CHAPTER XXV.

THE POPE'S BLASPHEMIES. THE POPE OPENS HIS MOUTH IN BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD TO BLASPHEME HIS NAME.

AND HE OPENED HIS MOUTH IN BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD TO BLASPHEME HIS NAME."-Verse 6.

THE Pope's blasphemies are threefold. He blasphemes God's name. He blasphemes God's tabernacle. He blasphemes those that dwell in heaven. In this chapter we shall shew that the Pope opens his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme His

name.

I. First, the Pope blasphemes God the Father by usurping the name Pope, which signifies Universal Father. But the Church has only one Universal Father, namely, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore St. Paul says, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." (Eph. iii. 14, 15.) Our Saviour has expressly commanded us to call no man Pope or Universal Father, to whom we must pay unqualified obedience: "Call no man your Father upon the earth; for one is your

Father which is in heaven." (Matt. xxiii. 9.) Those who will follow the Pope thereby endanger their salvation. How much safer would it be "to be followers of God as dear children" in this world, that so in the world to come we may behold the Lamb standing on Mount Sion, and mingle in company with "the hundred forty and four thousand, who have his Father's name written in their foreheads." (Rev. xiv. 1.)

II. Secondly, the Pope blasphemes God the Son by making himself Head of the Universal Church. Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture? God "hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him (Christ) to be the Head over all things to the Church." (Eph. i. 22.) "And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence." (Col. i. 18.)

tam.

The Pope, however, identifies himself with Christ. Every one has heard of the famous Bull Unam SancIn this it was asserted that of the Holy Catholic Church there is one body and one Head (observe, not two Heads, which would be monstrous!) namely, Christ and Christ's vicar, St. Peter and the successor of St. Peter.' So that Christ and the Pope are one! No wonder that it is absolutely essential to the salvation of every human being, that he be subject to the Roman pontiff! But we put the question to every Roman Catholic, Is it not blasphemy that the Son of God and the Pope should be one ?

The remark of Luther upon this point is well deserving of attention. 'All other heretics, though they pretend to the truth, yet never pretend to the very name of Christ; this is left for Antichrist alone to do! Hence Christ, (Matt. xxiv.) not considering it sufficient to have foretold that those characters should come in his name, adds, in explication of his meaning, "I am Christ." As if he had said, they shall pretend to my very name, which is Christ, and assume it, saying that they are I myself:-" I am Christ." Nay, now they have proceeded even to this enormous profanity; they have made the Pope and Christ one! impiously prating, that of Christ and the Pope are made that one man; and that Christ cannot be separated from the Pope! O most maddened blasphemy! O blasphemy of blasphemies! That profane, wicked, and bawdy wretch, that usurer, that sacrilegious plunderer, that all-cruel tyrant, is joined with God-Christ, and made one with Him! O come, Christ Jesus our Lord, and put an end to these horrors of horrors! Amen.'

That the Pope should make himself one with Christ is indeed an enormous profanity, a maddened blasphemy, a blasphemy of blasphemies. The Pope is not only one with Christ, inasmuch as Christ and the Pope are but one Head of the Universal Church, but he takes to himself the other titles peculiar to Christ. In the Canon law he is frequently called Spousus Ecclesia- The Spouse of the Church,' which Bellarmine explains by saying: etiam Christo secluso, even putting Christ out of the question.' In

the Council of Lateran, Leo X. was called 'The Lion of the tribe of Judah'-' The root of David''The Saviour of Sion.' The Pope is called by Bellarmine The Chief Corner-Stone.'

The Pope is also Universal Bishop. When this title was assumed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Pope Gregory I. inveighed against it as a proud, profane, antichristian title. The language of Gregory should be borne in mind by every Roman Catholic. 'Whoever adopts or affects the title of Universal Bishop, has the pride and character of Antichrist, and is, in some manner, his forerunner.' It was not, however the name of Universal Bishop, nor the powers which seemed to be involved in it which alarmed Gregory, but the consideration, that if this name were conceded to the Patriarch of Constantinople, all honour would be taken from the Bishop of Rome. We will give an extract from the letter of Gregory to the Emperor Maurice on this subject.

Every one that has read the Gospel knows that, even by the words of our Lord, the care of the whole church is committed to St. Peter the Apostle, the prince of all the Apostles. For to him it is said, "Peter, lovest thou me ?-Feed my sheep."

'The care and the principality of the whole Church is committed to him, and yet he is not called Universal Apostle, though this holy man, John, my fellow-priest, labours to be called Universal Bishop. I am compelled to cry out, O the corruption of times and manners! Behold, the barbarians are become lords of all Europe cities are destroyed, castles are beaten

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down, provinces are depopulated; there is no husbandman to till the ground: idolaters rage and domineer over Christians, and yet Priests, who ought to be weeping on the pavement in sackcloth and ashes, covet names of vanity, and glory in new and profane titles.

'Do I, most religious Sovereign, in this plead my own cause? Do I vindicate a wrong done unto myself, and not maintain the cause of Almighty God and of the Church Universal ? Who is he that presumes to usurp this new name, against both the law of the Gospel and of the Canons ? I would to God there might be one called Universal, without doing injustice to others. We know that We know that many Priests of the Church of Constantinople have been not only heretics, but even the chief leaders of them. Out of that school proceeded Nestorius, who thinking it impossible that God should be made man, believed that Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man, was two persons, and went as far in infidelity as the Jews themselves. Thence came Macedonius, who denied the Holy Ghost, consubstantial to the Father and the Son, to be God. If then every one in that Church assumes the name by which he makes himself the head of all good men, the Catholic Church, which God forbid should ever be the case, must needs be overthrown, when he falls, who is called Universal. But far from Christians be this blasphemous name, by which all honour is taken from all other Priests, while it is foolishly arrogated by one. It was offered to the Bishop of Rome by the reverend Council of

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