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Roman empire. And it actually did arise from out of the Roman empire, and in the Roman empire, and grew up in its place: as is evident from all history, &c." From which it is farther evident, that he confounds the four kingdoms which arose from the fracture of the great horn of the goat, with the four empires described in Daniel 11. and VII.

He argues that the kingdom out of which Antichrist arises cannot be a gentile kingdom which has never been evangelized, because it is said they sink into darkness by transgressions or rebellions. This implies (as he thinks) that they had previously been illuminated; which cannot be said of the kingdoms before Christ. (p. 45.)

He explains the king's being powerful in "faces," or appearances, by the external pomp, ostentation, and specious appearance maintained by the papacy in various respects. First, as regards persons; as the Pope and his cardinals, with their retinue and riches. 66 What emperor (he asks) can you name that ever had such a profusion of wealth as this kingdom or church has ?" "What Roman consul can you mention that was ever equal to one of these cardinals, archbishops, or bishops?" Then also in their edifices; as their palaces, their churches, their shrines, their monasteries, and the like. And likewise in their robes and habits; in regard to which, though it may appear to us an insignificant circumstance to adduce, the Author says: "It is by this face, above all the others, that this impious abomination defends itself. For who is not rendered great, holy, and worthy of adoration, by that scarlet hat, that two horned mitre, that long purple train, that mule glittering with jewels, those shoes bedizened with gold, gems and every precious ornament, and all that blaz

ing variety of splendour, whereby those holy ones have distinguished themselves from the laity and the common habits and dress of Christians, or from every thing profane ! And passing downward to the garments of the inferior orders of clergy, he shews that the Romish church has laid such emphasis upon them, that they think more of a breach of rule respecting these, than they do of a breach of God's commandments. -"What act of adultery (he asks) could be equal in enormity to the delinquency of that clerical, who should neglect to shave his pate for a whole month together? What parricide would be any way comparable with the sin of him, who should neglectfully minister at the altar without his surplice, or his ruffles, or any one tittle of his canonicals? (p. 67.) He next instances their rounds of canonical prayer, as being indeed a shew and pretence, having no prayer in them; and in like manner the mass, with its vigils, anniversaries, foundations and sepulchrals, which he declares to be a mere face of piety to deceive and fleece the befooled people; as also their fastings, and the multiplying and iniquity of their feast days; and their worship of relics. Another face is their affected celibacy of monks and nuns; which indeed (he says) is, in another sense, not a face, but a diabolical reality; for it fulfils the 1st of Timothy iv. 3, and Daniel x1. 37, in which forbiding to marry is mentioned.

Their universities, though accounted as a face, are brought to notice more especially under the next clause of the text "intelligent of propositions;" which intelligence he conceives to be likewise indicated by the eyes like a man in the little horn. The shew of wisdom and theology in them he considers the worst face; because it carries with

it a pretension to the word. By means of the propositions taught in these places, all the rest of the false fabric is supported. How entirely they are a mere face or pretence of wisdom becomes evident, wherever the true word is taught. "If (says Luther) by any act of the grace of God, these universities should take up the word of God to study it,good heavens! how soon would the whole of popery, together with all its faces, fall to the ground! For this last face is evidently the main support, yea, the very bones and vital strength of this whole kingdom of faces." This is also the "efficacy," by which the king is strengthened, and not by his own efficacy; for, the Author remarks, that a lie cannot be supported by its own power. And by means of these propositions and these faces, in which he is sup ported by the efficacy of others, he has " wonderfully corrupted" all Christian worship,-and "destroyed" as many souls as he subjects to his laws and compels to obey them. His "prospering and practising" is explained much in the same manner.

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And he shall destroy the mighty people, and the people of the saints." 'Here (says the Author,) if I were inclined to indulge my own thoughts, and to render the Hebrew according to my own judgment, and to understand by "the mighty" strength, and by the people of the saints" the apostles and evangelists, which is a meaning that the words themselves seem to favour, the understanding of the passage would then be;—that the Pope would be such a one as would corrupt the holy Scriptures, which are the only strength of the church, and the apostles and evangelists, and would lay waste and utterly destroy them.

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explains by that notorious feature of the papal kingdom, that the Pope, making himself superior to all others, will not submit to the judgment of any other.

He interprets that "craft shall prosper in his hand," by the circumstance that even the elect have been deceived by his faces and propositions, as Bernard, Francis, Dominic, and other very holy men and women who have been left to err, so as not to be able to understand the nature of this kingdom of

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faces," and to approve of many of the Pope's proceedings: otherwise they would have risen up against him; but the time was not yet come. (P. 170.) Concerning which matter he has a passage which may serve as a warning to some in our own days.—

"How then shall craft not prosper in this Pope's hand, together with all outside show, and face, and deceit, and vain hypocrisy of doctrines, (as Paul calls it,) when he prevails to destroy the authority of the Scriptures by the example of his numberless authors and saints, who always stand by him? For what is there that he cannot effect prosperously, when not only his own faces and propositions,—i. e. his crafty deceptions, but also those whom you know to be true saints, favour his cause? Who dares to mutter a word in opposition, when lying is helped by truth, hypocrisy by holiness, craft by simplicity, and iniquity by godliness? O" perilous times" indeed, worthy of these " 'latter days," when all things, even the good, work together for evil to the reprobate; in the same way as all things, even the evil, work together for good to the elect the latter however by the Spirit of God, the former by the spirit of Satan; as the apostle foretold it should be. Here then let

him, that dares, live in security and trust in the works and sayings of the fathers!" P. 171.

This king's "magnifying himself in his heart" is explained of the Pope's considering himself above overy one, and demanding of every one just what he pleases; insomuch that he subjects all to himself, scarcely permitting the most exalted kings to kiss his holy feet. "There is not one in the world (says Luther) whom he will allow to be upon an equality with himself, how eminent soever he may be for either godliness or learning."—"He deposes princes, kings, bishops, and every one that is great and high in the world, just according to his mere lusts, making himself more high and exalted and greater in the world than all of them together. Of the clause, and in his success he shall destroy many" the Author says-" "Who those infinite numbers are, whom success destroys and corrupts, I would rather leave to the judgment of every one, than explain particularly myself. For what is all that extensive rabble of cardinals, bishops, monks, priests, &c. but the people of the Pope, eaten and swallowed up by ease, riches, surfeit, security, luxury, and lust; wasting away this life of the flesh, without faith, without the Word, without the Scriptures, without labour, with out care!" P. 175.

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"And he shall stand up against the Prince of princes." "Here (ex"Here (exclaims the Author,) is the awful climax of the whole ! that this Pope stands up against Christ himself, and sets aside his word, by putting his own word in its stead." this point he has some observations at pages 88, 89, which, as the subject is much discussed by modern students of prophecy, will be found interesting, as coming from so eminent a writer as Luther. Speaking of

2 Thess. 11. 4,-who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, he says: "And will he also exalt himself above God, properly considered? No; God forbid! but above "all that is called God," saith the apostle: that is, above the preached word of God: for that is called God when it is truly preached and believed. Above God thus considered the Pope has long exalted himself and sat; because he makes known and preaches himself in the hearts of men, instead of their hearing and believing God. Therefore when Paul saith," above all that is called God," it is in the Greek oɛßaoua; that is, worship, that which is worshiped, or the worship itself." He is the sole and only one of men who has, with intolerable blasphemy and pride, declared himself to be the sole and only vicar of Christ, or vice-Christ, or vice-God upon earth. And what

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is it to be a vicar of God, or vice-God, but to sit in the place of God?' And what is it to sit in the place of God,' but to shew himself as God."

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He thus concludes the exposition, on the words "But he shall be broken without hand."—"The apostle expresses the Pope's destruction thus :- Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, &c.' (2 Thess. 11. 8.) The laity therefore shall not destroy the Pope and his kingdom; though that is what he continually and miserably fears. No! he and his wicked rabble are not deserving of so light a punishment. They shall be preserved until the coming of Christ, whose most bitter enemies they are, and ever have been. This is the way in which he ought to be punished, who rises up against all, not with manual force, but with the spirit of Satan. Thus Spirit shall destroy Spirit, and

truth shall reveal falsehood; for, to reveal a lie, is to destroy it at once !" (p 177.)

(8.) Thoughts on the Coming and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. By JOHN Cox, Minister of the Gospel, Woolwich.

Lond. Nisbet. 12mo. pp 240. Cloth, 3s. 6d.

It is refreshing, after the view taken in the article in this Number by BETA of certain texts, bearing upon the part which it would seem will be performed by some who will come forth from the ranks of Dissenters, to open the work of one who indeed passes under that name, but whose sentiments and spirit are apparently such, that if he might be taken as a specimen of the whole body, his book would seem at once most decidedly to contradict the propriety of any application of those texts to any Dissenters of our own times. Rarely have we met with a more pleasing evidence of a truly catholic spirit than in Mr. Cox, combined with so excellent an admixture of candour, faithfulness, humility and love. We shall give a few specimens which will be interesting, as we trust, to our readers, on other accounts as well.

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"It is matter of joy, (says Mr. Cox,) that there are so many things in religion in which God's people are agreed; while there is much reason to mourn, that there are still so many things about which they differ, and that at present the church is very far removed from any thing like unity of faith. former shows the power of the Spirit of God, the latter the force of prejudice; for it is this principle which is the great bar to unity. May the Lord in mercy remove it; make us all willing to submit to his word; ready to unlearn what is wrong, and willing to give up every system or

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sentiment, however cherished, which will not bear the test of truth!" (Pref. p. 1.)—

"While upon this point of the coming of Christ before the Millennium, the author would beg leave to remind the reader, that this is the grand point. Many pass over this, and light down among some difficulties belonging to the subject, or begin reasoning upon the incongruity of Christ and his saints reigning up. on earth. Leave for the present all difficulties alone; reason not about the personal reign: come at once to this question,-What does the Bible say about Christ's second coming? Does it give us to understand that there will be a Millennium first? if so, where is the promise? Or, does it tell us that tribulations and wars will last till his coming, and happiness and peace be the characteristics of that kingdom he comes to set up ? Let Ps. XCVI, Dan. II, VII, Matt. XXIV, 2 Thess. II. 8, Rev. XI. 15—17, and various other places be well studied." (Pref. p. vII.)—

"O, when shall the present state of division and distraction cease, and the church realize the prayer of her great Intercessor, "that they may all be one ?" When shall we again behold that goodly sight, "a multitude of believers, all of one heart and one soul? When shall christians be as united in serving God, as the heavenly hosts are in praising Him?-When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, then shall these things be." (p 20.)

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There is one consideration connected with this subject, the fall of Babylon, which claims our most serious attention. How wide, how searching will those judgments be, by which Babylon shall be destroyed! Where is the church that hath not been contaminated by her poisonous breath; that doth not man

ifest somewhat of her spirit and conduct? Persecution, pharisaism, heresy, formality, outward show, crying up of the creature, are but too manifest among professors; in some, one antichristian feature is exhibited, and in some, another ;—but are any wholly free? Instead then of one sect quarreling with another, had we not better be found praying, both for ourselves and them, that God would give us all humility to unlearn what is wrong, and honesty to avow it? Surely all classes of religious professors need much purification. "And behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave neither root nor branch. (Isa. xiv. 22, 23; Mal. iv. 1.) It is easy to cut down a tree, however great and lofty; this may be done without much disquieting the soil around; but in order to pull up every root and fibre of an ancient tree, the ground all around must be moved and separated. Thus will the whole of Christendom be shaken by the rooting up of Babylon; nothing but pure truth will escape; God will deliver all beside over to the paw of infidelity and the fire of wrath, &c." (p 39.) It is useful to consider a subject like this as viewed by the candid and pious among those, whose peculiar habits and associations are different from our own. May the Lord give grace to all our readers to lay it to heart!

The foregoing will suffice as a specimen of the temper, talent, and practical tendency of the work throughout. The usual topics connected with the Redeemer's Advent and glorious kingdom are handled in the work, sometimes with originality, always with strength and clearness, and a happy facility of

serious application of his argument to the reader's heart and conscience. We shall finish our extracts with one more of considerable length, which we also commend to the reader's serious attention. It is not uncommon to hear persons who object against the study of prophecy allege, that there is a natural disposition in man to occupy himself about futurity, and to become deeply interested in the invisible world, and hence the attraction (say they) of prophecy, even to the carnal mind, and the danger to be apprehended of its too greatly encouraging this prurience in man. The following extract however, when duly considered, will we think lead to a different conclusion :

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We need not ask the question, why "the world that lieth in the wicked one" realizes not, desires not, the Lord's coming. They are spell-bound by unbelief; they walk after him who said, "What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?" But that the Church professing Jesus' name, the Church that ought to be conformed to those above in tastes and hopes, should be so little affected by, and feel so little delight in, the prospect of the Lord's coming, demands the most minute inquiry. One reason may be found in the indisposition there is in all our minds, naturally, to be conversant with things future and invisible, so as to be affected by them. The present is with us, the visible is around us; and it is hard to leave these, and to look at "the things which are eternal:" this is a higher attainment than at first is imagined. To do this, we need a counteracting principle, raising us above the present and visible into the future and invisible; this lever must have somewhat whereon to rest, or else all efforts will be inefficient. Grace hath found both

not seen,

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