zans of the caufe will not fcruple to lay hold on every popular topic, by which it may be promoted. But an ill name, is the readieft of all expedients, and generally the moft effectual, for this fervice. And as Heretic is the term in ufe, when the church of Rome would difcredit the Reformation; fo, Antichrift ferves just as well, in the mouth of a Proteftant, to dif grace the Catholic party. Hence, the people are gratified in a low fpite against the person of the Pope; the better fort are confirmed in their religious or politic aver fion to the church of Rome; and Princes themselves are invited to come in aid of the prophecies, by turning their arms and councils against a godlefs antichriftian tyranny and all this, to the ruin of public peace, and in defiance of Chriftian charity."

When men declaim, inftead of arguing, or, what is worfe, when they argue from their fufpicions only, it may not be eafy to give them an anfwer to their

fatisfaction. Otherwife, one might re

ply,

First, That the question is not, what ufe has been, or may be, made of this doctrine concerning Antichrift; but whether there be reafon to believe that fuck doctrine is really contained in facred fcripture. If there be, it will become us to treat it with respect, how much foever it may have been mifapplied, or perverted.

In the next place, one might obferve that no man, who understood the ftate of this controversy, ever applied the prophecies concerning Antichrift to the perfon of the Pope, but in general to the church of Rome, or rather to the Antichristian spirit, by which it is governed; or, if to the Pope, to him only as representing that fociety, of which he is the head: and fo far only, as he acted in the spirit of it. And there is nothing ftrange or unufual in this use of the term. When Hobbes wrote his famous book, called LEVIATHAN (a word, now

at leaft, of almoft as ill found, as Antichrift itself) no man fuppofes, that he meant to apply this character, exclusively, to the person of any prince, then living; but, in general, to civil government, according to the ideas he had formed of it. And this way of speaking, as I have before obferved, is especially familiar to the facred writers. Many of the Popes are faid to have been, and, for any thing I know, may have been, Saints, in their private morals: fo that when we apply the term, Antichrift, to them, we do not mean to ftigmatize their perfons, but merely to exprefs the fenfe which the prophecies lead us to entertain of the communion, over which they prefide; though they may not exemplify in their own conduct, or not in any remarkable degree, the avowed principles of that communion.

Conceive, therefore, with more respect of Proteftant divines, when they explain and vindicate the prophecies concerning Antichrift, than to fuppofe, that they in

dulge

dulge in themselves, or would encourage in others, a low fpite against the perfon of the Roman Pontif.

Thirdly, It is to be obferved, that, although this prophetic language may tend to confirm Proteftants in a religious, or, if you will, politic averfion to the church of Rome; yet it is not therefore to be forborn, if the fcriptures do, indeed, authorize the ufe of it; nor is there any hurt done, if the principles of that church be not mifreprefented; for then, fuch averfion becomes the wisdom and the duty of all Christians. Besides, this averfion proceeds no farther in well-informed Proteftants, than to keep them at distance from the Romish communion, and to admonish others of their obligation to forfake it. And, if the members, above all, if the rulers, of that communion would restrain their zeal within the fame bounds (though they would not, we fay, be equally juftified in this zeal) neither public peace, nor Christian charity, would suffer by it.

Laftly,

Lastly, it fhould be remembered, That, when the prophecies foretel the downfal of Antichrift, and even go fo far as to point out to us the princes of that communion, as the deftined inftruments of fuch cataftrophe, yet neither is hereby any duty imposed on those princes to make war upon the Pope, nor any encouragement given to Proteftants themselves to concur in any fuch measures. For the prophets fimply predict an event; and do not deliver in their prediction, or propose to deliver, rules for our conduct. Our Saviour himfelf, fpeaking by the fpirit, and in the language of prophecy, faid-I come not to fend peace on earth, but a fword. But will any man fuppofe that this prediction justifies, or was meant in any degree to justify, that ftate of things, which it describes, and which the author of it forefaw would too certainly come to pafs? Nor think, that the event predicted, I mean, the fall of Antichrift, will not take place, unless our invectives, or hoftile attempts, make way

for