Antichrift and his falfe teachers, who are the head of the malignant church and people, they come in great pomp and glory, as to the eye of the world, being beautified and dignified with degrees, names, and titles; being exalted to great honour, authority, and power; being full of fleshly wisdom, rhetorical eloquence, and philofophical learning; and so, to human judgment, they are the most confiderable persons in the church, and very angels of light in appearance. And they being thus adorned and beautified, to the pleasing and content of the world, all the world come in, and commit fornication with them, and do hear and conceive them, and are conquered by their enchantments.

But Chrift and his teachers come in true humility, and felf-denial, and meeknefs, and lowliness, and without the titles and glories of the falfe teachers, which they utterly despise and refuse; and without all excellency of speech, and wisdom, and learning of this world; and thefe do contradict the religion and righteousness of the world, and speak the truth which is of God, by the Spirit which is of God: and these teachers, all the true fheep of Christ, the faithful flock, do own and acknowledge, and they come and hear the words of their lips; being affured, that it is not they that speak, but the Spirit of their Father which fpeaks in them..

For the body and members of Chrift, do neceffarily cleave to Christ their head, and the body and members of antichrift, do in like manner neceffarily cleave to antichrist their head. And as the body and members of Chrift do cleave to Chrift their head, and to thofe that are in his Spirit, and will not join to antichrist, and to those that are in his fpirit; fo alfo the body and members of antichrift, do cleave to antichrift their head, and those that are in his fpirit, and will not join to Chriit, and to those that are in his Spirit.

Ii 2

For

For fuch as the body itself is, fuch a head will it choofe to itself; and fo a fpiritual, heavenly and faithful people, will join themselves to fuch a teacher, or rather to Chrift himfelf, in and through him: And a carnal, worldly, and unbelieving people, will join themfelves to fuch a teacher, and to antichrift himself in and through him.

Wherefore, as they that hear the true teachers, and Christ in them, and do join and cleave by faith to the word and doctrine which they hear, knowing that it is of God, as all fuch are certainly of God, even his true children and people, and the true sheep of Chrift, inasmuch as they know his voice, and cleave to it: So they that hear the falfe teachers, and antichrift in them, and do cleave to their doctrine and miniftry, and do like, commend, and applaud that, all fuch are not of God, but of their father the devil, and the true and natural members and people of antichrist.

And this very doctrine Chrift himfelf hath clearly taught in his gofpel; as John v. 43. where he faith to the Jews, I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; another fball come in his own name, and bim ye will receive. That is, the unbelieving Jews would not come and cleave to Chrift as their head, though coming in the name of God, that is, in the true power, wisdom, and righteoufnefs of God, because they were none of Chrift's own sheep; but antichrift coming in his own name, that is, in his own power, wisdom, and righteousness, they receive him, and join to him as to their own true and natural head. And again, John viii. 47. Chrift faith to the Jews, He that is of God, beareth God's word; ye therefore hear it not, because ye are not of God.

Whence it appears, that to hear and cleave to the true word of God, taught and held forth by Chrift and his prophets, is a manifeft token that men are of God; but

to

to turn away from it, and to defpife it, and to embrace another doctrine, is as manifeft a fign, that they are not of God, but of the devil; as Chrift faith, to the fame people, ver. 44. Ye are of your Father the devil; for there is no truth in him, and be abides not in the truth, no more do Again, John x. 4, 5. Christ faith, His own sheep follow him, the true Shepherd, because they know his voice; and a stranger will they not follow, but flee from him, because they know not the voice of strangers.

ye.

Wherefore they that hear the word of faith, in the true teachers of the gofpel, they have in them the Spirit of truth; but they that dislike and difrelish that word, and join to the teachers and doctrine of antichrift, they all have in them the fpirit of error.

And therefore it concerns us, more than the world is aware of, to take heed whom we hear: For if we cleave to the teachers of truth, as hath been declared, then have we the Spirit of truth; but if to the teachers of error, then are we of the spirit of error.

And thus this fcripture teacheth us how to know and difcern the Spirit, both of Chrift and of antichrist, and that both in the teachers and in the hearers; both which are of great use to the true church of God in all times, but especially in these last times. And these things I have fpoken and teftified freely, according to the measure of grace given, knowing that they will be as acceptable to the true friends and members of Christ crucified, as they are troublesome and difpleafing to the members of antichrift.

Ii3

PLAIN AND NECESSARY

CONFUTATION

Of divers grofs and

• ANTICHRISTIAN ERRORS,

DELIVERED

To the UNIVERSITY CONGREGATION,

At the Public COMMENCEMENT, Anno 1653.

By Mr Sydrach Simpson, Master of Pembroke-Hall

in CAMBRIDGE.

Potentior eft veritas quam eloquentia, potior fpiritus quam ingenium, major, fides quam eruditio: Et ut Paulus ait, ftultum Dei fapientius eft hominibus. Luther. Epift. ad Cafpar. Bornerum. Profef. Lipfenf.

Non eft iftud temeritas, fed fides; neque inconfideratio, fed ratio; neque furor, fed fiducia. Hilarius lib. contr. Conftantium Auguf

tum.