that he will not act, till they have. This puts damnation in the power of a petty, perhaps a petted prieft. For what if he, in his anger, fhun to administer baptism? The little one dies; and, according to Popery, is carried from the breafts to the border of the burning lake, the limbus infantium.

These are some of the many abominations of which Rome is the mother; and from them we may fee how juftly she is characterized as the enemy of Chrift and his church.-After this fubterraneous walk as among the cells of Popery, it is reviving to think that we were born on Proteftant ground, and ftill may tread that facred foil: the woman not being able as yet to intoxicate herself with our blood. But this fuggefts another argument.

SE C T. VI.

That the Pope of Rome is the Enemy, evinced from ` the Woman's being drunk with the blood of the faints and martyrs, Rev. xvii. 6.

HAT the church of Rome is the enemy, or

THA

Antichrift, appears from her perfecuting the faints. That woman which John faw in fuch a gorgeous dress, having a golden cup in her hand, and a name written on her forehead, was alfo drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus, Rev. xvii. 6. Her being drunken with blood, intimates the highest degree of perfecution. So when God threatens vengeance to his enemies, and a reward to them who hate

him, he fays, I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, with the blood of the flain, Deut. xxxii. 42. -That Popery is clad as in fcarlet, dyed in the blood of the faints; that it is altogether of a crimfon colour, must be known to every one, any how converfant with the hiftory of the church. Huge volumes are filled with the moft tragical accounts of the martyrdom of the faints! what multitudes of them have afcended to heaven, as in the fiery chariot of Popish flames! These have been lighted up in every corner of Europe; and smoked as in every age, fince the woman mounted the beast.

The nature of my subject forbids me to expatiate; yea, the human mind recoils at thought of fuch bloody scenes, as Popery has introduced. It has turned Europe into an Aceldema, a field of blood. But while it is impoffible, and as unneceffary to mention all the murders which the harlot has committed, it will not be improper to condefcend on fome, to make good the charge brought against her in holy writ, and to excite our abhorrence of her as the enemy of Christ and his church: and, to begin at home.

The flames of Popery were kindled in Scotland before the bleffed Reformation. In the year 1431, Paul Craw, a Bohemian, was burnt at St. Andrews, with a ball of brafs in his mouth, that he might not confefs his Lord before all the people; or, as the enemy pretended, that he might not infect them with the leaven of heresy. Anno 1527, Patrick Hamilton was burnt there too. Having gone to the schools in Germany, he became acquainted with Luther and Melancton. Enriched with the

precious gofpel-treasure, he returned to his native country, to preach his dearest Lord. But fuch the nature of popery, that to fmother the light, he was burnt at the ftake. At the fame place, Anno 1546, was burnt the famous Mr. George Wishart, Cardinal Beaton feafting his eyes with the moving fpectacle.

Pafs we over to faithlefs France, what rivers of precious Proteftant blood have run there! Who has not heard of the maffacre at Paris, on the 24th of Auguft, Anno 1572.? when ten thoufand Proteftants were butchered in one night; and twenty thousand more in other parts of the kingdom, within the compass of a few weeks, by his majesty's commiffion. No diftinction was made

of age, fex, or quality. They fpared neither women, maids, children in the cradle, nor infants in their mother's womb. The tidings of fuch carnage were received at Rome with the greateft expreffions of joy. But, Oh! how they fhook, as from top to bottom, that great pillar of the Reformation, John Knox, who died about three months after!

Henry IV. paffed the edict of Nantz, in the year 1598, in favours of the Proteftants, whereby being allowed to ferve their God, according to their conscience, they were fecured in the enjoyment of their civil rights and privileges, without perfecution or molestation from any quarter. But Lewis XIV. like a true fon of the church of Rome, trampling on the moft folemn obligations, revoked this famous edict, in the year 1685; and, accordingly, down fell the Proteftant-intereft in France. A train of the moft execrable deceit was foon fol

lowed, with all the horrors of bloody perfecution. Proteftants were neither allowed to depart the kingdom, nor could they continue in it, without proftituting their confcience. Guards were doubled at every poft, in all cities, towns, high-ways, fords, and ferries. The country was covered with foldiers; the very Peasants were armed to stop the reformed in their flight, or to kill them on the spot. An oath was imposed on them, by which they were to abjure the reformed, and to declare their belief of the Roman Catholic religion; adding, at the fame time, that they did all this of their own freewill, and without any compulfion. This abjuration-oath was stiled, by the Proteftants, The mark of the beast.

Such perfidy and perfecution in the French king was accompanied with the applause of Rome. Pope Innocent XI. congratulated the bloody monfter as his deareft fon in Chrift; telling him that the Catholic church fhould record in her facred annals a work of such devotion, and celebrate his name with never-dying praises; yea, that he might promise himself an ample retribution from the divine goodness *.

Long and cruel was the perfecution raised by the Pope, against the Waldenfes and the Albigenfes, which began about the year 1160, and continued for feveral centuries. Anno 1545, it raged exceffively. Bellarmine himself confeffeth, that one hundred thousand of them were cut off in one expidition that year. There perifhed of them about

See Quick's Synod. Vol. I. Introduct. p. 139,-156. Mofheim's hift. Vol. II. p. 203, 475.

a million in France alone. From the inftitution of the Jefuits, to the year 1480, which was little more than thirty years, nine hundred thoufand orthodox Chriftians were flain.-In the Netherlands alone, the Duke of Alva boasted, that within a few years he had dispatched to the amount of thirty-fix thousand fouls; and those all by the hand of the common executioner, befides many thousands maffacred by his bloody foldiers.-In the fpace of scarce thirty years, the inquifition destroyed, by various kinds of tortures, an hundred and fifty thoufand Chriftians *.

What a burning time was the reign of Mary queen of England! The fmoke of Popish flames, threatened to darken the Proteftant horizon. Bloody Bonnar fpared neither the lame, nor the blind; the aged, nor the young; male, nor female. On the 15th of May, Anno 1556, a cripple of 68 years of age, and a blind man, were both burnt in the fame fire at Stratford-le-bow. The next day three women were burnt at Smithfield. On the 21ft of the month, three were burnt at Beckles in Suffolk. On the 27th of June, eleven men and two women were all burnt in one fire at Stratfordle-bow. That butcher, as a well known historian remarks, did not think it worth while to burn Proteftants fingly, but fent them in droves to the take. In July a woman and her two daughters were burnt at the fame ftake in Guernsey. The one of the daughters was married and in a state of pregnancy: but the reft of her ftory, and that of

*Dr. Newton on Prophecy, Vol. III. p. 230.

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