Exposition of 2 Thessalonians, Exposition · Chapter 2 · Verse 8
VERS. 8.
Whom the Lord ſhall conſume with the ſpirit of his mouth, and deſtroy with the brightnes of his comming.
HIs deſtruction followes; The mention inſerted to preuent the ouer-diſcomfort of Gods Children. The degrees of it are two: 1. Conſumption. 2. Aboliſhment. Amplifications of Both; By 1. Author, the Lord. 2. Meanes, 1. Of conſumption, the Spirit of his mouth. 2. Aboliſhment; brightnes of his comming.
That there ſhall be an vtter deſtruction, and ruining of Antichriſt, and his Kingdome, we hence learne not without much ſolace: compare Apoc. 14.17.18. Whence you may informe your ſelues who this Antichriſt is, what his kingdome, where his throne: no other then Rome, &c. What the inſtruments; who the chiefe worker of his ouerthrow, &c. And all that his pride, or our infirmitie may obiect, preuented; for ſtrong is the Lord God who iudgeth her, Apoc. 18.8.
Vſe 1 Aeternae Romae is to Saint Hierom and Proſper the name of Blaſphemy written on the fore-head of the Beaſt,Hierom. ad Algaſ. q. 11. Proſp. ds. prouid. & praedeſt cap. 7. Apoc. 13.1. No nay, but Rome muſt be the Church, againſt which the gates of hell preuaile not; perpetually it muſt endure to the end of the world. Oh fooles and ſlow of heart, to beleeue all that the Scriptures hath ſpoken; to dreame of perpetuity of that Synagogue of ſatan, which the Lord hath begunne to demoliſh, threatned vtterly to aboliſh. Can you obſerue hir already in her comſumption, and with a, proh dolor, bewaile the daily defection of Kingdomes and Nations from hir? and yet dreame of hir perpetuitie?Eſtius in 2 Theſ. 2.4. But thus muſt they be blinded, whom God will hauehave deluded.
With this hope let Gods people ſolace themſelues; ſo much the rather for that his day draweth nigh.
And let all Gods people, the holy ſeed, if any amongſt them,zApoc. 18.4. come out of her, that they be not longer partakers of her ſinnes, and receiue of her plagues.
Degrees of deſtruction. 1 Conſumption; a lingring waſting of him and his kingdome. See Pſal. 78.7, 8. Iezabel this Queene of whoredomes is not at once caſt out of the window: firſt,aApoc. 2.22. into her bed of languiſhing.
Why not at once deſtroyed? Reſp. With bRom. 9.22.much patience God beares the veſſels of wrath prepared to destruction. Theſe Reaſons are of it.
God knowes to vſe euill things well: 1 Antichriſt,gIſai 10.5.12. as Aſhur, his rod to ſcourge his Church. 2 His inſtrument of their triall. See Apoc. 6.10, 11. meanes of their crowne.
2 Slay them not, leaſt my people forget it, Pſal. 59.11, 13.
3 The holy hApoc. 18.4.remnant, by ſight of his languiſhing, reſcued out of the Iawes of death.
4 That by theſe beginnings of ſorrowes themſelues, if poſſible, might be brought to repentence: ſee Apoc. 2.21.
5 There is a ſecret inſinuation of ſpirituall Iudgement furthered hereby; while they thorow indignation at the wrath, and wan hope to recouer, grow more obdurate in euill.
6 Their laſt vengeance aggrauated by this occaſion; becauſe thoſeiIob. 36.13. hypocrites call not, no not when God bids them.
The meanes of his conſuming: the breath of the Lords mouth: that ſome interpret, the bare command of Chriſt, without any miniſterie of man: others metaphorically to denote, how eaſily the Lord ſhall worke it; ſolo flatu oris, if he but blow vponupon him he is conſumed. Rather thus ſaith Caietane, Spiritu Sermonis Euangelici &c. the preaching of the Goſpell; called by the Prophet, the rod of his mouth, the ſpirit of his lips, Iſai 11.4. Agreeing whereto is that of Saint Iohns Angell, hauing the eternall Goſpell to preach; and thereby to reduce the prophane and ſuperſtitious world bewitched by Antichriſt, to the true feare and pure worſhip of God: ſee Apoc. 14, 6, 7. Euents accord it. Not with ſword or ſpeare, but with this k2 Cor. 10.4.5.weapon of our warfare, hath the Lord demoliſhed the ſtrong holds of Antichriſt; thoſe high things exalted againſt the obedience of Christ. Read Hiſtorie of Luther in Sleiden.
Congruitie of the inſtrument you eaſily diſcerne, when you conſider the maine pillars of Popiſh Religion to be 1 Ignorance, and 2 Errour; eaſely, as miſts, vaniſhing, when but the beames of Truths light appeare to the world.
Ʋſe 1 Oh the hypocriticall pretenſes of their concealing Scriptures from notice of the people; they arelMat. 7.6. holy and pearles, muſt not be hazarded to contempt of ſwine: difficult and obſcure; the m2 Pet. 3.16.vnlearned and vnſtable may peruert them to their owne deſtruction. But out vponupon thoſe blaſphemies, they are helliſh; the Scriptures a noſe of waxe, a Lesbian Rule, a dumbe Iudge, Inkie Diuinitie: Spake Peter thus, your pretended predeceſſour in the Popedome? 2 Pet. 1. Truth is, you know it well,n1 Sam. 5.3, 4. the Arke and Dagon, light and darkneſſe hauehave as good concord, as Popiſh Faith and the Goſpell. Hence is, the locking vp of Scriptures in an vnknowne tongue; encloſing Interpretation to Rome, verifying that; Haeretici Lucifugae Scripturarum: chiefely Antichriſt. Wonder you? hence came his foreign, his irrecouerable conſumption, whereof he yet languiſheth.
As many as long for the proſperitie of Sion, the downfall of Babylon, pray 1 that the o2 Theſ. 3.1.word of God may hauehave free paſſage and be glorified. 2 ThatpEph 6.9. vtterance may be giuen vsus inſtantly to preach the eternall Goſpell withq1 Cor. 2.4. euidence of the Spirit and power. 3 That daily GodrMat. 9.38. would thruſt forth labourers into his harueſt: that if it may be, we liuing may beare our part in theſApoc. 19.1, 2, 3 Halleluiah of Saints at the fall of Babylon.
And ſhall destroy with the brightneſſe of his comming. The ſecond degree of his deſtruction; aboliſhment or vtter ruine; at leaſt eneruating in ſuch ſort, as he is leſt without power and efficacie. Vnderſtand it of his perſon, place, authority, &c. ſee Apoc. 17.18, 19. whither of his doctrine and Religion alſo, ſo that none ſhall be left embracing or profeſſing it, is another queſtion where with I meddle not.
The meane of his vtter ouerthrow; the brightneſſe of Christs comming: But denotes it the meane, or not rather the time of his ouerthrow? Reſp. Both. When he comes in his brightneſſe, and not till then, ſhall this aboliſhment be: by it alſo as the meane of atchieuement: the phraſe of ſpeech is the ſame, and of the ſame generall ſignification with the former; which apertly denotes the meane of his conſumption. But meanes he thereby the day of Chriſts ſecond appearing? Reſp. So runs the whole ſtreame of Diuines Proteſtant and Popiſh. Which yet, with hartieſt reuerence to the learning and ſanctitie of our Sages, Let me craue leaue to queſtion. Is this aboliſhment of Antichriſt mentioned by Paul, the ſame thing with the downefall of Babylon? Apoc. 18. then, vnderunder correction, this brightneſſe of Chriſts comming cannot be the preciſe day of Iudgement: for after it muſt follow, calling of Iewes, deſtruction of Gog and Magog: and ſome Halcyon dayes of the Church on earth: how many, who knowes? The quere was occaſioned me by a learned Ieſuite, Eſtius ad locū.commenting vponupon the place; whoſe inclinable reſolution vponupon like reaſon, is this; that this comming of the Lord is not to be taken in atomo, but extenſely and with ſome latitude: ſo as vnderunder it may be compriſed, the anteriour and foregoing ſignes: like as in his comming in the fleſh, is comprehended alſo the comming and preaching of Iohn Baptiſt his forerunner: to this purpoſe the profeſſour and Chancellor of Doway. A criticke Scholiaſt vponupon the Reuelation we hauehave, whoſe learning and induſtrie who ſo vnderualues, knowes not what belongs to either, pardon him his curious applications, he hath confeſſedly done the office of a ſolid Interpreter. Thus he; There is a ſpirituall, and there is a corporall or perſonall comming of Chriſt. This place is not to be vnderſtood of his comming in perſon to the generall iudgement. But of his manifeſtation of his preſence in the Church, by effects of power, iuſtice, grace and mercy; at the appearance whereof Poperie ſhall vaniſh, and melt as dew before the Sunne; and his very Throne quake, when time of his Iudgement comes, as Mountaines toſſed to and fro with the violence of an Earthquake, planè itaſentio.
And ſay as the Spirit and Bride; Come Lord Ieſus, come quickly: Their ſins, mee ſeemes, are at the height; Lord why …a…rieſt thou?
But that Popery ſhould be of long ſtanding in the Church, the Apoſtle thus intimates: followes it, Therefore the true Religion? Reſp. Some hundreds of yeeres continued Arianiſme in the Church, and greatly preuailed, ſo that the whole world, ſaith Hierom, groaned to ſee it ſelfe become Arian. Was it therefore the Truth? Thoſe Heretiques were they the Church? Except for that Liberius ſometime ſubſcribed thereto, no Papiſt will affirme it.tMat. 13.30. Tares must grow with the wheate till the harueſt: that perpetuity will neuer Tranſubſtantiate Tares into wheate. Theſe Reaſons are of Gods diſpenſation in that kinde. 1. There ſhall ſtill be ſome to be deluded. 2. Euer ſuch occaſion to exerciſe his children, andu1 Cor. 11.17. to make their ſinceritie knowne.
Ʋſe My aduiſe to Gods people is, that henceforth they ſuffer not themſelues to be deluded, with the glittering ſhews of antiquity, vniuerſality, perpetuity. Error in iudgement and manners is, within a day, as old as Truth reuealed to man. And ſo farre as tempora ſaecularia may carry it, likely to be of ſo long continuance; I am ſure more Catholique, that is, vniuerſally entertained, then Truth of doctrin or life: As our Sauiour,*Iohn 5.39. Search Scriptures; as Eſay, ſo I ſay; To the xIſai 8.20.law and Testimony; if they ſpeake not according to this word, it is becauſe there is no light in them. And of the deſtruction alſo of Antichriſt thus farre.