It hath

told, that

should be

which alone is capable of making us acknowledge been fore the Antichriftian Empire of the Papifm. This canIdolatry not be understood in a general sense, neither of promoted Antiochus, that gave himself over to all manner of by perfons debauchery, and came to that height of impudence enemies to as to ly with his Miffes in publick; nor of the marriage. Popes and their Clergy, the perfons of all in the

that were

4

World moft diffolutely given to women and Sodomy. But by the defire of women, marriage is meant, the lawful defire of women. 'Tis exactly the Character by which St. Paul would have us know the Teachers of the Chriftian Apoftacy, for bidding men to marry. Now this is that which diftinguifheth new Rome from the old one. In old Rome celibacy was difgraced, marriage had great priviledges, as appears by the Julian and Papian Laws New Rome hath deftroyed these Laws, and hath transferred to celibacy all the honours of marriage. According to the Roman Laws, a man 25 years old that was not married, could not inherit, nor Eufeb. de receive any Legacies by Will, no not of thofe that vita Conft. were nearest of kin to him; Conftantine abolisht I. 4. C. 26. this Law, and not only made unmarried perfons ca336 pable of receiving by will, but permitted thofe of the one and the other Sex that were unmarried, to make Wills, though they were not at age. So, Rome began no longer to have regard to the defire of women. But quickly after, the began utterly to deftroy the honour of marriage, which the Empire paffed to and was devolt upon those perfons, that make it a matter of glory and religion to live unmarried.

Sozom. 1.3. c. 4.

The Popes

He shall not regard any God. That is to fay, he Have lived fhall act like a man without any religion. Weneed but ftudy the lives of the Popes, to fee with how much exactness this prophecy hath been accom

as without God.

plifht.

plifht. For they have been proud, ufurpers, cruel, disturbers of the publick peace, whore-mongers, fodomites, adulterers, and every thing the most horrible that can be imagin'd. This is to live as without God, and not to care for God.

and Idola

on the

He shall worship Mabuzim befides the true God. Tyranny For he worships J. Chrift; but befides this, makes try were himself new protectors of the Saints and Angels, advanced whom he calls his interceffors and his patrons with fame feat. God. In exalting them together with him in his feat. Indeed proportionably as the See of Rome exalted it felf above other Sees, the Idolatry of Saints and Reliques was establisht, they were born the one and the other, i. e. tyranny and idolatry, in the fourth Age. And together with this God, whom his Fathers knew not, he shall bonour them. Together with 7. Chrift, the God unknown to the ancient Romans, he fhall worship fecond Gods and patrons. He shall honour them with gold, filver, precious stones, and defirable things. We need only fee the places famous for the devotion of the Papifm. Thofe places I fay, where fome Saint, or fome one of our Ladies is famous for her miracles, there are feen treasures, where filver, gold, and precious ftones are in abundance.

The Saints

are the for

He shall make strong holds of the Mabuzim, and the Certainly, fo we may call the Temples, the Cha, Reliques pels, and the places confecrated to the devotion of treffes of Reliques and of the Saints. These are fortreffes the Pagism, for the people, look on them as their prefervers. When a City would obtain a favour from Heaven, The fets up the shrines of her Saints; when the hath loft them, fhe believes the hath loft her pros tectors; when in the war they have been taken away, peace being restored, the brings them again into the Churches in pomp, as tutelary Gods and protectors.

R 4

tectors. One City hath a bit of the true Grofs, and other the head or body of a Martyr; Lo, what is to her instead of a fortrefs and a citadel, under which the believes her felf to be in fafety. This is the idea, which fuperftitious perfons have had of this criminal devotion, from the very time that it began to appear in the world. We must see what Saint Ambrofe faith to his fifter in the Epiftle which we have cited above. He speaks of the bodies of Protais and Gervais, as oftwo tutelar Angels, under whose care they had been without knowing. Hom. 32. it. St. Bazil in the Homily, on the 40 Martyrs faith in Epift.ad of them, Thefe having taken poffeffion of this Country,

Rom.

are to it like fo many towers joined together against the invafions of our enemies. St. Chryfoftome speaking of the Reliques of St. Paul and St. Peter, that are at Rome, faith, that those bodies do fortify that City more than the towers, and ten thousand ramparts. Venantius Fortunatus a Chriftian Poet, who lived about an age after the birth of Idolatry, calls the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome, ramparts and towers."

over many,

A facie hoftili duo propugnacula profunt Quos fidei turres urbs caput orbis habet. Thole that followed, fpoke after the fame rate. He shall multiply the honour, and make them rule and shall divide the Land for a recom pence: Is not this exactly what the papism doth to its Saints? It makes them rule over States, it divides the Earth among them; St. James rules over Spain, St. Denis and the Virgin over France; every Country hath its Protectors and its Patrons. So you have in a few words, the expofition of this famous and important Text. That which follows to the very end of the Chapt. feems to belong more to Antiochus than to Antichrift. However it may agree

agree both to the one and the other. But I find no great neceffity to find Antichrift there, because we find him enough elsewhere.

phecy of

have a lite

with re

spect to

icious.

It may be asked, whether the Text touching the The ProMabuzim, and the worship of a strange God can the Mahuagree to Antiochus in the literal fenfe? To fpeak zim may the truth, this paftofthe prophecy feems to be one of ral fenie thofe that do not agree to the type, but only to the person reprefented by the type. For we do not find that Antiochus made himself new Gods, nor that he rejected the God of hisFathers,nor that he worshipt an unknown God, nor that he had Mahuzim, that is to fay, protectors befides his old falfe Gods. But fee what I believe. All this with refpect to Antiochus is a prophecy that referrs to the Temporal, not the Spiritual, the Empire, not the Religion. And on the contrary, with respect to Antichrift, it principally refpects Religion.

his adven

mans that

So that with refpect to Antiochus, thefe are his They are adventures with refpect to the Romans; This Ty- tutes with rant was the most infolent and the proudeft of all the Romen; he exalted himself above all the Gods, i. e. are here above all the neighbouring Countries, and all the declared, Kings his allies. The Countries are often meant by the Gods that ruled there. Bel boweth down, 15. 46. 1. Nebo foopeth. That is to fay, the Chaldeans and the Babylonians are perifht. This use of the word is ufual enough with the Prophets. So Antiochus is faid to have exalted himself above all the Gods, i. e. above all the Countries, the protection of which is committed to divers Gods. He regarded not the defire of women, i. e. being a debauched perfon, he defpifed marriage, but he worshipt Mabuzim in his feat. If one would tranflate this word into Greek word for word, it must be rendred by Romaious the Romans. For the word Romans in

1

Greek

to

Greek fignifies ftrong or puiffant, being derived from the word Rome, that fignifies ftrength; and this is also what the Hebrew word Mabuzim fignifies. So that having refpect to the fignification of the word Romaioi, it cannot,otherwife be rendred in Hebrew than by Mahuzim Now this is what did exactly come to pafs. This foerce a Prince was obliged to render homage to the Romans pay them tribute of gold, of filver, and precious ftones. The fecond Book of Macchabces faith, that Nicanor appointed a tribute to King Antiochus Epiphanus, that was to come to the Romans, to wit, two thousand Talents. He shall build frong holds for Mahuzim; that is to fay, the Romans. This alfo came to pafs: Antiochus was obliged to leave to the Romans the Provinces of Afia, which are on the other fide mount Taurus. And fo he put that great lift of mountains in Cilicia, as a rampart and à fortrefs between the Romans and him. These Romans were Gods, whom his Ancestors knew not. Antiochus For the first founders of the Empire of the Greeks, Alexander and his Succeffors, had not heard the Ro mans fo much as fpoken of. It was Antiochus the Grand-father of Antiochus Epiphanes, that first of whom his all felt the effort of their might, that left Afia to knew not, them, and obliged himself to pay them 500. Talents Appian. in for the charges of the war, 2500. Talents when the Titus Li- Senate fhould ratify the Treaty, & ten thoufand five vius. L. 38. hundred Talents at feveral payments within twelve

rendred

homage to the Ro

mans, new Gods,

Ancestors

Syriacis.

years. Hereupon this difficulty may arise, that it was then the father of Antiochus that rendred homage to the Romans, and not he himself. It must be anfwer'd, that Antiochus Epiphanes must not here be diftinguifht from his father. First, because it was in his time that this fervitude began, and he himself was given as an Hoftage to the

Romans