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head was written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth."

It is not uncandid to fay that this is no unfair character of the church and court of Rome. The undue stress which the Catholics are taught to lay on their endless fuperftitious practices naturally make them respect much less than they would other wife do the obligations of morality; and when men know that they can have abfolution and indulgences for money, whatever crimes they commit, they will make themselves easy on the fubject, thinking themselves fure to go to heaven, though they should be least fit for it. It is univerfally acknowledged that the court of Rome was for ages the most corrupt of any in the world, and feveral of the popes themselves have been the moft debauched, and in all refpects the most flagitious, of For feveral centuries the priests in general, being forbidden to marry, were allowed for a small fine to have as many concubines as they pleafed, women whom they took and difmiffed at pleasure. In monaf

men.

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teries

teries the most unnatural lufts were often indulged without restraint.

Several of the vices mentioned by the apostle Paul (2 Tim. iii. 1) as prevalent in the latter days, are those that are peculiarly countenanced and practifed by the Catholics. One of them is a want of natural affection, and the priests having no lawful wives or families, must have been in a great measure devoid of it; the object of the restriction they were laid under having been to prevent their having any natural attachment to families or to countries, that they might attach themselves to the church, and to the pope as its head. The apostle also says that they would be truce-breakers; and the breach of treaties, and the violation of oaths and vows, were avowedly authorized on many occafions by the pope and the clergy, whenever it was convenient for their intereft that they should be broken. Men were also, according to the apoftles, to be traitors, heady, and high-minded; and the popes frequently authorised rebellions against lawful princes, and encouraged factions and disturb

ances

ances in ftates, to answer their political purposes. With all this they were to have "a form of godlinefs, but denying the power of it." And the Catholics, notwithstanding the vicious practices above mentioned, pretend to a character of peculiar holiness, and to hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven, from which they think that all befides themfelves will be excluded.

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II. This antichriftian power was to be an enemy to marriage, and to enjoin reftrictions in the use of meats. In Dan. xxvii. the "king who was to do according to his will," would not regard the defire of women;" and " the man of fin," in Paul's epiftles, would "forbid to marry, and command to abstain from meats, which God had created to be received with thanksgiving."

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Thefe circumftances are well known to mark the church of Rome. Their priests are univerfally forbidden to marry, and their limitations with respect to the laws of marriage are numerous, in order to make difpenfations neceffary. Alfo their rules with respect to fafting, and abftinence from particular kinds of food, make their religion exceedingly

VOL. III.

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ceedingly burdenfome, and to require frequent difpenfations, which, however, may always be purchased.

DISCOURSE VII. PART II.

12. THE greatest enormity with which this antichriftian power is charged in prophecy is, that it would be a perfecuting power; and different degrees of persecution are mentioned in the prophecies concerning it. In Rev. xiii. 1, the beaft, which reprefents this power, "causes that no man should buy or fell, fave he that had the mark, or the name of the beaft, or the number of his name." In Dan. vii. In Dan. vii. 25, it is faid to "wear out the faints of the most high," and that they fhall be given into his hands till a time, times, and the dividing of time." Of the fame beast that forbad buying or felling, except to its followers, it is faid (Rev. xiii. 1), that it fhall be given to him to make war with the faints, and to overcome them, and that power was given him over all

kindreds,

kindreds, and tongues, and nations;" and in Rev. xvii. 6, the woman which reprefents the fame power is faid to be "drunk with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of God." Of the city called Babylon, when it was fallen, it is faid (Rev. xviii. 24), that " in her was found the blood of the prophets and of the faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth."

Never was any prophecy more fully and more literally fulfilled than this has been in Rome papal. By a decree of Gregory VII. no person was allowed to buy or fell who disobeyed the holy fee. The fame was confirmed by Alexander III, and other popes, with a particular prohibition of their having any communication with Catholics. Farther than this, permiffion was given to the Catholics by papal decrees to deprive heretics of their goods. A father was even required to difinherit an heretical fon, and a fon was authorized to take the property of an heretical father; servants might refuse to obey an heretical master, and Catholics were not to be subject to an heretical king.

In confequence of excommunication,

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