chapter, to which the reader is referred. It will be seen, that, in his general view of the subject, he does not differ essentially from the writers quoted above.

5. GROTIUS. 'The apostle means that Caius, as he was exceedingly wicked, was destined by the Lord to a signal destruction, than which nothing could be more true.' Annot. in loc.

Although Grotius differs from the other writers here cited, as to the person indicated by the son of perdition,' yet he agrees with them in representing the apostle to mean a temporal destruction, and says nothing concerning endless misery being implied in the passage.

SECTION XCVIII.

'And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall con sume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.'-2 THESS. ii. S.

It is generally agreed, by expositors, that the apostle is here speaking on the same subject which is embraced in ver. 3, the notes on which may be consulted in connexion with those which follow.

1. HAMMOND. 'Then immediately shall this sect of Gnostics show itself-join with and stir up the Jews, and bring heavy persecutions upon the christians, and (having this opportunity to calumniate them to the Jews,) behave themselves as their professed opposers. And Simon Magus shall set himself forth in the head of them—whom, as a professed enemy of Christ, Christ shall destroy by extraordinary means-by the preaching and miracles of St. Peter; and for all the apostatizing Gnostics that adhered to him, they shall be involved in the destruction of the unbelieving Jews, with whom they have joined against the christians. And two means are here mentioned, by which this should be done; first, by the breath

of Christ's mouth; secondly, by the brightness of his coming; the former noting the power of the gospel in the mouth of the apostles, Peter and Paul, who contended with him [Simon Magus,] personally, at Rome, and brought ruin and shame upon him; and the second noting the vengeance that befel the Jews by the Roman armies, at which time the Gnostics, that sided with them, were destroyed also.' Par. and Annot. in loc.

2. GILPIN. 'At length the wicked opposers of the truth shall be finally beaten down.' Expos. in loc. 3. CLARKE. 6 Whom the Lord shall consume: he shall blast him so, that he shall wither and die away; and this shall be done by the spirit of his mouth-the words of eternal life, the true doctrine of the gospel of Jesus: this shall be the instrument used to destroy this man of sin; therefore, it is evident his death will not be a sudden, but a gradual one; because it is by the preaching of the truth, that he is to be exposed, overthrown, and finally destroyed.' Com. in loc.

4. MACKNIGHT. Will consume: this word, Chandler observes, is used to denote a lingering, gradual consumption; being applied to the waste of time, to the dissipation of an estate, and to the slow death of being eaten up by worms. He supposes it has the same meaning here, importing that the man of sin is to be gradually destroyed by the breath of Christ's mouth.' Note in loc.

5. LIGHTFOOT. 'The phrase, the man of sin and child of perdition, is plainly taken from that place, Isa. xi. 4— "With the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked one;" and the apostle makes it clear that he referreth to that place, by using the very words of the prophet at ver. 8" Whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth." The Jews put an emphasis upon that word in the prophet, the wicked one, as it appeareth by the Chaldee paraphrast, who hath uttered it, "He shall destroy the wicked Romans," and so the apostle puts an emphasis upon it, and translates it "the man of sin;" and in that Christ is introduced in the prophet, as having a special quarrel and vengeance against him; he is called the "son of perdition," or he that is so certainly and remarkably to be destroyed. It is true this meaneth the

Roman, as the Chaldee, and our protestant divines, by the warrant of John, in the Revelation, do interpret it : but, in the first place and sense, it meaneth the Jewish nation, which proved antichrist, as well as Rome ever did, and as far as Rome ever did, and before Rome ever did, and as long and longer than Rome hath yet done. As Jews and Rome joined in the murder of Christ, so are they joined in this character of antichrist; but the Jews to be understood first, see ver. 7-The mystery of iniquity was already working, when the apostle wrote this epistle, which cannot possibly be understood but of the Jewish nation; and so it is explained again and again.' Harm. New Test. in 2 Thess.

In all these notes let it be observed, the writers say nothing of endless misery being indicated by perdition and destruction, but they agree that the apostle intended temporal calamities, and overthrow, and destruction.

SECTION XCIX.

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.'-2 THESS. ii. 10-12.

THE same subject is here continued which is embraced in ver. 3 and 8, the notes on which will assist in illustrating the meaning of this passage. Some have been the more confident that endless misery is here intended, because the word damned occurs. But that the whole passage indicates no misery except what belongs to the present existence, and no destruction beyond the death of the body, is allowed by the orthodox writers quoted below.

1. HAMMOND. And by baits of lusts, &c., they work upon the generality of wicked, carnal christians, and this

as a punishment for their not being brought to sincere repentance and true faith, by the gospel, but preferring the satisfaction of their own humors, and passions, and prejudices, before the doctrine of Christ, when it came with the greatest conviction, and evidence, and authority, among them. And this is the cause why God suffers mere magicians to deceive them by false miracles, and by that means to bring them to believe all kind of falseness, false gods, false ways of worship, deceitful cheating, false miracles, to get authority to those and all manner of heathen, licentious, vicious practices, the consequents of those errors, and the most contrary to evangelical truth; that so filling up the measure of their obdurations, they may fall under condemnation, or be judged and discerned to be what they are-impenitent infidels, and accordingly remarkably punished.' Par. in loc.

It need only be added, that, in his paraphrase and note on ver. 8, Dr. H. explains this remarkable punishment to be the vengeance that befel the Jews by the Roman armies, at which time the Gnostics that sided with them were destroyed also.' See the passage quoted in its place.

2. GILPIN. 'At length the wicked opposers of the truth shall be finally beaten down, who, with all the arts and deceptions of Satan, beguiled others, after having rejected the truth themselves. As they have pleasure in wickedness, they will be, for that reason, deserted by God, and left a prey to their own delusions.' Expos. in loc.

3. PYLE. 'Most exquisite and terrible will be the divine vengeance upon these people, that will give themselves up to diabolical arts, forged miracles, and lying prophecies-abandoned to the pernicious methods of fraud, violence, and injustice, and averse to all the clearest evidences of true and saving religion. For which irreclaimable corruptions, God, in just judgment, will let them loose to the prevalent delusions of false prophets and pretenders, so that they will embrace the most absurd and foolish things, and run headlong into such

desperate courses, as must naturally end in the utter condemnation and destruction of a people lost to all sense of truth and goodness, and devoted to falsehood and impiety. See all these predictions exactly fulfilled, with respect to the Jews, in Josephus, of the Jewish wars.' Par. and Note in loc.

SECTION C.

'Not a novice, lest being lifted up by pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.'—1 Tıм. iii. 6, 7.

MANY are perfectly confident, that, by the word devil, in this place, the apostle intended a great apostate spirit, who, for his pride and disobedience, was cast out of heaven, and doomed to endless torments. They are confident, too, that he intended, by those who should fall into the snare and condemnation of the devil, to represent the wretched souls who shall be cast into the same torments. But the orthodox writers, quoted below, give a different view concerning both the devil here named, and his condemnation.

1. DUTCH ANNOTATIONS. Into the judgment of the devil: that is, into such judgment as the devil fell into, when, being newly created, he would lift himself up against God, for his own wisdom. Others here take the Greek word, diabolos, for a slanderer, as it properly signifies, and is taken in this same chapter, ver. 11, and 2 Tim. iii. 3, and expound it thus: lest lifting up himself he fall into the judgment or accusation of the slanderer, to the reproach and scandal of the church of Christ, as is also spoken in the following verse. Snare of the devil: or snare of the slanderer, as ver. 6, whereby some understand some dejection of spirit which might come upon him, for it is as a snare upon his soul; others, such