predicted in the bible, and accomplished in the courfe of divine providence. In this introductory verfe, these judgements are faid to be poured out upon the empire in general. Under the particu lar vials in the course of this chapter, the different parts or members of the empire on which the judgements shall fall are specified.

Verse 2d.-And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous fore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

The first judgement was to fall upon the earth itself, the very conftitution of the Papal government. And it was to be a noisome and grievous fore upon the votaries of Rome, viewed both in their civil and religious character. The former of these is expreffed by the men who had the mark of the beast, that is, who were the marked flaves of Rome; and the latter by them who worship his image. The fupremacy of the Papal power over temporal kings and princes; the infallibility of the church of Rome in matters of doctrine and worship; the glory, and fomething like divinity and infallibility of the Popes, are interwoven in the conftitution of the Papal government: These three qualities of

its

its constitution were almost idolized by the votaries of Rome. A judgement therefore by which these parts of the Papal conftitution received a a fhock, is most fitly denominated one upon the conftitution itself. It is one which the citizens of Rome must feel as a noisome and grievous fore upon them, whether their zeal for the civil or reli gious fupremacy of Rome is the greateft. As this is the first of these vials, the judgement contained in it, predicted by John above 650 years before the rise of the Papal government, muft have fallen upon Rome foon after the erection of the Papal empire, that is, soon after the year 756.

Looking into the history of Rome at that time, we shall find the most minute accomplishment of this predicted judgement.. In the end of the eighth century, during the whole of the ninth, and a great part of the tenth century, the western empire was torn by contending princes. The Lombards invaded Italy. The Pope was obliged to apply to Charlemagne for fuccour. The treafures and lands which the church of Rome poffefed in Sicily, Calabria, and Apulia, were confiscated by the Greek emperors. Italy fhared in the calamities of thefe civil difcords. Pope John XII. instead of commanding, was obliged in the moft abject manner, to implore the affiftance of Otho the Great, emperor of Germany for the love of the preservation of the Christian religion, and of

Italy.

Italy. The Normans and Saracens invaded the empire, defpifed the menaces of the Pope, and came even to the walls of Rome.

During this period, the church of Rome was

greatly divided about the worship of images, the real prefence of the body of Christ in the facrament of the fupper, and the doctrine of predestination. Both fides of all these questions were keenly efpoufed by different perfons in the church of Rome ; and different decifions were given upon them, even by councils. One Pope anathematised another Pope, and ordered the dead body of a Pope to be dug out of his grave and thrown into the Tyber. Inftead of the Popes depofing emperors, the em peror Otho the Great depofed Pope John XIL and appointed Pope Leo VIII. to fill his place. The number of Popes who fucceeded each other during this period was very great; the lives of moft of them were, for viciousness, a difgrace to human nature; and many of them were deposed from their high office.

Were not these great calamities upon the very constitution of the Papal hierarchy? and could any judgements be more painful or more difgraceful to the votaries of Rome? If these things can be established from authentic history, the fupremacy of Rome over temporal princes, and the infallibility of Popes and councils, muft fall to the ground. The paffages of hiftory which fully confirm these

facts

facts are fo many and fo large, that it would be improper to tranfcribe them all. I fhall therefore transcribe only a few of them, and refer the reader to many more of them.

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Mofheim Hift. cent. viii. Vol. i. page 357. "Whilft the power and opulence of the Roman pontiffs were rifing to the greatest height by the " events which we have now been relating, they "received a mortifying check, in confequence of a

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quarrel which broke out between these haughty

pontiffs and the Grecian emperors. Leo the Isaurian, and his fon Conftantine Copronious, incenfed " at the zeal which Gregories II, and III. discover"ed for the worship of images, not only confiscat"ed the treasure and lands which the church of "Rome poffeffed in Sicily, Calabria, and Apulia, "but moreover withdrew the bishops of these "countries, and alfo the various provinces and

churches of Illyricum from the jurifdiction of "the Roman fee, and subjected them to the fpiri"tual dominion of the bishop of Conftantinople. "And fo inflexibly were the Grecian emperors "bent upon humbling the arrogance of the Roman pontiffs, that no intreaties, fupplications, "nor threats, could engage them to abandon their purpose, or to restore this rich and fignal por"tion of St Peter's patrimony to his greedy fuc"ceffors."

VOL. II.

S

Pages

Pages 371,-373. "The profligate Irene, en"tered into an alliance with Adrian bishop of "Rome, A. D. 786, fummoned a council at Nice "in Bythinia, which is known by the title of the "fecond Nicene council. In this affembly the imperial laws concerning the new idolatry were abrogated, the decrees of the council of Conftantinople reversed, and the worship of images and "of the cross reftored." In the year 794, Charle

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magne affembled, at Francfort on the Maine, a "council of three hundred bishops, in order to ex"amine this important queftion; in which the opinion contained in the four books was folemnly confirmed, and the worship of images unanimoufly condemned. From hence we may conclude, that, in this century, the Latins deemed "it neither impious, nor unlawful, to diffent from "the opinion of the Roman pontiff, and even to charge that prelate with error."

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Pages 415,-418. "Charles the Bald fum"moned a new council or fynod, which met at

Quiercy, A. D. 853, in which, by the credit "and influence of Hincmar, the decrees of the "former council were confirmed, and of confe

quence Godefehalcus again condemned. But "the decrees of this council were declared null; "and decifions of a different kind, by which Go"defehalcus, and his doctrines were vindicated "and defended, were fubftituted in their place,

"in