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exprefs words in fome place or other of divine writ: and the Spirit hath spoken the fame things in exprefs words before in the prophecy of Daniel. Daniel hath foretold in exprefs words the worship of new demons or demi-gods: (Dan. XI. 38.) And with God, or inftead of God' Mahuzzim in his eftate fhall he honor; even with God, or inftead of God, thofe whom his fathers knew not fhall be honor with gold and filver, and with precious ftones, and defireable things. The Mabuzzim of Daniel are the fame as the Demons of St. Paul, Gods-protectors or Saints-protectors, defenders and guardians of mankind. Daniel also hath foretold in exprefs words, that this worship fhould be accompanied with a prohibition of marriage: (ver. 37.) Neither fhall be regard the God of his fathers, nor the defire of women; that is he shall neglect and discourage the defire of wives, and all conjugal affection. Daniel likewise hath intimated that this worship should take place in the latter times; for he hath defcribed it in the latter part of his prophecy, and these times he hath exprefly named a time and times and half a time. If the reader hath been at the trouble of perufing the latter differtation upon the eleventh chapter of Daniel, he will more eafily perceive the connexion and resemblance between the two prophecies. This

therefore

therefore is a prophecy not dictated merely by private fuggeftion and inspiration, but taken out of the written word. It is a prophecy not only of St. Paul, but of Daniel too, or rather of Daniel confirmed and approved by St. Paul.

V. Having fhown wherein the great apoftafy of the latter times confifts, namely in reviving the doctrins concerning demons and worshipping the dead, the apoftle proceeds to describe by what means and by what perfons it should be propagated and established in the world: Speaking lies in hypocrify, having their confcience feared with a hot iron, or rather Through the hypocrify of liers, having their confcience feared with a hot iron. For the prepofition Ev in often fignifies as well by or through: as in St. Mark's Gospel, (IX. 29.) This kind can come forth by nothing but εν προσευχή και νησειᾳ by prayer and fafting : and again in the Acts of the Apoftles, (XVII. 31.) God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness εν ανδρι by that `man whom he hath ordained: and again in St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, (XII. 21.) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil ev ayade by or with good and again in St. Paul's Epiftle to Titus, (I. 9.) That he may be able av didaoxanıg úyıεν διδασκαλια awon by found doctrin both to exhort and to convince the gainfayers: and fo likewise in the text,

E STOPIT by or through hypocrify. Liers too or Speaking lies feudoλoywr cannot poffibly be joined in conftruction with τινες Tome and προσέχοντες giving heed, because they are in the nominative cafe, and this is in the genitive. Neither can it well be joined in construction with da

demons or devils; for how can demons or devils be faid to speak lies in hypocrify, and to have their confcience feared with a hot iron? Befides if daspor demons be taken for devils, and not in the fenfe that we have explained it, nor with the addition of Epiphanius, then it is not expreffed at all, wherein the great apostasy of the latter times confifts. The forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats are circumftances only and appendages of the great apoftafy, and not the great apoftafy itself, which is always reprefented in fcripture as Spiritual fornication or idolatry of one kind or other, and it is not likely that the apoftle fhould fpecify the circumftantial errors, and omit the main and capital crime. In this place it is not the great apoftafy that he is describing, but the characters and qualities of the authors and promoters of it. Caftalio therefore very properly (4) tranflates εν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολογων through the diffimulation of men fpeaking lies: I have added

men,

(4) Per fimulationem hominum falfiloquorum] Hominum addidi, ne

falf

men, fays he, left Speaking lies and what follows fhould be referred to demons or devils. It is plain then that the great apoftafy of the latter times was to prevail through the hypocrify of liers having their confcience feared with a hot iron. and hath not the great idolatry of Chriftians, and the worship of the dead particularly, been diffused and advanced in the world by fuch inftruments and agents? It is impoffible to relate or enumerate all the various falfehoods and lies, which have been invented and propagated for this purpofe; the fabulous books forged under the names of apoftles, faints, and martyrs; the fabulous legends of their lives, actions, fufferings, and deaths; the fabulous miracles afcribed to their fepulchres, bones, and other relics; the fabulous dreams and revelations, vifions and apparitions of the dead to the living; and even the fabulous faints, who never exifted but in the imagination of their worshippers: And all thefe ftories the monks, the priests, the bishops of the church, have impofed and obtruded upon mankind, it is difficult to fay, whether with greater artifice or cruelty, with greater confidence or hypocrify and pretended fancity, a more hardened face or a more hardened conscience. The hiftory of the church, faith Pafcal,

falfiloquorum et fequentia referrentur ad dæmonia. Caftal. in locum.

(5) του

Pascal, is the history of truth; but as written by bigotted papifts, it is rather the hiftory of lies. So well doth this prophecy coincide and agree with the preceding one, that the coming of the man of fin fhould be after the working of Satan with all power, and figns, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteoufness.

VI. A farther character of these men is given in the following words, Forbidding to marry. The fame hypocritical liers, who should promote the worship of demons, should also prohibit lawful marriage. Saturninus or Saturnilus, who florifhed in the fecond century, was, as Theodoret (5) affirms, the first Christian, who declared matrimony to be the doctrin of the devil, and exhorted men to abstain from animal food. But according (6) to Irenæus and Eufebius, Tatian, who had been a difciple of Juftin Martyr, was the first author of this herefy; at least he concurred in opinion with Saturninus

(5) τον δε γαμον ὗτος πρωτος το διαβολο διδασκαλίαν ωνόμασε. νομοθετεί δε και εμψυχων απέχεσθαι. Nuptias hic primus omnium diaboli do&rinam appellavit. Jubet autem et ab animatis abftinere. Theod. Hæret. Fab. Lib. I. Cap. 3. p. 194. Tom. 4. Edit. Paris. 1642.

(6) Iren. apud Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 4. Cap. 29.

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(7) Nubere et generare a Satana dicunt effe. Iren. Lib. 1. Cap. 22. p. 97. Edit. Grabe. Τοις δε ευφημως ' εγκρατείας ασεβεσιν, εις τε την κτισιν και τον δημι

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