ago foretold in the written word expressly,* or in express words. Con For the second part, viz., the means. sider, 1. The manner or method used to bring it in-to wit, lying hypocrisy, or hypocritical lying. 2. The quality and description of these authors and furtherers of the apostasy; they would be such as had their consciences seared, who forbad marriage and meats. Where, before I go any farther, I must state why I thus translate these latter words, which I make the second part; because they are commonly translated otherwise, or intransitively, as referring the words of the two latter verses to the persons mentioned in the first; the some who would apostatize and give heed to doctrines of devils, as they usually translate it. So that the words of the second and third verses would be merely an explanation of what the giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, mentioned in the first verse, was; would be, in fact, an expression, by particulars, of that which was before generally comprised under seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, which should consist partly in forbidding lawful marriage, and partly in commanding abstinence from meats. But this interpretation seems very unlikely. For, first, since St. Paul intendeth here to describe that great apostasy of the visible Christian Church, as is evident by the pointing out of the time, in the latter times; who can believe that he would instance only in the smaller and * pnτos, verbatim, totidem verbis. almost circumstantial errors, omitting the main and fundamental, which the Scripture elsewhere telleth us would be idolatry or spiritual fornication? Secondly, errors about marriage and meats were not peculiar to the last times, but were found, more or less, in the apostles' own times, as may be gathered from their epistles. Why, then, should our Apostle, here speaking of the apostasy of the latter times, instance only in such things as the first times were, in some measure, never free from? Lastly (which I take to be alone sufficient), the syntax of the words will not bear to have them so translated.* But to translate the passage as I do, as it keepeth the syntax true, so I hope to make it appear hereafter to be the very meaning, whereunto the event is most answerable. You shall have it proved out of history that the apostasy of the visible Church came in by lying wonders and all deceivableness of unrighteousness, managed by those who either professed or doted upon monastical * For the persons in the first verse, TIVÈS TPOσÉXOVTES, are expressed in the nominative, whereas the persons in the verses following, ψευδολόγων, κεκαυτηριασμένων, κwλvóvτwv, are in the genitive: now, by what syntax can these be construed intransitively? It would be a breach of grammar unsampled in our Apostle's epistles. If any say the latter may agree with dauoviwv, that, indeed, would be a strange sense, and nothing to their purpose; to say that devils lie, have seared consciences, and forbid marriage and meats. But to construe it transitively, and to make all these genitive cases to be governed by ἐν ὑποκρίσει, and take the preposition ev to signify causam, or modum actionis, as is most usual in Scripture, keepeth the syntax true. hypocrisy; the affectation and errors whereof at length surprising the body of the Church, is that which St. Paul (2 Thess. ii. 10) calls, not the apostasy itself, but a not-love of the truth, for which God gave them over to strong delusions, that they might believe a lie. But this is out of its place; only I have anticipated thus much, lest you should be too long in suspense concerning the grounds of this novelty in translating. And yet this difficulty concerning the syntax hath stumbled many of our later interpreters, as among others Beza, who solves it only by saying that the Apostle more regarded the matter than the construction; which, for my part, I cannot believe, CHAPTER II. Apostasy in the Scripture imports revolt, or rebellion.That Idolatry is such, is proved from several passages in Scripture.-By spirits in the text, are meant doctrines. -Doctrines of demons are to be taken passively, viz., for doctrines concerning demons.-Several instances of the like form of speech in Scripture. I RETURN now unto the first part of my text the description of that solemn apostasy; where I will consider the five parts or points thereof as I have propounded them, though it be not according to the order of the words. And first in the more general expression, as I called it, in the words, shall revolt from the faith, giving heed to erroneous spirits. Some shall revolt. That is as much as to say, shall make an apostasy. Now apostasy ('Arroσraría) in the Scripture's use, when it looks towards a person, signifies a revolt or rebellion; when toward God, a spiritual revolt from God, or rebellion against divine majesty, whether total, or by idolatry and serving other Gods. For the Seventy, whence the New Testament borrows the usage of speech, usually translates by this word the Hebrew verb marad, to rebel, and mered, rebellion; both which, when they have reference to a spiritual sovereignty, mean nought else but idolatry and serving of other gods, as may appear, Josh. xxii. 19, where the Israelites supposing their brethren the Reubenites and * ἀποστήσονται τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνέυμασι πλάνοις. I 3 Gadites, in building another altar upon the banks of Jordan, had meant to have forsaken the Lord and served other gods, said unto them, timrodu, You have rebelled against the Lord, and presently Rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel against us; where the Seventy hath, be not apostates from the Lord and apostatize not from us.* And in v. 22, mered, rebellion, is translated apostasy † in the words, the Lord God of Gods he knoweth if it be in rebellion or in transgression against the Lord. Also, Num. xiv. 9, when the people would have renounced the Lord upon the report of the spies, Joshua and Caleb spake unto them al timrodu, Rebel ye not: where the Seventy hath, Be not apostates from the Lord. So Nehem. ix. 26, in that repentant confession which the Levites make of the idolatries of their nation, they were disobedient, say they, vayimredu, and rebelled against thee; where the Seventy hath, they apostatized from thee. § And Daniel, in the like confession, ix. 9, says, maradnu, we have rebelled against him, but the Seventy, we have apostatized. So the idolatry of Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii., xxix., is by the same interpreters called his apostasy and he revolted greatly (apostatized with apostasy) from the Lord.¶ I will not trouble you with the places where marad, translated apostatize ** is used for * ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου μὴ ἀποστάται γενήθητε, καὶ ἀφ ̓ ἡμῶν μὴ ἀποστῆτε. † ἀποστασία. † μὴ ἀποστάται γίνεσθε. || ἀπέστημεν. § ἀπέστησαν ἀπὸ σοῦ. ** ἀφίστημι. |