Hē apostasīa, ho antichristos, or, A scriptural discourse of the apostasie and the Antichrist, by way of comment, upon the twelve first verses of 2 Thess. 2 under which are opened many of the dark prophecies of the Old Testament, which relate to the calling of the Jews, and the glorious things to be affected at the seventh trumpet through the world : together with a discourse of slaying the witnesses, and the immediate effects thereof : written for the consolation of the Catholike Church, especially the churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland / by E.H.

CHAP. X.

WHom the Lord will destroy with the spirit of his mouth] Here we have the ruine of the Antichrist, which is expressed in these two words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: the person that ruines this man of sin is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; and then the manner how, or the Instru∣ment wherewith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, with the spirit of his mouth.

Observe this from the connexion of the reigne and ruine of the Antichrist, that his reigne and his ruine are neer together; soon after he is revealed to be the Antichrist, shall the Lord Christ ruine him.

This Text, I am confident, is generally the most mistaken of any Text in all the Bible, principally in this, that they make this comming of Christ to slay the Antichrist, to be the day of Judgement, whereby all hope of the Jews conversion to the Gos∣pel is totally taken away; for the prophecies make it clear, that the Jewes generall flocking in to the Gospel is after the ruine of the Antichrist. I trust therefore, through the influence of the Ho∣ly Ghosts light in the Scripture, in opening the Text to clear it, that the day of Christs comming here to destroy Antichrist, can∣not in any wise be the day of Judgement.

[Whom the Lord] By Lord here is concluded on all sides, is meant the Lord Jesus: and so Lord for the most part signifies in the Old Testament, especially where you finde it joyned with [God] there you may ever conclude it signifies Jesus Christ.

[Shall destroy] or consume, or dissolve to nothing, or kill; for so, (as the learned observe) it signifies.

[With the breath of his mouth] or the spirit of his mouth] About this Interpreters differ; the most say, that by spirit of his mouth is meant the preaching of the Gospel, by which Antichrist shall be by little and little consumed, and brought to nothing; if this be a true interpretation of these words, then the Lords destruction of Antichrist is not, nor cannot be at the day of Judgement; for then the Ministerie of the Word shall cease.

But Cornelius à Lapide confutes this opinion by one good argu∣ment, It cannot (saith he) be meant the preaching of the Word; for Antichrist shall remove that by slaying the two Witnesses: ô Cornelius, I fear thou wilt prove a true Prophet. Antichrist will forbid all Preachers upon the greatest penalties to let alone his u∣surped, tyrannical, bloudie government. Neither (saith he) is the preaching of the Word able to kill Antichrist. Alas, Antichrist is Sermon-proof. All the reason and Religion in the World shall not take him off from his purposes, all the thundering Cannons of the Church affright him, no more then a paper-pellet from a pot∣gun; he is shot-free in this holy War: he is that Leviathan which counts these darts as stubble, and laugheth at the shaking of these spiritual spears. Therefore (saith my Author) Christ when he comes to destroy him, shall not come ad praeliandum, but ad judicandum. Hence he, and with him, Aquinas, Oecumenius, Andreas Scaynus, Fab. Paulutius, & Goranus conclude, that by the spirit of his mouth is meant his Imperiall command, his Majestick sentence.

Aquinas hath another tolerable exposition of these words; he parallels these words with that in Isaiah 11. where it is said, The zeal of the Lord of boasts shall do this; that is, the zeal of his just∣ice, wherewith he is zealous (out of love) for the good of his Church. Indeed, zeal, it is flamma amoris: and as the Noble Hus∣band (otherwise milde and gentle) cannot but furiously arise a∣gainst those that offer injurie to his beloved wife, which flame of fury ariseth from the fire of love: even such is Christs against the enemies of his Spouse the Church, especially against the Antichrist, the greatest and worst of enemies to the Spouse of Christ.

Grotius by these expressions of the Apostle understands the fa∣cility of the work in Christs hands. He can as easily confound An∣tichrist as the winde before the smoak away, & as the Sun causeth the dew to vanish: 'tis but speaking the word and it is done, as Antiochus (Dan: 8. 25. a type of the Antichrist) was destroyed without hands; so shall the Antichrist without hands, by the

breath of Christs mouth be destroyed. In Psal. 10. 5. there we finde the wicked succesful Tyrant puffing at his enemies; he overthrows them by his might, as easily as a man blows out a Candle; 'tis an expression full of disdain to his enemies; even so here Christ in disdein to the Antichrists might and power, shall with the breath of his mouth confound him. As Antichrist puffed at the Saints of God, disdeining all their force and power, and easily vanquished and overthrew them: so the Lord Jesus when he comes, he will puff at Antichrist and easily vanquish him, and therefore Christ in disdein to him & all his power, that he brings against him, Rev. 19. 17, 18. sends his messenger to invite the fowls of the air to a supper, that he would give them made of the carcases of those Kings and Captains, and mighty men, so much doth he disdein the armies of his enemies, and so little doth he doubt of the success of the day, that before he fights he promiseth the fowles a supper at night of these mighty men that set themselves in array against him that day; the breath of Christs mouth against his enemies, is that that shall overthrow them in the height of their strength. Therefore, Isaiah 59 19. When the enemy shall come in like a floud, the Spirit of the Lord shall by blowing against sin, make him to flie; the Spirit of Christs mouth shall vanquish the adversary, the Antichrist.

The Scope of this Text being to set forth the destruction of the Antichrist by the Lord Jesus his immediate power and com∣mand; I conceive the expressions in the Text are such as run pa∣rallel with the Old and New Testament-texts, that prophesie also of this great day of Antichrists destruction.

For the finding out of those parallel Texts, we must take in both expressions, [whom the Lord shall destroy with the breath of his mouth, and consume with the brightnesse of his comming;] 'tis but a doubling of the same expression, (as Grotius observes) after the manner of the Hebrews, when they intend either to expresse a thing elegantly, or vehemently, or certainly: both these expressi∣ons tends (saith Grotius) to one thing.

For the first expression we shall finde some Texts onely paral∣lel with the matter; some both with the marter and the phrase, [whom the Lord shal destroy with the breath of his mouth.] Parallel both with the phrase and matter are those two Texts, Isa. 11. 4. and Revel. 19. 15.

Isa. 11. 4. And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked one. This Text (saith

Cornelius à Lapide) Paul alludes unto, vel potiùs citat, or rather cites it. It is manifest both from the Hebrew Translators, and al∣so from the Greek Translatours, that the Texts in the phrase are alike: one thing more is observable in the reading of the Text, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Scebet which we translate [rod] signifies Scepter: so that He shall smite the earth with the Scepter of his mouth; this Scepter of his mouth, Revel. 19. 15. is called the sword of his mouth, where∣with he smites the Gentiles; here he smites the Gentiles, there the earth; both which Lukes copie (of the same prophecie from Christs mouth) expresseth, Luke 21. 25. there the earth shall be distressed, and in great anxiety, and the Gentiles at their wits end.

Notes

• Note.
• Spiritus oris non significat praedicationèm verbi Dei, quia haec non interfi∣ciet Antichri∣stum, imò i•…•…sam tollet, cum Eli∣am & Enoch occidet.
• Nil prodest ra∣tio aut religio ubi vis imperat. Spiritus oris Christi non est p•…•…aedicatio, sed potiùs senten∣tia, & judicium condemnationis.
• Zelus justitiae faciet qui est▪ amor. Spiritus enim Christi est amor Christi, & hic zelus est Spiri∣tus Sancti, quem habet ad Eccle∣siam. Aquinas in Locum.
• Et spiritu lab•…•…o∣rum suorum morte affici•…•…t improbum. Tre∣•…•…. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Septuagint. i. e. to a wonder, & in the spirit by by the lips he shall slay the wicked one.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.