and blasphemies." Both speak in Latin. Both are clothed in scarlet. Both use incense and holy water, and burn lights in their temples. Both worship images, and demons or departed spirits. Both believe in a purgatory, and encourage processions and pilgrimages. Both perform miracles and " signs and lying wonders." Both have priests and propitiatory sacrifices. The Papists have the mass, which is said to be a propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead! Both have as their presiding ruler a PONTIFEX MAXIMUS. Pope Gregory XIII. was not content with this title, but styled himself PONTIFEX MAXIMUS

OPTIMUS.

Popery is indeed a paradox. It is heathenism Christianized. It is Christianity heathenized. The Beast" was, and is not, and yet is." In one sense, the Pagan Roman empire exists no longer; for the Papacy professes Christianity. But, in another sense, it "yet is;" for much, very much, is left, which is purely Pagan. The Pagan and the Papal Roman empires were seen by Daniel as one Beast. In the Pilgrim's Progress are represented two giants-Pope and Pagan. 'Now I saw in my dream, that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims, that had gone this way formerly and while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a cave where two giants, Pope and Pagan, dwelt in old time by whose power and tyranny the men, whose bones, blood, ashes, &c. lay there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went without

:

danger, whereat I somewhat wondered: but I have learned since, that Pagan has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be yet alive, he is by reason of age and also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff in his joints that he can do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails because he cannot come at them.' Both these giants dwelt in the same cave. Both by their power and tyranny put pilgrims to death.' PAGAN, it is true, has been dead many a day' but he may be called THE GIANT THAT WAS, AND IS NOT, AND YET IS: for he survives in his brother POPE.

Let the Church of Rome boast of her antiquity, as much as she please! It is a striking remark of Mr. Poynder, that, in vaunting of her antiquity, she proves rather too much for her purpose. She is indeed of very ancient origin: for she is older than Christianity itself, and as old as Paganism, her twin sister!' The Papacy is indeed very old. It is "the Beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

CHAPTER XII.

GREAT AUTHORITY OF THE PAPACY.

AND THE

DRAGON GAVE HIM HIS POWER, AND HIS SEAT, AND GREAT AUTHORITY."

THE following quotations from Mosheim's History throw light on the sacred text. Speaking of the clergy in the eighth century, he says: Corrupt as they were, they were still held in the highest veneration, and were honoured, as a sort of deities, by the submissive multitude. This veneration for the bishops and clergy, and the influence and authority it gave them over the people, were indeed carried much higher in the west than in the eastern provinces : and the reason of this difference will appear manifest to such as consider the customs and manners that prevailed among the barbarous nations, which were at this time masters of Europe, before their conversion to Christianity. All these nations during their continuance under the darkness of PAGANISM, were absolutely enslaved to their priests without whose counsel and authority they transacted nothing of the

H

least importance, either in civil or in military affairs. Upon their conversion to Christianity they therefore thought proper to TRANSFER to the ministers of their new religion the rights and privileges of their former priests and the Christian bishops in their turn were not only ready to accept the offer, but used all their diligence and dexterity to secure and assert to themselves and their successors the dominion and authority which the ministers of PAGANISM had usurped over an ignorant and brutish people.' The historian subjoins a note, in which he proves, from ancient writers, the immense authority exercised by the Druidical priests: he then observes, this ancient custom of honouring their priests and submitting in all things to their decisions, was still preserved by the Germans and the other European nations, after their conversion to Christianity; and this furnishes a satisfactory answer to the question how it came to pass that the Christian priesthood obtained in the west that enormous degree of AUTHORITY, which is so contrary to the positive precepts of Christ, and the nature and genius of his divine religion.'

great autho

It appears, from the above, that the " rity" of the Druidical and Pagan priesthood, was transferred to the Papal clergy. "The Dragon gave him" (i. e. the Beast or the Papacy) "great authority." But the Papacy may be considered as concentrated in the Pope. And the great authority of the Bishop of Rome descended in a straight line from the great authority of the chief Druid. "This prodigious accession to the opulence and AUTHORITY of the

clergy in the west, began at their head, the Roman Pontiff, and spread gradually from thence among the inferior bishops and also among the sacerdotal and monastic orders. The barbarous nations, who received the gospel, looked upon the Bishop of Rome as the successor of their chief Druid or High Priest,

AND AS THIS TREMENDOUS DRUID HAD ENJOYED UNDER THE DARKNESS OF PAGANISM A BOUNDLESS AUTHORITY, AND HAD BEEN TREATED WITH A DEGREE OF VENERATION, WHICH, THROUGH ITS SERVILE EXCESS, DEGENERATED INTO TERROR: SO THE BARBAROUS NATIONS, UPON THEIR CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY, THOUGHT PROPER TO CONFER UPON THE CHIEF OF THE BISHOPS THE SAME HONOURS AND THE SAME AUTHORITY WHICH HAD FORMERLY BEEN VESTED IN THEIR ARCH-DRUID. THIS CONDUCT OF A SUPERSTITIOUS PEOPLE SWELLED THE ARROGANCE OF THE ROMAN DRUID TO AN ENORMOUS SIZE, AND GAVE TO THE SEE OF ROME THAT HIGH PRE-EMINENCE AND THAT DESPOTIC AUTHORITY IN CIVIL AND POLITICAL MATTERS, WHICH WERE UNKNOWN TO FORMER AGES." What a comment is this upon the words of St. John: "And the Dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." Well may the Bishop of Rome be called

THE ROMAN DRUID!

We will briefly notice some of the methods which the Popes adopted to augment their authority, and some of the circumstances which favoured their ambitious views.

The being seated in the imperial city, the queen