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tichrift, few indeed in number, yet fufficient "to establish the truth, who would openly vin"dicate the truth, and clearly atteft the corrup"tions of the Church of Rome, and the anti"christian supremacy of her head." Accordingly, fuch witneffes have appeared in every age, from the eighth century, when the reign of Antichrift began, down to the prefent moment*. In the eighth century, the worship of images was vigorously oppofed by the Emperors of the Eaft, Leo Ifauricus and his fon Conftantine Copronymus, by the council of Conftantinople, held in the year 754, where the fathers declared, "That only one image was conftituted by "Chrift himself, namely, the bread and wine "in the Eucharift, which reprefent the body " and blood of Chrift." The fecond council of Nice, indeed, established the worship of images in the year 787; but it was condemned in the council of Frankfort, held under Charlemagne in the year 794. The Caroline-books were likewife set forth under his authority, in which various errors of the Church of Rome are condemned, and thofe truths which a Proteftant would fubfcribe, afferted.

In the ninth century, the fupremacy of the Pope, together with the worship of images, and

the

(1) See a full deduction of thefe witneffes in Newton's Diff. vol. iii. page 148 to 196.

the invocation of faints, were oppofed by the Emperors of the Eaft, Nicephorus, Leo, Armenius, Michael, Balbus, and Theophilus, and by the Emperors of the Weft, Charles the Great, and Lewis the Pious. The council of Paris, held in the year 824, agreed with the council of Frankfort, in condemning that fecond council of Nice, and the worship of images. The doctrine of tranfubftantiation firft advanced in the Weft, by Pafchafius Radbertus, Abbot of Corbie, in this century, was ftrenuously opposed by Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mentz, by Bertramus, a Monk of Corbie, and Johannes Scotus. In this In this age too lived Claud, Bishop of Turin, who, in his numerous writings, expofed the errors of the church of Rome, and vindicated the truth. He may be said to have fown the feeds of reformation in his diocefe; and his doctrines took deep root, especially in the vallies of Piedmont, where they continued to flourish for feveral centuries.

In the tenth century, feverals in Germany, France and England, maintained the decrees of the council of Frankfort and Paris, against the worship of images. In the year 909, a council was held at Trolly, a village near Soiffons in France. They concluded with a profeffion of thofe things which Chriftians ought to believe and practife; and in that profession are

none

none of those things which conftitute the fum of Popish doctrine. In this age too, Heringer, Abbot of Lobes, near Liege, wrote exprefsly against the doctrine of tranfubftantiation, as did alfo Alfric in England.

Early in the eleventh century, there appeared at Orleans fome heretics, as they were called, who maintained, that the confecration of the priest could not change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, and that it was unprofitable to pray to faints and angels. They were condemned by the council of Or. leans, in the year 1017. Not long after these, appeared other heretics in Flanders, who were also condemned by the fynod of Arras, in the year 1025. They denied the reality of the body and blood of Chrift in the eucharist. They gave no religious worship to the cross, to images, to temples, or altars. They denied purgatory, and the efficacy of penance to abfolve the deceafed from their fins. Berengarius, a native of Tours, and Archdeacon of Angiers, wrote profeffedly against the doctrine of tranfubftantiation, and called the church of Rome" a church of malignants, the council "of vanity, and the feat of Satan."

In the twelfth century, Fluentius, Bishop of Florence, taught publicly, that Antichrist was come into the world. St. Bernard inveighed

loudly

loudly against the corruptions of the clergy, and the tyranny of the Popes, faying, "that "they were the minifters of Christ, and served "Antichrift." Joachim of Calabria gave a difcourfe concerning Antichrift and the Apocalypfe, to Richard I. of England, at Meflina, on his way to Palestine, in which he said, " that "Antichrift was already born in the city of "Rome, and that he would be advanced to "the apoftolical' chair, and exalted above all "that is called God, or is worshipped." Peter. de Bruis and Henry his difciple, taught in feveral parts of France, "That the doctrine of "transubstantiation is false; that prayers and "maffes for the dead are unprofitable; that

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priests and monks ought to marry; that ve"neration for croffes is fuperftition." For thefe doctrines, the one was burnt, and the other imprisoned for life. Arnold of Brefcia held opinions contrary to those of the church concerning the facrament, and preached mightily against the temporal power and jurif diction of the Pope and the clergy, for which he was burnt at Rome, in the year 1155, and his afhes were thrown into the Tyber, to prevent the people from exprefling any veneration for his relics. But the chief witnesses of this age were the Waldenfes, fo called, from Peter Waldo, a rich citizen of Lyons, and a confiderable

confiderable leader of the fect, and the Albigenfes, who received their name from Alby, a city of Languedoc.

In the thirteenth century, the Waldenfes and Albigenfes multiplied fo faft, and inveighed against the corruptions of the church of Rome fo loudly, that a croifade was proclaimed against them, by the reigning Pope, which ended in depriving the Count of Thouloufe of his dominions. William of St Amour, a Doctor of the Sorbonne, wrote a treatise of the perils of the last times, 2 Tim. iii. 1. in which he applies the prophecy to the mendicant orders of his own time. In this age too lived Robert Greathead, Bishop of Lincoln, who faw fo clearly into the prophecy concerning Antichrift, that the Pope and Antichrist were his dying words.

The Waldenfes and Albigenfes continued to multiply in the fourteenth century; and being perfecuted in their own country, fled for refuge to other nations. They were denominated Lollards in Germany, from one Walter Lollard, who preached about the year 1315, against the authority of the Pope, the interceffion of faints, the mafs, extreme unction, and other ceremonies of the church of Rome, and was burnt alive at Cologne, in the year 1322. The fame doctrines were taught in England, and spread over Europe

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