CHAP. I. this period; therefore the main question is, when did he begin to exercise that power by which he was exalted to so great a height? In order to open this matter in its proper light, the following facts are particularly worthy of notice, as relating to what has already been stated concerning the ambitious views of LEO the GREAT.

Newton.
Dissert. on

5. According to Mede and others, in the year 456, the Roman Proph. vol. empire was overrun by the Barbarians, and the city of Rome sacked by Genseric king of the Vandals: and the year following the empire was divided into ten kingdoms.

i. p. 170.

Eccl. His.

p. 27, 28.

6. Mosheim says, "The incursions and triumphs of the Bartory, vol. ii. barians were so far from being prejudicial to the rising dominion of the Roman pontiff, that they rather contributed to its advancement. For the kings, who penetrated into the empire, were only solicitous about the methods of giving a sufficient degree of stability to their respective governments. And when they perceived the subjection of the multitude to the bishops, and the dependance of the bishops upon the Roman pontiff, they immediately resolved to reconcile this ghostly ruler to their interests, by loading him with benefits and honors of various kinds."

Dan. vii. 7.
Rev. xiii. 1.

7. Likewise the wars and contentions that had long existed among the patriarchs, and their appealing for redress to the bishop of Rome, had most certainly given him a superiority over all the episcopal orders. The authority of general councils was, moreover, almost universally acknowledged; and what greater mark of superiority could be shown to the Roman pontiff than to adopt his letter to Flavianus as a rule of faith?

8. Mosheim also observes that, "The declining power and supine indolence of the emperors, left his authority almost without control." Then add to all this, that in the year 457, the emperor Marcianus died; the same emperor who had yielded to the lordly demand of LEO. It must then appear very evident, that another emperor could not succeed him, who could possibly rise in the public esteem to an equal degree of dignity and power with the artful bishop of Rome.

9. Upon the authority of these facts, it is doubtless, with the greatest propriety, that some have referred to this period, the rise of the ten horns of Daniel's fourth beast, and also of the first beast mentioned by John, who came up out of the sea.

10. This beast, as it appeared to Daniel, dreadful and terrible, was a figure of the Roman empire, in its tyrannical and persecuting power, under the Pagan emperors. To John, the same tyrannical power appeared as a beast coming up out of the sea, which was evidently fulfilled in that motley change of the empire, which took place under Constantine the Great.

11. Here the monster, still more dreadful and terrible, and

more unlike any thing that had ever been before it, rose up out CHAP. I. of the sea of troubles, commotions and conflicts among different Rev. xiii. kindreds, tongues, and people. Notwithstanding, through the 1-15, whole reign of Constantine and his immediate successors, this beast exhibited a plurality of heads, and these heads inspired to the most beastly conduct.

12. Yet the monster was not complete in all his parts; and it was not till the period of which we are speaking, that his ten horns appeared, which the angel expressly interpreted to be ten kings, or rather kingdoms: and it was not till these ten horns appeared, that the little horn could rise up among them.

13. Now observe, this last horn, which had eyes like the eyes Dan. vii. 8. of a man, and a mouth speaking great things, was little at

first, but increased in greatness, until his look became more stout Ibid. 20-22. than his fellows; and the same horn "made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High."

14. Then, as this last horn, which was a figure of the Papal hierarchy, was little in its rise, and afterwards waxed great, it answered to the power of the Roman pontiff, which in its rise, was scarcely visible among the ten ruling powers, which at first loaded him with benefits and honors, but over which the pontiffs afterwards exercised unlimited authority.

15. But however imperceptible in the beginning, he was certainly known and distinguished among the ten kings, and possessed a degree of power, in his very rising up, by which he might, with as great propriety be said to reign, as any of the other kings.

16. When a prince or governor can pursue his own measures, without any real obstruction, he may properly be said to reign. What then remained after the death of Marcianus, that was any obstruction to the growing influence and dignity of Leo the Great?

17. Before this period, the bishops were continually rivalling each other; different systems and parties clashing, and emperors and ecclesiastics standing in each other's way, rendered it doubtful which or who should be raised to the highest degree of promotion. But after the rise of LEO, all the strife and contention that abounded, only contributed the more to augment his power, and raise to higher degrees of respect his growing authority.

18. The fact is, that no object or pursuit was, at this time, of so public and influential a nature as that in which the priesthood were engaged; and no revolution, either in civil or ecclesiastical affairs, was considered of any great importance, further than as it related to the affairs of that church, in which the bishop of Rome filled the highest seat. And this is doubtless sufficient to establish his supremacy, at this period; how much soever inferior

CHAP. I. incidents may be magnified by the ingenuity of designing men, and urged as arguments to the contrary.

Eccl. His

P 398, 399.

19. We shall now consider the nature of this dominion of antichrist, in its first beginning; and if every thing begets its own likeness, it can present nothing to view essentially different from the spirit and works of Constantine.

20. The doctrine of Three persons in one God, "which, (says tory, vol. i. Mosheim,) in the three preceding centuries, had happily escaped the vain curiosity of human researches," was introduced as the fundamental faith and gospel of the Catholic church under CONSTANTINE the GREAT. And something as mysterious remained to be introduced as the Catholic Gospel, by LEO the GREAT, namely, Two distinct natures in one Christ. And this Catholic doctrine, (as observed in the preceding chapter,) was established in the council of Chalcedon, assembled by the emperor MARCIANUS, upon LEO's demand.*

Dan. viii. 24.

tor, the

21. And when this great fundamental doctrine was established, could there be anything too mysterious to make a test of orthodoxy, or too contradictory to reconcile? Well might the Lion and the Lamb be united, Pagan and Christian, saint and sinner, yea, heaven and hell, be blended together without change, mixture or confusion.

22. Therefore it was well said of the little horn, or last king, of fierce countenance, that he should understand dark sentences, and practise and prosper, and destroy the mighty and the holy people. All of which was a true figure of the horn or power of people of the antichrist, which overthrew the primitive Church, trod under foot the holy Sanctuary, took away the daily spiritual sacrifice, -scattered the power of the holy people; and set up the abomination of desolation in its stead.

holy ones.

See Mar.

Bib.

Watson's Wesley, p. 196.

23. It is observable, that although this king of fierce countenance was mighty, yet it was not by his own power; hence, all that is said of him in the figure, applies to the work of antichrist, through the Roman pontiffs; for it was not of his own power; but through the supine indolence of the emperors, the transgressions of the patriarchs and people, and the favor of the Barbarian kings, that he was exalted.

The reader is here presented with the opinion of John Wesley, on reading "Baxter's History of the Councils," which assumed the right, above all that is called God, to control the consciences of the human race, as far as they could extend their power.

"It is," says Wesley, "utterly astonishing, and would be wholly incredible, but that his vouchers are beyond all exception. What a company of execrable wretches have they been, fone cannot give them a milder title, who have almost in every age, since St. Cyprian, taken upon them to govern the Church! How has one council been perpetually cursing another; and delivering all over to Satan, whether predecessors or cotemporaries, who did not implicitly receive their determinations, though generally trifling, sometimes false, and frequently unintelligible, or self-contradictory! Surely Mahomedanism was let loose to reform the Christians!"

24. And by such means, he waxed great, even against the CHAP. I. host of heaven; and cast down some of the host, and of the Dan. viii. stars to the ground; [such as had the brightest reflections of 10-12. the true light,] and magnified himself against the prince of the host.

25. He even magnified himself in the character and stead of Christ, and from him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. Every occasion, either of sacrificing sin, or sacrificing for sin, was removed, as soon as the two distinct natures could be united without any change; and the very place of the sanctuary, or order of distinction between the holy and profane, was cast down, to be trodden under foot of Rev. xi. 1, the Gentiles forty-two months.

26. Therefore an host [of evil powers] was given him against the daily sacrifice, by reason of the proneness of the people to transgress; every rank of church officers, and civil rulers, reposed their power and confidence in him, that by his ghostly authority, they might be furnished with power to crush and debase their inferiors to the lowest degree of wretchedness. And thus, by making peace with the great, and receiving them under his Catholic authority, he encouraged them to destroy many.

2.

27. The Roman empire, the bloody dragon, now grown old in Rev.xiii. 2. wickedness, bloodshed and cruelty, and under a mortal declension, overrun with Barbarians, and no further life to be derived from supine and indolent emperors, gave up the ancient seat of Pagan power to the ghostly bishop of that city, together with as great authority as emperors had ever possessed.

28. And under his sanctimonious influence, the same beastly superstitions were pushed on, under the name of religion, with numberless additions, and with increasing authority. Mosheim Eccl. His says, "To enumerate the rites and institutions that were added, tory, vol. ii. in this century, would require a volume of a considerable Cent. V. size."

p 53.

29. Among the most noted of which, was a change in the manner of confessing sins, introduced by a permission from LEO the Great. "By this change, (says the historian,) one of the Ibid. p. 55. greatest restraints upon licentiousness, and the only remaining barrier of chastity, was entirely removed."

30. Then if the reign of antichrist began with a gospel and government, under which licentiousness had no restraint, and chastity no barrier of protection, how disagreeable must be the task to pursue such a beastly dominion through all its progress? And what historian could unfold all the branches of wickedness, perpetrated therein, through a reign of one thousand two hundred and sixty years?

31. From the variety of matter which historians have selected out of the immense mass, we shall only present a few of the out

CHAP. II. lines of this growing hierarchy; that by its most manifest fruit, it may be distinguished from the righteous and peaceful dominion of the Lamb.

CHAPTER II.

THE CATHOLIC GOSPEL PROPAGATED UNDER THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST, FROM THE FIFTH TO THE EIGHTH CENTURY. MUCH has been said, by modern writers, about the benign religion of Jesus, and about the salutary rays of the Gospel enlightening the barbarous nations, even through the doleful ages of the Papal hierarchy; as if the reason of man must be forever insulted with the influence of names and sounds.

2. When we hear of the religion of Jesus, the Christian doctrine, the light of the Gospel, the lamp of celestial truth, and of thousands being converted, and embracing the Gospel of Christ; what ideas are we to affix to such words? Must we take it for granted that they are always used in their original sense?

3. Or, shall we not rather examine the naked objects, to which these dignified names are given, and denominate them according to what, in reality, they are? And what is this victorious gospel, this celestial light, and benign religion, but at best a vain philosophy, and a motley spectacle of superstition?

4. Long have the mere inventions of carnal and wicked men been imposed upon the ignorant for the light of truth-long have mankind been deceived with their senseless jargon about God, and Christ; the origin of the world; the destiny of human souls; the resurrection of the body;-about death, and demons; and divine decrees, and grace, and purgatory, and penance ;— about the virtue of priestly prayers, and pilgrimages, and oil from the lamp which burned over the tombs of the martyrs-of a wooden cross, of cream and spittle, and salt and holy water, of vows, and relics, and monastic rules; and whatever else might excite the blind reverence, and stupid awe of their deluded followers.

5. These inventions have served no higher purpose than to furnish the priesthood with sufficient authority to tyrannize over the common people, and live in luxury, lust, and idleness, upon their