should leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing" and this was literally fulfilled in the miracles of Christ: "the blind received their sight, (Matthew, xi. 5,) and the lame walked; the deaf heard," &c. It was foretold that he should die a violent death, (Isaiah, 53d chapter throughout,) and that not for himself," (Daniel, ix. 26,) but for our transgressions," (Isaiah, liii. 5, 6, and 12,) for "the iniquity of us all," and that he might hear the sins of many." All which was exactly accomplished in the suffering of Christ. It was foretold (Gen. xlix. 10,) that "to him should the gathering of the people be;" and (Psal. ii. 8.) that " God would give him the heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost part of the earth for his possession:" which was punctually fulfilled by the wonderful success of the gospel, and its universal spreading through the world. Lastly, many minuter circumstances were foretold of the Messiah; that he should be of the "tribe of Judah," and seed of David;” that he should be born in the town of " Bethlehem," (Micah, v. 2;) that he should ride upon an ass in humble triumph into the eity of Jerusalem, (Zechariah, ix. 9;) that he should be sold for thirty pieces of silver," (Zechariah; xi. 2;) that he should be scourged, buffeted, and spit upon," (Isaiah, 1. 6;) that "his hands and feet - should be pierced," (Psal. xxii. 16;) that he should be numbered among malefactors, (Isaiah, Ini. 12}) that he should have" gall and vinegar" offered him to drink, (Psal. Ixix. 21;) that they who saw him crucified should mock at him, and at his “trusting in God to deliver him,” (Psal, xxii. 8;) that the sol diers should "cast lots for his garments," (Psal. xxii. 18;) that he should "make his grave among the rich," (Isaiah, liii. 9;) and that he should rise again without seeing corruption," (Psal. xvi. 10.) All which circumstances were fulfilled to the great est possible exactness in the person of Christ; not to mention the numberless typical representations, which had likewise evidently their complete ad complishment in him. And it is no less evident, that none of these prophecies can possibly be applied to any other person who ever pretended to be the Messiah." I think it must from hence appear indisputable to every deliberate and fair reasoner, that all the prophecies are not enthusiastic and visionary rhapsodies, and that Christianity is not an idle tale. The deepest philosophers, and the first geniuses in the world, have, after the maturest investigation, believed in it: and we may well reply to many an unbeliever of the present age, in the words of the wise man, "Blame not before thou hast examined the truth; understand first, and then rebuke." I will now make some observations upon the prophecies in regard to Popery. Is it possible for any unprejudiced person of good understanding to read the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, and not to acknowledge that it contains a description of Popery? After intreating them not to be trou bled, as if the day of Christ were at hand, he writes, "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 himself above all that is called God, or worshipped: so that he, as Godt, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” And again, in the same epistle, Newton, Locke, Bacon, Boyle, Clarke, Barclay, Boerhaave, Grotius, Milton, Penn, Sir William Jones, &c. gave frequent and faithful acknowledgments of the truth of the Gospel. + It is remarkable, that Mosconius, a Popish writer, says the same things of the pope, with the apostle, but in other words. He says, in his discourse of the majesty of the church militant, and in lib. i. de Summo Pontif. (as he is quoted by William Penn in his seasonable caveat against Popery), "That the pope can dispense above law and against law; for the pope's tribunal and God's is but one; and, therefore, every reasonable creature is subject to the pope's empire." Vide Select Works of William Penn, vol. iii. page 87. Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, chap. ii. verses 3 and 4. To shew how the pope is this "Man of Sin," this "Son of Perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God," 1 will transcribe (while I shake with horror) some of the ab "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 unrighteousness, in them that perish." And in the First Epistle to Timothy he writes, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared with a red hot iron; forbidding to marry, solutions, which are in a book, which was published by the authority of the pope, containing a long list of indulgencies, or fees of the pope's chancery, entitled, Taxa Cameræ, seu Cancellariæ, Apostolicæ. It was translated into English, under the title of "Rome a great Custom-House for Sin." ABSOLUTIONS. For him who stole holy and consecrated things, out of a holy place For a layman for murdering a layman L. s. d. - 0 10 0 07.6 0 10 6 For him that killeth his father, mother, wife, or sister For a priest that keeps a concubine, as also his dispensation "For him that lyeth with his own mother, sister, or godmother 0 10 6 0 10 6 0 7 6 - 0 12 0 170 176 For him that burns his neighbour's house For him that forgeth the pope's hand For him that forgeth letters apostolical For a king for going to the holy sepulchre without licence 7 10 0 What honest enlightened heart is there, that does not swell with a generous indignation at this flagrant wickedness? Can we conceive any thing, that can more shock humanity, or that can more insult heaven? Here are real and not imaginary Titans, who wished to usurp the powers of the Almighty. Dr. Robertson, in his History of Charles the Fifth, refers to the Franckfort edition of this work, published in 1651, and says, "The officers of the Roman chancery published a book, containing the precise sum to be exacted for the pardon of every particular sin. A deacon guilty of murder was absolved for twenty crowns. A bishop or abbot might assassinate for three hundred livres. An ecclesiastic might commit uncleanness, though with the most aggravating circumstances, for a third part of that sum." Sec History of Charles the Fifth, vol. 2, page 105, 4to. and the various authorities quoted in that page. *Chap. ii. verses 8, 9, 10, and commanding to abstain from meats." Is it possible to read the 17th chapter of the Revelations, and not to allow that it contains a description of Popery? St. John says, " And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore, that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sit upon a scarletcoloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads, and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations, and filthiness of her fornication. "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of It *Chap. iv. verses 1, 2, 3. If the Roman Catholic would calmly consider these things, he might redeem himself from the dangerous delusion, that his sect is the most ancient sect of Christians. cannot be the most ancient, if St. Paul prophesied that it would arise, not in his own days, but some time after. + Dr. Kennicott says, that the word Mysterium used to be written on the pope's mitre, until the reformers took notice of it. Sce It is said to have been on the Kennicott upon this passage. See Daubuz on the Revelation, p. 758. pope's mitre, not his tiara. Joseph Scaliger says that he himself had seen this. One cannot sufficiently admire the justness and boldness of the phrase drunken with the blood of saints." A well-known instance may be produced, from among various others, to shew how the church of Rome can be made" drunken with blood." On St. Bartholomew's day, about 10,000 Protestants were murdered in cold blood, in Paris: which as soon as the pope was informed of, he went in procession to the church of St. Lewis (as they call him), to sing Te Deum; and represented the affrightful and detestable scene in a magnificent picture, with the inscription of," The Triumph of the Church!" Jesus *." And again in the same chapter, " And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth t." And again, " And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” We have the evidence of history for St. Paul's having written the two epistles to the Thessalonians, and the two to Timothy, in the first century. There can be no doubt of the first Christians having held them of authority. All the writers upon the subject of Popery, who are not bigoted followers of the church of Rome, agree that it was not established until several centuries after the death of our Saviour. No one can say, with the least appearance of truth, that it was established much more than twelve hundred years ago. In the passage which I have quoted from the epistles of St. Paul and the Revelation, which were indisputably written about seventeen hundred years *Revelation, xvii. 1-7. An idle opinion has lately been revived by some, that the book of Revelation was not written by St. John the Evangelist. The learned reader, however, will find, that the best judges of this point among the ancients, Polycarp, Melito, Irenæus, Justin Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Origen, were clear in their opinion, that St. John was the author; and that the most judicious writers among the moderns, Newton, Mede, Clarke, Larduer, concur with these great names aniong the ancients in this matter. The great Sir Isaac Newton decisively says, " 1 do not find any other book of the New Testament so strongly attested, and commented upou so early, as this." Sir Isaac Newton's Obser. vations upon Daniel and the Apocalypse, page 249. See also some preceding pages. + Verse 9. t Verse 18. It has been supposed by some, that this description of Babylon may be applied to Constantinople, as that city is also seated upon seven hills. We may shortly prove, however, this supposition to be erroneous, by remarking, that St. John speaks of a city which at this time reigned, "that great city which reign. eth," which must signify Rome, and not Constantinople; for the former, and not the latter city, when the prophet wrote, reigned over the world. Vide "Hurd's Twelve Sermons introductory to the Study of the Prophecies." This author ingeniously conjectures that the bold metaphorical language of the prophecies must have been originally adopted from the Egyptian hieroglyphics. The ceJebrated Dr. Samuel Clarke, however, very justly observes, that when St. John in the Apocalypse speaks of Rome, he speaks without an emblem, without a metaphor. |