pression, or, at least degradation, of God’s ordinance de facto in civil authority—these were not light things in God’s estimate, though his patience might bear with them in that long-suffering which was salvation. But the subversion of the true glory of the Church, in the recognition of the Holy Ghost, was not unimportant, as proving the degeneracy of man, who apostatises in all circumstances, though it were not the open war against the Son. Further, I add, that the apostasy, and the revelation of the Man of Sin, are two distinct things. The apostasy is the introduction of the Man of Sin. Now the apostasy may not be ό ἄνομος, the wicked one; but surely it is of some importance. I find much want of attention to the accuracy of Scripture, in those who seem most accurate themselves. The mystery of iniquity working—the apostasy—and the wicked one—may all be looked at as distinct things, though intimately connected ; nor is ἄνομος identical with Antichrist, though it may be very likely[1] they may be the same person. I will only add here, that a refuge from the difficulties of interpretation to a time in which, as future, detection by facts is impossible, has, to
- ↑ As I suppose they are.
