mony of himself, among many others. Ego fum G In become become fierce, unmerciful, unjuft, proud, &c. agreeable to what is foretold by the Prophet Daniel concerning him, Chap. 11. V. 21. that they shall not give him the Honour of the Kingdom, (i. e.) by a ufual Hebraifm, The Honour of a Kingdom fhall not be given him; meaning that he fhall have no Right nor Title to it before this flattering Ufurpation, or else it contradicts what follows) but he shall come in Peaceably, and obtain the Kingdom by Flatteries; (php) by infidious treacherous Dealings. The Story of Mahomet is well known and the Parallel very eafy and Natural; befides whom there have been many others, who have in fome Refpects or other typified this Mystery of Iniquity. $8. THE Man of Sin then whom thefe of the have reprefented fhall certainly arife in the Birth and latter End of the Kingdoms, i. e. of the Parentage fourth or Roman Empire, when the Tranfgref- chrift. of Antifors shall be come to the full, or (as the LXXII read it πληρεμένων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν ) when the Measure of the Iniquities of the World (or perhaps Christendom) fhall be filled up, as we are told Dan. 8. 23. Hippolytus fuppofes (Pag. 30. Edit. Parif.) that he fhall be the Devil himself, who fhall take upon him the appearance of Human Flesh, and fhall falfly appear to be born of a Virgin, (which he exprefly afferts) not knowing otherwise how to reconcile to his Opinion that place of Mofes, Exod. 13 and 2. That whatfoever openeth the Womb is the Lord's, of as K the Abfurd Accounts hereof by Some Writers. the Vulgar Latin has it, Sanctum vocabitur Domino. Which Opinion feems to have been transcribed from him by Ephrem Syrus in his Sermon concerning Antichrift. But this is a contrivance to falve an Hypothefis which is fo far from being neceffary, that it contradicts the very Letter of the Holy Scriptures, 2 Thef. 2. 3. (where he is exprefly called The Man of Sin) &c. as well as the common Sentiments of most other Writers. Others have been of Opinion that he fhall be an Incarnate Devil, which St. Hilary afferts in his Comment on the aforecited Place of the Theffalonians. This Opi nion (notwithstanding what has been faid De Carn. to juftifie the Poffibility of the Incarnation Chrifti,cap. of Angels by *Tertullian and † Origen) is, as 3.& 6 Ed. Rigalt. upon many Accounts unreasonable, so con† Tom. 2. tradicted by Damafcene, Lib. 4. Cap. 27. Chryin Job. foftom and Theophylact upon the Second Epiftle to the Theffalonians. Others are of Opinion that he fhall be born of a very impure unclean Woman, and begotten by an Incubus, or Evil Spirit. Whether fuch Procreation be poffible, and whether the Traditions of the Ancients concerning fuch Births be true, (as that of Remus and Romulus, and Servius Tullius, recorded by Dionyfius Halicarnaffæus, Lib. 1. that of Plato, by Diogenes Laertius; of Alexander the Great, by Plutarch, &c.) I fhall not here determine; but fhall The moft only fay, that it appears to me probable, Probable that his Generation fhall be according to the ordinary natural courfe, between two Perfons who fhall have filled up the measure . of Paris. of their Iniquities, the Devil fo magically pture takes no notice of. The opinion in this Paragacoph 2 i indeed most § 9. His nost probable : That he out of the Tribe of Dan. P. 12. + Lib. 5. Cap. 3. § 9. His Extraction by the Jewish Side fball come fhall be from the Tribe of Dan; this is generally afferted by Hippolytus, by Irenæust, who in a myftical Senfe interprets that Paffage of Jeremiah, Chap. 8. v. 16. The Snorting of his Horfes were heard from Dan (or as the LXXII read it, ansooμeda, we shall bear, &c.) of the coming of Antichrift. By thefe Words (faith he) Jeremiah Shows out of what Tribe be fhall arife; adding withall, That this is the Reafon why Dan is omitted amongst the Tribes that are fealed. Apoc. 7. St. Ambrofe alfo, de Bened. Patriarch. afferts the fame from thefe Words, Gen. 49. 16. Dan Shall Fudge his People (viz. the Jews) as one of the Tribes of Ifrael (or as the one fingle Tribe of Ifrael, to whom the Government is given, i. e. Judab ;) fpeaking thus, Chap. 7. Sampfon indeed came out of the Tribe of Dan, who judged Ifrael Twenty Years, but the Prophecy pointed not at him, but at Antichrift, who fhall arife out of that Tribe, a fevere Judge and cruel Quaft. Tyrant. Theodoret afferts the fame thing; 109. in adding withall, That as the Scepter given Genef. to Judah, did principally point out our Lord, who arofe out of that Tribe, so the promifing a fort of Rule or Government to Dan, did point out Antichrift, who fhould ufurp the Government of Christendom in the later Days. The fame is afferted by * De Pro Profper Aquitanicus, in thefe Words: It is mif. Edit. plain that Antichrift fhall arife out of the Duaci. Tribe of Dan, which is now in Perfia, according to the Prediction of the Patriarch, ་ Gen. |