not indeed to perfect this Work, but he has left enough to fhew clearly his Mind in this Matter: which I am perfuaded the Learned will be curious to know; efpecially fince it appears not to have been written in his younger Years, but when his Judgment had arrived to a full Maturity, after a long and laborious Examination of the Controverfies betwixt the Proteftants and Roman Catholicks; and particularly of the Plea of many of the Former against the Latter for Antichriftianifm. It feems this Great Man had an Intention of publishing what is to be found in the Antient Holy Fathers concerning the Judgments of God upon the Apoftatized Chriftians, or relating to the Question of Antichrift: and for a confiderable time before the Oxford-Edition of St. Ephrem by the Reverend Mr. Edward Thwaites,Late Learned Greek Profeffor there, it is certain he was preparing a correct Edition in Greek of that very Piece of this Father which is here done into English, with that of St. Hippolytus, herein refer'd to; whereto a Differtation was to be added concerning the Books of this laft, with fome confiderable Fragments never yet Printed, and Notes upon them Both. This was foon after his Edition of St. Irenæus, that fo the Disciple might fucceed the Mafter: And much about the fame time, I fuppofe, he began to write the aforementioned Treatife, on a particular Occasion which it is not neceffary to give the Reader an Account of. His principal Design herein is to prove, That Rome fhould by impure Mix

tures

tures fall from the True Faith in Chrift, and introduce a very great Corruption in Religion, which would not fail to draw down very heavy Judgments upon her: But that however this her departing from the Simplicity of the Gofpel, as delivered to the Apoftles, by many Innovations and Interpolations of her own, was not to be accounted the fetting up a new Gospel; and that her Worship might be not only Superftitious, but even in part alfo Idolatrous, without being therefore properly Antichriftian. And, firft, his Purpose was to prove in general how Rome was to be the Mother of a Falfe and Idolatrous Worship: and that St. John doth Prophefie of Rome under the Name of Babylon,by the almost universal Confent of Roman Catholick Expofitors themselves. 2dly, To fhew to what Time this Falling Away of Rome Christian, by committing Spiritual Fornication, muft refer. 3dly, That after this Antichrift muft appear, and fhall fhew himfelf at Rome, according to the Notion of the Antient Fathers. 4thly, That Rome fhall after this be deftroyed by Fire, in a manner very extraordinary. And 5thly, That Antichrift, whofoever that is, fhall laft of all be made to undergo a like Fate. Moreover, in a Letter of his to a certain Gentlewoman, which was written to divert her going over to the Church of Rome from the Church of England, bearing Date July the 20th, 1703. wherein there was a Challenge made to the Popish Miffionaries; I find that among the Seven Chief Points which he was prepared

to infift upon against them,had they thought fit to accept his Challenge, thefe Two that follow are the Firft: viz. 1. I would lay "down as a fure Foundation of my Dif"courfe, the Heavenly Revelation of Jefus

Chrift given us by his Angel to St. John, "and by him to all Believers, in which he

hath Foretold for a plain Warning to "them, That Rome in the latter Times fhould fall again into Idolatry, (as it was guilty of that Crime in former Times) and feduce or compel the whole World to it, partly by their Fallacies and Enchantments, partly by the external Splendor "of their Worship and Glory of them that "follow her, partly by horrible Bloodshed σε and moft grievous Perfecution of them

that oppofe her. Which Revelation is in "that Point fo clear, that almost all the Je"fuits that have written Comments upon St. John's Revelation, acknowledge this to "be true. 2. Then I would fhew next, That this Prophecy is fulfilled already, and that it may be written now of the Apoftatized Roman Chriftians, what formerly St. Paul wrote of the Heathen Romans, namely, That they worship and ferve the Creature befides, yea more than the Creator, and that they change the Glory of the uncorruptible God into an Image made like to corruptible Man. Rom. 1. 23, 25. And that for this very Reafon they have maimed or quite taken out of their Catechisms. the Second Commandment, wherein God hath manifeftly forbidden fuch Practice:

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"Whence

"Whence it is no Wonder that now amongst the People at Rome is common to "be feen, or heard, the fame Effect which the Apostle in the fame Place mindeth as a due Punishment of fuch Idolatry, when he addeth, v. 26, 27. For this Caufe God gave them up unto vile Affections. For the Men leaving the natural Use of the Women, "burn'd in their Luft one towards another; Men "with Men working that which is unfeemly, "and receiving in themselves that recompence of 65 their Error which was meet. Yea fuch and ἐσ the like abominable Uncleanneffes have "been fo much liked among the Roman "Chriftians (if fuch are to be called with "that worthy Name),that an Italian Bishop " hath written a Book in Commendation of Sodomy, and never was punifhed for it. Which, and other things relating to the "fame Crime of Idolatry, as alfo their "horrible Cruelty in propagating it, I would propose with all Calmness, and let you hear the Answers of the Adverfaries. AND in another Letter, without Date, which I fuppofe to have been written by him to the very fame Gentlewoman Answer to one of hers concerning the Unity and Indefectibility of the Catholick Church, thereby meaning that of Rome; after a pretty full and diftinct Confutation of that common Allegation from the Promifes of God to the Chriftian Church, and a Parallel of the like Promises made to the Jewish Church; he proceeds to answer an Exception made by thofe of the Roman Commue 3

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nion against this Parallel of the Christian and Jewish Churches; and of the Divine Promises made to each. The Sum of whofe Argument is this, That the Promises of God to his People are not Abfolute, bat fuppofe the Condition of their Adherence to Him, and his revealed Laws and Teftimonies; from which if they depart, and follow their own Imaginations, and fet up their own Inventions, especially in his Worship, either befide or contrary to His Word, God may juftly, and will certainly depart from them, and give them over into a reprobate Sense, and even into Non-fenfe and abfurd Follies. And having in confirmation hereof cited that famous Paffage of Ifa. xxix. 13, 14. which is clearly referr'd to by our Bleffed Saviour himself, Matth. xv. 9. he goes on in the following manner, viz. "What is com

monly excepted against this, namely, that "the Promifes of God concerning His continual "Prefence in the Temple and with the Jewish People have been indeed Conditional, but that thofe of His perpetual Affiftance to the Chriftian Church, particularly to that of Rome, as the Mother and Mistress of all "Churches are Abfolute; This Exception, I fay, will not hold, but, if rightly confidered, proveth to be but a proud Prefumption, reproved by St. Paul himself in the Epistle to the Romans, where he fpeaketh at large of the Jews, to whom "he faith Ch. ix.v.4. pertaineth the Adoption, "and the Glory,and the Covenants,and the Promifes; but who notwithstanding all this, in

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