CHAP.
VIII.

+ Mat. v. 44.

Eccl. History, vol. i. p. 319, 319.

Ibid. p. 320.

25. Was this breaking one of the least, or one of the greatest commandments! I came not, (says Christ,) to destroy the Law, nor to destroy men's lives. Thou shalt not kill." It may be said, Licinius was an enemy. But where did Christ say thou shalt kill thine enemies, and slay them that despitefully use you? f

26. Here, then, is so manifest a difference between Christ, and the Roman emperor, that the one came to save men's lives, and the other to destroy even the humble suppliant, who cast himself at his feet imploring his clemency. Here was a fair opportunity of proving the spirit of Constantine.

27. Was he possessed of the meek and merciful spirit of Christ, or with the cruel and merciless spirit of a tyrant, when he ordered Licinius to be strangled! For his manifest object was to possess his dominion and reign sole lord of the empire; which he did from that period until his death.

28. Under such circumstances, it might argue some degree of candor in Constantine, to decline being numbered among the faithful till he was past committing such bloody crimes. But who could assure him that his blood-guiltiness could, in the end, be washed away with a little water? Surely this delusion of antichrist belonged to the priesthood.

29. It will further appear evident, beyond dispute, that it was not the cause of Christ, but the Church of antichrist, that Constantine espoused, if we consider the fruits of his spirit, which appeared in his successors.

year

30." After the death of Constantine, which happened in the 337, his three sons, Constantine II, Constantius, and Constans, were, in consequence of his appointment, put in possession of the empire, and were all saluted as emperors and Augustii by the Roman senate.

31. There were yet living two brothers of the late emperor, viz. Constantius Delmatius, and Julius Constantius, and they had several sons. These the sons of Constantine ordered to be put to death, lest their ambitious views should excite troubles in the empire. And they all fell victims to this barbarous order, except Gallus and Julian, the sons of Julius Constantius, the latter of whom rose afterwards to the imperial dignity.".

32. Here, was manifested, the first fruits of that spirit which flowed from this imperial head of the Catholic church to his successors a cruel massacre of their nearest relations, from a sordid thirst of empire? And what was the language of this horrid and barbarous act to the subordinate members of their motley government? Surely it must be this, Be ye followers of us, even as we are of CONSTANTINE.

33. The bloody murderers, however, could not long agree among themselves. "The dominions allotted to Constantine,

were Britain, Gaul and Spain; but he did not possess them long, for, having made himself master, by force, of several places belonging to Constans, this occasioned a war between the two brothers, in the year 340, in which Constantine lost his life."

34. Constans, the conqueror, now became sole master of all the western provinces, of which he remained in possession until the year 350, when he was cruelly assassinated by Magnentius, one of his commanders, who afterwards, in a fit of rage and despair at his ill success in a war against Constantius, laid violent hands upon himself: and lastly, Constantius died in the year 361, at Mopsucrene, as he was marching against Julian.

35. Such were the successors of CONSTANTINE, whom the Christian world, so called, respect as the great pillars of their religious establishment. And though guilty of the most horrid and barbarous crimes, yet are honored and applauded under the beautiful mask of a Christian profession, following the example of their father, (as Mosheim expresses it) "in continuing to abrogate and efface the ancient superstitions of the Romans and other idolatrous nations, and to accelerate the progress of the Christian religion throughout the empire."

36. But observe what follows: "This flourishing progress of the Christian religion was greatly interrupted, and the church reduced to the brink of destruction, when JULIAN, the son of Julius Constantius was placed at the head of affairs."

37. What is the matter now? This prince, though he had been educated in the principles of Christianity, "yet" (says Mosheim) "he apostatized from that divine religion." And pray what was the cause of this apostasy? The answer is, "It was partly owing to his aversion to the CONSTANTINE family, who had embrued their hands in the blood of his father, brother, and kinsman." It was therefore, not from the religion of Jesus, but from that of bloody murderers, that he apostatized.

CHAP.

VIII.

38. "JULIAN" (adds the doctor,) "affected, in general, to Ibid. p. 323. appear moderate in religious matters, unwilling to trouble any on account of their faith, or to seem averse to any sect or party.' And because he allowed equal liberty to all, or, as Robinson expresses it, "The just and gentle JULIAN, because he headed neither party, and put off the purple unstained with the blood of heretics, both sides agree to execrate him as a diabolical apostate."

39. And strange as it may seem, this mild and equitable gov ernment, under JULIAN, is by some of the most eminent orthodox divines, included in the flood which the dragon, i.e. .the devil, poured out of his mouth to destroy the woman, i.e. the church, and her son, the Roman emperor.

40. But, having examined this man-child, which they have exalted, not only to God and to his throne, but above all that is

Eccl. Re139.

searches, p.

CHAP. IX. called God, we shall leave him at present, and examine a little further into the spirit and conduct of the mother of harlots that bore him.

CHAPTER IX.

GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, IN THE
SECOND, THIRD, AND FOURTH CENTURIES.

WHOEVER examines the accounts given by historians, of the
nature and genius of that religion which was established by the
Catholic fathers, under the name of Christianity, will find that
it differs as widely from the work of the Holy Spirit in the pri-
mitive Church of Christ, as did their imperial forms of govern-

ment.

2. In fact, their religion was all of a kind; and therefore, instead of retaining that divine power, which, in the days of the Apostles, manifested itself in every good word and work, they adopted a vain parade of external rites and ceremonies, resembling those of the Jews and Pagans.

3. These they united to their corrupt doctrines; and, for the support and propagation of both, they, in process of time, raised the arm of persecution against all such as were so far enlightened as to differ from them, and so presumptuous, in their esteem, as to think and act for themselves.

4. From the first formation of the Catholic system, before ever Constantine ascended the throne, the principal account that is given of the religion of the self-styled orthodox, is, their either practising old rites and ceremonies, or inventing new ones, which put them still at a greater distance from every appearance of the humble followers of Jesus.

5. Many there were, however, who could not conform to these absurd innovations, who consequently were looked upon as persons of no religion, and against whom the most bloody persecutions were raised, as soon as the aid of civil power was attained; the cruel and lawless spirit of which has, more or less, continued to the present day.

6. From all that has been written concerning the rise and progress of this Catholic religion, even by their own historians, it is plain, that the most distinguishing marks of it, are, superstition

and persecution; of which we shall here insert a brief account CHAP. IX. from their early beginning.

7. By superstition is meant, any religious offering, act, or performance, for which there is no present order, or command from heaven; but which is either invented or practised to serve the selfish ends of some human priesthood, and subserve the purposes 2 Tim. iv. and passions of a corrupt nature; and hence, the vain supersti- 3,4. tions of the Catholic church, took their rise, with those bishops and priests, who substituted their own natural wit and learning, instead of the spirit of inspiration; from which alone the mind of God could be known.

8. It therefore made no difference what they set up for religion; whether it was some new invention of their own, or some rite and ceremony, which might formerly have been of Divine appointment; inasmuch as there was no express command of God, to them, in the case of course, whatever they introduced, must be, to them, a matter of their own superstition; which will manifestly appear from what is stated concerning their reasons for first introducing superfluous rites and ceremonies into the Catholic church.

tory, vol. i.

9. Mosheim says, "In this [second] century, many unneces- Eccl. Hist. sary rites and ceremonies were added to the Christian [i.e. p. 196. Catholic] worship; the introduction of which was extremely offensive to wise and good men. These changes, while they destroyed the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel, were naturally pleasing to the gross multitude, who are more delighted with the pomp and splendor of external institutions, than with the native charms of rational and solid piety, and who generally give little attention to any objects but those which strike their outward senses.' 10. "It is not improper to remark here, that this attachment of Ibid. note the vulgar to the pomp of ceremonies, is a circumstance that has always been favorable to the ambitious views of the Romish [i.e. Catholic] clergy, since the pomp of religion naturally casts a part of its glory and magnificence upon its ministers, and thereby gives them, imperceptibly, a vast ascendant over the minds of the people."

[n]

11. Then, as an aspiring and self-interested clergy have had the modelling of this Catholic religion from the beginning, it is evident that its rites and ceremonies, throughout, are merely the fruits of human ambition, and not of any Divine appointment. This is evidently implied by Mosheim, when he says, "That the Ibid. p. 197, bishops augmented the number of religious rites by way of 198. accommodation to the infirmities and prejudices of both Jews and heathens, in order to facilitate their conversion.

12. Both Jews and heathens were accustomed to a vast variety of pompous and magnificent ceremonies in their religious service. And as they considered these rites as an essential part

CHAP. IX. of religion, it was but natural that they should behold, with indifference, and even with contempt, the simplicity of the Christian worship, which was destitute of those idle ceremonies that rendered their service so specious and striking.

Eccl. His

tory, vol. i. p. 199.

Ibid. p. 200.

13. "To remove this prejudice against Christianity, the bishops thought it necessary to increase the number of rites and ceremonies." And by this means it seems they also designed "to remove the opprobrious calumnies, which the Jewish and Pagan priests cast upon the Christians, on account of the simplicity of their worship, esteeming them little better than atheists, because they had no temples, altars, victims, pries!s, nor any thing of external pomp in which the vulgar are so prone to place the essence of religion."

14. Can any thing be plainer, than that this Catholic religion. principally consisted in reviving their ancient superstitions under a new name? And therefore, as early as the second century, the followers of SACCAS adopted the Jewish titles of chief priests, priests, and Levites.

15. "But in a little time," (says Mosheim,) "these titles were abused by an aspiring clergy, who thought proper to claim the same rank and station, the same rights and privileges, that were conferred, with those titles, upon the ministers of religion under the Mosaic Dispensation."

"

16. Hence the rise of tithes, first-fruits, splendid garments, and many other circumstances of external grandeur, by which ecclesiastics were eminently distinguished." In like manner, the comparison of the pious gifts of Christians, with the Jewish victims, oblations, and sacrifices, produced a multitude of unnecessary rites, "and was the occasion" (says Mosheim) "of introducing that erroneous notion of the eucharist, which represents it as a real sacrifice." And under this erroneous notion it has been continued among the Catholics to the present day.

17. "The profound respect that was paid to the Greek and Roman mysteries, and the extraordinary sanctity that was attributed to them, induced the Christians [or rather the Catholic bishops] to give their religion a mystic air, in order to put it upon an equal footing in point of dignity, with that of the Pagans.' For this purpose the eucharist, or as some call it, the Lord's supper, and baptism, were denominated mysteries.

18. They used in those institutions the very terms employed in the heathen mysteries; and proceeded so far, at length, as even to adopt some of the rites and ceremonies of which these renowned mysteries consisted. So that a great part of the service of the church, in this century, had a certain air of the heathen mysteries, and resembled them considerably in many particulars.