Sacerdotes vanitatis fibi nomina expetunt, & novis ac prophanis vocabulis gloriantur. Nunquid ego hac in re, Piiffime Domine, propriam caufam defendo? Nunquid Specialem injuriam vindico? Et non magis caufam Omnipotentis Dei, & caufam univerfalis Ecclefia?Sed abfit a cordibus Chriftianorum Nomen illud Blafphemia, in quo omnium Sacerdotum honor adimitur, dum ab uno fibi dementer arrogatur. Greg. L. 4. Ep. 32. Sed in hac ejus fuperbia quid aliud nifi propinqua jam Antichrifti effe tempora defignatur? L. 4. Ep. 34. Nullus unquam decefforum meorum hoc tam profano vocabulo uti confenfit; quia videlicet fi unus pratriarcha Univerfalis dici tur, patriarcharum nomen cateris derogatur. Sed Abfit, hoc Abfit a Chriftiana mente id fibi velle quenquam arripere unde fratrum fuorum honorem imminuere ex quantulacunque parte videatur. -Perpendis, Frater chariffime, quis e vicino fubfequitur, cujus &in facerdotibus crumpunt tam perverfa primordia. Quia enim juxta eft ille de quo fcriptum eft ipfe eft Rex fuper univerfos filios fuperbiæ, quod non fine gravi dolore dicere compellor : frater & Coepifcopus nofter Joannes mandata Dominica, Apoftolica præcepta, regulas patrum defpiciens eum per elationem pracurrere conatur in nomine: ita ut univerfa fibi tentet adfcribere, & omnia quæ foli uni capiti coherent, videlicet Chrifto per elationem pompátici fermonis ejufdem Chrifti fibi ftudeat membra fubjugare. L. 4: Ep. 36. & Pelag. ubi fupra. Tu quid Chrifto, Univerfalis fcilicet Ecclefia capiti in extremi judicii es dicturus examine, qui cuncta ejus membra tibimet conaris Univerfalis appellatione fupponere? Quis, rogo, in hoc tam perverfo vocabulo nifi ille ad imitandum proponitur qui defpectis Angelorum legionibus fecum focialiter conftitutis ad culmen conatus eft fingularitatis erumpere? - Omnia qua prædicta funt fiunt: Rex fuperbia prope eft; &, quod dici nefas eft, facerdotum eft præparatus exercitus. L. 4. Ep. 38. In ifto enim fcelefto vocabulo confentire nihil eft aliud quam fidem perdere. L. 4. Ep. 39. Et quia hoftis Omnipotentis Dei Antichriftus juxta eft, ftudiofe cupio, ne proprium quid inveniat non folum in moribus, nec etiam in vocabulo facerdotum, L. 6. Ep. 28. Ego vero fidenter diso, quia quifquis fe Univerfalem Sacer dotem Dan. vij. S. dotem vocat, vel vocari defiderat, in elatione fua Antichriftum pracurrit; quia fuperbiendo fe cæteris præponit. L. 6. Ep. 30. ·Sed quia jam vt videmus mundi hujus termino propinquante in pracurfione fua apparuit humani generis inimicus, ut ipfos qui ei contradicere bene & humiliter vivendo debuerunt per hoc superbia vocabulum præcurfores habeat Sacerdotes. L. 7. Ep. 69. Indict. 2. It is therefore evident, that As in the prefent Hypothefis, the Pope arofe arofe among the ten Kings in place; his Authority and theirs being in the very fameCountries andKingdoms; and after them in time, as Antichrift was to do; fo that at this Epocha A. D. 606. his Power was advanc'd to a height abundantly fufficient to begin the Date of his overbearing Dominion and Tyranny Pt. 1. Lem.10. over theChriftian Church: which being fo, and his Duration but 1110 years, as we have already obferv'd, we have great reafon to expect the Period of his Grandeur and Tyranny,at the Period of thofe 1110 years i. e. at the fame time with that of the ten Kings A. D. 1716. and his utter Destruction, with that of the whole Roman Empire, at our Saviour's coming: according to the feveral Scripture Prophecies hereto relating. prius. Dan. vij. 8. Ver. 1 1. Ver. 20, &c. Corollary 1. Since we have already afferted that the Little Horn in Daniel, is the fame with this Second Beast, or the Pope of Rome and his Hierarchy, we are oblig'd to confider more particularly the defcription of that Little Horn in this place, and fee whether it will agree with the Popes of Rome, as we have found that of the Second Beaft has done. Daniel's words are as follows. I confidered the horns, and behold there came up among thems another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns difplanted; and behold in this horn there were eyes, like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld then, becaufe of the voice of the great words which the horns Spake, I beheld even till the beast was flain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. Then I would know the truth of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more front than his fellows. I beheld, and the fame horn made war with the faints, and prevailed against them. The ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arife: and another shall arise after them: and he fall be diverfe from the firft, and he fall fubdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and fhall wear out the faints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times,and a divifion of time.But the judgment fall fit ; and they fhall take away his dominion,to confume,and to destroy it untothe end. The feveral Characters and Descriptions here, have either been already obferv'd,or are generally obvious and eafy of themfelves in their application, excepting that famous one here thrice mention'd, that he was to difplant three of the ten kings ; that before him three of them were to fall; and that he was to fubdue these three kings; which is too folemn and remarkable a Character of Antichrift to be here omitted: efpecially fince I question whether it has yet been rightly Explain'd :tho' Dr. Allix,and Mr.Mede,to fay nothing of an Anonymous Author before 'em both, have come nearest the matter. I shall therefore first give their two Opinions, in their own words; and then propose my own to the Reader. As to Dr. Allix, after he had fet down the ten Kingdoms, which he fuppos'd to be the fame fignifyed by the ten Horns, above fpecify'd from him, He adds, Ex P. 18, 19. • his decem regnis tria avulfa funt, ut crefceret parvum Cornu. • Herulorum regnum ab Oftrogothis Regibus deftructum eft, non diu poftquam Romam & Italia maximam partem occupaverant : Anno fcilicet Chrifti 493. Oftrogothi a Longobardis victi funt • Anno 553. Longobardi demum a Carolo Magno ita funt debellati Anno 773. ut ille non fibi Romam & Italiam fubjecerit, fed ipfam Romam Pontifici quoad utile dominium dono dederit. And fays Mr. Mede. The three Kings which Daniel faith the Antichristian Horn should deprefs and difplant to advance himself, were "those whofe Dominions extended into Italy, and fo ftood in his light; 1. That of the Greeks, whofe Emperor Leo Ifaurus, for the Quarrel of Image-worship, he Excommunicated, and made his Subjects of Italy Revolt from their Allegiance. 2. That of the Longobards, (Succeffors to the Oftrogoths,) whofe Kingdom he caufed, by the aid of the Franks, to be wholly ruin'd and extirpated; thereby to get the Exarchate of Ravenna, (which fince the Revolt from the Greeks, the Longobards were feiz'd on) for a P.954 Patrimony to St. Peter. The last was the Kingdom of the Franks it felf, continu'd in the Empire of Germany: whofe Emperors from the days of Henry IV. he Excommunicated, Depos'd, and Trampl'd under his Feet, and never suffer'd to live in reft till he • made them not only to quit their Intereft in the Election of Popes, and Inveftitures of Bishops; but that remainder also of JurifdiEtion in Italy wherewith, together with the Roman Name, he had "once Enfeoffed their Predeceffors. These were the Kings, by DiSplanting, or (as the Vulgar bath) Humbling of whom the Pope 'got Elbow-room by degrees, and advanc'd himself to that height of Temporal Majefty, and Abfolute Greatness, which made him fo terrible in the World. Thus he, nearer the truth I think, than Dr. Allix. And truly in my Opinion these three Introduction to Kingdoms are 1. That of the Greeks, or the Exarchate of RaHiftory p. 386. venna, continuing from A. D. 567. till 753. for 186 years. 387.&c. 2. That of the Lombards, continuing from A.D. 570. till 774. for 204 years. And 3.That of Italy, which immediately fucceeded it; and which I may call the Kingdom of the Franks,because its firftKings for many years were chofen out of,and belongedto the Franks, and afterwards were fucceeded by the Italians, and then by the Germans: of which Kingdom we havean intire De Regno Ita-Succeffion and Hiftory in Sigonius continuing from A.D.774. till See Pufendorf's lix. 1286. for 512 years. And I call these the Kingdoms here refer'd to, because they all were deftroy'd after the Rife of the Power of the Little Horn, the Pope; and all were deftroy'd in great part by his means and intereft; and because every one of them not only in general belong'd to the ten several Original Kingdoms of the divided Roman Empire abovemention'd, but efpecially because they belong'd to Italy, the Country where the Popes power was to fpread, and where it is moft natural to feek for fuch Kingdoms, as his Kingdom was to difplant or enervate, and to humble, and which were to fall before him, according to the exprefs words of the Prophecy before us. That the Pope was in a great measure, the occafion of the destruction of the Exarchate of Ravenna, Hear Sigonius and Howel. Leo Imperator,rebus Romanis perceptis,haudquaquam propofito fuo dimotus, Spathario altero in Italia misso, Paulu Exarchu monuit ut fi vita expellere Gregorin (II.Pontifice) haud poffet, faltemde Pontificatu de jiceret, jiceret, atque ei alterum fubftitueret. Ita Paulus fimul mandato Imperatoris adductus, fimul Gregorii Odio ftimulatus, quod ab eo tributum Ecclefiis imponere vetaretur, exercitum Ravennatem Spathario tribuit, eumque Romam contendere, & Pontificem in ‹ vincula conjicere juffit. Atque ne hac quidem latere Gregorium res potuit: itaque ut libertatem fuam fimul ac falutem defenderet, coactus eft adverfus pravas Chriftiani Imperatoris infidias bar'barorum fimul atque hoftium auxilium implorare. Quippe, reliquis remotis fubfidiis, Longobardos ex Spoletano Tufcoque Du"catu excivit ; ac fpe premiifque repletos adventantibus Exarchi legionibus obtulit. Hi magna animorum alacritate ad Urbem "profecti, pontem Salarium, pontemque Milvium cum validis armatorum cohortibus infederunt; & commiffo cum adveniente Spathario pralio Ravennatem exercitum ab Ürbis aditu summoverunt; Spathariumque ipfum Ravennam fe referre incepto irrito coegerunt. Roma autem Gregorius Pontifex harum rerum * certior factus, fævire animo, atque extrema meditari remedia cœpit. Itaque Pontificis Conftantini exemplo Decretum propofuit, quo Leonem Imperatorem piorum communione removit ; ut qui <non folum non Catholicus, fed etiam Catholicis infeftiffimus effet: ac mox Italia populos facramenti, quo fe illi obligaverant religi one exolvit: & ne ei aut tributum darent, aut alia rati"ne obedirent indixit. Quo decreto accepto Romani, Cam<pani, Ravennates, & Pentapolitani a Leone fubito defe<cerunt; ac variis tumultibus excitatis ipfos etiam violare magiftratus non dubitarunt. Quippe Ravenna Paulus Exarchus occifus eft. Roma Petrus Dux luminibus captus. In Campania Exhilaratus Dux cum populos adverfus Pontificem incitaret, a • Romanis eo profectis una cum filio Hadriano eft obtruncatus. "Quinetiam odii fui vim adverfus eum vehementer adeo intende<runt, ut ad hoftiles acerbitates provecti de Imperio illi abrogando, alioque Imperatore legendo retulerint. Quod igitur jampridem gravibus flagitiis Leonis impulfi fpe ac ftudio deftinarant, id boc maxime tempore ut facerent prafenti Pontificis Ecclefiaque in'ducti periculo funt. Quippe rebus commemoratis exasperati cer'ta animi fententia impium favumque Leonis imperium refpuerunt, ac folemni facramento fe Pontificis vitam ftatumque in per* petuum defenfuros, atque ejus in omnibus rebus auctoritati obtempe Ii 2 |