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on the whole, the fingle point in debate is merely this, Whether Imperial, or Papal Rome, be that Antichriftian Power, which the prophets foretold. The church of Rome holds, for obvious reafons, that the Imperial power is the object of the prophecies: the Proteftants have, on the contrary, their reasons for maintaining, that Papal Rome is that power, which the prophecies had in view, and in which alone they are truly and properly verified.

This, then, is the meaning of that famous inquiry concerning Antichrift: and I must defire you to keep your attention fteadily fixed on the queftion, as here stat ́ed; while I endeavour to furnish you with the proper means of deciding upon it.

The obvious method of doing this, would be, To lay before you, directly, the prophecies themselves, and to examine them by the light of fober criticism, and authentic hiftory. But, because it is no new or difficult thing to mifreprefent facts, and to misinterpret scripture, to pervert, in short,

thefe

these two inftruments of truth to any ends, which prejudice hath in view; and because I know how natural it is for you to suspect fuch management in the prefent cafe, wherethe zeal of party is fuppofed, on either fide, to exclude, or over-power, the love of truth; for these reafons, it may be convenient to take a larger compafs, and, by a previous hiftorical deduction of this controverfy, to let you fee in what light it has been regarded, through the feveral ages of the Christian Church.

I. THE FIRST ACCOUNT, we meet with in fcripture, of the power in question, I mean, under his proper name of Antichrift, is in the first epiftle of St. John, from which the text is taken. The whole pasfage runs thus-Little children, it is the laft time: And, as ye have heard that Antichrift Spall come, even now there are many Antichrifts; whereby we know that it is the laft

time.

To understand these words, we must call to mind what hath been already, more than once, obferved concerning the fcriptural divifion of time into two great portions, The FORMER, and LATTER times. By the former, is meant the times preceding the Chriftian era; by the latter, the times fubfequent to it. Correfpondent to this partition of time, is the double advent of Christ, of which I before gave a distinct idea. His first advent was, when he came in the flesh at Jerufalem: his fecond advent is to be understood of his coming in his kingdom, through all the ages of the Chriftian Church.

น

But though the latter times, in the general fenfe of fcripture, be thus comprehenfive, they are further fubdivided into other conftituent portions, in which fome particular ftate of Chrift's kingdom is adminiftered, and within which it is com pleted. In reference to this fubordinate divifion of time in the Chriftian difpenfa tion, the coming of Chrift is, alfo, pro

portionably

portionably multiplied. He comes in each divifion; that is, as oft as he thinks fit to interpofe by any fignal act of his power and providence. The whole period, in which any diftinct state of his kingdom is carrying on, is likewife called the latter time; and the concluding part of that period is diftinguished by the name of the last bour; as if the whole of each period were confidered as one day; and the close of each period, as the end, or laft bour, of that day,

Thus, the time that elapfed from Christ's afcenfion to the deftruction of Jerufalem, being one of the subdivisions, before mentioned, is called the latter times; and the eve of its deftruction, is called the last bour. He was coming through the whole time: he came in the end of it. And the like use of these terms is to be made, in other instances. We are to apply them in the fame manner to the reign of Antichrift—to the Millennium-to the day of judgement. Each of these ftates, into which the latter times,

or the times of Chriftianity, are divided, is likewise spoken of under the idea of the latter times; and the season, in which each is drawing to an end, is the last hour of that ftate [b].

Thus much being premifed, it is easy to give a juft expofition of the text. Little children, it is the last time, or hour-that is, the destruction of Jerufalem is at hand; as indeed it followed very foon after the date of this Epiftle. And, as ye have beared that Antichrift fhall come-that, in some future period, called the last times, an hostile power, which we know by the name of Antichrift, fhall arife and prevail in the world, even now, we may fee the commencement of that power; for, there are

[6] What is here faid of the fcriptural divifion of time, with regard to the affairs of the Church, is enough for my purpose. There is another divifion of time, in the prophetic fcriptures, with regard to the kingdoms of the world; concerning which the reader may confult BISHOP KIDDER'S Dem. of the Meffiah, Part iii. ch. ix.; and efpecially Mr. MEDE's Apoflafy of the latter times, ch. xi.

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