facres, and imprisoned, and tortured, and murdered the true worshippers of God, and the faithful fervants of Jefus Chrift? This particular, as well as all the reft, exactly answers the predictions of the prophets. For it is affirmed. of the little horn in Daniel, (VII. 21, 25.) that he fhall make war with the faints, and shall prevail against them; fhall speak great words against the most High, and fhall wear out the faints of the moft High: and the woman in the Revelation, Babylon the great, the mother of barlots, (XVII. 6.) is reprefented as drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus, and (XVIII. 24.) in her was found the blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth.

Befides these plain and direct prophecies of the corruptions and innovations of the church of Rome, there are feveral fecret glances at them, feveral oblique intendments and intimations of them.-Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world: (Acts XV. 18.) and when the holy Spirit dictated to the ancient prophets the prophecies concerning Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, and other tyrannical

and

corrupt governments, he dictated them in fuch a manner as plainly evinces that he had a farther view to this last and most tyrannical and corrupt government of all. Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, and the reft, are made the types and emblems of Rome; and many of the particuA a 4

lars

lars predicted concerning the former, are more truly and properly applicable to the latter; and feveral of them have been applied accordingly by St. John. Jeremiah faid concerning ancient Babylon, (LI. 7, 45.) Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad: My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his foul from the fierce anger of the Lord: But how much more applicable are thefe expreflions, as St. John hath applied them, to myftic Babylon or Rome? (XVII. 4. XVIII. 3, 4.) She hath a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations: All nations have drunk of the poisonous wine of her fornication: Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her fins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. The prophets themselves might not understand this myftical, and saw perhaps no farther than the litteral meaning; but they spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost, (2 Pet. I. 21.) who comprehends all events, the most remote as well as the most immediate. But the intimations of popery, which I particularly meant, are more frequent and more obvious in the New Teftament. Why was our bleffed Saviour fo very cautious in giving honor to the Virgin Mary, that he feemed to regard her lefs than the least of his difciples? (Matt. XII. 48.) Who is my mother? (John II. 4.) Woman, what have I to do with

thee?

thee? (Luke XI. 27, 28.) Blessed is the womb that bare thee; Yea, rather blessed are they who bear the word of God, and keep it. Why did he rebuke St. Peter more feverely than any other of the apostles, (Matt. XVI. 23.) Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offenfe unto me, for thou favoreft not the things that be of God, but thofe that be of men; and especially just after · giving him that high encomium (ver. 18.) Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church? May we not reafonably prefume that he fpake and acted thus, as foreseeing that divine worship which would idolatrously be paid to the one, that fupremacy which would be tyrannically arrogated to the other, and which that very encomium would impertinently be brought to countenance?

How came it to pass that our Saviour in instituting his holy fupper (Matt. XXVI. 26, 27.) faid of the bread, only Take, eat, but of the cup more particularly, Drink ye all of it? May we not probably fuppofe that it was defigned to prevent or obviate their facrilege, who would have all indeed eat of the bread, but priests only drink of the cup?-Why were the vices of the Scribes and Pharifees left fo particularly upon record, if not chiefly for the correction and reproof of their natural iffue and defcendents, the clergy of the church of Rome? Read the whole 23d Chapter of St. Matthew, and you will find that there is not a fingle woe de

nounced

nounced against the former, but as properly belongs, and is as ftrictly applicable to the latter. Birding heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and laying them on mens shoulders; doing all their works for to be feen of men; shutting up the kingdom of heaven against men, neither going in themfelves, neither Juffering them who are entering to go in ; devouring widows boufes, and for a pretence making long prayers; compaffing fea and land to make one profelyte, and when he is made, making him twofold more the child of hell than themfelves; making useless and frivolous diftinctions of oaths; obferving pofitive duties, and emitting the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; making clean the outfide, but within being full of extortion and excefs; outwardly appearing righteous unto men, but within being full of hypocrify and iniquity; building the tombs of the prophets, and garnishing the fepulchres of the righteous, honoring the dead faints, and at the fame time perfecuting the living; are as ftrong marks and characters of the one fect as they were of the other.-Do not forbidding implicit faith and obedience to men, (Matt. XXIII. 9.) Call no man your Father upon the earth, for one is your Father which is in heaven; forbidding the worship of angels, (Col. II. 18.) Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels; forbidding all pretences to works of merit and fupererogation, (Luke XVII. 10.) When ye shall

have done all thofe things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants, we have done that which was our duty to do; forbidding the clergy to lord it over God's heritage, (1 Pet. IV.3.) Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being enfamples to the flock; forbidding the fervice of. God in an unknown tongue, as St. Paul hath done at large in the 14th Chap. of his first Epistle to the Corinthians: Do not all these and fuch like prohibitions, I fay, neceffa-, rily fuppofe and imply, that one time or other these particular errors and abufes would creep into the church? and in what church they are publicly taught and practifed, no man can be infenfible. Such texts of scripture are as much predictions that these things would be, as they are arguments that they should not be. For laws divine and human are not leveled against chimerical and mere imaginary vices, fuch as never are, never will be brought into practice; but are enacted by reafon of thofe enormities, which men either have committed or are likely to commit, and which the lawgivers wifely foreseeing are therefore willing to prevent.-Why doth St. Paul admonish the Romans particularly to beware of apoftafy? (Rom. XI. 20, 22.) Be not highminded, but fear otherwife thou also shalt be cut off. Surely this is a ftrange way of addreffing the Romans, if the church of Rome was defigned to be the infallible judge of controverfies, the center of unity, and director of all

religion.