2. Madame Bourignon maintains, that Antichrist is only the son of the devil, begotton by him on the body of a witch, and produced from the semen of a man caught in the commission of a certain crime. This account, borrowed, it would seem, from some of the ancients, (see Lactant. lib. xvi. cap. xviii. ; Hieronym, in 'sal. xvii. &c.) we should not have mentioned, had it not been to give a specimen of the absurdities that have been de liberately published on the question respecting Anti christ, and to shew what sort of a theologian she was, whose doctrines were, at no distant period, prevalent in this country ;—so very prevalent, that a professor in one of our universities was censured by the General Assem bly for maintaining them, and that the church made a law, which is still in force, requiring them to be solemn ly abjured by every clergyman, when he is ordained or inducted to a living.
3. Some have held, that Antichrist is to be a Jew, and that he is to be of the tribe of Dan. This notion was entertained by Aretas, Bede, and other ancient com mentators on the book of Revelations. For a full ex position of it, gee a work, entitled ?intichristo, by one Malvenda, a Jesuit.
4. Others, and among these Hannius, have acquiesc ed in the idea, that Antichrist is to be born of the tribe of Dan ; but, determined that the pope shall not escape on this account, they have alleged that there is to be both an eastern and western Antichrist.
5. Le Clerc seems to be of opinion, that Simon, the son of Gioras, (spoken of by Josephus,) and the rebel Jews who followed him, were to be considered as the true Antichrist, predicted by Paul in 2 These. ii. See Le Clerc, in loc.
6. Dr Hammond maintains, that Simon Magus, and his followers the gnostics, were the Antichrist. Simon Magus and the gnostics are perpetually in Dr Ham mond's view, and Paul's prediction of the "Man of Sin," &c. afforded him an opportunity of dragging them into notice, too inviting to be resisted. See his Parr. and 4nnot.
7. It is the opinion of Dr Whitby, that Antichrist is to be sought for and found in the Jewish nation, with their high-priest and Sanhedrim. See his Par. and Coin. on 2 Thess. ii. and 1 John ii. Ste.
8. Most of the reformed divines have insisted that the pope is Antichrist. This, indeed, appears to be the least exceptionable of all the opinions which have yet been maintained, and certainly it is the opinion which has been most generally admitted. To enumerate the various works in which it is supported, would be a very laborious and almost endless task. We refer our readers chiefly to the writings of bishop Newton, sir J. Newton, 'arburton, Clarke, Mede, Lowman, Vitringa, Hurd, Ste. But it must be observed, that, notwithstand ing the erudition, diligence, talents, and candour of these authors, some deduction from the weight their authority should be made, when it is recollected with how much antipathy most of them had been taught from their infancy to think and speak of the church of Rome ; how erroneous their conclusions have turned out to be in some important particulars, and how widely they differed from one another in their interpretations of various passages of scripture relating to the main subject of enquiry. At the beginning of the Reforma
tion, the papal power was naturally the object of un qualified dislike and open reprobation. And nothing could be more effectual in justifying the conduct of the reformers, than a belief that popery was that spiritual monster from which they were enjoined to separate them selves, as they valued their salvation. They, therefore, alleged this, and endeavoured to prove it. Any thing bad was readily believed of a church, which was unquestion ably most corrupted in her principles, and tyrannical in her conduct; and, consequently, the notion of the pope being Antichrist, easily gained ground ; and to hold or publish that opinion, soon came to be synonimous with being a protestant. In the same way, so long as any fear was entertained of the papal power regaining the influence and authority which it had lost, so long was it thought expedient, and found successful, to revert to the same means of discrediting the Romish hierarchy, that had been formerly employed. Of late years, however, the church of Rome having been ren dered in a great measure harmless, has been regarded more dispassionately ; and the opinion that she is Anti christ, being no longer serviceable to the protestant cause, has been gradually losing its hold of the public mind. Now, indeed, her almost total annihilation, as a system of spiritual despotism, having not only allowed reason to judge without prejudice, but having proved the inaccuracy of some calculations on which the great est dependence was always placed, has convinced the sober and enlightened inquirer, that, though popery may be a subject of prophecy, it is not alone to be consider ed as the Antichrist predicted ; so that we may be per mitted, with a certain modification, to use the language which d'Alembert made use of many years ago, with less justice and with great offence to the orthodox : "Pour les catholiques, les pope est le chef de la veri table Eglise; pour les Protestants sages et moderees, c'est un Souverein qu'ils respectent comme prince sans lui mail dans un siecle tel que nOtre, it n'est plus l'?intichrist pour personne." Encyclopedic, Art. Geneve.