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Rome: I therefore so apply it, nothing doubting that the application was intended. "But then," an objector asks, "what do you make of the prophecies against Ammon, against Damascus, against Kedar, just before, in the forty-ninth chapter? How are we to apply these?" Perhaps I answer as I am able; prehaps I answer-it is no heresy-"I cannot tell." Yet still we may see a part, though we cannot see the whole; and still the prophecy against Rome, under the name of Babylon, may stand good.

To conclude. The views here advanced go not in any way to set aside the evangelical application of prophecy for instance, of Isaiah's prophecies relating to the Gospel; of his fifty-third chapter, so evidently foreshewing the sufferings of Christ, both as to their particulars and to their atoning efficacy. Here the application is too clear to be missed. Nor do they take away the meaning of those prophecies, which point so distinctly to the grand features in the history both of the church and of the world, to the end of time. Nor, above all, do they at all take from the force of prophecy, as exhibiting and denouncing the Papal Antichrist. Popery I must still regard as a chief scope of prophecy. Perhaps we may be able to discover that the spirit of Popery was in being, long before the Church of Rome existed. Perhaps it may with the utmost truth be alleged, that the same spirit prevails where none suspect it. But the Popery of Rome, Tridentine Popery, Popery now disguised under the mitigated title of Catholicism,-this, prophecy singles out, detects, pourtrays, sets up in a definite form, exhibits before the eyes of men in all its horrors, and stabs to the heart.

B.

ESSAY VI.

On false Christs and Antichrists.

Having laid down certain principles in the last essay, my design in this is to apply them to a particular subject.

We read, in the New Testament, of false Christs, and of antichrists. The two ideas are evidently distinct. The term False Christ implies imitation, attempted resemblance of the True: the term Antichrist not merely means this, but also implies opposition. Thus the terms mark a difference; and we may observe a somewhat corresponding distinction in the thirteenth chapter of the Revelations. We have first the beast of blasphemy (ver. 1-10); then the beast of deception (11-18). The beast of blasphemy makes war with the saints-an open, furious enemy and opponent, answering to the antichrist. The beast of deception, on the contrary, works wonders, and deceives and, in these two points, he corresponds exactly to the

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false Christs described by our Lord himself. For, as it is said of this beast of deception, 1st, that he "doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men ;" and 2dly, that he "deceiveth them that dwell on the earth" (ver. 13, 14); so does our Lord say of the false Christs, 1st, that they "shall shew great signs and wonders, 2dly, "insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matt. xxiv. 24). Nevertheless, I do not point out this correspondence, at present, with any view to joint interpretation, but only to illustrate the distinction between antichrists, or opponents, and false Christs, or counterfeits and deceivers.

Now, in attempting further to illustrate this subject of false Christs and antichrists, I beg it may be observed in the first place, that nothing here to be offered is intended to set aside the literal application of the terms. By literal antichrists, I understand all who are openly opposed to Christ and his Gospel and in what manner the title so justly belongs to the Pope of Rome, I may perhaps attempt to shew hereafter. By false Christs, literally so called, I understand all those impostors who have appeared in different ages of the world, especially amongst the Jews, saying that they were Christ; assuming the title which properly belonged to Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, alone. And on this latter subject I have only one observation now to make; namely, that, if we would not at any time be deceived by these false Christs, we must pay particular attention to our Lord's injunction, neither to believe nor to follow, if any man shall say to us, Lo, here is Christ, or there. When our Lord shall indeed appear the second time, it is to be altogether a "coming" on his part: he will come to us all every eye shall see him: and the idea of any going on our part is derogatory to this glorious purpose; and is connected by himself with the appearing of the false Christs, not with his own. Consequently, though one were to come to us to-morrow, and and were to say, "Lo, the Lord whom we expect is at Jerusalem," I am not to go to Jerusalem. No. I am to wait for his coming; which, wherever I am, between the two ends of heaven, will be a coming to me. And, whithersoever his elect are to be gathered together, he himself will "send his angels, with a great sound of a trumpet," for that purpose.

But-to return from this digression-while I hold the literal fulfilment of the predictions, that there should be false Christs and antichrists, I also hold a latent, substantial, and essential fulfilment, of a different kind. For instance, what is said respecting antichrists (which subject I dispose of first, as being that concerning which I have the least at present to offer),

would extend to all avowed infidels; to all who in any way 'oppose the Gospel. The well-known motto of Voltaire and his associates proves that they were strictly antichrists-opponents, haters of Christ. The same may be said of most other infidels. Properly, indeed, the word infidel means merely one who does not believe: and this is all that many infidels profess, or perhaps are fully conscious of. But the fact is, they are opponents, adversaries; have a dislike, an aversion, an antipathy, an enmity to the truth: they are antichrists. This applies also to infidelity in all its most disguised and mitigated forms: there is still antipathy, there is still dislike: here, therefore, we still discover antichrist. Nay, antichrist is the proper term for all that is against Christ, not only in the world, but in the minds of men, till we come at length to our own hearts; for even there we may too often discover antichrist. Here, antichrist is the unrenewed nature, the old man. In a word, not to extend these observations further, St. John has said, that there are "many antichrists ;" and the declaration will be found true both of persons, and of dispositions, opposed to Christ: they are many. And as to persons who deserve the title, we may particularly notice one mark given by St. John, "They went out from us :" and it is a remarkable but awful fact, that, when we come to trace the history of the most bitter infidels, we generally find them to be persons who have at some time or other been connected with the church of Christ, as religious professors. "They went out from us, but they were not of us. And well were they known of the Lord, when we supposed them friends!

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But my principal object at present is, to take a more extended view of the character of false Christs. Now, here, we are not to look for that which openly opposes Christ, and avowedly sets itself against him; but for that which tries to pass itself for Christ; for that which is counterfeit, and assumes or attempts a resemblance. And this attempt to counterfeit I chiefly observe in two particulars (not that these by any means exhaust the subject); an attempt to counterfeit his works, and an attempt to counterfeit his character. Of each in order.

J

With respect to the attempts to counterfeit the WORKS of Christ, I conceive that there are many such, on all sides of us. The world abounds with evil of every kind, which evil Christ comes to remove; taking it away, and giving all blessedness in its room. Therefore he who in any way undertakes to remove evil, and substitute good, except he do it as the Lord's agent and instrument, is, so far, a false Christ. The tendency of his undertaking is, to teach us that we can do without the true

Christ, and to put himself in his room. Our Lord has warned us that many shall come in his name, saying, "I am Christ :" and a person who tells us that HE can remove the ills, of any kind, under which mortality labours, says "I am Christ," as plain as words can speak.

Before proceeding to offer some particular instances, I must begin by observing, that in order to detect the counterfeit, we should have just views of the character of the original. Be it then observed, that though Christ be a personal, an individual Saviour, one who saves his elect people by a salvation personally applied to the soul and circumstances of each, yet, viewing his work in the aggregate, he is a general Saviour; that is, gives general blessings, especially to this body, which his elect people constitute: which blessings indeed, when he has a people every where, will be universal. He will universally deliver them from all mortal ill, and bring in a happier and more blessed state. And though, while intent on preaching Christ as a personal Saviour, I fear that I and others have sometimes been negligent to set him forth, in this his more glorious character of the general or universal Saviour of all his people, throughout the world, yet this latter, I conceive, is rather the character in which he is exhibited in prophecy: namely, as one through whom there shall be a general deliverance, to all his people, from all evil and suffering; a happy condition in a happy world, no longer groaning, to them at least, under the curse; an eternal ending of all the ills of mortality.

Now here, then, come in the false Christs. They have found some plan to do away with general evils. Society groans under its calamities, the merited consequences of sin; yet discerns neither their real cause, nor their true remedy; and, when a false remedy is proposed, is ever ready to listen. And they also, these false Christs, groan under the same ills, and are in equal ignorance, and propose their remedies. Sometimes, perhaps, they do not attempt to deceive, without first being themselves deceived. They think they discern the true cause (being deluded by the devil) of some pressing evil-they recommend, cry up, and urge their remedy-they thus intrude upon the office of Him, by and through whom, alone, all true and effectual remedies for every evil are to be brought in-and so they become false Christs. Here note we the true reason, why thousands upon thousands of those schemes, such as the world calls benevolent projects, useful designs, come to nothing. They are so many enemies of Christ, so many rivals of his glory, slain by his sword, yea, rather smashed, like pottery, by his iron sceptre. The failure of such schemes, believe me, is no

common or accidental failure, occasioned by the frowardness of circumstances, or by the waywardness of the minds of thankless men, or by accidental causes. No. It is a failure of a peculiar kind-a failure sent by Christ himself; who will finally do all good, and who will disappoint and confound every one who attempts to do good independent of him; because he well knows that all such attempts are wicked, unbelieving, and selfish, and undertaken through disregard to his truth, and in a spirit not conformed to his declared purposes. Know this, ye false Christs, who set yourselves in the place of the True: when confounded in your purposes, ye have been confounded by him; and your failure is that of unsuccessful rivals. Statesmen, who have formed magnificent schemes for the advantage of their country, failed, crept away into mortified obscurity, and died in anguish devisers of national and public plans, whose plans have been rejected or scoffed at, and who have spent their last days in poverty and neglect, disappointed men: schemers of all degrees and classes, who could get no one to listen to their schemes: political writers, who tore each other to pieces in their love for their common country, and whom their country equally disregarded leading men in districts and neighbourhoods, who have tried all to ameliorate the state of the population about them, and at last haye abandoned the spot in vexation and despair theophilanthropists by profession, who have died blaspheming misanthropes: benevolent individuals, who have been all their lives attempting to do good to all by other means than the Gospel, and at length, unthanked and unappreciated, have withdrawn towards the close of life into themselves, like the worm that curls itself up to perish :-all, all, in their several walks and departments, have acted the character of false Christs, and their disappointment and final failure and discomfiture came from no other than the True; who has his own work to execute, and will not have it marred by such unbidden helpers. Yet let me observe, that the result may be different. The professor of benevolence without religion, seeing that all his plans are defeated, may also be led to see the true cause: may discover his error in attempting to do good on his own account, without the aid, and not for the sake, of Jesus Christ: may repent, submit, and become the servant of Him who is Lord of all: and then may be employed as his happy, intelligent, and willing instrument of good, and see schemes of usefulness prospering in his hands, under the favour of the true Christ, which in the character of a false Christ he himself could never bring to bear.

But here let me specify some of the modes by which an attempt is made to remedy existing evils of various kinds.

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