angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel, to preach unto them that sit upon the earth, and over every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people:

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Saying with a loud voice: fear the Lord, and give him honour, because the hour of his judgment is come: and adore ye him, that made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters." Apoc. xiv. 6, 7.

The angel here may represent Henoch and his attendants, the pastors of the Church, who with great vigour will preach up, first in Jerusalem, and then in all other nations, the eternal gospel or everlasting covenant, Isai. xxiv. 5; that is, the eternal law, founded in nature itself, that forbids divine worship to be paid to any creature, as being the incommunicable right of the Supreme Being. They will say: adore not this impostor, who deceitfully pretends to a power over heaven, earth, sea, and fountains of water; but "adore him that really made heaven, and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters," and has power to do with them what he pleases. These exhortations the preachers will enforce with that peculiar reason here given, "because the hour of his judgment is come," because the time will soon come, in three years and a half, when the judgment of God will fall upon this "man of sin, this son of perdition," Antichrist, and he shall be exterminated.

Antichrist finding that many, particularly the Jews, refuse to pay him divine honour, he will first endeavour to bring them over by persuasive methods. For that purpose he will avail himself of the "power which the dragon gave him," as we saw above, of performing wonders and working false miracles. Many prodigies, therefore, and extraordinary performances, by the devil's operation, he will exhibit; "whose coming," says St. Paul, " is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders," 2 Thess. ii. 9. By the dazzling appearance of these wonderful operations, many will be staggered in their faith, and will be seduced to worship this mock-God, as we seem to learn from our Saviour, who said: "There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive, if possible, even the elect," Matth. xxiv. 24. Christ, whose providence is never wanting to his Church, will interpose his power to baffle that of the devil and Antichrist. He will invest many of the Christian preachers, particularly Henoch and Elias, with extraordinary miraculous powers. As Moses and Aaron were sent by the Almighty to contend with

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Pharaoh and his magicians, and to rescue the Israelites from slavery so will Elias and Henoch be the two chief messengers, whom Christ will employ to oppose his enemy Antichrist, and to preserve the elect from falling into his snares. And as the magicians of Egypt, with all their demoniacal charms and incantations, were vanquished by the signal superiority of the miracles of Moses and Aaron; so will the prodigies of Antichrist be eclipsed and confounded by the far greater number and splendour of the miracles of Elias and Henoch. And I will give," says Christ, "unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. And if any man will hurt them, in this manner must he be slain.-These have power to shut Heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will." Apoc. xi. 3, 5, 6. These miracles we have before explained, see page 140. In conformity to this passage St. Ephron speaks thus: "God in his mercy will send Elias and Henoch, who will openly exhort the people not to believe in Antichrist." Serm. de Antichr. And St. Ambrose: "Henoch and Elias are destined to be the Apostles of the last times; for they are to be sent before the last coming of Christ, to prepare the people of God, and to animate all the Churches to resist Antichrist." In Ep. 1. ad Corinth. c. 4.-St. Gregory the Great likewise says, that Elias and Henoch will appear upon the stage of the world to oppose Antichrist." In Job, lib. 15. c. 36. When the powers of the Almighty and Satan come in competition, the latter must certainly vanish.-Whence it follows, that those only will be deluded, who wilfully shut their eyes to the clear light of evidence; and so we are informed by St. Paul; "whose coming," Antichrist's," is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying; that all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity." 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, 11.

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Antichrist seeing all his wonderful operations baffled by the shining evidence of Henoch's and Elias's miracles, and perceiving that multitudes of Christians refuse to acknowledge his godhead, he swells with anger, and being actuated by the hellish fiend that possesses him, he arrogantly boasts of his pre

eminence over all other men that have ever existed, of the greatness of his empire, of the number of his armies, of his command over all the beings and works of nature, and even presumes to extol his own power above that of the Almighty; as it seems to follow from what St. John proceeds to say of him:

Chap. xiii. 5. “And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies." And St. Paul calls him, "the man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped." 2 Thess. ii. 3, 4. Daniel also gives us much the same picture of him: "And behold," says that prophet, "eyes like the eyes of a man were in this little horn, and a mouth speaking great things," vii. 8. We have before observed, that Antichrist is meant by the little horn, which is here said to have eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things; the eyes of a man and a mouth indicate a man, one individual man, who speaks great things, as we have just heard from St. John. Daniel goes on painting his character: "and he shall think himself able to change times and laws," vii. 25. He will imagine himself powerful enough to change times, the course of times and seasons of the year, as night into day, winter into summer, &c., and to change laws, to alter the laws by which nature acts, by which the sun, and moon, and other planets, move, to alter their times of rising and setting, to raise up the harvest in winter, and to make the earth barren in summer, and to command the clouds to rain, or not, at his pleasure; in fine, he will boast of having power to reverse the whole order of nature. And perhaps he will attempt some particular of this sort, which by the devil's aid he may apparently effect.

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V. 5. And power was given him to do two and forty months." He is permitted by the Almighty to do what he pleases during two and forty months, or three years and a half. or else, as the Greek text has it, power was given him to make war two and forty months, which he resolves to do with the utmost violence and cruelty.

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V. 6. And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies, against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell therein." Here is a shocking picture of Antichrist's superlative arrogance and unparalleled impiety. Inflated with the venom that Satan instils into his heart, and furious against the Christians, whom, with all his art and feigned miracles, he has not been able to gain over, he now,

in rage, flies in the face of heaven. He pours out blasphemies against God; Lucifer-like, he revolts against God, and blasphemes him; he blasphemes his name, that is, religion, which commands homage to be paid to the Supreme Being alone; he blasphemes his tabernacle, or heaven, the seat of God, and his Church on earth; he blasphemes them that dwell in heaven, that is, the angels and saints. Thus this monster of iniquity, like a swollen sea that overtops all boundaries, rises up against God and every thing that is holy.Daniel with one stroke of his pencil draws much the same picture of him: "And he will speak words against the Most High," vii. 25. He seems to have sucked up all the virulence and spirit of impiety of the preceding ages. In the fourth vial, we heard blasphemies against the name of God, Apoc. xvi. 9; and in the fifth vial, blasphemies against the God of heaven, Apoc. xvi. 11. Both these sorts of blasphemy Antichrist uses, and adds others to them.

St. John seems to intimate in his first Epistle, some particular instances of this man's presumption and opposition to Christ. He will deny that Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah, and will thereby endeavour to take away the belief of the blessed Trinity. "Who is a liar,* but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, † who denieth the Father and the Son." 1 Ep. ii. 22. He will deny that the Son of God took human flesh: "Every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God; and this is Antichrist,§ of whom you have heard that he comes and is now already in the world." 1 Ep. iv. 3.-Here St. John says that Antichrist, who they have heard will one day come into the world, " is now already in the world;" that is, there are already in the world men, who broach such impious doctrine about Christ, as Antichrist himself will do. Such were the Simonians and Corinthians in St. John's time. St. Paul has likewise sufficiently described the detestable character of Antichrist, calling him, "the man of sin, that sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God-whose coming is according to the working of Satan." 2 Thess. c. 2. And in a similar strain have also the ancient fathers spoken of him. Satan," says St. Jerom, "will wholly possess Antichrist," in Dan. c. 7. St. Chrysostom says: "Antichrist will be a man, that will possess all

In the Greek text, (the liar.)

+ In the Greek, (the Antichrist.)

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In the Greek, (that doth not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.)

§ In the Greek, (and this is the spirit of Antichrist.)

the power of Satan." St. Irenæus is very ample in the de scription of his character. Adversus Hær. lib. 5. c. 25.St. John proceeds,

V. 7. "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." Here Antichrist has power allowed him to persecute "the saints," or good Christians, "and to overcome thein," or put them to death with great cruelty and torments; and this we shall soon see him putting in execution.

V. 7. "And power was given him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation."

His power, his dominion will extend over every nation and people of the globe. Already monarch of a great part of the kingdoms of the earth, when he commences Antichrist; the rest he will now subdue, and thus will become master to tyrannize over mankind, and persecute religion in every corner of the world. We shall here just remark, that the reason why St. John in this and several other places of the Apocalypse uses the four terms, tribe, people, tongue, and nation, seems to be to indicate the four great divisions of the earth, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; the term people, probably being put for Europe; nation, for Asia; tongue, for Africa; and tribe, for America. And the order in which the above terms stand in this place, perhaps indicates the progressive course of Antichrist's conquests.

V. 8. "And all that dwell upon the earth, adored him,* whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamḥ, which was slain from the beginning of the world."

Here we see such a general apostacy of mankind, that, except those whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb, which was slain from the beginning of the world in the decrees of God, that is, except the predestined, all the rest yield to the tyranny and persecution of Antichrist, and adore him as a God.

The preceding account of Antichrist's character, power, and actions, doubtless, must appear to every one very alarming: nevertheless we further learn from St. John, that this man of sin, this son of perdition, notwithstanding his exorbitant power and satanic malice, as if yet not sufficiently armed for mischief, will acquire an associate of the same stamp as himself, 7 who will perform the function of his principal minister, and be his chief aid in the course of his future proceedings.

Chap. xiii. 11. “And I saw," says St. John, "another beast * In the Greek text, (will adore him.)