working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders." Need I refer for evidence of that? Need I state that Dr. Newman, that most eloquent and talented man,—once a minister of the English Church, now a very able and conscientious, but on that account no less misguided, priest of the Church of Rome,-says that it is the only Church that has wrought miracles, that does work miracles; that he believes in the liquefying of the blood of St. Januarius at Naples once a year; that a saint crossed the Mediterranean, sailing on his cloak; that a saint's head was struck off, and that the saint took it up and carried it home under his arm; that in that Church miracles the most stupendous are daily wrought. And when so gifted an intellect, a man of so rare eloquence, so great penetration, as Dr. Newman, is deceived by them, we do not exceed the bounds of truth, when we say it is a system "with all power and signs and lying wonders."

In the next place it is said, "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." I have often thought that alone can explain so many sad recent perversions to that Church. I do not believe that any true Christian can leave a pure Church for a corrupt one; and one feels difficulty in believing that minds highly cultivated and learned ever should accept of so great corruption. The explanation of it is this: they are sent strong delusions. Why? "Because they received not the love of the truth." It is a great law, if you begin to tamper with God's truth, to explain it away, to hold it in unrighteousness, that it issues in results which you never contemplated, and which you now, or later, deplore.

But time would fail to explain all the points of coin

cidence. We are thankful that God has a people very different, and that these are described in the sequel of this chapter; and that this system, we are told, God will consume with the spirit of his mouth-which he is doing now, for the Church of Rome is losing footing in every part of Europe-" and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming;" literally, "the brightness of his personal appearance." And this explains what I said at the beginning, that the apostle makes this commence in his own days, bridge the whole space; and then Christ comes and destroys it, and presents his own Church, a glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing.

Ferguson thus explains verse 11 :—

"Ver. 11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.'

"He doth here further describe thè vassals of antichrist's kingdom, thirdly, from a higher degree of their sin. They would not only reject truth, but also 'believe a lie,' that is, give a firm assent, without any contrary doubt, to grossest untruths and errors as to the very truths of God. Which their sin is set forth from a necessary antecedent of it, the Lord's sending them strong delusion; for this cause,' to wit, for their not receiving the love of the truth spoken of (ver. 10); where by 'strong delusion,' or (as the word doth signify) efficacy of error and seduction, is not meant error itself, but the prevalency and pith of error, so that when temptations to error should be propounded by Satan. and his emissaries, they would undoubtedly prevail; and this efficacy of error is attributed to God's sending, not as if the Lord did incite or persuade men to believe errors, for he forbids and condemns them (2 Pet. iii. 17),

but because he not only giveth loose reins unto Satan to use his power of seduction against them (1 Kings xxii. 22), but also raineth snares upon them, and actively bringeth about many things in his providence, which, being in themselves good, are yet stumbled on by them in their corruption, so as they are thereby furthered to close with the temptation (Job xxi. 7, &c., with 14), withholds his grace whereby they might resist temptations (2 Chron. xxxii. 31); yea, and actually in his judgment withdraws, and after a sort extinguisheth, that strength and light which he had formerly given, and they abused (Matt. xxv. 29), so that they cannot but succumb when they are tempted.

"It is not inconsistent with the Lord's holiness, but most agreeable to his unspotted justice, to punish sin with sin, by giving the sinner up, in the way mentioned in the Exposition, to the slavery and tyranny of that sin wherein he so much delights; for he saith, ' for this cause,' to wit, for their former sin, God shall send them strong delusion.'

"As one degree of sin maketh way for a higher, so there cannot be a more terrible judgment inflicted upon any for former sin, than that he be given up of God to the power of it in time to come-a judgment so much the more dreadful, as the party smitten by it is not sensible of it (Exod. vii. 22, 23); for this is the terrible judgment here denounced, for this cause God shall send them strong delusion.'

“That an error, when it is vented, becometh mightily prevalent, in making many to close with it and embrace it, proceedeth not from the power of Satan's temptations only, who hath not of himself an irresistible influence upon the minds of men (Job i. 12, with 22), but

also and mainly from men's own corruption and blindness, and the Lord's judicial up-giving of them to it formerly mentioned, which holdeth by parity of reason in Satan's temptations to any other sin; for the efficacy of error is here spoken of as a judgment sent by God: 'God shall send them strong delusion.'

"Where gospel truths are not received in love, and made use of as they ought, absurd and monstrous errors will be ere long received, and believed for truths; for because they received not the love of the truth, they are given up of God to believe a lie.'

"When the Lord, in his holy justice, giveth loose reins unto Satan to tempt a sinner, and withdraweth from him his restraining grace, there is no sin so irrational or absurd to which the man so plagued of God will not run, if it were even to receive most gross absurdities for divine truths, and to believe them with a kind of firm assent beyond all doubt or suspicion; for their believing lies is here foretold as the consequence of God's sending 'them strong delusion,' even that they should believe a lie.'

"Ver. 12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.'

"He describeth the antichrist's followers, fourthly, from that judgment which followeth upon their sin, and is intended to be brought about by God as the end of his sending them strong delusion; for the context, shewing the result of this purpose from the former, implieth so much; and the judgment is, 'they shall all be damned,' to wit, all guilty in the way mentioned upon (ver. 10), of the former sins; which for further clearing of God's justice, he doth here again repeat,

first, that which is spoken of (ver. 10), 'their not believing the truth,' after they had heard it, to wit, the truth of the gospel (see the gospel so called, and for what reasons upon Eph. i. 13, Doct. 4); next, that which is expressed (ver. 11), here called 'their taking pleasure in unrighteousness,' that is, false and unrighteous doctrine.