fo that he, as God, fitteth in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God." And the beast which rofe out of the fea (Rev. xiii. 1), and which probably represents the civil power of Rome, had upon his feven heads "the name of blafphemy, and there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things, and blafphemies; and he opened his mouth in blafphemy against God, to blafpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."

Now the titles affumed by the popes are in a high degree blafphemous, fome of them being fuch as belong to God only, as that of moft holy Father. In the tenth feffion of the council of Lateran, the archbishop of Patras addreffed the pope in the following manner: "Conftantine gave up the fceptre of the empire of the world, of the city, and monarchy of the univerfe, to his proper Lord, the creator of all things, to wit, Sylvester, the fovereign pontiff, the victorious God and man, in the Roman fee."

This may be confidered as flattery, and though not rejected, not accepted. But pope Nicolas II. in one of his public decrees, fays,

"It is clearly proved that the pope cannot be bound or loofed by any fecular power: for it is known that he was ftyled God by the pious Conftantine, and it is clear that God cannot be judged by man." Urban II. in a council held at Rome, A. D. 1099, faid, "It is an execrable thing that hands confecrated to do what has never been granted to any angel, viz. to create God the creator, and to offer him to God the Father, for the falvation of all

men, fhould be reduced to this unworthy bafeness, to be the flaves of hands ftained day and night with impurity, rapine, and blood."

Innocent III. faid that the popes held on earth the place, not of fimple man, but of the true God. Martin V. giving inftructions to the ambaffadors that he fent to Conftantinople, began in the following manner: "The most holy and the most bleffed, who has the celeftial empire, who is Lord upon earth, fucceffor of St. Peter, the Chrift of the Lord, the mafter of the universe, the father of kings, the light of the world, the fovereign pontiff, Martin by divine providence, inftructs Anthony Baffan," &c. &c.

Leo

Leo X. at the council of Lateran, was ftyled "the lion of the tribe of Judah, of the race of Jeffe, the faviour and deliverer of Ifrael;" and an archbishop addressed him as follows: "All power is given unto you, and he who faid all, excepted nothing." The fame pope fuffered himself to be styled divine Majefly. Paul V. fuffered himself to be called vice-God, and received this language of the prophets as applicable to himself. Jer. xxvii. 8. "The nation and kingdom which will not ferve thee, and that will not put their neck under thy yoke, that nation will I punish, faith the Lord, with the fword and with famine, and with the peftilence, until I have confumed them by his hand." Dan. vii. 14. "There was given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, fhould ferve him. His dominion is an everlafting dominion, which fhall not pass away, and his kingdom that which fhall not be destroyed. Many more examples might be given of this blafphemous arrogance.

The popes do not fcruple to afcribe to themselves the incommunicable attributes

of God, as thofe of infallible, impeccable, the power of pardoning fin, and of abfolving from the obligation of oaths, &c. which they have frequently done. They have alfo prefumed to make new articles of faith. Nay, Leo X. in his bull against Luther, anathematizes him for teaching that it is not in the power of the pope to make new articles of faith. This was afferted by Thomas Aquinas, who was canonized. According to the decrees of Gregory VII. no book of Scripture is canonical without his authority. In these decrees it is farther faid that there is no appeal from the pope, not even to God. He claims a power of giving difpenfations against the Old Teftament, against the Gospel, against the apostles, and against the law, being himself above law."

Under this head we may also include the

power which the popes claim of inftituting new facraments, and authorifing the worship of particular faints by their canonization, and admitting into heaven whom they pleafed. Clement VI. in his bull concerning those who might die in going to the jubilee

jubilee at Rome, commands "the angels of Paradife to introduce their fouls to glory and peace, without paffing through the pains of purgatory." There cannot, therefore, furely be wanting any farther evidence of blafphemy, properly fo called, in the tenfions and conduct of the popes.

pre

"the

10. We cannot wonder at fuch a power as this being styled (2 Theff. ii. 2) man of fin," and the "wicked one;" that his reign fhould be called the "mystery of iniquity;" that he fhould be faid to act with all deceivablenefs of unrighteoufnefs;" that in his time men fhould be faid to have their "confciences feared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim. iv. 2); that in "these latter days" (2 Tim. iii. 2) "men should be lovers of their own felves, and chargeable with almost every vice" there specified, efpecially as having a form of Godliness, but denying the power of it." The woman in the Revelation (ch. xvii. 4) that was "clothed in purple and fearlet," had in her hand" agolden cup full of abomination and filthiness of her fornication, and upon her

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