alifornia ?ional sility AC - status report UCSB LIBRARY THE APOSTASY Am rax IDENTITY PAPAL POWER, WITH Cbe 90an of in anD @>on of jpetrtiition ST. PAUL'S PROPHECY, IN THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, PROVED FROM THE TESTIMONY Scripture and History. BY WILLIAM CUNINGHAME, Esg. AUTHOR OF A DISSERTATION ON THK SEALS AND TRUMPETS OF THE APOCALYPSE, AND THK PROPHETICAL PXRIOD OF 1260 YEARS. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. ".......Rep. xviii. 2. * Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not " of her plagues." ,^J5;d. rar 4.' GLASGOW: Printed by Young, Gallic, $ Co. FOR M. oau; GLASGOW: OOLK, ALLARDICK. & THOMSON; WAUSB, ft nraxs; AND W. OLIPBANT, EDINBURGH : ecus, DUNCAN &COCHRAN; CADKLL * DAVICS; j. HATCHARD ; LONDON: AND JOHNSTON & DKAS, DUBLIN. 1818. CONTENTS. ^tS V ^ Pa*e PREFACE, v CHAP. I. Introductory Observations General Statement of the Subject, 1 GHAT. II. The term Apostasy ascertained to be synoni- mous with Idolatry Two propositions laid down charging the guilt of Idolatry on the Church of Rome First, in the worship of Saints; and Secondly, of Images The worship of Saints by that Church proved to be Idolatry The arguments of the Rev. P. Gandolphy in defence of Saint-worship considered and an- swered, 7 CHAP. III. The arguments of the Rev. Mr. Calderbank in defence of Saint-worship considered and answered, ^. 39 CHAP. IV. The worship of Images by the Church of Rome proved to be idolatry, ... w ; 57 CHAP. V. A position laid down that the Papal power is the Man of Sin The objections of the IV rage Rev. Mr. Calderbank to the Protestant doctrine of Antichrist stated and answered, 81 CHAP. VI. Evidence from history that the Papal power exhibits all the characteristics] marks of the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition, 92 CHAP. VII. Certain other prophecies briefly considered,- , relating to the Papacy and Church of Rome Inference therefrom that there is no hope of the reformation of these bodies The necessity of continued watchfulness on the part of Pro- testants Passage of a late Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Chalmers quoted Remarks upon it- Concluding Observations, ... M ... ....137 PREFACE. THERE are many circumstances in the times in which we live, that seem to call for new state- ments of the principles upon which the Reformed Churches originally separated from Rome, and continue still to reject her authority. In general, it is to be feared that Protestants, are very ignorant of the present state of the Church of Rome, and it is, perhaps, to be at- tributed to this cause, that an impression seems to have become widely disseminated, that the Popery of the present day is essentially different from that professed in former times. The author of these pages believes this impression to be both erroneous and dangerous, and in order to show what the Romish Church now is, he has endeavour- ed as much as possible to draw his information from the more recent statements of the doctrines and worship of that Church.* * Since this volume was sent to the Press, I have met with a Work in two volumes, which I understand to be of high au- thority among the Papists in this Country. Its title is, " The " Sincere Christian instructed in the Faith of Christ from the " written Word." If I had seen it at an earlier period, I should have taken some notice of its contents in these pages. \ VI Another idea seems to have gone forth, that all danger from the Church of Rome is past: It is to be feared, that this opinion also is not correct. The author indeed believes, as he has endeavoured to prove in another place,* that the final destruction of that Church is near at hand. But he must, in candour, state, that many able and pious Protestants do not agree with him in this sentiment. He will also add, that the same Scripttires from which he has deduced this infer- ce, lead him to anticipate that Rome may make expiring effort to regain her lost authority. This expectation seems to be confirmed by what is now passing in the world. In every part of the United Kingdom, we hear of the rapid increase of Popery ; and the danger which may yet arise from this source, is already far more formidable, than the great body of the public are at all aware of. The information contained in the following extracts from a literary journal of last year, will probably be new to many of the readers of this volume, and if they possess any zeal for the in- terests of true religion, it will not fail to awaken them to the necessity of more than ordinary vigi- lance. " Our immediate forefathers, who witnessed '< the suppression of the order of the Jesuits, and * See my Dissertation on the Seals and the Trumpets of the Apocalypse, and the Prophetical period of 1260 years. Vll " who know but too well the satisfactory evidence " on which it was founded, would have wept in pity, mixed with indignation, if they could " have suspected, that the lapse of less than half " a century, would have effaced from the minds " of their children, the conduct and principles " of this iniquitous fraternity. We seriously be- " lierve, that there is no professedly religious so- " ciety whatever, the formidable office oi' the In- " quisition by no means excepted, which has " done so much injury to Christianity and the " world at large, as that now under consideration. " United together by indissoluble ties, and go- " verned by the most artful and impious system " of rules, the Jesuits want nothing but a fulcrum " to move and unhinge the moral world. This < important datum has been once more conceded ; " the head mechanist at Rome has provided the " lever, and furnished the motive power, while " England among other nations has, with its usual " good nature, provided a place on which the " Jesuits may conveniently stand to conduct their " experiments. " Those of our readers who have watched the " operations of this insidious order, will easily " perceive, that we allude, among other circum- " stances, to the attempt which has been too sue* . *' cessfully made to set up a Jesuit college within " the home dominions of his Britannic Majesty, " and the immediate limits of the English Church. Vlll * 6 If we have not wholly mistaken the character *' of the Jesuits, such an institution is pregnant " with the greatest dangers to any Church or " State, into which it is admitted ; and we, there- " fore think it most highly important, that the " public should be fully on their guard with re- " spect to the subtle adversaries with whom they "will soon have seriously to contend.'* We ** have already intimate^ that a large Jesuit col- " lege t this moment exists in the very heart of he British dominions. The place where this innovation on Protestant discipline, and this " experiment on Protestant forbearance, were to " be tried, was Stonyhurst, near Preston, in Lan- " cashire; where, for thirty years past this power- " ful order has possessed a spacious college, amply " provided with all the machinery of Jesuitism. " The studies of the place are stated to be con- " ducted upon the same system with those of the " Roman Catholic universities abroad ; and there " are regular professors in all the usual branches " of scientific and scholastic education. The col- " lege, which is a very extensive building, has " room for four or five hundred pupils, independ- " ently of the professors, managers, and domestics, " and is said to contain at the present moment, " five hundred or more individuals of various " descriptions. It is surrounded with suitable " offices for tradesmen and artizans of every " description, proper for rendering the establish- IX " ment independent and well supplied with the " necessaries and conveniences of life. '* To the college are attached more than a thou- " sand acres of land, which the Jesuits keep in their 4t own hands, and farm under the direction and ' management of one of their members. In addi- " tion to the produce of this land, which is con- " sumed in the college, the Jesuits, by means of " large purchases from the neighbouring farmers " and others, extend their influence, and with it " their faith, throughout the whole of the sur- 4 * rounding country. Conversion of Protestants, " and Roman Catholic instruction are provided " for, on a scale the most extensive and complete ; " and the success of the experiment, we are sorry ' to say, has been fully equal to the preparations. " The pupils in the establishment are collected " from various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, " and the Continent ; so that the Jesuits in this " college have extensive communications and " correspondence with numerous parts of the " world ; and the importance of their letters may " be inferred from the particular precautions " which they adopt respecting them. Their pre- " sent number of pupils is supposed to be from two to three hundred, which is thought to be ' not more than the average for the last five and " twenty years. " Within a quarter of a mile of the college, 11 is a seminary for boarding and educating boys " preparatory to their entering the establishment " at Stonyhurst. This initiatory institution is ap- " propriated exclusively to those who are des- IC tined for the superior college, and our author " very justly remarks, that the almost entire " seclusion of these youths from all intercourse " with mankind, which takes place during their " probationary studies, is not calculated to re- " move the distrust and apprehension which " are naturally excited by the mystery which " attaches more or less to Jesuitism in general. " There is every reason to suppose the Stony. " hurst Society to be possessed of considerable wealth, arising from the profits accruing from " their pupils and their estate, with perhaps " some other sources, such as the voluntary dona- " tions of their partizans and admirers. Their " influence is greatly strengthened by their being " the accredited heads of the neighbourhood, " especially in their own manor, and the sur- " rounding district, so that they feel no necessity for being either timid or private in their un- " ceasing efforts to make proselytes. By their " exertions, Popery has alarmingly increased in * the duchy. It is certain, that whereas before " their arrival there was not perhaps half a score " Papists about Stonyhurst, the greater part of " the population in that vicinity, to the amount " of some thousands are now become such ; and * the principal Jesuit priest of Preston is said to XI ' have made a boast, that when he came to the " place a little more than twenty years ago, a " small room would have accommodated his " whole congregation, whereas now, two large " chapels, which have been since erected, and *' are each capable of containing two thousand, " are not sufficient for their converts. " It is not an unimportant or unalarming cir- " cumstance to those who know the real charac- " ter of this Order, that the Roman Catholic " chapels in that part of England, which are nearly " as numerous as the Protestant Churches, are filled " not with ordinary priests, but with priests of " the Society of Jesuits. Several Jesuit ministers " are stationed at the neighbouring town of Pres. " ton, who frequently make excursions to Ireland, " and who, since the peace, have maintained con- " siderable intercourse with France, and other * parts of the Continent." " The Jesuits, in conjunction with the Papists " in general, lately created a large school upon " the new system for the education of children " of both sexes to the number of about a " thousand, to which the members of 'Parliament for " Preston, as well as CERTAIN CLERGYMEN and " other avowed Protestants are stated to have " largely contributed." " To those who have well considered the gen- " eral history and character of the Jesuits, the Xll " subtility and ingenuity with which they thus in- " sinuate themselves into the confidence of re- " spectable and opulent Protestant families, and " the dexterity with which they mould them *' to their latent purposes, will not appear at " all surprising. It is a fact, that these men " have regularly and systematically preached for " years past in the populous town of Preston, " against the English church and faith; while it " is said that even the booksellers of the town are " afraid publicly to expose for sale any books " against Popery, though there is a bookseller in " the town, whose windows and shop are covered " with Anti-protestant publications. The Jesuits " literally exert an ascendancy over a considerable " number of the clergy and magistracy in the " neighbourhood, and boast among their patrons " and allies names of considerable influence and " respectability." " The danger with which such an establishment " is pregnant, both to the Protestant faith and " even the Protestant government of these realms " is too obvious to need much comment; especi- " ally when w r e consider that the intrigue is con- " ducted in a part of the country most favourably " circumstanced to promote its success. The " dense population of Lancashire, and the disaf- " fection of a large class of its manufacturing in- " habitants, render a Jesuit college in the neigh- Xlll " bourhood doubly ominous and alarming.* If " one institution of the kind be thus allowed, " there can be no reason, if it so please his Holi- " ness tlie Pope, whose sworn servants the Jesuits " are, why a similar system should not be intro- " duced into every other county and neighbour- " hood in England. It cannot be said in extenu- " ation, that although the college has been thirty " years in existence, it has done no injury, and " therefore ought not to be suppressed; for the " undeniable fact is, that in a religious point of " view, it lias done incredible harm; and the pro- " bability is, that in a very few years, if the sys- " tem be suffered to go on with its present accel- " crated progress, but a small number of Protes- " tants will be found in the county of Lancaster, " or within a considerable distance of its influence. " Even nearer home, the number of Roman Ca- " tholics is sensibly on the increase ; so much so, " that it has been calculated that in England " alone, there are not at present much fewer than " one thousand public chapels in the connexion, " besides the private chapels of Catholic families, " of which far the greater part have been erected " within the last five and twenty years. Consid- " ering these things, we are not much surprised * " We would, however, in candour add, that at a late meet- *' ing of magistrates in Lancashire, these fathers have thought " proper to send in a very loyal and proper address on the " occasion." XIV " to find it announced, that in the summer of " 1813, there were confirmed by a Catholic bishop " in the towns of Manchester, Liverpool, and " Preston alone, no less than three thousand chil- " dren. We are, however, surprised that any " conscientious and intelligent Protestant can " survey an institution, such as has been describ- " ed, without inquiring for what ultimate purpose this vast machinery has been constructed, and " without auguring dangers of considerable mag- " nitude both to our church and state, from the " tacit encouragement of such a system. We " have, however, like good honest unsuspecting " Englishmen, submitted to the introduction of "Romish priests, bishops, and vicars apostolic; " we have seen nunneries and other Popish insti- " tutions founded, without any emotion ; even the " Jesuits in England could not disturb our slum- " bers ; to complete therefore the design, we are " now gravely threatened with a resident cardinal; " though to speak the truth, we do not imagine " that any thing short of a visit from the Pope " himself will have the effect of putting us fully " on our guard against the machinations of a bier- " archy, whose first maxim has ever been to re- " duce mankind in all ages, and in all nations, to " the utter subjection of mind and will to the " spiritual usurpation of a despotic church."* * Review of a History of the Jesuits in the British Review for 1817, pp. 431435. XV In such a state of things as is depicted in the foregoing quotations, and with the obvious fact before our eyes, that latitudinarian principles with respect to the differences which separate the churches of the Reformation from the communion of Rome, are daily growing among professing Protestants, encouraged by the spirit of an infidel Philosophy, and by a liberality falsely so called, it cannot be superfluous to recal the attention of Protestants to some of those passages wherein the Holy Spirit was pleased by the mouths of his ser- vants the prophets and apostles, to warn the church of the future abominations of Papal Rome. A work of this kind is necessarily controversial. It has, however, been the constant endeavour of the author to speak of things rather than of per- sons, remembering that to judge persons belongs to God only. He rejoices in believing that there have in all ages been truly spiritual Christians, who have lived and died in the communion of the Church of Rome ; who, like the seven thousand names in Israel,* have not bowed the knee to Baal, though they have, by the invincible preju- dices of education, been prevented from discern- ing the true character of that church. Indeed, in these pages the reader will find the testimonies of some honest Roman Catholics against the errors and usurpations of the Popes, who thereby have proved that though they were includ- * 1 Kings xix. 18. XVI ed in the external communion of Rome, they did not believe the lie of the man of sin and son of perdition.* The author is here, however, compelled to add, that he cannot extend the principle of charity to Roman Catholics quite so far as is enjoined in the following observations by an able writer of the present day, who asks, " Should any member of " that (the Romish) persuasion, come forward " with a mitigated view of the peculiarities of Ca- .'* tholics, so as to leave the great doctrines of faith * and repentance unimpaired by them, and state * that an averment of the Bible has never in his " instance been neutralised, or practically stript " of its authority by an averment of Popes and " Councils on what principle of candour shall " the recognition of a common Christianity be ' withheld from him ?"t Now, in answer to this question, it may be stat- ed, with all due deference to the eminent charac- ter from whom it proceeds, that our Lord himself has warned us against an implicit reliance upon the professions of men. If Dr. Chalmers were better acquainted, than he professes himself to be, with the present state of the Catholic mind, he might, perhaps, see reason to think that it is a part of the * 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10. f A Sermon preached before the Glasgow Auxiliary Hiber- nian Society, by Thomas Chalmers, D. D. Preface, p. 7. XV11 modern policy of Rome, carefully and systemati- cally to accommodate itself to the circumstances in which it is placed. Thus, though Popery be every where essentially the same, yet we must not suppose that it in all countries assumes the same external hue. Camel eon-like, it adapts its colour to that of the surrounding medium. Since the Reformation, the Papists have been much more guarded and ambiguous than before, in their public formularies. They also vary considerably in the grossness of their practice in different coun- tries. We shall not, perhaps, among ourselves, hear " that the picture of our Lady of such a place has " opened or shut its eyes, or changed colour, or " perspired;'* yet these abominations still exist in Italy and the Spanish Peninsula, and are encour- aged by the Priesthood; nay, even in our own days such things have been encouraged by the whole Roman Catholic Prelates of our sister island. But in this country, the Romish advocates, and es- pecially such among them as are of the order of the Jesuits, will at all times be prepared with mitigated views of their doctrines and practices, in order to make them palatable to Protestants. We do not say that all such statements are to be re- jected as designedly false ; but we do aver, that they are not to be received with implicit confidence. Let a Romish Priest warn his flock of the sin and danger of the idolatry of Loretto, or let him admit among his people the free use of the Scriptures XV111 without note or comment, and we shall then with gladness hold out to him the right hand of fellow- ship. But no affirmations on the part of Papists, "that " the system is imaginary," can weigh with the Protestant who sees its real existence inscribed on the public and authorised formularies of the Ro- mish Church, and who takes " heed unto that " sure word of prophecy as unto a light that shin- " eth in a dark place,"* wherein the continued existence of the Antichristian system till it is de- stroyed by the brightness of our Saviour's second appearance is expressly predicted. I deem it necessary, before closing this Preface, to remark that I do not profess in this volume to exhibit a complete portrait of Popery. Accord- ingly, it will be found that I have said nothing about transubstantiation and the idolatry of the mass. It seems to me, that to touch on these subjects without a full discussion of them, would be injudicious; and to have completely investigat- ed them would have increased the work to a great- er size than might be conducive to its general usefulness. I have, therefore, merely endeavour- ed to seize and delineate such of the more promi- nent features of the system as seemed to be ne- cessary to justify the contents of my title-page. * 2 Pet. i. 19. XIX It remains for me to say, that as I have largely borrowed from the works of former commentators, I make this general acknowledgment, to preclude the necessity of a formal reference to their pages, in every place where I have used their arguments or illustrations. ERRATA. Page 10, line 17, for exclusive, read exclusively . 53, 3, for visit, read viz. 61, 15, for Catechiims, read Catechism. 71, 6& 7, for Ritute, read Rituale. KM, 3, Note, before Carlovingians, insert the. ibid. 6, ibid. era*e of. 121, 7, for London, read Lunden. 122, 1, Note, before Tome, insert Condillac ; and erase Condillac at the end of the Note, 162, 15, Note, for conferred, read confined. THE APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH OF ROME, CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE SUBJECT. DURING the abode of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ upon earth, he solemnly warned his dis- ciples that after his departure from the world, many false prophets would arise in his Church, who should deceive many. In this prediction, it is probable that he alluded not only to indivi- dual impostors and false teachers, but also to those schemes of false religion which should be propagated by wicked men pretending to be his A ministers. It certainly, therefore, is an inquiry of vital importance, whether there be reason to believe that any of those systems which are ex- tensively prevalent among the nations professing to hold the faith of Christ, are chargeable with the guilt of having corrupted the pure fountain of Divine truth, which first emanated from the Saviour and his inspired apostles, by mingling with it false doctrines and human command- ments, unprofitable and dangerous to the souls of men. But if this inquiry be important to Christians in general, it is more peculiarly so to those who profess the Protestant dogmas. For it is well known that the separation of all the Protestant churches from the communion of Rome was founded upon a direct charge of apostasy prefer- red against that church. If that charge be not substantiated, it is impossible to justify the Re- formers ; they become chargeable with the guilt either of schism or of heresy j. and it seems as a necessary consequence to follow, that it is the duty of Protestant churches to make their peace with Rome, by again bowing their necks to her authority. It may be accounted a mark of a liberal and enlarged mind in the present day, to soften down the points of difference between the Romish and the Reformed creeds ; but if the Scriptures de- nounce either of these systems as an apostasy from the faith once delivered to the saints, such spurious liberality cannot be well-pleasing in the eyes of Him, who has solemnly testified his dis- pleasure against those who call evil good, and good evil. It is evident, from various other parts of the New Testament, that the general warnings given by our Lord himself as already mentioned, were not thought sufficient for the guidance of his Church in future ages. A more particular pre- diction of a great Apostasy in the Church was therefore left on record by the apostle of the Gen- tiles in two different passages of his epistles; and a detailed prophecy of the same event was after* wards delivered to the apostle John in the book of Revelation. It is my design in these pages to limit myself chiefly to the consideration of the prophecy con- tained in St. Paul's second Epistle to the Thessa- lonians which describes the apostasy in such language as to render it a matter of little difficulty to trace its accomplishment in the history of the professing Church of Christ. The words of the prophecy are as follow : " Now we beseech you, brethren, concerning * the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our " gathering together unto himj that ye be not " soon shaken in mind, or be troubled neither by " spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as " that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man " deceive you by any means for (that day shall " not come) except there come a falling away " first; and that man of sin be revealed, the son " of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth him- " self above all that is called God, or that is wor- " shipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the " temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things? And now ye know what' withholdeth that he might be revealed in " his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth al- " ready work: only he who now letteth will let, 11 until he be taken out of the way. And then " shall that Wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and " shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: " (even him) whose coming is after the working " of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying " wonders. And with all deceivableness of un- " righteousness 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 delusion that they might be- " lieve a lie : That they all might be damned " which believed not the truth, but had pleasure " in unrighteousness." * It appears from this passage of Scripture, that an erroneous notion had gone forth among the Thessalonian Christians that the day of the" Lord was very near at hand. This opinion seems to have been founded upon a misconception of the meaning of certain expressions in the first epistle of St. Paul to the same Church. To correct the mistake, the apostle here assures the Thessaloni- ans that the day of Judgment should be preceded by a falling away or apostasy in the Church when that Man of Sin should be revealed, whose char- acter, and conduct, and end, he describes in the context. In considering the whole passage, there are two tilings which obviously present themselves * 2 Thes. ii. 112. to our view as distinct objects of inquiry. The first is, What is included in the term apostasy ? and, are there any marks of such an apostasy in the Christian Church? and secondly, What pow- er was intended by the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition ? I shall endeavour, in the following pages, to prosecute these different objects of research with as much succinctness as possible ; and in conclud- ing, I shall briefly review certain other passages of the prophetical writings relating to the same subject, whereby new light will be reflected upon the prophecy of St. Paul. CHAPTER II. THE TERM APOSTASY ASCERTAINED TO BE SYNONIMOUS WITH IDOLATRYTWO PROPOSITIONS LAID DOWN CHARG- ING THE GUILT OF IDOLATRY ON THE CHURCH OF ROME; FIRST, IN THE WORSHIP OF SAINTS; AND SECONDLY, OF IMAGES THE WORSHIP OF SAINTS BY THE CHURCH OF ROME PROVED TO BE IDOLATRY THE ARGUMENTS OF THE REV. P. GARDOLPHY IN DEFENCE OF SAINT-WORSHIP CONSIDERED AND ANSWERED. THE first clause of the Prophecy which is the subject of our investigation, declares, that " that day shall not come, that is, the day of the second advent of Christ to judge the world, " except 44 there come a falling away first." The word so translated is **?*** from which is derived our English noun " apostasy," signifying a defection from true religion. Now it is easy to prove that in the Scriptures, apostasy is used synonimously with the sin of idolatry; so that when the children of Israel were guilty of that sin, we find that they are charged with apostasy against the Lord. Thus when the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, built an altar by the river Jordan as recorded in the book of Joshua, the rest of the children of Israel conceiving that the altar was for idolatrous purposes, charged the tribes who had erected it with an intention to re- bel or apostatize against the Lord their God ;* and the tribes of Reuben, &c. in vindicating them- selves from the charge, use the following words. The Lord God of gods, He knoweth, and Israel he shall know, if it be IN REBELLION, or (according to the Seventy) **-5-IT{, and it shall be if ye apostatize- 9 Having thus endeavoured to shew that apqs- tasy, is the term used in the Old Testament to signify idolatry, the conclusion to which we are naturally led by this circumstance, is that the apostasy in the Christian Church predicted in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, was to consist in the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is either a transgression of the first commandment of the decalogue, by the worship of the creature ; or it is the breach of the second com- mandment by the worship of images. Now there is a passage in the New Testament, which seems to determine the precise sense, in which the apostles of our Lord received and understood the first commandment. " For though there be that " are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as " there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us " there is but one God the FatJier, of whom are all " things, and ice in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."* In St. Paul*s first epistle to Timothy, it is likewise said, "For there is one God, and one mediator between " God and man, the man Christ Jesus."^ * 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. f 1 Tim. ii. 5. B 10 Tile meaning of these passages is evidently this j that though other men worship a plurality of gods, and a multitude of lords ; yet we Christians ac- knowledge but one supreme God, to whom all our worship and services are directed, and one Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only mediator be- tween God and man. There is an allusion, as Mede remarks, in the text first quoted to the hea- then mythology, which acknowledged a plurality of sovereign gods, (Dii Ccelestes,) and also a multitude of subordinate deities called Daemons, who were conceived to be mediators between the gods and men. Now as Christians acknowledge but one God, so according to St. Paul, they re- ceive but one Lord ; the sole mediator between God and man ; and to this God, and this Lord, solely and exclusive, all religious worship and adoration were to be paid : nor is there the least hint of any subordinate mediators. This which is the plain meaning of these passages, is further confirmed by our Lord's answer to Satan in the wilderness. " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy " Cod, and Him only shalt thou serve"* which word "only" absolutely excludes all creature wor- ship. * Matt. iv. 10. 11 It may further be proper to remark, that it is not necessary in order to constitute the sin of idolatry, that the object of unlawful worship be believed to be God, or that the only true God be absolutely and entirely rejected. It is enough that any portion of the honour and adoration which are due to God only, be transferred to the creature. This may be illustrated, by what St. Paul says with respect to covetousness, upon which he charges the sin of idolatry. " No covetous man " which is an idolater, hath, any inheritance in tfie " kingdom of Christ, and of God"* " Mortify " therefore your members, which are upon the earth, "fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil " concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idol- " atry"\ Now St. Paul does not certainly in these passages, intend to say that the covetous person actually conceives his riches to be God: nor does he charge him with falling down to wor- ship his gold, but he means to show that the inor- dinate love of riches is idolatry, because it is giv- ing to the creature that love and esteem, and honour, which are due to God alone. Having made these preliminary remarks, to show what we are to understand by apostasy, or * Ephes. v. 5. * Colos. iii. 5. idolatry, I now proceed to lay down the follow- ing propositions. FIRST. Comparing the language of the jirst com- mandment of the decalogue, with the two passages already quoted, from St. Paul's Jirst epistle to the Corinthians, and to Timothy, we conclude that no kind or degree, of religious or spiritual worship can be given to any mere creature, without incurring the guilt of idolatry, and therefore that the worship paid to the Virgin Mary and tlie Saints, by the Rom- ish Church is idolatry. SECOND. The honour and worship, which tJie Papists give to the images of Christ, and the saints, are contrary to the second commandment, and there- fore are direct and gross idolatry. I shall endeavour to make good these conclu- sions against the Church of Rome, by an examin- ation of certain parts of her authorized formularies of devotion and catechisms ; and I shall consider and answer some of the arguments by which modern Papists endeavour to justify the practice of their Church. In the Romish Liturgy or Book of Common Prayer, edited by the Rev. Peter Gandolphy, and printed in London in the year 1812, there is a Litany in honour of the Virgin Mary, which is commonly called the Litany of Loretto, from which I extract the following passages.* " We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of '* God j despise not our petitions in our necessi- " ties, but deliver us from all danger, O ever " glorious and blessed Virgin."t We assert that the above prayer is idolatry of the highest kind. It is an address to a creature in terms suited only to the eternal majesty of God. The first clause, Wejly to thy patronage, is an * The Liturgy here quoted is entitled " Liturgy, or a Book of Cornmon Prayers, and Administration of the Sacra- ments, with other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church for the use of all Christians in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." In this title, it is evidently implied that all Protestants who reject this Book of Prayer with abhorrence as idolatrous, are not Christians. And yet there are persons with such facts before their eyes, who imagine that the Popery of the present day is essentially improved ! f Liturgy, p. 359, 14 evident imitation of the expression of David in Psalm cxliii. 9. I Jiee unto thee to hide me. The appellation, holy Mother of God, contains an ascription of holiness to a creature, not in the qualified and subordinate sense in which it is giv- en in the Scriptures, to pardoned and sanctified sinners, but in the manner of worship and ador- ation, in which way it belongs to God alone. I here enter not into the discussion of the term Mother of God, for however improper and even blasphemous we conceive it to be, the considera- tion of it is not necessary to the illustration of the subject before us. The second clause, Despise not our petitions in our necessities, is taken from the language in which David expresses his faith in the tender mercies of the Lord, Psalm cii. 17. He will regard tJie prayer of the destitute, and not despise their player. The third clause, Deliver us from all danger, seems copied from that in the Lord's prayer, " deliver us from evil" The rest of this Litany, with the exception of a few petitions addressed to God, and our Lord, is as follows. The texts of Scripture which are placed opposite to the various expressions of praise, are copied from the Roman Prayer Book, and seem to be intended ;>s authorities for the language used. Holy Mary, .... Holy Mother of God, - Holy Virgin of Virgins, - Mother of Christ, - - - Mother of divine grace, - Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, - Mother undefiled, - - - Mother untouched, - - Mother most amiable, - - Mother most admirable, - Mother of our Creator, - Mother of our Redeemer, Virgin most prudent. Virgin most renouned. Virgin most powerful. Virgin most merciful. Virgin most faithful. Mirror of justice, - - - Seat of Wisdom, - - - Cause of our Joy, - - Spiritual Vessel, - - Vessel of honour, - - - Vessel of singular devotion, Mystical Rose, - - - - Tower of David, - - - Tower of Ivory, - ' - - House of Gold. - - - - Ark of the Covenant^ - - Gate of heaven, - - Morning Star, - - - - Luke i. 28. Luke i. 32. Luke i. 27. Luke ii. 11. John i. 1 1. Isaiah vii. 1 Luke i. 34. Luke i. 35. Luke i. 38. Luke i. 48. Luke ii. 51. John i. 14. Luke ii. SO. Cant. iv. 7. Prov. ix. 1. Luke ii. 10. Acts ix. 15. Rom. ix. 21. 2 Tim. ii. 21. Eccl. xxiv. 18. Cant. iv. 4. Cant. vii. 4. 1 Kings vi. 21. Joshua iii. 3. Psalm Ixxviii. 23. Eccl. i. 6. 10 Health of the weak, - - Gen. iii. 15. Refuge of sinners, - - - John ii. 3. Comforter of the afflicted, Luke i. 41. Help of Christians, - - John ii. 4. Queen of Angels, - - - Psalmxliv.il.* ^ Queen of Patriarchs, - - Cant. vi. 8. Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles. Queen of Martyrs. Queen of Confessors. Queen of Virgins. Queen of all Saints. " We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of " God, despise not our petitions in our necessities, " but deliver us from all dangers, O ever blessed " and glorious Virgin. " Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, That " we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ." After what has already been offered on the first petition of the Litany, it seems unnecessary to enter into any argument to prove that the remain- * Perhaps Psalm xlv. 9. is intended. 17 ing part of his service is gross idolatry, an open and daring violation of the first commandment, " Thou shalt have no other gods before me," as explained by St. Paul in the passages already quoted. Indeed many of the expressions used with respect to the Virgin belong to God himself, or to Christ, as for instance, Ark of the Cove- ' nant," which is believed by the soundest Divines to have been a type of Christ, as seems evident from Rom. iii. 25, where our Lord is called a propitiatory, in allusion to the mercy-seat, or pro- pitiatory, the golden cover of the ark. The ap- pellation, " Gate of Heaven," can only belong to Him who emphatically declared himself to be " the Door."* The title of " Morning Star" is also assumed by our Lord.t That of "Refuge of ** sinners" can belong to none but God, who is so frequently in Scripture called a Refuge.t But it is not only the terms which are applied to the Virgin that merit our reprobation. The gross and presumptuous perversion of the sacred Scriptures in the texts which are cited as authori- ties for the language of the Litany, is deserving of the deepest attention. Let it be remembered, John x. 7. f Rev - xxii - 16 t Psal - *!*> ! lx. 16, &c. c 18 that the Church which thus applies to the Virgin, ascriptions of worship and praise, which are due only to the supreme majesty of God and of Christ, pretends also to be the infallible interpre- ter of Scripture, and the sole judge of its meaning, and yet she produces Joshua iii. 3. " When ye " see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your " God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place and go ' after it," in order to justify the giving to the Virgin, the appellation of Ark of the Covenant. Surely this is wresting the Scriptures in a manner which were altogether incredible, if we did not witness the fact j for it may be asked, what pos- sible connexion has the passage now quoted with the Virgin Mary ! If he is pronounced cursed " who removeth his neighbour's land-mark,"* how dreadful must be the guilt of that Church which thus perverts the Scriptures for the purpose of supporting or justifying the Idolatrous worship of the creature, and renders of none effect the commandments of God by her vain traditions ! I shall quote from the same Romish Prayer book " a thanksgiving, in honour of the Patron Saint " of the place where we dwell." * Deut. xxviii. 17. 19 " O Lord, who by an effect of thy singular " bounty towards the inhabitants of this place, " has given us St. N. as a special patron, vouchsafe " to accept the most humble thanks we can offer to " thee for so great an act of thy tender charity; and " in consideration of that favour which he enjoys " with thee, and his earnest intercessions for us, " preserve us from all misfortunes and accidents, " and especially from all sin. Grant that peace and " charity may reign among those who may inhabit " this place, and that faith and piety may daily " increase among them. And thou, great Saint, " vouchsafe to make us every day experience the " powerful effects of thy protection, and after " procuring for us from our Lord, the grace of " leading a truly Christian life, obtain for us the " special grace of dying a holy death through the " infinite merits of Jesus Christ. Amen." This prayer is also an act of direct idolatry it is giving that honour unto a creature which is due to God only, and which the passages of Scripture already cited absolutely forbid being given to any but God and Christ. There is, in the Prayer Book, a similar thanks- giving in honour of our Guardian Angel, which I think it unnecessary to insert. 20 I must here remark, that however grossly idol- atrous the Litany of Loretto is, as exhibited in the Prayer Book edited by Mr. Gandolphy, there is reason to suspect that he has suppressed some of the ascriptions of praise given to the Virgin ; for we are told by Dr. Middleton, in the Preface to his letter from Rome, that incense is actually burnt to her, under the title of Regina Ccelorum, Queen of Heaven.* It must be acknowledged, that Mr. Gandolphy has given other titles equally offensive and blasphemous ; yet as the title of " Queen of Heaven" would have established the virtual identity of the Romish idolatry with that of the Jews, he may have thought it more prudent not to expose it to the light in a Protestant coun- try. It would appear indeed, that the editor of the Prayer Book has in other respects also given a ve- ry guarded and partial statement of the nature of saint-worship, as practised by the Romish Church. * When Jeremiah rebukes the people of Judah for burning incense to the Queen of Heaven, one can hardly help imagin ing that he is prophetically pointing out the worship now paid to the Virgin, to whom they actually burn incense at this day under that very title. Middleton s Letter from Rome, Preface, p. 31. In order to prove what is here advanced, 1 se- Ject some addresses to saints from those quoted by Dr. H. More, who states them to be among the prayers publicly read or sung in the churches. The first is a prayer to St. Francis. " Sancte Francisce propere veni; Pater accelera " ad populum qui premitur et teritur sub onere, * palea, luto, latere et sepultos Egvptio sub sabulo ' nos libera, carnis extincto vitio." " O holy Francis come quickly, hasten Father " to the people which are pressed and bruised " under a burden, with refuse, mud, and rubbish. " Deliver us, who are buried under Egyptian " sand, having quenched the corruption of our flesh." This, as Dr. More well observes, " is plainly " a prayer to this saint, that he would deliver us " from the bondage and drudgery of sin, which *' is only in the power of our great Saviour and " Redeemer Christ for to do.'* I insert in the next place a prayer to a female saint, St. Catherine. Ave Virgo Dei digna Christo prece me consigns, Audi preces prcesta Votum, Cor in bono fac immotum, Confer mihi cor contritum, Rege visum et auditum, Rege Gustum et Olfactum, Virgo sancta rege Tactum, Ut in cunctis te regente, Vivam Deo pura mente, Christum pro me interpella, Salva mortis de procella Superare me fac Mundum, Ne demergar in profundum, Ne me sinas naufragari, Per peccata in hoc Mari Visita tu me infirmum, Et in bonis fac me firmum Agonista Dei fortis, Praesto sis in hora mortis, Decumbentem fove leva, Et de morte solve sosva, Ut resurgam novus homo, Civis in crelesti dorao. " Hail Virgin worthy of God seal me in Christ by thy prayer. Hear my prayers, perform my desire, make my heart immovable in that \vhich is good. Bestow on me a contrite heart. Rule thou my sight and hearing Rule my taste and smelling. Holy Virgin rule my touch that, thou directing me in all things, I may live unto God with a pure mind. Entreat Christ for me Save me from the troubles of death Make me to overcome the world, lest I should be overwhelmed in the deep. Suffer me not to be shipwrecked by sin in this sea. Visit thou me who am weak, and strengthen me in all good things. O strong champion of God, stand by me at the hour of death. Cherish and lift me up when laid down (in sickness). Release me from cruel death, that I may rise again a new man, a citizen in the ce- lestial habitation." In the Rosary of the Virgin Mary, she is ad- dressed thus: Reparatrix et Salvatrix desperantis anirase, Irroratrix et largitrix spirituals gratiae, Quod require quod suspiro mea sana vulnera, Et da menti te poscenti Gratiarum munera, Ut sim castus etmodestus dulcis fortis sobrius, Pius rectus circumspectus simultatis nescius, Eruditus et munitus Divinis eloquiis, Constans gravis et suavis benignus amabilis, Corde prudens ore studens veritatem dicere, Malum nolens Deuin volens pio semper opere. 0* " O Lady, the Repairer and Saviour of the de- spairing sou], who sprinklest and bestowest spiri- tual grace; what I ask, what I desire fervently is, heal thou my wounds. And give to the soul that asketh thee, gifts of grace. That I may be chaste, and modest, mild, strong, temperate, pious, upright, circumspect, ignorant of dissimu- lation, learned, and armed with Divine eloquence, constant, grave and courteous, kind, amiable, prudent in heart, studying to speak truth with my mouth, hating evil, loving God always with good works." In the Roman Missal, is the following Prayer j " Deus qui gloriosam matrem tuam Mariam nom- " inari voluisti : concede quaesumus ; ut qui " Dulce Mariae, Nomen, implorant perpetuum " sentiant tuse benedictionis effectum qui vivis et " regnas, &c. ' O God, who wast willing that thy glorious " Mother should be named Mary, grant, we be- * seech thee, that they who implore the Sweet *' Name of Mary may feel the perpetual effect^ of < thy blessing, who livest and reignest," &c. In what is called the Mary Psalter, the forms of invocation to the Virgin are even, if possible, more blasphemous than what is given above. The language, for instance, of the 31st Psalm is thus applied to her: " In thee, O Lady, have I hop- " ed, let me never be confounded. Receive me " into thy favour incline to me thine ear," &c. and ver. 5. " Into thy hand, O Lady, I commit " my spirit." The Papists of this Protestant country, and of the present day, may perhaps disown such things as the above, and feel ashamed of them. We are sincerely glad if it be so. But still they cannot deny that this shocking and gross idolatry has been sanctioned by their church, and that it is still practised in Italy, Spain, and other countries; and while thousands and ten thousands have been put to death by her authority, for what she terms the crime of heresy, we ask whether one indivi- dual has ever been condemned or censured for the idolatrous worship of St. Francis or St. Catherine, or the Virgin ? If the advocates of Rome cannot show that the authority of their church has ever been exerted in suppressing such abominations, then she is chargeable with all the guilt of idolatry in this most aggravated form, and in this church D which pretends to infallibility, has been fulfilled St. Paul's prophecy of the apostasy, which was to precede the second coming of Christ. I shall now examine some of the arguments, by which Papists of the present day attempt to justify the worship of the saints ; and shall first consider a note on this subject, in the Rev. Mr. Gandol- phy's edition of the Prayer book.* The introductory sentence of the note in ques- tion, is marked by a great want of ingenuousness and candour. " Some persons" says the Editor of the Prayer book, " object to the manner in " which we solicit the prayers of the saints, disbe- " lieving that they either do or can hear our pe- " titions." It is obvious that this mode of ex- pression, is calculated to conceal from the members of the Romish Church, the real nature of the objections alluded to. We object not to the manner in which the Romish Church solicits the prayers of dead saints, but to the thing itself. We allege that the Romish prayers to the dead, are a direct violation of the law of God, and that they are idolatry. The argument as to the inabili- * See Prayer Book, p. 27. 27 ty of ttie saints, to hear the petitions addressed to them, is used merely to shew the absurdity of the practice. The reason of its unlawfulness we deduce from a higher source even the eternal law of God. Was Mr. Gandolphy afraid to inform his flock, of the real nature of our objections to this unscriptural practice ? Did he think that the word idolatry might alarm the members of his Church, and lead them to search the Scriptures for themselves ? In his next sentence, Mr. Gandolphy very can- didly admits, that " the saints are not more likely " to hear us with corporal ears, than to see us " with corporal eyes; but to us (says he) it is in- " different, how they communicate with us while " faith teaches that they do." I observe in an- swer to this, that there are two kinds of faith : first, that which is founded on the testimony of God in the Scriptures. This is true faith which justifieth the sinner * But we also read in the Old Testament of some who were made to trust in a lie,t and in the New Testament, of those who " received not the love of the truth, that they " might be saved. And for this cause God shall * Rom. iii. 23. f Jer. xxix. 31. $8 " send them strong delusion, that they should be- " lieve a lie."* Unless then Mr. Gandolphy can justify his faith by the authority of Scripture, he has not advanced one step towards the vindica- tion of the practice of his Church. He may be believing a lie instead of the truth of God. Mr. Gandolphy's reason for his faith is thus expressed."! believe the communion of Saints." But the communion of the saints, exists also among all saints who are alive in the body, and yet it does not enable them to communicate with each other orally, when separated and at a dis- tance, Now if the communion of saints, does not enable Mr. Gandolphy to hear the conversations which pass between the Pope and his Cardinals in the Vatican, and vice versa, neither is there reason to suppose that it enables the Virgin Mary to hear the prayers of her worshippers upon earth. Mr. Gandolphy continues, " No wise particu- " lar as to the mode, our object in supplicating " the prayers of the saints is, that they may pray " for us, while we use that address which is most " common and familiar to ourselves. And to * SThess. ii. 10, 11, " shew how early invocation was practised, a very " ancient Litany may be quoted from the Greek " Ritual, where we read, Blessed Mother of 1 God, open to us who trust in thee, the gates of * mercy, lest we stray, and by thee may we be * delivered from all danger; for thou art the sal- * vation of the human race.' ' Most holy Lady, * honoured and blessed, devoutly pray for us, ' and have mercy upon us,' &c. " Which expressions (says Mr. Gandolphy) are " only to solicit the compassion of the highly " favoured Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ, and " as they are applied metaphorically, so they must " be metaphorically understood." It seems then that even the Editor of the Romish Prayer Book feels that if this Litany be understood literally it amounts to gross idolatry, ascribing to the Virgin the salvation of the human race, and containing direct supplications for mercy. Mr. Gandolphy would therefore apply the expressions of the Litany in a metaphorical sense. But it is not by such vain subterfuges that the direct violation of the commandment of the Lord against idolatry is to be vindicated. All such practices will at length draw down upon 30 the Churches which persevere in them, and ob- stinately refuse to repent, the heavy weight of the Divine displeasure. The Church of Rome ought to have taken warning from the severe judgments, which have long since overtaken the churches of the Eastern empire, lest worse thingg should happen to her. The note in the Prayer Book, concludes as follows : " In the ancient Mass of St. John " Chrysostom, this response is continually sung " by the Deacon * Commemorating the most holy, immaculate, most blessed and glorious Lady, Mother of God, and ever Virgin Mary, and all the saints, we commend ourselves and one ' another, and our whole life, to Christ our Lord,' " The choir answers," ' To thee, O Lord.' " St, Athanasius also, in his sermon on the an- " nunciation, addresses the Virgin in this man- " ner, O Mary listen to our prayers, and forget not thy people, on thee we call, remember us. < O most holy Virgin. O Lady, Queen and * Mother of God, intercede for us.' " But in short, why should not Christians be " permitted to do what angels and saints have " done in the New Testament, (Luke i. 28, 42.) " or to use the style of address, which was com- " mon to Daniel, David, and the other saints of " the old law." O ye angels of the Lord bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all for * ever. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens, * praise ye him in the high places, praise ye him * all his angels, praise ye him all his hosts.' Dan. iii. 58.* Psalm cxlviii. 1 , 2. However unscriptural some of the expressions are in the Mass attributed to St. Chrysostom, and however much they savour of superstition, yet as there is no direct address to the Virgin in the pas- sage quoted, I shall offer no observations upon it. But the address of Athanasius to the Virgin is no less objectionable than that of the Greek Litany. It is directly and grossly idolatrous, giving unto her that worship and glory which belong to God only. * In our Bibles, there is no such text as Dan. iii. 58. but in the Septuagint and Vulgate, the song of the three children is inserted in the text. By Protestants it is considered as Apocryphal. This is added only by way of explanation to the Protestant reader, for the text, even if genuine, can give no support to the argument of the Papist. 32 It will be seen from the concluding paragraph of Mr. Gandolphy's note in the Prayer book, that he attempts to justify the idolatry of the Romish Church, by a reference to the salutation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary in Luke i. 28. I therefore shall strictly analyze the language of this salutation by comparing it with other passages of Scripture, containing similar forms of ex- pression. I remark, however, in the first place, that if the reference of Mr. Gandolphy to the salutation of Gabriel have any weight or mean- ing, as an argument in support of the practice which it is intended to justify, it must be founded on the supposition that the angel ac- tually worshipped Mary, and that the language of his address to her implies inferiority upon his part, for if it involves no such thing, then Mr. Gandolphy is in error, when he maintains that they who pray to the Virgin for mercy, and put their trust in her, do what Gabriel did in this salutation; and in that case it follows, that the example of the angel is good for nothing, as to the purpose for which he quotes it. The first word of the salutation is **w> " hail." Now this word is used by our Lord hmiself to hi? 33 disciples, after his resurrection,* with the diffe- rence only of its being in the plural number. It cannot therefore be pretended that the use of this word by the angel Gabriel, implies worship given by him to the Virgin, else the monstrous conse- quence would follow, that our Saviour intended to worship his own disciples in using the same word. From the use of the word by our Lord in greeting his disciples, it is further manifest, that it was employed as a term of salutation, even by a superior to his inferiors. The second word in the address of Gabriel is xixfttiriftini, " highly favoured," which is the par- ticiple passive of the same verb as is used in Ephes. i. 7- " wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.*' This word merely implies, there- fore, that Mary was highly favoured of the Lord, but it is impossible to conclude from it any thing in support of the Romish practice of worshipping her; nor does the use of it by the angel imply worship upon his part. In reality, the appellation given to Daniel in Chap. x. 11. 19. " O man, " greatly beloved," or, " man of desire," *vj ? mtv ft*,"t seems to be quite as strong as that here bestowed on the Virgin. * Matth. xxvi/i . 9. f See the version of the Seventy. E The next words of the angel's salutation are, " the Lord is with thee," which are the same as the angel used to Gideon * on appearing to him ; from these words therefore, nothing can be de- duced in favour of the notion that the angel Gabriel intended to worship the Virgin and, as I have said above, if he did not mean this, his example cannot sanction her worship by the Ro- mish Church. The last expression in Gabriel's salutation, is, " blessed art thou among women," tfoowpw a-v l ywxifr'v In these words also, there is nothing which can support the argument of the Papists The same forms of expression is used in Judges, v. Q4>. with respect to Jael who killed Sisera, only that the verb is in the future tense. " Blessed above " women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite " be, blessed shall she be above women in the " tent," or, " blessed may Jael the wife of Heber " be," according to the Seventy who have the verb in the optative mood. The same form of expression as Gabriel employs, is also to be met with in the benediction pronounced by Melchise- * Judges vi. 12. See the Seventy M^OS fitrx i?u+-. With regard to this circumstance, visit Meichise- dek's blessing Abraham; St. Paul says in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that, " the less is blessed " of the better,"t i. e. this act of Melchisedek im- plied superiority on his part over Abraham. There is not then the shadow of a reason for maintaining that, this part of the salutation of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, contains any acknow- ledgment of her being superior in dignity to the angel, and entitled to worship from him. I have thus examined the whole language of the angel Gabriel's salutation, and have proved that no part of it supports the Romish practice of addressing prayers and supplications to the Virgin Mary, The first expression of it I have shown to have been used by our Lord to his disciples, the second to have been applied by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians, to Christians in general, the third has been proved to be the same as was used by the angel to Gideon, and the fourth and last was applied in the song of Deborah to Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. We conclude * Gen. xiv, 91. f Heb, vii. 7. 36 therefore, that none of these forms of expression denote any kind of worship to the person addres- sed, or even that degree of reverence which im- plies an acknowledgment of inferiority in the person who uses them. The next passage of Scripture quoted by Mr. Gandolphy to justify the idolatry of the Romish Church, is Luke, i. 42. It is not necessary for me to enter minutely into the consideration of this text, as my remarks upon the former one may be applied to it. The language of Elizabeth cer- tainly is expressive of high respect for the Virgin Mother of Christ, and this respect has never been denied to the blessed Virgin by any Christians. But there is a wide difference between respect and worship. The one justly belongs to all true saints, and especially to these who are eminently distinguished by their piety: the other appertains to God only. " Thou shalt worship the Lord " thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." The memories of Moses and Aaron were not less re- vered by the Old Testament saints, than that of Mary is by Christians, yet Mr. Gandolphy will search in vain for any traces of a Jewish Litany, in honour of Moses or of Jewish prayers addressed to him. The pious Jews would have abhorred 37 the very thought of such things, and would have died rather than practise them, in like manner as thousands and ten thousands of Christians have perished in the fires of persecution kindled by the Romish Church. Mr. Gandolphy lastly quotes the examples of Daniel and David in support of the Romish prac- tice of praying to the saints, he infers that be- cause these holy men called upon all the angels and hosts of the Lord to praise and exalt him, therefore the Papists are justified in addressing prayers and supplications to angels and dead saints. Now in the Psalm quoted by Mr. Gan- dolphy on this occasion, David not only calls on the angels and hosts of the Lord to praise him, but likewise on the whole of the material creation. " Praise ye him, all his angels : praise ye him all his " hosts. Praise him ye sun and moon : praise him " all ye stars of light." Again, " Praise the Lord " from the earth ye dragons, and all deeps. " Fire and hail, snow and vapours, stormy wind " fulfilling his word. Mountains and hills, fruitful " trees, and all cedars. Beasts, and all cattle, creep- " ing things, and flying fowl,"* &c. It is, there * Psa, cxlviii. 210. 38 fore, manifest that if David's calling on the angels to praise the Lord can warrant the Romish practice of addressing prayers and supplications to angels and dead saints, it must by parity of reason justify the heathenish practice of worshipping the sun, moon, and stars, and even serpents and four-footed beasts, for David calls upon them in like manner as the angels to praise the Lord. Having thus endeavoured to answer what Mr. Gandolphy has said in vindication of the worship of saints, I shall in my next chapter consider the arguments which are advanced on the same subject by another advocate of the Romish Church. CHAPTER III. THE ARGUMENTS OF THE REV. MR. CALDERBANK, IN DE- FENCE OF SAINT WORSHIP, CONSIDERED AND ANSWERED. ANOTHER Roman Catholic Priest, the Rev. Mr. Calderbank, in a pamphlet published about four years ago, in defence of the Romish Church,* enters at considerable length into the argument respecting the lawfulness of saint worship ; and I now proceed to examine, with as much brevity as possible, what he has said on the subject. ' Even on the supposition," (says Mr. Calder- bank,) " that Catholics are mistaken in their " ideas on the subject of the invocation of angels " and of saints: even on the supposition that " the honour which we pay to their memories is *' not perfectly consistent with the dependent si- " tuation in which they are placed : yet on no prin- " ciple of reason, could the charge of idolatry be " established on that ground against the Catholic * Observations in a Series of Letters, in answer to certain Questions relating to various subjects of Religion, &c. by the Rev. J. Calderbank. Sold by Keating & Co 1SH. 40 " Church. Were these suppositions even proved " to be true, then error indeed, and error too of a " most serious description, might with fairness be "imputed to her doctrines: -But certainly not " the crime of idolatry: unless it can also be " proved that the honours in question are such " as belong exclusively to God : or that they are " intended to be Divine honours by the Catholic " himself."* I answer, that the error which is supposed in this passage, if it exist at all, must be an error not of doctrine only, as is asserted, but of practice; and an error of practice is a violation of some one or other of the commandments of the Lord, for if the practice violate none of the commandments, then it is right and good, and there can be no error in it. Now here let Mr. Calderbank take his stand, and say which of the commandments is, or would be violated by an undue reverence and honour to creatures in the way of adoration or invocation and if he feels any hesitation in answering the question, I will assist him to a pas- sage of Scripture, which will help him to resolve it. * Letters by the Rev. J. Calderbank. P. 1223. 41 When St. John, the beloved apostle, saw in Patmos the visions relating to the prosperity of the Church in the last times, he informs us that he was about to worship the angel who showed him those glorious scenes. " And I John saw " these things and heard them, and when I had " heard and seen, 1 fell down to worship before *' the feet of the angel which showed me these " things. Then said he unto me, see thou do it " not : for I am thy fellow- servant and of thy " brethren the prophets, and of them which keep " the sayings of this book : worship God."* Surely the Catholic will not presume to ac- cuse the apostle John of having intended to give to the angel the same degree of honour as he was accustomed to attribute to God. It is im- possible to believe that so holy and exalted a character as John would have been capable of such impiety. We are, therefore, obliged to suppose that St. John was about to pay to the angel that kind of reverence and homage which it was customary among eastern nations to show to kings and great men, and which was not un- lawful with respect to them, because it had no * Rev. xxii. 8, 9. F relation to things spiritual, and was not of the nature of invocation. But the angel, jealous of the honour and glory of God, who permits spi- ritual honour to be given to no creature, immedi- ately checked the apostle, saying, " See thou do " it not, for I am thy fellow- servant" "worship " God." As if he had said, all homage and hon- our given to creatures in things spiritual, is a breach of the Divine law, which permits only the worship of God. I shall illustrate the distinction between honour in things temporal and spiritual, by observing that it is customary for the subject to fall down on .one knee, in doing homage to the king of England; and there is nothing sinful in this, because it is understood that the honour thus given, is temporal only. But were a subject to fall on his knee to the king as a part of his religious service in the house of God, it would be idolatry. In confirmation of these remarks, it is proper to mention that the very same words are used both in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, to signify temporal and spiritual homage. " And Abraham " stood up and bowed MmselfyHobrew inmy Greek t, to the people of the land,"* " And * Gen. xxiii. 6. 43 " the brethren of Joseph came and bowed them- " selves before him,"* (the same Hebrew and Greek words as in the preceding text.) The above are examples of temporal worship, or homage. I shall now adduce one or two of spiritual adora- tion. " And it came to pass, that when the " servant of Abraham heard their words, he " bowed himself to the earth unto the Lord."f Heb. inmy* and Greek npt;v>]i mnnwn xb is " thou shalt not bow thyself to them" The im- portance of this remark will appear afterwards. After what has been said on the subject, of the commandments, and the practices of the Church of Rome, in relation to them, it is proper for me, without further delay, to enter upon the proof of the position, stated at the beginning of this chap- ter. All that is necessary for this purpose is to quote certain passages from the Romish Cate- chisms, which contain in themselves sufficient evidence of the violation of the Divine law, not- withstanding all the refinement of sophistry, by which it is attempted to evade the conclusion. The following is quoted from Dr. Butler's Cate- chism for the Catholics of Ireland. Q. Why do Catholics kneel before the images of the saints? A. To honour Christ and his saints, whom their images represent. Exod. xxv. Q. Is it proper to show any mark of respect to 68 the crucifix, and the pictures of Jesus Christ, and his saints? A. Yes: because they relate to Christ and his saints, being representations and memorials of them. Acts xix. 12. Math. ix. Q. Why do Catholics honour the relics of the saints ? A. Because their bodies had been the temples of the Holy Ghost, and at the last day will be honoured and glorified for ever in heaven. Q. May we then pray to the crucifix, or to the images or relics of the saints ? A. By no means : for they have neither life, nor sense, nor power, to hear and help us. Q. Why then do we pray before the crucifix, and before the images and relics of the saints? A. Because they enliven our devotions, by ex- citing pious affections and desires and by re- minding us of Christ and his saints; they also encourage us to imitate their virtues and good works. Exod. xxv. 18. John iii. 14. Q. Is it not forbidden by the first command- ment to make images ? A. No: if we do not make them for gods, to adore and serve them as the idolaters did. Such are the reasons given by Papists, for mak- 60 ing unto themselves, and bowing down to, the likeness of men, in opposition to the plain let- ter of the Divine law. It is taught in the passage here quoted from the Catechism, " that " it is proper to shew marks of respect to the " crucifix and images," and " to honour them." (see, the abstract of the Douay Catechism.) If it be asked how these marks of respect are given, and how this honour is expressed? the answer must be in the words of the Cate- chism, that it is by kissing the images, (Douay Catechism,) and by kneeling before them. It is pretended however that though the Catho- lie kneels before images, he does not worship them ; but this it is a mere evasion, for the com- mandment says " thou shalt not bow thyself to " them," and this absolutely forbids every kind and degree of religious veneration to images. Therefore in kneeling before the image, and kis- sing it, the commandment is plainly broken. Besides in the 72d Psalm, the worship which shall be paid to the Messiah himself, is expressed by the words. " They that dwell in the wilderness " shall bow before him," Heb. wiy vssb and in Psalm xcv. 6, it is said, " let us kneel before the " Lord our Maker," wwar mn ^ab n^^a In both these passages, boding before, and kneeling 70 before, God and Christ are expressive of the worship paid to them. In like manner the wor- ship to be paid to the Son of God, by the kings of the earth, is expressed in Psalm, ii. 12. by the words is ipws. " Kiss the Son," and the seven thousand in Israel, who had not been partakers of the sin of idolatry, are designated as all the knees who had not bowed to Baal, and the mouths which had not kissed him.*- But this very worship so far as the external acts are concerned, the Papists pay to the images of saints. Therefore they do there- by grossly and palpably violate the command- ment which forbids the worship of images. But it may be asked further, if the Church of Rome feels herself to be innocent in this matter; why has she so sedulously excluded from the Irish Catechism, and so many other manuals prepared for the instruction of her people, the words of the commandment respecting the worship of images, be it a part of the first, or be it the second com- mandment ? Truly by this daring act, she has ta- ken guilt to herself, and this will convict her rul- ers of guilt, when they shall be called to answer for it at the Judgment-seat of Christ. In thus suppressing a part of the Divine commandments, * 1 Kings xix. 18. 71 her teachers have imitated the example of the Lawyers, who took away the key of knowledge, who entered not in themselves, and them which were entering in they hindered.* I shall now produce the prayer, used in the consecration of images, as it is found in the Rit- ule Romanum, authorised by Pope Urban, the eighth. It is as follows : " Grant, O God, that whosoever before this im- " age, shall diligently and humbly upon his knees, " worship and honour thy only begotten Son, or " the blessed Virgin (according as the image is, " that is consecrating) or this glorious Apostle, " or Martyr, or Confessor, or Virgin, that he may " obtain, by his or her merits, and intercession, * grace in this present life, and eternal glory " hereafter."* Now if this be not gross idolatry, let the Church of Rome, show wherein the wor- ship of Jupiter and Apollo was idolatry. But that church is chargeable with the tolera- tion of images, even of the first Person of the Godhead, the Eternal Father, I myself saw a pic- ture of this kind in one of the churches of * Luke xi. 52. f Quoted by Dr. H. More, Works, p. 7P1-. 72 Antwerp about twenty-five years ago, and the existence of such abominations is acknowledged in an abridgment of Sacred history by L* Abbe Fleury, which is in my possession. " Les images " (says he) qui representent les personnes divines, " sont tirees de 1* ecriture sainte.* Dieu s'ac- 9. j- In confirmation of this, it may be remarked, that the se- cond beast in the Apocalypse, who is elsewhere called the false prophet, has horns like a lamb, i. e. he pretends to be a disciple of the Lamb, but he speaks like a dragon, llev. xiii. 11. 91 Paul does not necessarily imply that the man of sin was to be one individual person; that the opinion of the fathers respecting the coming of Antichrist, at or near the end of the world, is en- titled to no respect, because it rested upon grounds which history has proved to be erroneous, and that it is not certain that Antichrist was to be the avowed enemy of Christ, I have, I trust, effectu- ally overturned the principles upon which Mr. Calderbank rests his vindication of the Papal Power, and I shall now endeavour to prove that the prophecy of St. Paul respecting the man of sin actually describes the Papacy. CHAPTER VI. EVIDENCE FROM HISTORY THAT THE PAPAL POWER EX- HIBITS ALL THE CHARACTERISTICAL MARKS OF THE MAN OF SIN AND SON OF PERDITION. I PROPOSE in this Chapter to bring forward evi- dence in support of the position already laid down,* that the characteristical marks of the man of sin are all to be discerned in the Papacy, and consequently that the Papal power is designated in the prophecy of St. Paul under that name. The first proof of this point is to be found in the fact, that from the early ages of the Church, the Popes have been the great patrons and sup- porters of saint worship and the adoration of im- ages. It is undeniable, that such is the case in the present age, inasmuch as the invocation of saints, and kneeling before, and kissing their images, form part of the authorised Liturgies and Manuals of that Church, of which the Pope is the acknowledged head. But these practices have been proved to be idolatry: therefore the Pope * See page 12. 93 who supports them is the great patron of idolatry, and is justly called on that account the man of sin. Like Judas who was a false apostle, and betrayed his Master, the Pope assumes the char- acter of the apostle and vicar of Jesus Christ, but betrays his cause, and he therefore answers to the description of the son of perdition.* * That I do not use too strong language, in charging the Popes with having been the great patrons of idolatry, will ap- pear evident from the following remarks, which I quote from the French Translator of Fra Paolo's History of the Council of Trent, who was himself a Catholic, and a member of the Gallican Church. " Images were not introduced into Churches till about the 41 fourth century, and were received at first only for ornament " and instruction. Thus far there was nothing blameable in " them. They were soon abused. The ignorant and supersti- " tious people made them an object of worship. Some Bishops " who were zealous to prevent superstition, thought it their c duty to pull them down. St. Gregory the great condemned " both parties as running into extremes, wishing that they " should preserve the images without paying any worship to " them. Such was the practice of the Churches in France, " England, and Germany, for several centuries. The Greeks ' did not confine themselves within such just limits. They " authorised the worship of images to the excess of superstition, " and Rome likewise lent itself to this practice. The Council " of Frankfort opposed the decisions of the second Council of " Nice and the authority of the Popes, and for some time main- 94 It may be observed in the second place, that the man of sin was evidently to be an Ecclesias- tical Personage. Such is the conclusion which Jerome arrived at from his being described as sitting in the temple of God; he says that "Anti- " christ shall sit in the temple of God either at " Jerusalem, as some imagine, or in the Church, " as we more truly judge, showing himself that he " is Christ the Son of God."* This characteris- tic of the man of sin undeniably belongs to the Papacy. It was further predicted of the man of sin that he should oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. In the Scriptures, civil rulers or magistrates are frequently denominated Gods in a relative sense. Thus in Deuter. x. 17. " tained the ancient simplicity. But at length the ascendant of " Rome over the Western Churches drew them into her opinion, " and this worship prevailed every where until the Reformation, ' when the Lutherans revived the doctrine of the Council of " Frankfort, and the Calviuists ran into the extreme of the " Iconoclasts. Histoire du Concile de Trente, Tome ii. p. 646, Note. * Quoted by Bishop Newton. 95 Jehovah is called the God of gods, which signifies that Ke is the God of the princes of the earth: in Exod. xxii. 28. Ye shall not revile the gods, and shall not curse the ruler of thy people. And in Psalm Ixxxii. 1. God judgeth among the gods, and ver. 6. / have said ye are gods, which last text is expressly referred to by our Lord, in John x. 34. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods ? If lie called them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou bias- plwmest, because I said I am the Son of God? The next words of the prophecy, S^ "or that is worshipped" may also refer to the civil wor- ship which was paid to kings, and especially to the Roman emperors under the title *r s " august" or " venerable." If then, it can be shown that the Papacy has in- solently lifted itself above the highest kings and princes, and trampled under foot every earthly dignity, it will be sufficiently evident, that the whole clause which declares that Antichrist shall exalt himself " abore all that is called God, or thai is worshipped," is applicable in a strict and legiti- 96 mate sense to the Papal power. Now that all these particulars were fulfilled in that power, I shall prove, by selecting various facts from history. In the details into which I shall enter on this sub- ject, it will also be manifest, that the Papacy has not contented itself with trampling upon all human magistracies, but has blasphemously arrogated to itself, titles and an authority which belong to God only, so that the Pope has been as God, sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. In the eighth century, Leo the Isaurian, emperor of the East, issued an imperial edict, proscribing the adoration and use of images, and commanding the images to be pulled down in the city of Con- stantinople. He afterwards extended the order to the Churches of Rome and Italy. The zeal of Gregory the II. who then filled the Papal chair, was moved by these circumstances, and he address- ed two epistles to the emperor, in the first of which he uses the following language. " When thou didst run well, who hath sounded " into thine ears and perverted thy heart like a crooked bow ; so that thou hast looked to those " things that are behind. For ten years, through " the goodness of God, thou didst walk well, and 97 " madest no mention of the sacred images : but " now thou sayest that they are idols, and that " they who honour them are idolaters ; and hast " applied thyself to overthrow, and utterly destroy " them. Neither hast thou feared the judgment " of God, when offences should assail the hearts " not of the faithful only, but also of infidels. " Christ truly warns thee, that thou shouldst not " offend one little child ; and that men will for a " very small scandal, be cast into eternal fire; but " thou hast offended the whole world, as if thou " wilt not undergo death, and render an unhappy " account." In another part of the epistle, the Pope gives an account of the origin of the images worshipped by the professing Christians of that day. After men- tioning the incarnation of our Lord, his entrance in- to Jerusalem, and the works he did there, he goes on thus: " Men from every part of the world, flying " like eagles, began to resort to Jerusalem as the " Lord said in the gospels, tvlieresoever the carcase " shall be, there will the eagks be assembled. Now " Christ is the carcase, and pious Christ-loving men 98 " are the eagles flying on high ;* who when they " had seen the Lord, painted him as they saw him, " for the purpose of looking at him ; when they had " seen James the brother of the Lord, they paint- " ed him as they saw him, &c." Having given this account of the origin of the images, the Pope abruptly asks, " Whether does it seem good to " thee, O emperor, to honour these images or the " errors of the Devil ? When Christ dwelt at Je- " rusalem, Agarus then king of Edessa, having " heard of his miracles, wrote to Him : and the " Lord sent an answer with his own hand, to- " gether with an impression of his sacred and glo- " rious face. Wherefore, send to that image not ' made with hands, and behold, thither there re- " sort multitudes of people from the east to adore," &c. " We beseech thee, as thy brethren, in " Christ, to return again into the truth, from " which thou hast departed; cast away thy lofty imaginations, put off thy obstinacy, write to all * This interpretation of Scripture, is no evidence of the Pa- pal infallability ! Lest the reader should feel sceptical, as to the fact of such an interpretation having been offered by the Head of the Church, I shall quote the original words, " Chris- *' tus autem cadaver, aquilce in sublime volantes religiosi sunt ho~ " mines et Christi amantes 1 '! ! ! 99 " in every quarter ; raise up those to whom thou " hast been a stumbling block, and whom thou hast " blinded, although by reason of thy excessive stu- " pidity, thou accountest it as nothing." " Go " into the Schools where the first elements are " taught, and say, * I am a destroyer and persecu- " * tor of images,' and immediately the children " will throw their books at thy head, so that what " thou couldst not be taught by wise men, thou " mayst learn from babes." " Dost thou not con- " sider that this thy effort, whereby thou hast risen " up against images, is a turbulent, an insolent, " and a proud act of wickedness? When the " churches of God enjoyed a profound peace, thou " hast raised up fightings, and hatreds, and often- The Pope afterwards mentions in terms of com- mendation the conduct of the women who had slain an imperial officer when in the act of break- ing an image of Christ, and he thus justifies the double crime of sedition and murder committed in defence of idolatry. The epistle concludes as follows. " May God himself infuse his fear into " thy heart, and convert thee from those things " which thou hast perversely brought into the " world ; and let me receive letters from thee as 100 " soon as possible, announcing thy conversion ; " and may that God who came down from heaven " and entered into the womb of the holy virgin, " mother of God, for our salvation dwell in thy '* heart, and drive out those who now dwell in thee, ' and bring in offences, and may He give peace to " all the Christian Churches, world without end, " Amen."* On the reception of the imperial edict for the destruction of images in Rome and Italy, we are informed by history that the Pope armed against the Emperor his Sovereign, as against an enemy. At the call of the Pontiff Ravenna, Venice and other cities also flew to arms in defence of the images of the saints, and the Exarch of Ravenna was slain in attempting to resist the insurrection. From this period, Rome and Italy were lost to the eastern empire, and though the Exarch was permitted to reside within the walls of Ravenna, it was as a captive rather than a master. Not satisfied with these measures of temporal ven- geance, Pope Gregory convened a synod of ninety- * For the original epistle from which I have translated these extracts, See Sacro-Sancta concilia, ad Regiam Edit, Exacta. Lutitiae Parisiorum, 1671, Tom. VII. p. 322. 101 three bishops, against what was termed the heresy of the Iconoclasts, or image breakers. With their consent a general excommunication was pro- nounced against all, who by word or deed should attack the images of the saints,* or in other words, against all who should presume to obey the commandment of the Lord, which says, thou shalt not make unto thyself, any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. In this transaction, we therefore behold a power seated in the temple of God, opposing and exalt- ing itself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, i. e. above the highest kingly and imperial authorities upon earth. We see this power like ancient Babylon, mad on its idols,^ in- flamed to a pitch of fury in defence of image wor- ship, treating the emperor whom it professed to acknowledge as its rightful sovereign, with proud, supercilious, and disdainful insolence, when he presumed to interdict that which God had forbid- * Gibbon's Decline and Fall, Chapter xlix, f Jerera. 1. 38. 102 den: and finally, we see this power rising in re- bellion against the emperor, rather than obey the edict for the abolition of images. Thus did this antichristian power, in effect, arrogate to itself the authority of God himself, by setting up its own will, in opposition to, and in subversion of the commandment of the Lord, forbidding the worship of images. The next example which I shall adduce from history of the exercise of antichristian power by the Popes, is as follows : " Pepin who was mayor " of the palace to Childeric III, king of France, ' and was possessed in reality of the royal power " and authority, not contented with this, aspired " to the titles and honours of majesty, and formed " the design of dethroning his sovereign. For '* this purpose the states of the realm were assem- bled by Pepin, A. D. 7-51, and though they " were devoted to the interests of this ambitious " usurper, they gave it as their opinion, that the " bishop of Rome was previously to be consulted, " whether the execution of such a project was " lawful or not, In consequence of this, ambas- " sadors were sent by Pepin to Zachary the reign- " ing pontiff, with the following question : Wheth- into " ditches or buried in common fields, and their obsequies were " not attended with prayer or any hallowed ceremony. Mar- " riage was celebrated in the church yards; and that every " action in life might bear the marks of this dreadful situation, " the people were prohibited the use of meat, as in lent, or ' times of the highest penance, were debarred from all plea- " sures and entertainments, and were forbid even to salute " each other, or so much as to shave their beards, and give " any decent attention to their person and apparel.*' 118 submission of the king, at length passed a sentence of dethronement against him, and gave a grant of the kingdom of England, besides the remission of all his sins, to Philip Augustus king of France, if he would undertake to execute the Papal decree. Philip accepted the offer, and levied an army for the invasion of England, A. D. 1213, but John intimidated by the impending danger, and likewise by the defection of his barons, who were all disgusted with his tyranny, submitted implicitly to the Pope, resigned his kingdom to the Papal see, and agreed to hold it as feudatory of the Church of Rome, by the annual payment of a thousand marks. In consequence of this agree- ment, the king did homage to the Popes legate, with every humiliating circumstance; he came disarmed into the legate's presence, flung himself on his knees before him, swore fealty to the Pppe, and paid part of the tribute which he owed for his kingdom as the patrimony of Peter. The legate elated beyond measure at this triumph of the Pa- pal power, had the insolence to trample upon the money which was laid at his feet as an earnest of the subjection of the kingdoms of England and Ireland.* * Hume'a History of England, chap. xi. ' 119 The other proceedings of Pope Innocent dur- ing the reign of John king of England, were of a similar nature. -The barons having taken up arms against the king, in order to resist the vexatious tyranny of his government, forced him to sign the famous deed of Magna Charta, which has always been since considered as the foundation of Eng- lish liberty. The Pope thereupon issued a bull in which from the plenitude of his apostolic power, and from the authority which God had committed to him to build and destroy kingdoms, to plant and overthrow, he annulled and vacated the whole charter. He prohibited the barons to exact the observance of it ; and the king himself to pay any regard to it: He absolved him and his subjects from all oaths, which they had been constrained to take to that purpose, and denounc- ed a general sentence of excommunication against the barons.* Encouraged by this bull, and the arrival of some foreign troops, John again took up arms to quell the rising spirit of liberty, and laid waste the kingdom with fire and sword. Thus did the criminal and lawless ambition of this wicked Pontiffj Innocent the third, contribute to plunge one of the finest kingdoms of Europe in blood, * Ibidem. 150 Boniface the eighth, filled *he Papal chair at the close of the thirteenth century, and com- mencement of the fourteenth. He carried his pretensions respecting the Pontifical power to as great an extent as any of his predecessors A dispute having arisen about the succession of the crown of Hungary the Pope took the side of one of the competitors, who was ultimately suc- cessful On this occasion he wrote to his Legate in Hungary, in the following terms : " The "Roman Pontiff established by God, above kings " and over kingdoms, sovereign chief of the hier- " archy in the church militant, and holding the sti- " preme rank above all mortals, judges in iron- " quillity from his throne , and scatters all evils by " his look."* This Pontiff also claimed the king- dom of Poland as belonging to the Holy See. When Edward the first of England invaded and * I have taken these words from 1'Abbe Condillac COUTB D* Etude, &c. Tome 9rae P. 13. He adds the following re- mark, " A ces mots ne diroit on pas que Boniface a le delire et ne voit on pas combien il compte sur 1* ignorance et sur la stupidite des peuples ? The Abbe might with stricter propriety have charged Boniface with blasphemy, and applied to him the prophecy of the man of sin, " who shall sit in the temple of * God, shewing himself that he is God" 121 conquered Scotland, Boniface commanded him to retire from that kingdom, claiming it as ' hav- " ing anciently belonged and still belonging in full " right to the Roman church." He excommuni- cated the king of Denmark, placed his kingdom under an interdict, and condemned him to pay nine thousand marks, to the Archbishop of London : A legate was sent into Denmark, to execute this sen- tence ; and he threatened to depose the king, and give his kingdom to another if he did not obey the Holy See.* Albert of Austria having" been elected king of the Romans, applied to Boniface to confirm his title, which the Pope refused. Albert having afterwards quarrelled with the ecclesiastical elec- tors of the empire on the subject of some of the public revenues which they had applied to their own use, the electors had recourse to Boniface for protection. The Pontiff wrote to them in the following terms : " To us belongs the right to ex- " amine the person who is elected king of the " Romans, to consecrate and crown him, or to " reject him if unworthy. We, therefore, order " you to signify, by proclamation, in such places * Condillac, ubi supra. Q "as you judge expedient, that Albert thepre* " tended king of the Romans do appear before us in six months, by his envoys, sufficiently " authorised, and provided with titles to prove " his rights, to purge himself j if he can, of the " crime of treason against king Adolphus, and " of the sentence of excommunication which he " has incurred, by persecuting the Holy See and * c other churches, to do on all these points what " we shall prescribe to him otherwise we shall " strictly prohibit the electors from acknow- ledging him as king of the Romans, we shall * release them from their oath of allegiance, and " we will proceed against him, and his adherents, " with spiritual and temporal arms, as we shall * judge proper."* Boniface about this time also quarrelled with Philip king of France ; and thinking that it might be useful and advantageous to himself to be re- conciled to Albert, he at length issued a bull re- cognising him as emperor ; but before doing this he exacted from Albert the most humiliating con- ditions. That prince acknowledged that the * Tome 9me p. 15. Modern Universal Hist. vol. xxix. p. 255. Coudillac. 123 Roman Empire had been transferred by the Holy See from the Greeks to the Germans in the person of Chalemagne j that the right of elect- ing the king of the Romans had been granted by the Holy See, to certain ecclesiastical and secular princes, and that kings and emperors re- ceive from the Holy See the power of the temporal sword.* He also promised to defend the rights of the Holy See against all its enemies, whether kings or other sovereigns, to make no alliance with them, and to declare war against them if the Pope wished it.t Boniface was equally violent and haughty in his conduct towards Philip the Fair, king of Prance, but he met with a much more determinsd resistance from that monarch, and was therefore less successful in his enterprizes against him. At length the daring Pontiff was seized at An- agni, by the contrivance of the king of France, and confined for three days, during which he was treated with great indignky He was restored to liberty by the efforts of the inhabitants of Anagni, who took up arms in his defence, and was con- * Copdillac Cours cTEtude, Tome 9me p. 24-. f Modern Univers. Hist. Vol. xxix. p. 257. ducted by them to Rome, where he died a few days afterwards of chagrin, for the insults he had met with. Having produced from history so many ex- amples of the wicked and daring conduct of the Popes, and of their exalting themselves above the highest earthly authorities, and claiming the attri- butes of God himself; it is unnecessary for me to pursue this branch of my subject any further, as I should thereby exceed the limits which I desire to prescribe to myself j I shall, however, before I close the present chapter, quote two other instances of the exertion of a lawless and antichristian au- thority by the Roman Pontiff the one a Bull of Pious the fifth, against Elizabeth, Queen of Eng- land ; in the year 1570 and the other that against Henry, King of Navarre, and the Prince of Conde, in the year 1585, issued by Pope Sextus the fifth. The Bull against Elizabeth, begins in these words : " He that reigneth on high, to whom is " given all power in heaven and in earth, hath " committed the one Holy Catholic and Apos- " tolic Church, out of which there is no salvation, " to one alone on earth, namely to Peter, Prince " of the Apostles, and to the Roman Pontiff, " successor of Peter, to be governed with a pleni- " tude of power: This one he hath constituted "Prince over all nations, and all kingdoms, that " he might pluck up, destroy, dissipate, ruinate, tf plant, and build." The Pope afterwards de- clares in the same bull, that "he thereby de- " prives the Queen of her pretended right to the "kingdom, and of all dominion, dignity, and pri- <; vilege whatsoever; and absolves all the nobles, " subjects and people of the kingdom, and who- " ever else have sworn to her, from their oath " and all duty whatsoever, in regard of dominion, " fidelity, and obedience."* The Bull against Henry of Navarre, and the Prince of Conde begins as follows: " The au- " thority given to St. Peter and his successors, by "the immense power of the eternal King, excels " all the powers of earthly kings and princes. It " passes uncontroulable sentence on them all. " And if it find any of them resisting God's or- " dinance, it takes more severe vengeance on " them, casting them down from their thrones, * Barrow's Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy, p. 5. 126 ' though never so puissant, and tumbling them " down to the lowest parts of the earth, as the " ministers of aspiring Lucifer." After having attentively, considered the fore- going recital of the conduct of the Popes, the unprejudiced reader, will surely feel that the words of St. Paul are strictly applicable to a Power which was guilty of such enormities, and that the Popes sitting in the temple or Church of God, did actually exalt themselves above every thing that is called God, or that is worshipped, showing themselves to be God, i. e. claiming his authority and attributes. Indeed the whole pro- phetic description, when compared with the his- tory of the Papacy, exhibits a no less graphic re- presentation of that power, than the prophecy in the 53d of Isaiah, does of the sufferings of our Lord. I have in the above detail, carefully avoided founding upon any thing of doubtful authority, and even upon such facts as rest upon authorities, which I have not the means of consulting. Thus in Vitringa's work on the Apocplypse, he states that Christopher Marcellus in an oration, addres- sed to Pope Julian II. at the Council of the La- 1*7 teran, used the following words : " Thou art the " Shepherd, thou the Physician, thou the Pilot or " Governor, thou the Husbandman,* thou, in " short, art another God upon earth." Thomas de Vio, at a preceding session of the same council, is said by Vitringa, to have used these words to the same Pope, " That he was to be adored by all na- tions." Begninius in an oration to Pope Leo the tenth, the successor of Julian, is asserted to have expressed himself as follows : " Weep not, O * daughter of Sion, for behold a Lion cometh " of the tribe of Judah, David the king, &c." and on another occasion. " Thou art another Lion " of men, not only another King of men, but " King of kings, and Monarch of the terrestrial " globe."t It may be observed, however, that the title of * Alluding probably to John xv. 1. f The late excellent Mr. Granville Sharp, in his inquiry concerning the Roman Babylon, quotes from Banks' account of the inauguration of Pope Innocent X. in 1644, the fol- lowing, as one of the Responses of the Priests on that occa- sion, " Domino nostro Innocentio decimo Universalis Matris " Ecclesioe Sponso a Deo unice electo Felicitas." 128 " Supreme Pontiff)'* which is notoriously assumed by the Pope, even in the present day, is in itself a blasphemous usurpation of that which is the in- communicable office and title of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He only is the High Priest of our pro- fession ; and any mere man who assumes the name of High Priest or Supreme Pontiff is guilty of usurping that which appertains exclusively to the God-man, Christ Jesus. Another title applied to the Pope is that of Sanctissimus Dominus, Most holy Lord, which belongs to God only, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Having concluded his description of the char- acter of the man of sin, the apostle next reminds the Thessalonians, that while he was with them, he had warned them of these things, and he speaks of a certain obstacle to the revelation of Antichrist, which must be taken out of the way before his appearance, and this as we have already seen from the concurring testimony of the fathers, was .the Roman Imperial power, on the destruc- tion of which Antichrist was expected to appear. Accordingly, no sooner was the Western Roman empire overthrown, than the Papal power was seen rapidly growing up to maturity amidst the secular thrones which had partitioned among them the territories of the Caesars. 129 From the 8th verse, we learn that the Lord shall consume the man of sin with the breath of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming. The former clause may denote the gradual wearing away and consumption of that Power, by the light of the gospel, which manifestly began to take place at the Reformation in the sixteenth century, and has continued, though with considerable vicissitudes and interruptions, to the present day. The latter clause points out to us, that the final destruction of Antichrist shall not be effected until the second advent of our Lord. If, therefore, after having beheld the Papal power reduced to the lowest state of degradation and impotency since the commencement of the French Revolution, we have recently seen its ap. parent revival and re-establishment in a part of its lost influence and possessions, this event ought not to excite our surprise, as it would be inconsistent with the express declarations of prophecy to ex- pect Antichrist to cease to exist before our Lord comes again to establish his kingdom on the ruins of all its enemies. Then only shall that Wicked One be destroyed by the brightness of our Saviour's appearance. St. Paul concludes his description of Antichrist R 130 by declaring that " his coming is after the energy of Satan with all power, and signs, and lying won- ders; and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but liad pleasure in unrighteousness. It has already been proved from history, that the Papal power has arrogated to itself authority to trample upon the highest human dignities, and to absolve men from their oaths of allegiance to lawful princes ; and that it has been the great pa- tron of idolatry, and has thus in effect raised itself above all laws both human and Divine. Now it can require no arguments to prove to those who believe the Scriptures, that such a power seated in the Church of Christ, and pretending to be his Vicegerent, must owe its origin to the energy of the great enemy of God and man. The matter is self-evident. Since Satan is the father of lies, and of all evil, he must in a peculiar manner be the contriver of this monstrous wickedness. The coming of Antichrist is to be with all power and lying wonders. It is, accordingly, a matter of 131 notoriety, that Papal Rome has always pretended to support its authority by miracles, " Bellarmine " reckons the glory of miracles as the eleventh " note of the Catholic Church."* If we go back to the earlier periods of the history of that church, we find that lying miracles are one of her most constant resources in order to support her false doctrines or her pretensions. Thus, at the second Council of Nice, which was acknowledged by Pope Adrian the First, and is now revered by Papists as the seventh general Council, the worship of images was supported by the most absurd and sottish stones of miracles.f Even in the present * Bishop Newton's Dissert, on the Prophecies* Diss. XXII. f Out of the acts of that Council, I have selected some ex- amples of the miracles which are there recorded as authentic. From the life of one St. Symeon, the following story is related. A certain woman of Rhosopilis had lived with her husband twenty years, and had no children, and was also possessed with a devil. At length her husband expelled her from his house. She thereupon went to St. Symeon, who cast out the devil, and directed the woman to return to her husband, whose heart the Lord had turned to receive her. She, accordingly, went back to him, and soon afterwards conceived and brought forth a son. The relation afterwards goes on to say, "that the " woman being led to it by faith, erected an image of St. Sy- " meon in her house, which being overshadowed by the Holy 132 age, the Romish Church has not ceased to claim ** Ghost, who dwelt in the Saint, performed miracles; so " that persons vexed with devils were cleansed, and the sick " were cured by it. One woman who had constantly suffered " for fifteen years with a flux of blood, came in faith to see '* the image, and immediately her flux was stopped. For she " said within herself, if I shall only see the likeness of the saint, " / shall be healed " Another story is told of an image of St. Symeon, which was assaulted by a multitude of infidels, or enemies of image wor- ship. One man ascended a ladder to throw down the image; but no sooner had he put out his hand than he was struck down, and fell from the top of the ladder to the ground; a second and a third person who renewed the attempt shared the same fate. The relation ends as follows. " Great fear then fell ' upon all the faithful that were present, who were struck with " the blindness and audacity of these profane infidels, and having adored the image with prayer, they departed." A story is related by Constantine the Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus, of a man who, as he was going to his work driving a pair cf oxen, entered a chapel of the Virgin to pray, and seeing a picture of the Virgin on the wall, he took his goad and knocked out the right eye of the picture. After leaving the chapel, he struck his oxen with the point of the goad, whereupon the goad broke, and a piece of it flew into his right eye and put it out. The Bishop adds,