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ents; unthankful, unholy, without natural affection ;* truce-breakers, false accusers,† incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good; traitors, heady, high-minded; lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof;‡ creeping into houses, and leading captive silly women ;§ led away with divers lusts; ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth;|| resisters of the truth; men of corrupt minds; reprobate concerning the faith; scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and say. ing, Where is the promise of his coming? willingly igno rant of the tremendous catastrophè of the deluge ;**

* One of the grand doctrines of modern philosophy is, that to a certain abstract idea, a sort of remote political good, all the feelings of natural affection are without scruple to be sacrificed.

The public papers, which teem with the lying accusations of the French against all whom they cannot subdue, particularly England, are a sufficient proof of the accuracy of this part of the description.

See the initiatory discourse of the president of the Illuminati. (Barruel, Vol. iii. p. 164. and Kett, Vol. ii. p. 178.) "Jesus Christ, our grand and ever celebrated master, appeared in an age when corruption was universal-He supported his doctrines by an innocent life, and sealed them with bis blood." So much for their form of godliness. "All ideas of justice and injustice, of virtue and vice, of glory and infamy, are purely arbitrary, and dependent on custom-conscience and remorse are nothing but the foresight of those physical penalties to which crimes expose us. The man, who is above the law, can commit without remorse the dishonest act that may serve his purpose-The fear of God, so far from being the beginning of wisdom, would be the beginning of folly-Modesty is only an invention of refined voluptu ousness-Virtue and honesty, with regard to individuals, is no more than the habit of actions personally advantageous; and self-interest is the sole scale, by which the ac tions of men can be measured. Sublime virtue, and enlightened wisdom, are only the fruits of those passions called folly." So much for their power of godliness.

"There is no way," says the miscreant that founded the diabolical sect of the Illuminati," of influencing men so powerfully as by means of the women. These should therefore be our chief study. We should insinuate ourselves into their good opinion, give them hints of emancipation from the tyranny of public opinion, and of standing up for themselves. It will be an immense relief to their enslaved minds to be freed from any one bond of restraint; and it will fire them the more, and cause them to work for us with zeal, without knowing that they do so." There was moreover another very weighty reason with that son of perdition for thus labouring to lead cap tive silly women : "This association might serve to gratify those brethren, who had a turn for sensual pleasure."

See the various conflicting opinions of those wretched mock philosophers, Hume, Shaftesbury, Bolingbroke, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Frederick of Prussia. Kett, Vol. ii. p. 146, 147, 148, 149.

"We cannot know, whether a God really exists, or whether there is the smallest difference between good and evil, or vice and virtue. The immortality of the soul, so far from stimulating man to the practice of virtue, is nothing but a barbarous, desperate, fatal tenet-Jesus Christ, the son of the true God, was an impostor-Crush the wretch-Human reason is the only supreme God." Barruel passim.

**For this purpose the bowels of the earth were industriously ransacked by the pupils of Voltaire; and various geological systems, rivalling each other in laborious

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denying the Lord that bought them inducing many to follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of; walking after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness; despising government; presumptuous, self willed, not afraid to speak evil of dignities; having eyes full of adultery; beguiling unstable souls; speaking great swelling words of vanity; alluring, through the lusts of the flesh, those that were cleanescaped from the error of the papal Apostacy;* promising them liberty, while they themselves are the servants of corruption; denying both the Father and the Son ; † mockers; blasphemers of the name of God. Such principles as these existed indeed in the very days of the Apostles: even then the spirit of Antichrist was in the world; and his pernicious maxims were concealed in the bosom of the Church. Both St. Peter and St. Jude complain, that men, tainted with atheism and the vain pretensions of a spurious liberty, had insinuated themselves into the primitive feasts of charity, and were labouring to lead weak brethren astray. Antichrist however was not to be revealed, in all his undisguised horrors, till the last days; till there had first been a great Apostacy, till the reign of superstition was nearly over.

At the head of this long and black catalogue of the peculiar vices of the last times, we may justly place atheism and infidelity: or, as St. John expresses it when speaking of Antichrist, a denial both of the Father and of the Son: for, as a belief, that "God both is, and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," is the root of all religion; so atheism and infidelity are equally the root of all irreligion, and of every kind of profligacy of manners. We have seen, that the regular series of events

absurdity, were published for the perversion both of old and young. A few, and but very few, heathen nations have been involuntarily ignorant of the flood; but these conceited pretenders to science were willingly so. It is almost superfluous to observe, that scoffing and ribaldry, instead of calm and temperate discussion, have been the favourite arms of modern philosophers. For this it is not difficult to assign a cause. Sober reasoning has always espoused the cause of revelation: but every fool can make a mock at sin; every fool can say, both in his heart, and with his tongue, there is no God. • The once protestant countries of Holland and Switzerland were main agents in propagating those pernicious lies, which have now pulled down swift ruin upon their own heads.

↑ "The Supreme Being, the God of philosophers, Jews, and Christians, is but a chimera and a phantom-Jesus Christ is an impostor." Barruel,

leads us to place the king, mentioned by Daniel, after the reformation and we have likewise seen what sins have been predicted to be most prevalent in the last days: we have only therefore to study the character of this king, and to compare his deeds with the above-recited vices, in order to determine whether we are to look for his manifestation, not only after the reformation, but in that period of the 1260 years which is peculiarly distinguished by the title of the last times.

"And a king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every God, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that, that is determined, shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor (him who is) the desire of women, nor regard any God: for he shall magnify himself above them all. Yet, when he is established (in power,) he shall honour tutelary gods together with a god; even, together with a god whom his fathers knew not, shall he honour them with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and desirable things: and he shall practise (prosperously.) Unto the upholders of his tutelary gods, together with the foreign god whom he shall acknowledge, he shall multiply glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for a price."

No person can compare the character of this king with the vices of the last times, and not be convinced that they are closely connected together. Like the Antichrist of St. John, he was to be a professed atheist : and, as such, was to speak marvellous things against the God of gods, to disregard the God of his fathers or immediate predecessors, to pay as little respect to that illustrious character who was the desire of women, and in short to pay no regard to any god. Like the scoffers of the last days, he was to be heady and high-minded: for he was to magnify himself above all. And, like the mocking blasphemers of the name of God, he was to deny the Lord that bought him, and contemptuously ask, Where is the promise of his coming? In fine, he was not to be revealed till after the period of the Reformation, till the

1260 days were drawing near to their close. Hence it is manifest, that we are to expect the appearance of this king in the last times; in the times of the scoffers; in the very times in which we are now living.

the same.

It is to be observed nevertheless, that the scoffers and the king are not in all respects absolutely and completely The scoffers and false teachers, predicted by the apostolical prophets, are plainly individuals, springing up and disseminating their baneful principles in various parts of the world: whereas both the appellation of a king, which in the prophetic language signifies a state or kingdom, and the definite political actions, ascribed to that king, shew plainly, that he was to be no individual, but a power or nation composed of individuals, who should profess and act up to the impious principles of the atheistical scoffers. The people therefore of the kingdom, alluded to by Daniel, were to do according to their will; were to exalt themselves; were to magnify themselves above every god; were to speak marvellous things against the God of gods; were alike to disregard the God of their fathers, the desire of women, and every other god; because they were to magnify themselves above all. They were moreover to be traitors, heady, high-minded; to deny the existence both of the Father, and of the Son; and to be blasphemers of the name of God. They were likewise to be presumptuous, self-willed; to be despisers of government; to be not afraid to speak evil of dignities; and to promise the universal diffusion of liberty, while they themselves were the miserable slaves of vice and corruption. In fine they were to be a pandemonium of licentious anarchists and determined atheists; a wonderful phenomenon both in religion and politics which should first be developed after the era of the Reformation: a phenomenon, such as had never before, in any age whatsoever, made its appearance in the world: insomuch that they might safely be pronounced, whensoever they should start up, to be the long-expected and laterevealed Antichrist.

And shall we, while recent events are yet fresh in our memory, find any difficulty in pointing out the nation prefigured by the infidel king? Have we not all beheld

a mighty people, after the period of the reformation, and during the last days of open blasphemy and profaneness, rising up as one man, and throwing off every restraint both civil and religious; disregarding at once the dignity of their sovereign, and the high majesty of heaven; trampling upon the rights both of individuals and of nations with liberty, humanity, and philanthropy, ever in their mouths; and professedly rending asunder all the endearments of social life, as if human nature could only be perfected by being previously brutalized? When we consider both the character of the infidel king, and the period at which Daniel predicted his manifestation, we can scarcely hesitate to pronounce him to be revolutionary France.*

Let us proceed however to a more minute examination of his character, in order that this opinion may be satisfactorily established.

As the king then was to rise up after the second persecution of the men of understanding, or, in other words, after the Reformation: so has the power of infidel France commenced at this very period. As the king was to magnify himself above every god, whether true or false: so has the atheistical republic, soaring with a bold flight of impiety above her heathen and papal precursors, openly maintained and supported the most astonishing lie, that was ever embraced by infatuated mortals, an avowed denial of the very existence of the Deity.†

It is almost superfluous to observe, that the circumstance of this power being styled a king is no impediment to the application of the prophecy to revolutionary France. "The Hebrews," as Mr. Mede justly remarks, "use king for kingdom, and kingdom for any government, state, or polity, in the world." Apost. of the latter times, p. i. c. 16.) Upon this principle, I conceive the infidel king to be France, from the epoch of the revolution to the end of the 1260 days, under whatever form of government, whether republican or imperial, it may exist during that period.

The reader will find ample proofs, if any proofs be wanted, of French Atheism in Hist. the Interp. of prophecy, Vol. ii. particularly at pp. 223, 238, 241, 250. I love the truth wherever it can be found, whether in the writings of a Papist or of a Protestant. While I think the jesuit Cornelius à Lapide quite mistaken in referring the character of the king primarily to Antiochus Epiphanes, I believe him to be very right in referring it ultimately and properly to the great Antichrist. It is a curious circumstance, that long before the French Revolution" took place (for his Commentary was printed in the year 1684) he pronounced, merely from a view of the prophetic character of the wilful king, that, whenever he should be revealed, he would be an athiest, and would abolish, not only the worship of Christ and the superstitious idolatry of paganism, but even the very name and adoration of the true God. "Ex hoc ergo ver, et ex, ver. præcedente (ver. 37, 38.) colligitur, An

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