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woman_n	church_n	time_n	wilderness_n	1,494	5	9.8942	5	false

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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

only he who now letteth will let until he be taken cut of the way The Verse before being a peremptory conclusion not so much Logicall as Rhetorical thereby the more to enforce them to the knowledge and remembrance of what they had forgot this next Verse is brought in as an illustration or cleer ground of such a conclusion it being with the next following a plain exegesis or explication of vers 3 4. The text is neither easie to be translated nor plain to be interpreted as we shall see by thé various readings and expositions upon it There is scarce any Translator that renders it word for word from the Greek Copy except Cajetan who findes fault with the vulgar trāslation in having two words too much ut and teneat in it and a Colon misplaced in putting it at iniquitatis when it should be at tantùm he reads it thus nam mysterium jam operatur iniquitatis tantùm qui tenet nunc donec de medio fiat This Translation is neerest to the copie in words but how far from it in sense I cannot tell it passeth my skiil to make it current sense in English Grotius saith that in the Text there is a defect which seemes to be not in the words nor in the sense but in the misplacing of the words which marres the sense he construes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. untill what letteth now be done out of the way So that from Beza's Cajetan's and Grotius his reading we may read it in English very neer to the Greek Copie thus For the mystery of that illegality now worketh onely untill he who letteth be taken out of the way Which signifies thus much that the great apostasie alone without the revealing of Antichrist is to continue untill the two Witnesses be removed for as we have shewed by the mystery of iniquity is principally meant the Roman apostasie and generally 't is meant of the universall apostasie which is to be active in the world untill the Witnesses be removed and then Antichrist shall appear in the world This Text agrees with v. ●… where first there is the apostasie and next the revelation of the man of sin but more clearly with Revel 11. 7. where when the Witnesses have finished their testimony that is when the grand apostasie is neer to an end for the treading down of the holy City and the Witnesses sackcloth-condition is of one identity of time then the beast out of the bottomlesse pit ariseth and removes the Witnesses out of the way so that the mystery of iniquity worketh alone untill the letting or that which letteth or hindereth be removed out of the way This grand apostasie is called that the mystery in Rom. 11. 25. and what is that 't is the fulnesse of the Gentiles coming in or as Luke 21. untill the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled i. e. the Gentile apostasie so that the mystery of iniquitie is the Gentile Gospellers apostasie with its manner of working and time of duration 't is said in Revel 11. 2. to tread under foot the holy City the Church 42 moneths i. e. make the woman the Church flie into the Wildernesse Revel 12. 6. after the Roman Monarchy v. 5. became Christian this is part of the great wonder v. ●… and why a wonder but because 't is beyond the ordinary reach of the intellect which is as much as a mystery Herein I do not abound in my own but the Scriptures sense which I humbly conceive do inform us that the mystery of iniquity is in generall the Apostasie but specially the Roman Church-apostasie Passe we now to what others say and think of the mystery of iniquity Theophilact Ans●…lme and if I miscount not more then ten severall Expositors concur in this opinion that the mystery of iniquity was begun by Nero. Other learned men are no whit ashamed as they have no cause simply to professe their ignorance in the meaning of it Illa quae addidit saith Beda on v 6. speaking of this verse hunc sensum faciunt obscurior●…m So that he makes this text like Rachels garment which not onely hid her own nakednesse but concealed her fathers gods It would be tedious to repeat the severall opinions that I have read of this mystery of iniquity Saith Theodoretus 't is heresies no saith Mariana 't is the destruction of Ierusalem had he said of Rome I should have sooner believed him Benedict Iustine understands it of all wicked men Cajetan of that hidden measure of the Roman abominations which then was working and by degrees comming to perfection which when it was fulfilled the Roman Empire should be destroyed Estius of some hidden secret sin which in after-times is to be revealed and made apparent to the world Is it not that of the slaying of the Witnesses The Roman Glossary saith 't is such a secret and mysterious sin as goes under the cloke of godlinesse or the lawfull title of possessing the Throne Could they possibly look asquint at the Papacie of Rome and say this Bishop Iewell applies it to Diotrephes whose designe was to make himself Primate of all the Churches The Protestants generally apply it to the Pope and the secret workings of the Papacie Cornelius à Lapide understands it not of the Antichrist but of the Antichristian factions which go before the Antichrist Aquinas hath two senses upon this mystery of iniquity he saith this word mysterium may either be the nominative or the accusative case if the nominative then the sense is this I tell you the Antichrist shall be revealed in his time because the mystery works now occultly amongst a company of hypocrites who pretend to be Saints but are devils rather having a shew of piety but hate the power thereof In his other sense he thus understands it with reference to the foregoing verse for the Devil in whose power Antichrist shall come now begins to work his wickednesse secretly by Tyrants and Seducers for the persecutions of this age are types of the great persecution against all good men Terinus by the mystery of iniquity he understands Sim●…n Magus and his followers and Claudius Nero with such like Tyrants Infidels and Hereticks this he saith he hath from Hierome Ambrose Chrysostome and Augustine and to these he might have joyned Theodoretus and Oecumenius who are very neer in opinion Some there are which make this mystery and that in Revel 17. of the woman to be one in resemblance kinde If so then by the mystery of iniquity must necessarily be meant principally the Roman Church-apostasie a type whereof was to be seen in the Hereticks and Tyrants in and over the Church in this Apostles dayes The Magistrates were Tyrants and Ministers began to be Apostates Hereticks and Seducers Zanchie understands by mystery of iniquity Antichristianisme privily creeping into the Church together with heresies which made way for it The mystery of

relation to God for though the Roman Throne were whiles the Pagan Emperors sate in it the Divels yet now a Christian Emperour possessing the Throne it is justly called Gods Throne for Gods Vice-gerent sate in it In this sense the two Witnesses ascend up to heaven Rev. 11. 12. that is to that Supremacie from which Antichrist had thrown them No wonder that the throne is called heaven when those that sit in that throne are called Sun Moon and Stars Gen. 37. 10. it signifies in this place the whole royal Family as Iacob expounds it The like phrase of Scripture to the same sense we finde in Isa. 14. 12. where you see the Church insulting over Babylon when she comes to ruine amongst others this is one expression How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer Here Lucifer is put fo●… the Prince the brightest Star in their Orizon and heaven is put for his Imperial seat from whence he is fallen and such a phrase sets forth the fall of the Kingdom of Iudah under the Conquest of the King of Babylon Lam. 2. 1. How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel The beautie of Israel was their Monarch in the Throne but this beauty was cast from heaven to earth Either he means the good King Iosiah who was violently snatcht from the Throne by death in the war or the carrying away of the Royal Family from the Throne to Babylon To our purpose is that Luke 10. 18. where Satan falls like lightning from heaven i. e. from his throne where he rules and where is that but in the hearts of men 'T is usuall to call a Throne Heaven Very many Scriptures more there are of the like signification and expression as Isa. 34. 4. Ioel 2. 10. and 3. 16. Hag. 2. 6. which by their expressions make it probable to us that Rev. 6. 12 13 14. and Rev. 12. 8 9. do both set forth the overthrow of the Pagan Empire by Constantine the Christian Emperor And thus you see the first period of the Churches afflictions in Iohns Vision to be finished The second follows which is that of the Apostasie After Satan was cast down from persecuting Christians by the Pagan Emperors he was not then bound observe that but Rev. 12. 14 15 16 17. drives the Woman into the wildernesse by the Woman is meant the Church where she hath a place provided for her ver 6. which is called her place ver 14. that is a place peculiar to her where she shall be visible This runs paralel with Rev. 7. 2 4 5. where Gods providence is set forth by sealing up his Elect in this time of apostasie which is but for a certain season The Church shall fly upon the two wings of the Eagle i. e. Magistracy and Ministry who shall be in sackcloth into the wildernesse and there be fed 1260 dayes ver 6. 14. God shall be a pavilion to them he will feed them and protect them they shall be under his seal But observe how the apostasie goes on in this 12th Chapter ver 12. there is a woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea and in Rev. 8. under the four Trumpets which was the eminent time of the four angels doing mischief you have the effects of this woe both upon the earth and sea i. e. Church and State The cause of this woe we have it expressed in Rev. 12. 15. The Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a floud after the Woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the floud The streams of this floud were the Arian and Eutichian Heresies with the rest of those wicked opinions then raised These streams were like the fountain the Divels mouth was the fountain and the mouths of the inhabitants of the earth were the sea to swallow up those streams therefore wo to the Inhabitants of the earth earthly professors that professed themselves Christians but lived in and loved the world more then their own souls or Gods glory such as the most of our Professors are these drank down Heresies as the pure water of Orthodoxal Truths Now all this while the Bishop of Rome was but as one of the four Angels of the Church and he though leading into apostasie exceeding fast yet in that way of Heresie the least hurtfull nay he was so far from being hurtfull that he was a succourer for some yeers of the orthodox Christians who opposed Arianism yet in regard of the aspiring insolent pride and covetousnesse in the Patriarchal Chair of Rome it might well be denominated one of the four hurtful Angels for as we shewed already soon was this Star in heaven fallen to the earth the Chair of Rome was apostatized from its primitive puritie as much as a Star●… is removed when it f●…lls from heaven to earth The Dragon Rev. 12. 17. when he saw that by the floud of Heresie he could not touch the Church because that under the wings of the Eagle that is of the Roman Magistracy and Ministry she was protected the Divel faceth about like a valiant and cunning Warriour and falls upon his strongest enemies that stood out against him which are called the remnant of the womans seed which keep the commandments of God The Angel of the Western Church had under his jurisdiction many faithful orthodox Divines which maintained Truth against these now the Divel wageth war a spirituall war against their souls So many and various are the deceits and wiles and strategems of the Divel that no Mathematician can draw lines so fast as the Divel can devise wicked wayes and subtil snares to entrap the Church of Christ in This war seems to be especially made against those of the Roman Church where the remnant of the faithfull Oxthodox Christians lay which fled from the Arian persecution And what 's the Divels Stratagem now Observe in the next verse Rev. 13. 1. there you have the ground he chooseth to stand upon And he stood upon the sand of the sea Some read but amisse and I stood conceiving that Iohn stood there No it was the Divel He stood Sea and Earth often signifie in the Revelation say learned men Church and State Here the Divel stood upon the Sea sand probably 't is meant Church government and Governours for as the sea is tyed with a rope of sand that so far it shall passe and no further so Governours and Government in a Church do curb the insolent surges of the peoples raging passions and vain fantasies that they break not in upon the Church to its overthrow By this Stratagem the Divel carryes all before him for●… soon doth he make the Governors and Government of the Church of Rome his own and the next thing that Iohn sees is a Beast arising out of the sea this is the Popedome of Rome The head of the Church of Rome was called one of

the man because there lies the great difference betwixt the Protestants and the Papists and betwixt Protestants and Protestants It is the opinion of all that this man of sin is the Antichrist but what this Antichrist is is that which is much controverted Very many of the Protestants do hold that Antichrist is not one single person but a certain Politie or Kingdom wherein there is a succession of persons governing Brightman saith the Antichrist must be understood of a wicked Kingdom Calvin saith that the Antichrist is the head of the Apostasie Ergo no one single man but we deny his Antecedent for it will never be proved from History or Scripture that ever any one Government City or Polity was the Head of all the Churches that apostatized Neither doth the Scripture say any such thing of the Antichrist but the contrary as we shall shew hereafter We only give this as a true and full answer to his argument that there is not a word of Scripture in all the Bible to prove that the Antichrist is the head of the grand and general apostasie but for brevity sake wee 'll only give you Brightman's strange opinions of the Antichrist for him do the most Protestants follow I have briefly collected them thus 1 Antichrist saith he immediately after the ruine of the Roman Empire appeared in the Roman Throne and made that his seat 2 That Antichrist is a wicked Kingdome and no single person 3 That the time of his comming is past and not to come 4 That the Antichrist is to reign no where but in the City of Rome 5 That the Antichrist is the seventh head of the beast which reigns after the Emperours in Rome A man needs go no farther then his own arguments to fetch fire enough to turn into vapour and smoke each of these gross mistakes which have no Scripture for their bottom for the present this shall be all the confutation which is enough to that ingenuous Reader who peruseth him seriously that we shall give because we have work of more consequence to follow which will reach him fully The Protestants both Lutherans and Calvinists affirm that Paul speaks of the Antichrist in 2 Thes. 2. 4. which exalts himself above all that is called God and that he as god sits in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is god This say they is the Pope By the Temple of God they acknowledge as all men must that it is the Church of God Observe now how Bellarmine 〈◊〉 this with an argument ad hominem thus Arg. If the Pope of Rom●… sitting in the Church of Christ be Antichrist then the Calvinists the Lutherans as many as have forsaken the Church under the Pope are out of the true Church of Christ for the Church of Christ can be but only one as Christ is one But the Calvinists and the Lutherans do affirm the Pope to be Antichrist Ergo they have left the true Church If this text be meant of the Pope of Rome then do I not see how Bellarmines Argument can be answered This Argument of his is to this day not cleerly answered notwithstanding several answers I have read of Brightmans and B. Downams two learned Protestants This is an undeniable truth that the Antichrist shall arise in the midst of the purest Church in the world even when it remains pure therefore Dan. 7. 't is said He shall wear out the Saints and change their customes and lawes by which it appears it is the true Church in which he appears and that Church by their customes and lawes is a Nationall Church where should the two Witnesses be but in the true Church and where then should he arise that slayes them but in the true Church look not for Antichrist any where but in the midst of the true Church and at that time and not before when the Witnesses have finished their testimony in that place at that time look for the Antichrist But that time is not immediately after the overthrow of the Roman Pagan Emperours n●…r ●… the City of Rome as is evident from Revel 12. let not the Reader think I plead any thing for the Pope or the Church of Rome because I do confidently ●…ffirm that the Popedome is not the Antichrist nor Rome the seat of Antichrist as learned B. Downam would make it lib. 10. de Antichristo cap. 3 4. I do fully agree with him that Rome is mystical Babylon and the Popedome the whore of Babylon but all this makes not the Popedome the Antichrist nor mysticall Babylon the seat of the Antichrist which slayes the Witnesses as he would have it lib. 1. cap. 6. it makes the Popedome the beast with seven heads and ten horns Revel 13. 1. but not the beast of the earth Vers 12. nor the beast of the bottomless pit Revel 11. 7. which is the Antichrist Paul here describes We will not do the Church of Rome that honour to make it the Church where Antichrist usurps and tyrannizeth for that Church where Antichrist is revealed is the purest Church 't is the true Church that hath good lawes and customes else Antichrist would not think to change them we say and can prove it that the Church of Rome is an apostate degenerate Church full of all manner of abominations and filthinesse the mother of Harlots all this the Scripture saith of it and much more And we do affirm this of the Pope and Popedome that the Pope is that Star of the Roman Church fallen from heaven to earth i. e. as eminent an Apostate Church-man as ever can be in the World and by his hellish bottomlesse pitpolicie is got to be the beast of the Sea with seven heads and ten horns full of Blasphemie We will grant him the greatnesse of being that monstrous head of the Western Apostasie and this the Scripture saith of him but to affirm that the Pope or Popedome is the Antichrist that shall arise when the Witnesses have finished their testimony and shall slay the Witnesses or the little horn in Daniel rising after the ten horns or the man of sin sitting in the Temple of God then to be revealed when that which did let is removed all the learned men in the world shall never make me believe and therefore let not the Papists think their Champion hath wonne the day of the Protestants because he grounds an argument upon their mistakes no for we deny that the Pope is the Antichrist that slayes the Witnesses and yet we do affirm that the Popedome of Rome and those that have possessed that usurped charge make the beast with seven heads and ten horns which drove the Witnesses into sack-cloth and into the wildernesse they drove the woman the true Church into the wilderness into her place and what place is that but where the Witnesses finish their testimony and are slain by the Antichrist who reigns onely so long as the Witnesses lie dead which is but three