2 Thess. 2:10-12, where the coming of antichrist is said to be “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 delusions, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Now, says Mr. F., “This plainly intimates, that their not receiving the love of the truth, or, which is the same thing, not believing with such a faith as that to which salvation is promised, is here assigned as the cause of their being given up of God, and carried away with all deceivableness of unrighteousness—of God’s sending them strong delusions that they should believe a lie, and be damned” (p. 79). I have here to observe that what Mr. F. asserts to be plainly intimated, doth not appear altogether so plain to me. The sense of the text seems to be this: That antichrist should come, as is expressed, with all deceivableness or righteousness; but then his deceptions should only have place in them that perish, or those and those only should be finally deceived by him. He would deceive, if possible, the very elect; but that is impossible. They are only the non-elect, the reprobates, that shall be totally seduced, here spoken of as those that perish; but then it might be asked, who are these? How shall they be known? By what shall they be made manifest? Whence shall it appear there are such persons who shall utterly perish? Why, says the apostle, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. This is the grand evidence of interest in salvation; and those who have it not are evidently of that number who perish. And for this cause, viz. their being in a perishing state, already in a state of condemnation as sinners, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie; that is, God shall (according to his sovereign will) give them up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart, leaving them to their own hearts’ lusts, whereby they would become the willing followers of antichrist, embracing his absurd doctrines and wicked practices, that they all might be damned who give evidence of their lost condition in that they believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Viewing the words thus, what can you perceive in them to prove “God has threatened and inflicted the most awful punishments on men for their not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.”—Leaving what I have written on this fifth proposition to your candid perusal— I remain
Most cordially
Yours.
