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Priests and Religious perfons, might well be called a Doctrine of Devills, by reafon of those impurities that are the confequences of it; but as for abftinence from meats in Lent and on certain days, one cannot deny, but that it is a very extravagant expreffion to call it a Doctrine of Devils. It must be obferved therefore, that apoftacy from the faith, and the Doctrine of Devils, do not refer to the forbidding of marriage and of meats, as the Genus referrs to the Species, as if thefe forbiddings of marriage and of meats, were themselves Doctrines of Devils. They are only the Characters of those that are to teach the DoErines of Devils; that is to fay, that they fhall be perfons that shall make a profeffion of great aufterity, to that degree, that they fhall abftain ftom marriage, which God hath inftituted, and from meats which God hath allowed us to use." And fo this is the fenfe of the words. In the lat- The true ter days, there shall happen an apoftacy and a revol- fenfe,and ting from the faith; men shall give up themselves to tranflation feducing Spirits & to doctrines of Demons,which Do- of this trines shall be taught by hypocrites, lyars, menwhofe Paul. confciences are feared with a hot iron; and who making a great shew of their aufterities, shall abitain from marriage, and from meats which God hath created, impofing a neceffity on all their devouts to obferve celibacy, and the Laws of their fafts, that confift in diftinction of meats. And to tranflate it exactly according to the Greek Text, the fenfe is clear without a Paraphrafe.

the true

Text of St.

I. Now the Spirit faith exprefly, that in the latter times fome shall revolt from the faith, giving themselves up to deceiving Spirits and Doctrines of Demons.

IL. And this through the fictions of lyars,

N 3

men

men whofe confciences are feared with a hot

'iron.

III. Forbidding to marry, commanding to abfain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful, and by them who know the truth.

Thofe that understand Greek and the rules of Grammer, will eafily fee, that the words cannot be otherwife tranflated. For the Greek pronoun fome, and the participle giving up themselves to, cannot be conftrued with lyars and forbidding; feeing the pronoun fome, is in the nominative cafe, as they call it, and the other words are in that which they call the Genitiue. So that it must not be tranflated, fome giving up themselves and teaching lies. But lyars and forbidding muft be conftrued with these words through the hypocrify, and be rendred through the hypocrify, or through the fiction of lyars. For the propofition that fignifies [in,] fignifies alfo by or through. And our (French) Interpreters have fo tranflated it, teaching lies through hypocrify.But instead of teaching lies, it fhould be tranflated, through the hypocrify of those that teach lies, or lyars. This Text thus rectified by a right tranflation, prefents two things to us,the firft is the Antichriftian Apoftacy and its Characters; the fecond is the fountain of this Apoftacy, the men that must cause and promote it. The firft is the apoftacy from the faith, to give up themselves to feducing fpirits and the doctrine of Devils or Damons; the fecond is the hypocritical Authors of the Law of celibacy, and of abftinence from meats. Let us examine whether thefe two things do well agrée to the Papifm.

СНАР.

CHAP. XIX.

That the term of Apoftacy, is not too big to exprefs the Papifm by: that Apoftacy fignifies rebellion and idolatry: why the H. Scripture ufes fuch high words to defcribe the popish Idolatry; and higher than those, it makes use of to defcribe the Pagan Idolatry.

T

He firft Character of the Antichriftian Em pire that appears in this place is apoftacy: some. shall revolt from the faith.

which the

feth

'Tis exactly the very fame word, which Saint Paul ufes in the fecond Chap. of the fecond Epiftle to the Theffalonians, where by the confeffion of all, he defcribes the coming of the Antichriftian Empire. That day shall not come, except there come a falling away, or an apoftacy first, and that man of fin, the fon of perdition, be revealed. This The Idea term of apoftacy at this day begets a dreadful Idea word Apoin mens minds. 'Tis ufed to lignify an entire re-fall in the nunciation of the faith. Efpecially when'tis join- mind. ed with the word faith, as it is here, They shall fall into an apoftacy from the faith; it feems to fignify as much, e. an utter renunciation of the Chriftian faith. Now the Papifm makes great ufe of that, and pretends to prove it cannot be called an apoftacy, and a renunciation of the Chriftian faith, because it retains that entire, receiving the Apostles Creed, the Nicene, and Athanafius's, in the fenfe of the Scripture, and of the Church.

Before we thew, that this makes nothing a

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gainst

Apoftacy

tichrift,

be a Jew.

Chap. 19. The word gainft our hypothefis; I will obferve one thing, which fig. Which I have not found any as yet have fufficiently nifies An- confirm'd. "Tis this, that the term of apoftacy, shews he which fignifies the Empire of Antichrift, evidentmuft not ly fhews, that the Antichrift of the Romish Dotors, is a meer Chimara. According to them, he must be a few that muft ftyle himself the Meffab, affemble all the Jews at Jerufalem, make war on the Chrifians, and destroy Christianity. If he be a few by nation and religion, he will not be an Apoftate. For according to the Scripture usage of the word and that of the languages at this day, none are called Apoftates, but thole that abandon the true religion to embrace a falfe one. So that fee here is a new proof, that Antichriftianifm muft establish it felfin Chriftianity, and the Subjects and Prince of this Empire, must be Apoftates from the Chriftian religion, which cannot agree to the fews. We must not fay, that this Empire of Antichrift is called an apoftacy, because it will caufe the Chrifiians to revolt, and make them Apoftates: For it is plain, that the head of this Empire must himself be an Apoftate. That day shall not come, except there be first a falling away, or an apoftacy, and the man of fin the fon of perdition be revealed. One may plainly fee, that this fignifies, before the ароfacy of the man of fin happens.

The revolt

pifm from

called an

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At the prefent to make appear, that the revolt of the Pa- of the Papifm from the faith is very juftly ftyled: the faith is an apoftacy, divers things must be obferv'd. very well And firft, That this word in its original, doth not poftacy fignify all that, that men at this day would fignify by it. The verb whence this word is derived, fignifies no more than to depart from any perfon or thing. They that understand Greek, cannot be ignorant of that.

1

So

t

So Apoftacy originally fignifies a departure; 'tis to depart from the obedience which is due to any one. "Tis to refuse him, either the whole, or a part of that homage, that is due to him. 'Tis not without a great mystery of Providence, that fuch extravagant Ideas, and fuch as are not according to the intention of the H. Spirit, fhould be affixed to the names defigned to fignify the Antichriftian Empire and its head. For example, the man of fin, the son of perdition, the Beat with fev-n heads full of blafphemies, the great Whore, the Cup of abomination, Antichrift. Exceffive Ideas, I fay have been affixed to these names, as if hereby it were fignified, that the perfon and the Empire, defigned by these names fhould have nothing of the Chriftian; yea, nothing of humane in it, and that they should be prodigies of impiety, madnefs, blafphemy and impurity. The fame thing hath happen'd in the term Apofacy, to which hath been affixed the Idea of an utter renunciation of the faith. And this hath not come to pafs without a fingular Providence of God, who would not have Antichrift to be known, to the end that during his birth and eftablishment no man might oppofe him.

rebellion

Our fecond Obfervation is, that the word apoftacy in the Scripture ufe of it, answers to the Hebrew word mered rebellion, and marad to The word rebel. 'Tis very ufual with the 70. Interpreters, properly Apoftacy to render thefe Hebrew words by thofe of, to ignifies apoftatize and apoftacy, whether it be rebellion againft God, or rebellion against men that is treated of. The Reubenites and Gadites, returning home, after they had affifted their Brethren, to fettle themselves on the other fide of fordan, built an Altar on the bank of the river. The other Tribes imagining

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