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convince the gainsayers." And most naturally to the business we have in hand, 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, of the man of sin, "Whose coming (saith the Apostle,) is after the working of Satan,* with ali power, and signs, and lying wonders, (or through them,) and through all deceivableness of unrighteousness," &c. So in my text, "through the hypocrisy of liars, &c."

CHAP. II.

THAT FOR THE

THE WORDS OF THE TEXT EXPLAINED.
CHARACTER OR QUALITY OF THE PERSONS THAT MADE WAY
FOR, OR BROUGHT IN THE GREAT APOSTASY, SOME WERE
LIARS, SOME HAD SEARED CONSCIENCES, SOME FORBADE
MARRIAGE AND MEATS; OTHERS WERE GUILTY OF ALL
THESE IMPUTATIONS. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE HYPOCRISY
OF LIARS THAT THIS APPEARED IN THREE THINGS:-1.
LIES OF MIRACLES. 2. FABULOUS LEGENDS. 3. COUNTER-
FEIT WRITINGS UNDER THE NAME OF ANTIQUITY. THAT
LIES OF MIRACLES APPEARED IN-1. THEIR FORGERY. 2.
ILLUSION. 3. MISAPPLICATION.—WHAT IS MEANT BY HAV-
ING SEARED CONSCIENCES. THAT THE STRANGE AND INDE-
CENT TALES WHEREWITH THE LEGENDS AND THE LIKE
WRITINGS ARE STUFFED, ARGUE THOSE THAT DID EITHER
VENT OR BELIEVE THEM TO BE MEN OF SEARED (THAT IS,
HARD AND UNFEELING CONSCIENCES.) SOME INSTANCES OF

THE INDECENCY OF THOSE STORIES.

Now for the unfolding of the words, this must first be observed in general, that they are not to be so understood, as if those who are the bringers in and advancers of the doctrine of demons should every one of them be guilty of all the several imputations in this description : * εν παση δυνάμει και σημείοις και τερασι ψευδές, και εν παση απατη της αδικίας.

† εν υποκρίσει ψευδολογων.

but they are to be construed rather as an asyndetor, by understanding the conjunction, as if it had been uttered thus-" through the hypocrisy of liars, and through the hypocrisy of men of seared consciences-and, lastly, by the hypocrisy of those who forbid marriage and meats:" or thus-" through the hypocrisy partly of liars, partly of men of seared consciences, partly of those who forbid marriage, and command to abstain from meats :" that so though many were guilty of all, yet some may be exempt from some; as namely, some might be guilty of the last note, of" forbidding marriage" and "commanding from meats," and yet free of the former, of being "counterfeit liars and men of seared consciences :" which I speak for reverence of some of the ancients, who, though otherwise holy men, yet cannot be acquitted from all the imputations here mentioned, nor altogether excused from having an hand accidentally through the fate of the times wherein they lived, in laying the groundwork whereon soon after THE GREAT APOSTASY was builded.

This, therefore, being remembered, I come now to the unfolding of them in particular: and first of the first, "the hypocrisy of liars."* The word+ hypocrisy signifies dissimulation, a feigning, counterfeiting, a semblance and shew of that which is not so indeed as it seemeth. And this word we must repeat, as belonging in common‡ to the rest which follows. For all should be counterfeit ; lying should carry the counterfeit of truth, the seared conscience a semblance of devotion, the restraint of marriage should be but a shew of chastity, and abstaining from meats a false appearance of abstinence. For the persons of whom they are spoken, should either make a shew of what themselves knew was not; or that which they thought they had, should be no better than a false shew and counterfeit of what they took it for. The vulgar Latin, in Mark xii. 15, and the Syriac in the same place, turn the word hypocrisy,§ craft and subtilty; which υποκρισις ψευδολογων. + υποκρισις.

*

§ versutia-dolus.

Η απο κοινε.

sense, if need were, would not be denied admittance here.

But I return to* the hypocrisy of liars; which I conceive to be the same and no other than that which our Apostle speaks in the same case, 2 Thess. ii. where he tells us, that "the coming of the man of sin and the Apostasy attending him, should be after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, or unrighteous and ungodly deceiving ;" and that "God should send them strong delusions, that they might believe a lie," &c. Yea, some of this, and of that which follows in that place, may extend also to the rest which follows in my text; howsoever, the most thereof, as you hear, doth most evidently expound this hypocrisy of liars.

Now, accordingly, the event, this hypocrisy of liars doth appear in three things:

1. Lies of miracles. 2. Fabulous legends of the acts of saints and sufferings of martyrs. 3. Counterfeit writings under the name of the best and first antiquity. Lies of miracles will display their hypocrisy in three particulars-1. Forgery. 2. Illusion. 3. Misappli

cation.

1. Forgery of miracles never done; as were the reports of wondrous dreams and visions, which had no other credit but the author's honesty: or miraculous cures, by the power and reliques of saints deceased; as when those who never were blind, made others believe they had newly received sight.

2. Illusion; when though something were done, yet it was but a seeming and a counterfeit only of a miraculous work indeed; some juggling trick of the devil or his instruments.

3. Lastly, misapplication; either when that was attributed to a divine power, which was nothing but † "the work and operation of the devil;" or when it was interpreted or abused to invite and confirm men in some idola

*

υποκρισις ψευδολόγων.

† ενέργεια το Σατανα.

trous error, as it happened in the miracles at the shrines and sepulchres of the holy martyrs, which were interpreted to be for confirmation of the opinion of their power, presence, and notice of human affairs after death, and to warrant and encourage men to have recourse unto them by prayer and invocation, as unto mediators, and to give that honour unto their reliques which was due unto God alone. The like is to be said of the miracles of images and of the host; which, though they smelt strong of forgery or illusion, were supposed by a divine disposition to be wrought for the like end and purpose. All which was the power of seduction, or strong delusion, to make the world believe a lie, as St. Paul speaks, 2 Thess. ii. 11.

Concerning the hypocrisy of fabulous legend-writers, of the acts of saints and martyrs, you know what it means: as also the last which was named, counterfeit authors under the name of antiquity, as approving those errors which latter times devised, I shall not need here to use any further explication. And thus you see what is comprehended under+ the hypocrisy, counterfeiting or feigning of liars.

I should now come to display the truth of this particular of this prophesy in the event; but I will first unfold the next imputation, the hypocrisy of those who have their conscience seared; which, though it might be exemplified in other things, yet I mean to instance only in that aforementioned, and so must give you the story of both together.

§ Through the hypocrisy of those who have seared consciences: for|| through the hypocrisy, as I said before, is to be repeated** in common. The Greek word ++ cautery, signifies both the place seared, and the mark printed by the

* ενεργεια πλανης.

† υποχρισις ψευδολογων. Η υποκρισις κεκαυτηριασμένων. § Εν υποκρίσει κεκαυτηριασμένων την ιδιαν ουνειδησιν. || εν υποκρίσει. ** ПО ХОБ8. ++ Καυτηριον.

B

searing of an hot iron. The Greek word * to cauterize, is to sear with an hot iron, or to cut off with searing, as surgeons do rotten members: now that which is seared becomes more hard and brawny, and so more dull, and not so sensible in feeling as otherwise. In this sense,† those cauterized in their conscience signifies those who have a hard and brawny conscience, which hath no feeling in In the other sense, as to cauterize is to cut off by searing, it must signify those who have no conscience left. There is not much difference; but I follow the first, a hard and unfeeling conscience. And whether those liars § whereof we spake before (to use no other instances) were not of such metal for their conscience, I think no man can deny.

it.

Who could have coined, or who could have believed such monstrous stuff as the legends are stored with, but such as were cauterized? If they had had any feeling or tenderness, not only of conscience, but even of sense, they could never have believed or vented such stuff as there is. As that the Virgin Mary should draw out her breasts, and milk in I know not what clerk's month. Vincent. Hist. lib. vii. c. 4. That she played the midwife to a certain unchaste abbess, and sent the bastard by two angels to a certain hermit to be brought up. Idem ibid. c. 86. Eam venisse, et concubuisse prima nocte inter quendam sponsum et ejus sponsam. Idem. lib. vii. c. 87.

Cæsarius, in his seventh book, chap. 34, reports, that the Virgin Mary, for twelve whole years together, did supply the place of a certain nun called Beatrice, while the nun lay in the stews, till at length returning, she freed the Virgin from standing sentinel any longer. And lib. vii. cap. 33. That she said to a certain soldier, I will be thy wife, come and kiss me; and made him do so. That she took a monk about the neck and kissed him.

* Καυτηριάζειν, + κεκαυτηριασμένοι την ιδίαν συνειδησιν. § ψευδολογοι.

Η καυτηριάζειν.

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