82

THE FIRST AND SECOND BEAST.

St. Peter, the coronation was performed by his successor; the voice of God was confounded with that of the people; and the public consent was declared in the acclamations of 'Long life and victory to our lord the pope! Long life and victory to our lord the emperor! Long life and victory to the Roman and Teutonic armies!' The name of Cæsar and Augustus, the laws of Constantine and Justinian, the example of Charlemagne and Otho, established the supreme dominion of the emperors; their title and IMAGE was engraved on the papal coins; and their jurisdiction was marked by the sword of justice, which they delivered to the prefect of the city, &c. Once, and once only in his life, each emperor, with an army of Teutonic vassals, descended from the Alps.”*

The restoration of the western empire, or that of Rome, by the pope, scarcely requires any farther illustration; but the following extract from the pen of an able lawyer, shews so tersely and distinctly how the nations of Europe were connected, and forms so obvious an elucidation of the prophecy, as descriptive both of papal and imperial Rome, that such testimony may be associated with that of Gibbon.

"There was no general connexion existing between the states of Europe, till the Romans, in endeavouring to make themselves masters of the world, had the greatest part of the European states under their dominion. From that time there necessarily existed a sort of connexion between them, and this connexion was strengthened by the famous decree of Caracalla, by the adoption of the Roman laws, and by the influence of the Christian religion, which introduced itself insensibly into almost all of the subdued states. After the destruction of the empire of the west, the hierarchal system naturally led the several Christian states to consider themselves in ecclesiastical matters as unequal members of one great society. Besides the immoderate ascendant that the bishop of Rome had the address to obtain, as spiritual chief of the church, and his consequent success in elevating the emperor to the character of temporal chief, brought such an accession of authority to the latter, that most of the nations of Europe showed for some ages so great a deference to the emperor, that in many respects Europe seemed to form

* Gibbon, vol. xii. pp. 258, 259, c. 69.

but one society, consisting of unequal members subject to one sovereign."*

And he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire to come down from heaven upon earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell upon the earth by means of those miracles which he hath power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

It was a realm of darkness over which popery reigned; its power lay in the pretence of miracles, its art in deceiving the people; and not only did it restore the empire of Rome, and healed its deadly wound, but gave life also to the image of the beast, and re-established the idolatry of the pagan emperors. The connexion between miracles and the revival of image-worship, may be seen in the very titles of immediately succeeding paragraphs of Gibbon's history, thus following in close order,-" fabulous martyrs and relics—miracles-revival of polytheism―introduction of pagan ceremonies."+

"In the long period of twelve hundred years, which elapsed between the reign of Constantine and the reformation of Luther, the worship of saints and relics corrupted the pure and perfect simplicity of the Christian model. The progress of superstition would have been less rapid and victorious, if the faith of the people had not been assisted by the seasonable aid of visions and miracles, &c. The tombs of the martyrs were the perpetual theatre of innumerable miracles. The sublime and simple theology of the primitive Christians

* Brewster's Encyclop. vol. xii. p. 618. Art. Law, by the late James Bell, Esq. Advocate.

+ Gibbon's Hist. vol. v. pp. 127-136, four concluding paragraphs of chap. 27.

was gradually corrupted; and the MONARCHY of heaven, already clothed with metaphysical subtleties, was degraded by the introduction of a popular mythology, which tended to restore the REIGN OF POLYTHEISM. The same uniform original spirit of superstition might suggest, in the most distant ages and countries the same methods of DECEIVING the credulity, and of affecting the senses of mankind; but it must ingenuously be confessed, that the ministers of the Catholic church imitated the profane model, which they were impatient to destroy. The most respectable bishops had persuaded themselves, that the ignorant rustics would more cheerfully renounce the superstition of paganism, if they found some resemblance, some compensation in the bosom of Christianity. The religion of Constantine achieved, in less than a century, the final conquest of the Roman empire; but the victors themselves were insensibly subdued by the arts of their vanquished rivals."* "The pagan rites of genuflexion, luminaries, and incense, again stole into the Catholic church."+

The connexion between the establishment of images, the coronation of Charlemagne, and the restoration of the western empire is, in a similar manner, as manifest, even in these very words, from the index, or contents, of another chapter of the same history, when thus set down at length.

Introduction, worship, and persecution of images.-Revolt of Italy and Rome.-Temporal dominion of the popes Conquest of Italy by the Franks.—Establishment of images. -Character and coronation of Charlemagne.-Restoration and decay of the Roman empire in the West.-Independence of Italy.- Constitution of the Germanic body.‡—" In the eighth century of the Christian era, a religious quarrel, the worship of images, provoked the Romans to assert their independence; their bishop became the temporal as well as the spiritual father of a free people; and of the western empire, which was restored by Charlemagne, the title and image still decorate (decorated) the singular constitution of modern Germany."§

*Gibbon's Hist. vol. v. pr. 127-136, four concluding paragraphs of chup. 27. Chap. 49. § Ibid. vol. xii. p. 257.

Ibid. vol ix. p. 115.

Such is the rise and character of the second beast, the revival of the first, and their joint connexion. The power of popery lay in deceiving the nations. His coming was after the working of Satan, with all powers and signs, and lying wonders, and all deceivableness of unrighteousness. The pretended miracles were innumerable, and need not to be recorded. The causing of fire to come down from heaven is still a superstitious act, and is yet deceitfully practised, even where Jesus preached. "The same methods of DECEIVING the credulity of mankind," which pagans had originated, were adopted anew by "the ministers of the Catholic church, who imitated the profane model ;" and deceived them that dwelt upon the earth. The deadly wound of the first beast was healed. The emperorship of Rome was restored by the pontiff'; and the existence of the authority and title was made dependant on coronation by his hands. It was he who elevated the emperor to the character of temporal chief, and set him over kings. The idolatry of paganism was renewed, and with it the persecution of the worshippers of God. They who refused to worship an image, became, as before, the martyrs of Jesus. The temporal power was subservient to the spiritual, and they who had not the badge of popery were victims of the most relentless persecution.

And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand and in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man ; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. Wherever the papal authority was disowned, or the creed of the church of Rome rejected, or its infallibi lity brought into question, nations were laid under an

interdict, kings excommunicated, and the secluded heretic was searched out. Wherever the fearful anathema of the church fell, all interchange of kindly or common offices of duty, friendship, or charity were prohibited; the great had no longer authority over the small, nor did the small pay any deference to the great; the rich had no longer any pity on the poor, nor would the poor take a bribe from the hands of the rich; the free could no longer command the personal duties of the bond; and the bondsman heard unheeded the mandate or entreaty of his master. The brand of the church was as the spot of a leper; and the father of a family was as a stranger, or an enemy, in his household; and a king was as an alien in his kingdom. Whenever the inquisitor's coach was at the door, and so soon as the name of the denounced was uttered, the menials turned their master from his house, or the husband led forth the wife of his bosom, or the parent gave up the hope of his family or the child of his love, to be carried to the dungeon where no eye could see them, or unto the stake where none could save. With those on whom the sentence of excommunication was passed, all communication was interdicted, and, as even a sentence against a king of England shews, all were ordered to avoid them, on pain of excommunication. The very term implies the cessation of all friendly intercourse; all ties were broken, and all distinctions lost in the overwhelming sensation, under the dominion of dark superstition, of a sentence pronounced by an infallible judge, and involving eternal reprobation. No doctrine was more rife throughout Europe than this, that out of the church there is no salvation. The words were those of the man of sin, who himself goeth into perdition; the earthly power that dealt out damnation, must itself be destroyed: but such for ages was the supremacy of its dominion, that no man might buy or sell