Forbearance is no payment: God's patience is not a sign that he
forgetteth to take vengeance, but rather that he waiteth till his
own are come out of her, and until her iniquity is filled up; for
then he will execute the judgment written, and will remember the
Babylonians and all their ways.
Must antichrist be destroyed? Then this should make us glad when we
see the signs of his fall presenting themselves to our view. Indeed,
the signs of his fall, or those that forerun it, are terrible and
amazing to behold. But what of that, since the wrinkles that are in
their faces threaten not us but them? A man is angry and will
punish; yea, whets his sword and makes his rod; and he speaks not a
word, but blood, blood is in it.
Indeed this should make them that are concerned in that anger
afraid. But what terror is there in all this to those for the
pleading of whose cause he is so angry with the other? Nothing
whereat the innocent should be afraid.
Cold blasts in November are not received with such gentleness as are
colder in March and April; for that these last cold ones are but the
farewell notes of a piercing winter; they also bring with them the
signs and tokens of a jomfortable summer. Why, the church is now at
the rising of the year; let then the blasts at present or to come be
what they will, antichrist is surely drawing towards his downfall.
And though the devil, knowing what is to be done to him and to his
kingdom, shall so blind his disciples and fright the godly, and do
something like it upon the church of Christ, yet we should look
through these paper windows, and espy in all this that fear, yea,
certain terrible judgments, are following him at the heels, by which
not only the soul, spirit, and life of antichrist, but the body
thereof--yea, body and soul and head--are quickly to go down
thither, from whence they, as such, shall not arise again. Amen.