cause of heresy ; and all those that would not submit to their idolatry, they have condemned to various kinds of tortures and deaths. It is very remarkable that it is not said of the false-prophet, as it is of the two witnesses, that "fire cometh out of his mouth" upon the earth; but that " he bringeth fire from heaven on the earth;" that is to say, the false-prophet will only try the cause of heresy, and pass the sentence of condemnation; he will not suffer an ecclesiastic to execute the sentence of the court; the destroying fire he causeth to come down from the heaven or throne of the Latin empire; secular princes and magistrates must execute the sentence of death upon all that are capitally condemned by the spiritual power. He MAKETH fire come down from heaven;" he compels secular princes to assist him against heretics; and if any rebel against his authority, he immediately puts them under the bond of the anathema, so that they are deprived of their offices, and exposed to the insults and persecution of their brethren. How the false-prophet has compelled secular magistrates to destroy heretics will be seen in the following Inquisitorial decree: "We ordain, moreover, that the earls, barons, governors, and consuls of cities and other places, shall take their corporal oath at the admonition of the bishop, and swear that they will faithfully, effectually, and sincerely, assist the church, according to their office and utmost power, against heretics and their accomplices, when required by the bishops and if they refuse to do this, let them be deprived of that

honour which they possess, and never be raised to any other. Let them further be excommunicated, and their countries put under the interdict of the church."* Thus the false-prophet deceives the Latin world "by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast." Under the appearance of great sanctity (for he had "two horns like a lamb," though "he spake as a dragon," he persuades men to believe all his lying doctrines; and "enforces his canons and decretals with the sword of the civil magistrate;" "saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live." There have been various opinions respecting what is meant by the image of the Beast. Lord Napeir and Whiston suppose the empire of Germany to be the image, because it is an image of the old Roman empire: but this is the revived head of the Beast, and the image is made "to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live;" therefore the revival of the head was previous to the making of the image; and, consequently, the German empire is not the same with the image of the Beast. Vitringa supposes the Tribunal of the Inquisition to be the image; but this, I think, more unlikely than the former. Others again think, that the image refers to the worshipping of images so prevalent in the Latin church. But how can it be said of the image, in this sense,

* Limborch's History of the Inquisition, Book ii. chap. 15.

that the false-prophet caused it not only to "speak," but also gave life to the image of the Beast, that it "should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." The truth is, the image of the Beast must designate a person who represents in himself the whole power of the Latin empire: therefore it cannot be the emperor; for though he was, according to his own account, supremum Caput Christianitatis, "the supreme head of Christendom;"* yet he was only the chief of the Germanic aristocracy; and, consequently, was only governor of the principal power of the Latin empire. The image of the Beast must be the supreme ruler of the Latin empire; and as it is through the influence of the false-prophet that this image is made for the first Beast, it necessarily follows, that this great chief must be an ecclesiastic. Who this is, has been ably shewn by Bishop Newton in his comment on the following

verse:

"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." "The influence of the two-horned Beast, or corrupted clergy, is farther seen in persuading and inducing mankind to make an image to the Beast which had the wound by a sword and did live.-This image

*See Mandate of Maximilian I. in Dumont's Corps Diplomatique, Tom. IV. p. 46, dated Nov. 12, 1503.

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and representative of the Beast is the Pope. He is properly the idol of the church. He represents in himself the whole power of the Beast, and is the head of all authority temporal as well as spiritual. He is nothing more than a private person, without power, and without authority, till the two-horned Beast, or corrupted clergy, by choosing him Pope, give life unto him, and enable him to speak and utter his decrees, and to persecute even to death as many as refuse to submit to him and to worship him. As soon as he is chosen Pope, he is cloathed with the pontifical robes, and crowned and placed upon the altar, and the cardinals come and kiss his feet, which ceremony is called adoration. They first elect, and then they worship him; as in the medals of Martin V. where two are represented crowning the Pope, and two kneeling before him, with this inscription, Quem creant adorant, Whom they create they adore.' He is the principle of unity to the ten kingdoms of the Beast; and causeth, as far as he is able, all who will not acknowledge his The great assupremacy to be put to death." cendency which the Popes have obtained over the kings of the Latin world by means of the Romish hierarchy is sufficiently marked in the history of Europe. As long as the great body of the people were devoted to the Roman Catholic idolatry it was in vain for the kings of the different Roman Catholic countries to oppose the increasing usurpations of the Popes. They ascended, in spite of all opposition, to the highest pinnacle of human greatness;

and even the authority of the emperors themselves was established or annulled at their pleasure. The high-sounding tone of the Popes commenced in Pope Gregory VII. commonly known by the name of Hildebrand, who aimed at nothing less than universal empire. The plans of this ambitious pontiff were contrived for the purpose of raising the church above all human authority, to a state of perfect supremacy and independence. One of his boldest strokes, was the publishing "an anathema against whoever received the investiture of a bishopric or abbacy from the hands of a layman; as also against those by whom the investiture should be performed." This measure was the occasion of a speedy quarrel between the Pope and the emperor Henry IV. which issued in the excommunication of the latter, and his deposition from all power and dignity, regal or imperial. †

'By this

* Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. Cent. XI. Part 11. chap. 2. § 14: + The following is the form of excommunication issued by the Pope against this emperor: "Beate Petre Apostolorum Prin ceps, inclina, quæsumus, aures tuas nobis ; et audi me servum tuum, quem ab Infantia nutristi, et usque ad hunc diem de ma nu iniquorum liberâsti, qui me pro tuâ fidelitate oderunt et odi unt. Tu mihi testis es, et Domina mea Mater Dei, et beatus Paulus frater tuus, et omnes Sancti, quod tua Sancta Romana Ecclesia me invitum, ad sua gubernacula traxit; et ego non rapinam arbitratus sum ad Sedem tuam ascendere; potiusque volui vitam meam in peregrinatione finire, quam locum tuum pro gloriâ mundi sæculari ingenio arripere; Et ideo, ex tuâ gratiâ, non ex meis operibus credo quod tibi placuit et placet, ut populus Christianus tibi specialiter commissus mihi obediat, specialiter