the fingular stress, which all Proteftant churches to this day have ever laid on this principle, we may fee the importance of the general queftion. The papal divines have an evident reafon for treating it with contempt. The men of thought and inquiry, who fpeculate within the Roman communion, may be restrained by confiderations of fear or decency, from joining [c] in this invidious charge against the

[c] M. d'Alembert, indeed, goes further. He ac quaints us, that this charge is now out of date, and that nobody, either within or without the Romish communion, makes it any longer. For, fpeaking of a public infcription at Geneva, in which the Pope is called Antichrift, he animadverts on this difgrace of that Proteftant people, and very kindly fuggefts to them what their improved fentiments and language fhould be on that fubject. As for the Catholics (fays he, very gravely) the Pope is regarded by them, as the Head of the true Church: By fage and moderate Proteftants, he is feen in the light of a fovereign prince, whom they refpect, though they do not obey him: But, in an age like this, HE IS NO LONGER ANTICHRIST IN THE OPINION OF ANYBODY. "Pour les Catholiques, le Pape eft le chef de la veritable Eglife; pour les Proteftants fages et modérées, c'est un Souverein qu'ils refpectent comme Prince fans lui obéir: mais dans un fiécle tel que nôtre, il n'eft plus l'Antichrift D 4

head

head of their church. But for any, that profefs Christianity, and call themselves Protestants, to make light of inquiries into the prophecies concerning Antichrift, and to manifest a scorn of all attempts to apply them in the way, in which they have fo generally, and with fuch effect been applied, is a fort of conduct, which will not fo readily find an excufe, much less a justification.

3. Lastly, whatever becomes of the truth, or importance of the doctrine, the antiquity of it is not to be difputed. For we are authorised to affirm, on the most certain grounds of hiftory, that a Roman power, commonly called Antichrift, was expected to arife in the latter times, by the primitive Christians; and that the Imperial, was not deemed to be that power, fo long as it fubfifted. It is, further, unquestionable that not the Emperor, but the Bishop or Church

pour perfone." Encyclopedie, Art. GENEVE.-If the prefent age be here, truly characterized, it was high time, or rather it was too late, to found this Protestant Lecture.

of

of Rome, was afterwards thought entitled to the name of Antichrift by many perfons of that communion, for feveral fucceffive centuries, previous to the æra of the Reformation.

These facts fhould abate the wonder, at least, which fome exprefs at hearing the names of the Pope and Antichrift pronounced together. They muft furely convince every man, that this language, whatever foundation it may, or may not have, in the prophecies, is not taken up without precedents and authorities: and that the notion, conveyed by it, is not a conceit of yesterday, which fprung out of recent prejudices, and novel interpretations. This, I fay, is a conclufion which every man muft draw from the premises, laid down in this discourse: and this, for the prefent, is the main use I would request you, to make of those premises.

SER

SERMON VIII.

Prejudices against the Doctrine of ANTICHRIST.

1 Ep. JOHN ii. 18.

ye bave heared, that Antichrift fhall come.

ONE of the principal prejudices against

the doctrine of Antichrift, as underftood and applied by Proteftant divines, arifes out of a circumstance, which was juft touched in the close of my last dif course, and is of importance enough to be now refumed and more particularly confidered.

1. It is well known that, when the Reformation was fet on foot in the fixteenth century, this great work was every where juftified and conducted on the general prin

ple, "That the Pope, or at least the church of Rome, was Antichrift."

"Now men of fenfe, who have looked no farther into the fubject, and yet remember, as they easily may, the bitternefs, the policy, the fraud, too commonly obfervable in the conduct of religious (as of other) parties, eafily fall into the suspicion, That this cry of Antichrift was only an artifice of the time, or at least an extravagance of it; when the minds of men were intenfely heated against each other, and when of course no arms would be refufed, that might ferve to annoy or diftrefs the enemy.

In these circumftances, it was natural enough, it will be faid, for angry men to fee that in the prophecies which was not contained in them; or for defigning men to feign that which they did not fee; in order the more effectually to carry on the cause in which they had embarked, and to feduce the unwary multitude into their quarrel. In short, the paffions of the Re

formed,