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really, who fhall fubdue three of these ten kings."

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St. Cyril, who likewife flourished in the fourth century, afferted exprefsly," that the eleventh king mentioned by Daniel, is Antichrift, who fhall violently feize, by magical and wicked contrivance, the Roman power."

In the fixth century, Gregory the Great, in the most plain and direct manner, in his addreffes to the most eminent perfons of his own time, fcrupled not to apply the Prophe cies concerning the beaft in the Revelations; the man of fin, and the apoftafy from the faith, mentioned by: St. Paul, to him who fhould prefume to claim the title of Univerfal Priest, or Univerfal Bifhop, in the Chriftian Church. "I affirm confidently," faid he; "that whoever calls himself univerfal Bifhop, or is defirous to be fo called, shows himself, by this pride and elation of heart, to be the forerunner of Antichrift.” Such was his language, intended to convey a fevere cenfure upon the Patriarch of Conftantinople. Yet this zealous Bishop of Rome was blind to his own fituation; for no one before his time had ever carried the claims and the arrogance of Papal fupremacy to fuch a pitch, as

himself and it is remarkable, that his imme diate fucceffor, Boniface III. received from the tyrant Phocas, the exact title which Gre gory had thus cenfured.

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At the Synod of Rheims, held in the tenth century, Arnulphus, Bishop of Orleans, ap pealed to the whole Council, whether the Bishop of Rome was not the Antichrift of the Prophets, fitting in the temple of God," and perfectly correfponding with the marks which St. Paul had given of him.

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In the eleventh century all the characters of Antichrift feemed to be fo united in the perfon of Pope Hildebrand, who took the name of Gregory VII. that Joannes Aven tinus, a Romish Hiftorian, fpeaks of it as a subject in which the generality of fair, can did, and ingenuous writers agreed, that at that time began the reign of Antichrist. →→ St. Barnard, in the twelfth century, employed the force of his great eloquence against the corruptions of the See of Rome. The Popes," faid he, call themselves the minifters of Chrift, and they ferve Antichrist. The beaft of the Revelations, to whom was given a mouth speaking blafphemies, and to war with the faints, feizes the chair of St. Peter,

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Peter, like a lion ready for his prey." And to close this detail, the Albigenfes and Waldenfes, who may be called the Proteftants of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, exprefsly afferted in their declarations of faith, that the Church of Romae was the whore of Babylon.

Thus have we a regular chain of testimony to prove the fucceffive progress of this opinion

viz. from the period alluded to,

formation.

the time of the Apostles to the Re

In proportion as the authority of the Popes prevailed and extinguished freedom of enquiry, thefe explanations of the Prophecies were checked, except in the cafe of fome few perfons, who had boldness enough to affert them publicly, in defiance of the decrees of the Conclave, that menaced them with excommunication. The application therefore of these Prophecies to Papal Rome, far from being a novel opinion, publifhed to vindicate the conduct of the Reformers and their adherents, was authorised

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All the parts of this chain are clearly fhown in the learned and ingenious Introduction of Bishop Hurd to the Study of the Prophecies; from whence I have chiefly felected the above detail.

3.

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by an antient and uninterrupted tradition in the Church, grounded upon Prophecy, and the words of the Apoftles, and was fully juftified by the declarations, conduct, and inftitu tions of the Papifts themselves, when exercifing their oppreffive authority over the Chriftian worlda.

It is curious to inquire whether the Papifts behold in this prophetical picture any likeness of themselves. They imagine they view it in imperial Rome elated by her victories, exulting in her fenfuality, and her fpoils; polluted by idolatry, perfecuting the people of God; and finally falling like the first Babylon: whilst a new and holy city, represented by their own communion, filled with the spotless votaries of the Christian faith, rises out of its ruins, and the victory of the crofs is completed over the temples of Paganifm. This fcheme is adopted by Baffuet, Grotius, and Hammond. Thefe eminent men have indeed difcovered a faint and imperfect refemblance; but have they pointed out the particular nice and distinct traces of likeness? Eager to establish their scheme, they run into a manifeft abfurdity, by violating the order of time, difregarding the opinions of the primitive Chriftians, and turning away their eyes from the appropriate defcriptions of the Prophets.

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The MAHOMETAN POWER, another Branch or Form of Antichrift.

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All Commentators agree that the ninth chapter of Revelations refers to Mahometanifm, and the Saracenic and Turkish powers. It is therefore clear, that the present generation is ftill living under the influence of the fixth trumpet, when the four angels [that is, the four Turkifh Sultanies] were loofed, which were bound in the great river Euphrates. The time for their conquest was exactly Jimited, and history afcertains that this time was not exceeded; but nothing is said in this chapter of the duration of their dominion. However, fince it is declared, that “ in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, the myftery of God fhall be finished," it is certain that this dominion must be destroyed to wards the end of the fixth trumpet, or " when the feventh thall begin to found."

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Thus far is clear. But whether the Mahometan Power may be confidered as properly the Antichrift, foretold in the prophecy of Daniel, has been doubted by many writers,

Rev. ix. 14.

Rev. x. 7.

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