either by Land or Sea; When he fhall fee the whole World in Confufion, and every one shall be fleeing to the Mountains for Shelter, when he fhall fee fome perifhing_with Hunger, and others melting like Wax at the great Tribulation, and none to pity them. When he fhall fee all Faces covered with Tears, and asking with great Earneftness, Is there any (c) Word of God upon Earth? and it fhall be anfwered, No. Who fhall be able to bear those Days, who fhall ftand under this infupportable Affliction? When he shall fee

the

(c) See this general Famine of the Word ultimately prophefied of Amos viii. 11, 12. Nevertheless here by Earth is not to be understood the whole Terrestrial Globe, but the Kingdom of Antichrift only, or the whole Extent of his Empire, which in the Prophetical Language is called Earth, as in opposition to the Kingdom of Chrift, wherefoever that may be, either in Heaven or upon Earth, being in the fame Language generally call'd Heaven. For thus the Apocalyptical Interpreters commonly understood the Church to be fymboliz'd by Heaven, even while it remains upon Earth, according to the Rules of Hieroglyphical Literature. And thus, not without good Reafon, is a Wo fo folemnly proclaim'd against the Inhabitants of the Earth; that is, all thofe that live under the Antichriftian Empire, Rev. viii. 13. which Empire not improbably may be included within the Limits of the old Roman Empire, or thereabouts; and which was alfo call'd oinsuévn, by our Tranflators render'd the World. See Luke ii. 1. Acts xi. 28. Rev. xvi. 14.