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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44854	Hē apostasīa, ho antichristos, or, A scriptural discourse of the apostasie and the Antichrist, by way of comment, upon the twelve first verses of 2 Thess. 2 under which are opened many of the dark prophecies of the Old Testament, which relate to the calling of the Jews, and the glorious things to be affected at the seventh trumpet through the world : together with a discourse of slaying the witnesses, and the immediate effects thereof : written for the consolation of the Catholike Church, especially the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland / by E.H.	Hall, Edmund, 1619 or 20-1687.	1653 (1653)	Wing H325; ESTC R11943	203,833	222

blesse not their mother to a generation that are pure in their own eyes yet not washed from their filthinesse a generation ô how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids are lifted up a generation whose teeth are swords and their jaw-teeth knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from amongst men a generation of L●…custs the wonder of Solomon who having no King go forth all of them by bands Would we but incline our cares to Gods counsels and turne our feet into his paths he would soon subdue our enemies and turn●… his hand against our adversaries the haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves but that we were disobedient to the Commanaments of the Lord. Why is the Diadem fallen from our head but because wo unto us we have sinned Why do flattering lippes proud tongues and double hearts prevail against us to the oppression of the poor and the making of the needy sigh Why do the wicked walke on every side when the vilest of the sonnes of men are exalted but because weare sinfull our Cities and our Countreys and our families of all rankes and degrees have sinned Go forth therefore ye sons and daughters of the Church weeping gird your selves in sack cloth and put ashes on your head take to you words of lamentation and bewail the sins of your Kings of your Princes of your Nobles of your Ministers before the Lord. Let the Trumpet be blown in Zion let a Fast be sanctified and a solemn Assembly called gather the people assemble the Elders let the Bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the Bride out of her closet let the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the altar and let them say Spare thy people ô Lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that Heathens should thus rule over us So soon as the people of God are thus framed God will be jealous for the land and pity his people The Churches teares usually go before the black Funerall of their enemies their tears ascend like exhalations insensibly but return in thundering and lightning stormes upon their enemies We shall finde the Churches mourning and the enemies ruine to be Zach. 12. 3 4 10. a Gospel-connexion and what himself hath joyned we cannot pull asunder Since therefore preces lachrymae are our best weapons against our enemies let us take to our selves this spirituall armour and let us thus go forth for the cause of God with much affection rejoycing as a Bridegroom commeth forth of his chamber and as a strong man rejoyceth to run a race let us rejoyce that we are counted worthy to be in arms for so great a King let us with a holy scorn disdain the enemies of our Lord the King let us defie that power and strength they bring against him Let the Counter-motions of crosse providences which make it evening by the Apostates clock put forward the hand of your faith to make it the morning of deliverance doth the Antichrist tread down all before him and oppresse the Church of God exceedingly be of good cheer for thus it is written that Antichrist must do and the Witnesses must suffer and also 't is written that then he is neer to his ruine and the Church neer to a glorious and exceeding great deliverance which is the subject of one main part of the ensuing Discourse Be not then ô ye Saints of the most High either afraid or ashamed of your afflictions Can you chuse a better Master Can you fight under a more royall Standard then Christs or can you finde a baser enemy or more accursed then the Antichrist gird on then your spirituall armour with the girdle of sincerity be stedfast in your resolutions why do the latchets of the shoes of patience hang so loose Why do you f●…et and startle at the news of suffering as if the fiery triall which is to try you were the fire of hell to damn you sincerity rejoyceth in the triall how will you be known from loose professeurs if your sincerity be not tried by afflictions afflictions indured with patience for Christ are the seales of sincerity this was one of Pauls seals which passed him for current among the Saints Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Sufferings for Christ are an evident t●…ken of perdition to your enemies but to you of salvation and that of God Faith is the evidence of our salvation and sufferings are the evidence of our faith Rejoyce therefore inasmuch as yeare made partakers of the sufferings of Christ for when his glory shall be revealed ye shall be glad also with exceeding joy your reproaches for Christ render you happy inasmuch as thereby the Spirit of glory resteth on you though on your enemies part Christ is blasphemed yet on your part he is glorified We have indeavoured to clear the Church of England and to clear the reformation beg●…n and at last fi●…ished by the King Lords and Commons as Christs Church and Christs cause notwithstanding all those reproaches cast upon it let us then all of us that own the Church of England for a true Church and the reformation of that Church for a good cause prepare for sufferings and let us count them as so many scars of honour got in the field where the Royall Standard of our Lord the King is pitched which we shall wear forever our bodies shall lie down in the grave in the honour of them and at the Resurrection rise in the m●…jesty of them Let love to Christ and love to the Church of Christ constrain us to constancy let 's stop our eares against all the charmes of the Devill the world or the flesh let 's look to our Redeemer who when he was tempted upon the salvation of the chief Priests and Elders and upon the vindication of the Godhead to come down from the Crosse this seems to me to be the deepest temptation of hels forging for to destroy the work of Redemption for had Christ come down before he had died our Redemption had not been finished and we must all have been damned yet he continued in his shameful and grievous torments under all these blasphemons roproaches until the work of our Redemption was finished look up then to this great Captain of our salvation and as you have seen him do so do ye you must if you be Christs be made conformable to Christ your head by sufferings The faithful Christians of the three Kingdoms have suffered much ô let them not come down from the cross until the work be finished 't is supposed that there are sharper sufferings yet to come yet let us not ●…aint for there are more with us then are against us we have as that great person said A good Cause and a gracious God and so we have all the Angels and Saints on our sine we have the Trinity to trust to who is a strong h●…ld in time of trouble and knoweth every soul that trusteth in him Let love to the

the sad Ship-wrack of a good cause which went ●…ut and returned like Solomons Ships for gold The King and the Parliament at their first s●…ting out promised fair and good grounds of great hopes ●…f m●…ch good both to Church and State appeared but soon was the King whether drawn or driven or both d●…parted from the right way He took the sword and sadly per●…shed by the sword the Lords and Commons made vowes and protestations to God and man and in the breach of them were broken Each of these with the Emperour Mauritius might justly say Jusius es Domine justa sunt tua judicia in all that hath befal●…en them Yet in these dreadfull frowns of his upon the Reformers we may see Gods gracious smiles upon their intended reformation whiles the clouds of Gods just displeasure overs●…adowed the Reformers a bright beam of his Providence shined on that cause they all professed for the King Lords and Commons that began in a good cause but afterwards were divided upon different self-interests at the very last of all met again consulted agreed and finished all three together their testimony concerning this cause and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revel 11. 7. God snatched both that from them and th●…m from us unworthy of both who contemning the golden yoke of Christs government are justly liable to the iron ●…oke of Antichrists tyranny However let the Parliaments cause in the eyes of the wise be magnified though the underta●…ers of it be for ends best known to God debased let God and his cause be true though every man be found a liar before him Let not therefore the professed friends of Zion in this day of Gods dark and dreadfull providences amongst us stumble and fall as the most of professours do from their first principles let not the reproaches of ●…apists and open prophane persons on one hand nor of Sectarian●… on the other hand make us lose our stedfastnesse let our ●…ffections and prayers be the same for our Reformation and our Reformers as formerly let not their failings in the cause cause us to fall from the cause Angels not men are able to carry on a Reform●…tion without faults where shall we finde a Reformaion ●…arried on without great miscarriages At the first Nationall Reformation in the world we finde Moses the Churches Monarch in the Mount with God and Aaron the Seventie and the people his ●…riest his 〈◊〉 and his subjects in the valley that while with the Devil y●…t their ●…ellish sm●…ke below did not eclipse Gods light above that day was a glorious day of Reformation notwithstanding in the eyes of all the people the two Tables wer●… br●…ke by Moses their 〈◊〉 the Lords anointed in Nehemiahs time how many 〈◊〉 were g●…t into that box purposely so pollute the ointment of a Reformation oppressours and supplanters and Schismaticks had shrewdly 〈◊〉 blown that Reformation yet 't was carried on at last God can carry on a cause by mens miscarriages David a man after Gods one heart began●…s Reformation he stumbled in limine for he should have brought home the Arke Deut. 10. 8. according to Moses prescription upon the Priests shoulders but he followes the Philistines fashion and fetcheth it home upon a Cart. Here the King and his Parliament I mean his Nobles and the Priests all stumbled and by this stumble the 〈◊〉 was shaken and Uzzah smitten yet the Ark was the same and so 〈◊〉 the n●…erer its appointed place We mention this to the shame of those 〈◊〉 th●…se dayes who pretend to follow the 〈◊〉 but startle and start aside 〈◊〉 because th●…se beasts that were employed to draw it have stum●… and 〈◊〉 it Oh Christians take heed of apostatizing from Gods ca●…se when persecuted God takes that from Christians most grievously If God smote to the grave Uzzah for touching the Ark when it shock will he not smi●…e to hell those Apostates that kick their heel at the Ark now 't is shaken There were never such a number of brazen-faced Apostates seen in the World together as in these dayes England and Scotland have produced These wormes which bred in the belly of the Church made it sick and miscarry of a Reformation since they are voided the Church though for the present weak I hope ●…s neer to her recovery Let those then that long and lo●…k for her recovery take off their hearts from murmuring at the cause and turn all their complaints against themselves ô that the spirit of supplication might passe through the Protestant Churches this day ô that all the families that fear the Lord might 〈◊〉 before the Lord this day that each might see how they have in their places fallen short of the glory of God Oh that the families of the house of David of Nathan of Levi and Shimei i. e. of the Royall blood and Priestly function might mourn this day before the Lord for their own si●…s and the sins of their fore-fathers ô that we might all know in th●…s our day of visitation the things that concern our peace The sacred prophicies tell us if we mistake them not that the Churches deliverance is nigh at hand that time when the Witnesses shall rise the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to all people and the twelve Tribes converted and also the time when the Devil the beast and the false Prophet shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone now as Daniel Chap 9 finding out the expi●…ation of the 70 years captivity did thereupon betake himself to fast and pray and confesse the sins of Judah Jerusalem and all Israel with the sins of their Kings Princes and fore-fathers so ought we that look after the publick weale of the Church finding by the prophecies that the Apostasie is well nigh finished and the Antichrist appears which is the immediate fore-runner of Christs glorious comming as we shew in the ensuing Tract to raise the Witnesses and restore the Iews to bet●…ke ourselves to solemn humiliation fasting and prayer making confession of the sins of our Kings of our Nobles of our Ministers and of our people taking to ourselves Daniels words Chap 9. 16. For our sins and the iniquity of our forefathers Ierusalem is become a reproach ô Lord to all that dwell about it now therefore cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate for the Lords sake ô Lord incline thine ear to hear open thine eyes and behold our desolations Oh that we would all turn Priests and come quickly bringing this holy ●…incense with us into the Congregation that so atonement might be made for the Churches of God against which great wrath from the Lord is gone out this day and sore plagues are upon them Gods eares are not heavy nor is his hand shortened that he cannot save us but our pride security hardnesse unbelief impenitencie and murmuring have kept back good things from us Why are we in bondage to a generation that curse their father and

of Antichrist and the Apostasie which is called Rev. 19. 4 20. the casting of the beast and the false Prophet into the lake and the chaining of the Dragon for these are all together the ruine of these later is the establishing of the two former The reason why the Prophets oft-times joyne the true Gentile gospellers and the Jewes together in their prophecies which respect these times are as I conceive for these reasons 1. Because they come out of tribulation together 2. Because they shall be united in one Faith together There shall be no distinction in Religion betwixt Jew and Gentile and therefore for the most part the prophecies that look to the sounding of the seventh Trumpet joyn both Jew and Gentile together as in this of Moses and Isa. 27. 13 Mat. 24. Luk. 21. Mar. 13. In ver 36. there is one signe of the seventh Trumpet 's being ready to sound and that is the Jews and gospel Churches low condition When their power is gone and there is none shut up or left when the true Churches for they are Gods servants power is gone when their Armies are overthrown in the field and when all the true Churches Garisons are won that there is none shut up against a day of need nor any left i. e. unconquered this is the time even the set time for God to come to ruine his enemies and restore his Church then will God judg for his people righteous judgment for Dan. 7. 26. The Iudgment shall sit and repent himself for his peoples long and sore affliction Yet how may we take up Isaiahs lamentation this day Who hath beleeved this report or to whom is this Arm of the Lord revealed The unbelief the timorousnesse the profanenesse and the most abominable Apostasie and Antichristian complyance of Christians at this day in this Kingdom under these dispensations makes me beleeve that God hath yet some more dreadfull stroke against all sorts of Professors so that few Nobles and few Ministers and few of the Professors shall live to see these glorious Gospel days that are approaching Where can we find a soul that lives this day upon this Prophetick promise so much as to raise his hopes but even sinks by despondencie under the sad dispensations of God upon his Church or else feeds his hopes with the husks of humane helpes as if Armies or Navies could bring about these things as if Christ stood in need of Belial in the accomplishing of his glorious Prophetick promises but the Scripture must be fulfilled Luke 18. When the Son of man comes shall he find faith on the earth Scarce such a strong faith as to believe the Resurrection of the Church in such a state as now it is The other signe of the approaching of Antichrists ruine and the finishing of the mystery is the blasphemy of Antichrist in ver 37 38. where the Antichrist mocks at the Magistracy and the Ministry and the fasting and prayers and the religious ingagements of the Church parallel with Dan. 7. 8. where the Antichrist speaks great words but we shall leave them till we come to touch of the Antichrist The fourth special thing observable in this Prophetick Song of Moses is the coming of Christ the Lord to ruine Antichrist finish the grand Apostasie and the heads thereof and convert the twelve Tribes to the Gospel from ver 29. to v. 43. When Antichrist had bereaft the true Church of all its outward visible strength so that their Field power and Fort power was taken away and none was left to own the Churches cause but they were all subdued by Antichrists prevailing Armies ver 36. then in ver 37 38. doth Antichrist boast and insult in a blasphemous way over the heads of the Church and their cause and now ver 39. doth Christ appear to be the mighty Prince of all the earth who declares himself as Rev. 19. 16. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords fulfilling the Prophetick promises in restoring the Church out of its low condition and bringing its enemies down to hell therefore Dan. 12. 1 2. a parallel Text with Moses sets forth this day of wounding and healing i. e. of wounding the enemy and healing the Church as a little day of Judgment by Christ coming to deliver the poor Jewes and to bring trouble upon their enemies 'T is resembled to the Resurrection so Ezek. 37. the Holy Ghost sets forth the Jewes restauration after the Roman captivity under the resemblance of raising bones that have long lyen in the grave taking flesh upon them and living and becoming mighty and terrible and no wonder the Prophet compares the Jewes conversion to the Gospel and their restauration to the Resurrection for Paul Rom. 11. 19 saith What shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead and therefore in Rev. 20. 4 which is a continuation of the parallal Text Revel 19. 16. this day is called the living and raigning of those that were beheaded i. e. the Witnesses who Revel 11. 11. are said to have a Spirit of life enter into them and to stand upon their feet as a man rising out of his grave thence it is that this is called Revel 20. 5. the time of the first Resurrection which he is blessed that hath a part in it that is which is undefiled keeps himself a Virgin and follows the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Revel 14. 4. Keeps his mouth from guile and his person innocent ver 5. That worships not the Beast nor his Image nor receives his mark in his forehead nor his hand v. 9. But watcheth and keepeth his garments clean Revel 16. 15. These whether they live they shall live unto the Lord or whether they dye they shall dye unto the Lord whether they live or dye they shall be the Lords for on such the second death hath no power CHAP. VII BUT the great question is When shall these things be When shall Christ draw forth his sword to wound his enemies and heal and deliver the Jews and the distressed Church amongst the Gentiles Moses seems to answer in the next words v. 40. For I life up my hand to heaven and say I live for ever to this verse adde the three following and with them compare Revel 10. 5 6 7. the Text that sent us to this Chapter and now concurrs with its parallel and also Dan. 12. 6 7 9. observe here Daniel proposeth one question How long it shall be to the end of these wonders viz of ruining the little horn and of restoring the Jewes hereupon ver 7. Daniel sees him whom Moses and Iohn by the eye and ear of Prophecie saw and heard 1. Lifting up his hand to heaven 2. Swearing by him that lives for ever that it shall be for a time times and the dividing of time and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the holy people all these things shall be finished ver 9. And he said Go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up

pragmatick fellows made it a snare to tender consciences of the Kings party by pressing it upon them and oppressing those that refused it This was doubtlesse a grosse sinne but it cannot properly be laid to their charge as if they thereby intended to make a party for themselves against the King but to make all within their Garisons and Commands both Ministers and People true Subjects to the King to the Lawes and the Protestant Religion Whiles this was strictly observed in the Parliaments Quarters Iesuites and Popish Priests were not so frequent nor so bold as since they have beene amongst us 3. As to that of throwing down of Bishops a double scandal is taken if not given thereby 1. In their manner of proceeding without and against the King which in it self was absolute usurpation for though they did send to the King to passe it yet they resolved upon his denyal to proceed which was an absolute denyall of his Negative voyce in which implicitely they denyed him to be their Soveraign 2. In throwing down the ancient Government of the Church by Bishops which Government hath continued in the Church since the Apostles time unquestioned until within these hundred yeers and then the Orthodox onely questioned their Persons not their Office onely the Anabaptists cryed down the Office as Antichristian Now for the Parliament under pretence of Reformation of Religion to cast off that primitive Government universally received in the Churches without and against the consent of the King and solemnly ingage others in the same thing seems to be a most rash and inc●…nsiderate act done out of blinde mislead zeale or an ungodly act done wilfully to bring to ruine the Protestant Church of England to rob the Church of its Maintenance and ruine the learned Clergie of the Nation Here we must answer le●…t both innocent persons and a good Cause suffer 1. The Parliament intended not by throwing down the English Hierarchie to throw down any Worship Discipline or Government according to the word of God for then their second Article would clash with the first in the Covenant so that their meaning is they will extirpate so much of Prelacy as shall be found contrary to the word of God and the Example of the best reformed Churches I suppose by Churches they meant the purest Primitive Churches for all these late Reformed Protestant Churches did before we thought of a Reformation yeild that we were better reformed then they We hold the Calvinists the best reformen Churches but saith learned Beza to the praise of the English Protestant Bishops Let the Church of England injoy this singular bounty of God which I wish may be hers for ever So far was he from thinking it a piece of Reformation to pull them down Calvin Bucer Luther Melancton Z●…nchy Chamier are all of them no enemies to Bishops though professed enemies to the Superstitious Idolatrous Practices of Bishops in that Age. Every solid Protestant is so far from thinking the Office of a Bishop to be Antichristian that he rather thinks it a high degree of Antichristianism to oppose that Office this is as we have shewed to deny the Father and the Son for he that denyeth an Apostle or the Successo●…s of an Apostle in the Office of the Ministry denyeth Christ and he that denyeth Christ denyeth God that sent him Charity therefore makes me hope that the sincere Protestants what ever other subtil Foxes designed intended no otherwise by that second Article in the Covenant then to reduce the Church of England to a Primitive Purity by removing Popish Prelates and all those humane Institutions depending on the English Hierarchy if through Error they were mis-led from the right means to this end the discovery of that Error may seasonably reduce them into a right way for wise men never think it a shame to repent It is most certain that the intent of the sincere Covenanters was to re●…ine not ruine the Ministry by pulling down the English Hierachy they struck not at the order of the Ministry but at the degree of Episcopacy they struck at the Discipline of the English Church therein more then at the Ministry for they pulled down Bishops as they were Superintendants over their brethren not as Ministers so that they took away their degree above their brethren but left them standing in their order as Ministers Bishops lost not their Order by the Covenant but their Degree for though they are in a distinct degree above the Presbyters which have ever been allowed them in the purest Churches since Christ time yet they never were a distinct order from the Presbyters neither the Scripture nor the Fathers make them so so that Aerius an ancient Writer in that saith truth a Bishop and a Presbyter are joined in the same Commission the Bishop imposeth hands so doth the Presbyter the Bishop administers the Sacraments and dispenseth the Ordinances so doth the Presbyter so that essentially there is no difference betwixt them what is is only gradual Now here lies the great question Whence they had this degree above their fellow Ministers in the Church If they had this from Apostolical Institution then without all doubt it was a grieveous sin in any Civil Power to pull it down and they that convenanted so to do did unadvisedly and foolishly But if this degree of Episcopacy be but an Ecclesiastical Institution though of great Antiquity the case is altered there cannot be an absolute necessity of its immutability Meer humane Institutions admit of alterations Hierom and Epiphanius say They were set up as a remedy against Schism and Heresie long after Presbytery But to come to the thing suppose this degree to be as probably it is an Apostolical Institution which continued unquestionable in the Church for many hundred years Yet here the question will still be Whether since the grand Apostasie that Paul prophesies of there hath not been an Apostasie from this Institution whether this Institution in the Apostasie did not contract much corruption This is granted by all the Protestant English Bishops especially by the late Lord Primate of England B. Laud in his Conference with Fisher Bishop Jewel and Bishop Downam hence these two latter conclude That the Hierarchy of Rome is so corrupted and apostatized from its Primitive Institution that it is become the Antichristian State nay more then that they call it the Antichrist That question then which concerns us is Whether the Hierarchy of England were so exactly conformable to the Primitive Institutution as that it needed no alteration These two things are granted 1. That the persons in that Hierarchy needed to be reformed for some of them were prof●…ssed Papists and the most of them bitter enemies to a powerful and a painful Orthodox Ministry 2. That whatsoever is built upon an humane foundation may upon humane or divine considerations be taken down again if so then those Titles Offices and Dignities conferred meerly by men may be taken away but

of the gracious promises then to be fulfilled which to this day have not been fulfilled v 9 10. There shall be no killing nor destroying in all Gods holy mountain or in the mountain of holinesse i. e. all wars shall cease amongst Christians The mountain of the Lord shall be on the top of all the mountains that is the Church shall prevail as Christianity did in Constantines dayes and much more abundant and the Gentiles shall flock in unto it hereby their union shall be wrought which shall produce a generall peace in the Church Now to this day this hath not been accompilshed therefore it is to be say many learned men yea the Rabbins themselves in a manner affirm as much that it is to be when the Lord shall come to destroy Antichrist for they say it shall be accomplished when their Messias comes which they say will be in the end of the Roman Monarchy which they call their last redemption being exceeding angry at the Christians would they had not just cause for extending many of their most ample and glorious prophecies no further then the second Temple Vide Rab. Solomon on Ier. 31. 40. and then the promise is that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea i. e. there shall be an universal knowledge of Christ in the world which never yet hath been and then in v. 10. it shall be in that day that Christs rest shall be glory or exceeding glorious by rest is here meant either the peace and tranquillity of the Church which he calls his rest or the place of Christs residence which signifies his Church So that either way the Text hath not been yet fulfilled for the Church hath had little rest since Christs time for the generall Apostasie hindered its glory but when the Apostasie shall be taken away then the rest of the Church shall be glorious therefore this smiting the wicked one in the Text is most probably the smiting of Antichrist 3 From v. 11 12 13 14. we argue for this smiting of the wicked one shall be in that day when God will recover the remnant of his people the second time from Assyria and Egypt and Pathros and Cush this must be meant of some recovery of them after their carrying Captive into Babylon by the Assyrians for they were never set down in Scripture to be delivered above once from Assyria and that was when they were restored by Cyrus But now here is a second restoring again of the Jews which must be understood of their restoring under the Gospel which yet hath not been for their recovery v. 12. shall be from the four corners of the earth from whence they were never yet redeemed but are to be Matthew 24. 30 31. compared with Ezechiel 37. 9 to 28. And Revel 1. 7. when Christ comes in the clouds that is sits on the white cloud Revel 14. with a Sickle in his hand to cut down the vine of the earth i e. the beast of the earth the Antichrist In Isaiah Christ sets up an Ensigne and in Matth. 24. there is the signe of the Son of man by that in both the dispersed Jews are gathered from the four corners of the earth And that which most of all confirmes it that this conversion and redemption of them is to be in these latter dayes is v. 13. for Ephraims and Iudahs enemies shall be cut off and both Ephraim and Iudah i. e. the ten Tribes and the two Tribes never since Solomons time united shall be now at peace and firmly united but this hath never yet been therefore say very many this promise is to be fulfilled From all this I argue If the great Gospel-effect in uniting Jew and Gentile together of universall peace in the Churches of Christ of universall knowledge of Christ in the earth of the recovering of the Hebrews from the four corners of the earth and uniting them being recovered be to be in that day when Christ shall smite the earth with the rod of his power with the breath of his mouth slay the wicked one then this day is yet to come and in all probability this smiting is the smiting of the Antichrist after whose ruine these glorious things are to be effected as very many of the Ancients and of the pious learned Recents affirm besides many clear Texts which make it apparent The destruction of the Antichrist is onely ascribed to the Lord Jesus and to none else hence it is that in Deut. 32. 39 40 41 42. we finde Christ in fighting against him speaking of himselfe at least eleven times in the singular number I even I am he I kill I make alive I wound I heal I lift up my hand I live for ever if I whet my sword I will render vengeance I will make mine arrowes drunk with blood Christ in the first person singular he alone will have the honour of Antichrists destruction and hence it is that thrice in Daniel 7. we have the little horn the last upstart under the Roman Monarchy his ruine set out like the day of Judgement though the horn be little yet his ruine is great in v. 9. he is ruined by the Ancient of dayes who did sit this is the Lord Jesus who is Alpha and Omega who in the ruine of this little horne sets up v. 14. his own Kingdome which is an universall Kingdome and a perpetuall Kingdome that is untill the end of the World In v. 21 22. there you have the Antichrist and the quality of those over whom he tyrannizeth they are Saints which gives us by the way to know that Antichrist must tyrannize within the purest Church in that Church where are visible Saints And you have the Ancient of dayes again appearing many take this to be the day of Judgement because here is mention made of the Ancient of dayes comming which is onely to be understood of the comming of Christ to ruine Antichrist and to call the elect of Jews and Gentiles unto the profession of the Gospel the same you have again in v. 25 26. and in Dan. 11. 45. and 12. 1. when the Antichrist shall come to his end after he hath prevailed so far against the Saints as to pitch his tents in the mountain of holinesse at that time Michael shall stand up to bring trouble upon the enemies of the Church and deliverance to his distressed people this Michael is none other but the Lord Jesus Christ who by his immediate providence in making bare his Arm making naked his Bowe and appearing with the sickle in his hand all Scripture-expressions of his immediate power terribly and utterly confoundeth Antichrist and all Antichristian powers Hence also 't is that Ioel calls this great day of the destruction of the Antichrist the day of the Lord Ioel 3. 14. and what is this day of the Lord in the verse before 't is the time of his putting in his sickle to reap the great harvest of