V.

17. Fourth. "Now all heathen magistrates were CHAP. 'put down, and only Christians were advanced to 'places of authority all over the empire. They had now Christian presidents, Christian governors, Christian judges and officers, instead of their old heathen'ish ones. Constantine set himself to honour the 'Christian bishops or ministers, and to build and ' adorn churches; and now large and beautiful Chris'tian churches were erected in all parts of the world, ' instead of the old heathen temples."

18. This was the greatest revolution in the face of things that ever came to pass since the flood.Satan tempted Christ, and promised to give him 'the glory of the kingdoms of the world; but now he is obliged to give it to him even against his will. This was a glorious fulfilment of that promise which a. Hi "God made to his Son, that we have an account of in 12. 'Isaiah."

19. "This was a great fulfilment of the prophe'cies of the Old Testament concerning the glorious time of the gospel, and particularly of the proph'ecies of Daniel. Now the kingdom of heaven is' I come in a glorious degree. It pleased the Lord 'God of heaven to set up a kingdom on the ruins of 'that of Satan.—And now see to what a height that 'glorious building is raised, which had been building 'ever since the fall."

20. Many things more might be added from this author, and also from others, to show the high reputation, in which Constantine is held*-that he is considered as the greatest birth, that had ever been produced since the flood: and this idea is still more ingeniously stated by Whiston, and after him by Bishop Newton thus:

21. "For as the time of gestation from the con'ception to the birth in woman with child, is known 'to be forty weeks, or two hundred and eighty days; 'so it is well known, that from the first rise of our

The following comment (on Rev. xii. 5.6, &c.) by certain learned divines, so called, may also serve as a striking proof, to show the exalted veneration in which Constantine and his successors are held by the defenders of his faith-via. A man-child caught up to God and his throne :] Meaning (say they) Constantine and his successors to the Roman empire, and made God's deputies, sitting as it 'were on his throne"-War in heaven:1A great batole in the Church of God." i. e. in the Church of the Catholics-Michael and his Angels:] Constantine and *his soldiers, &" See Assembly's Annotations on the place. Lon. Ed. 105.

Dissert.

on Proph.

vol. ii.

p. 186.

CHAP.

V.

'Saviour's kingdom, A. D. 33. till the famous proc 'lamation and edict, for the universal liberty and ad'vancement of Christianity by Constantine and Licin'ius, A. D.313, was exactly two hundred and eigh'ty years. Reckoning according to the prophetic ac-. count, a day for a year."

22. That Constantine laid the foundation of a vast kingdom, a Catholic, or universal empire, is not disputed. But whether it was the kingdom of Christ, or of Antichrist, is the question. And should it be found to be the kingdom of Antichrist, which he set in order, then his descent must be reckoned from Simon Magus, who was cotemporary with the apostles, and not from Jesus of Nazareth.

23. If Christ Jesus was truly the Son of God, and if the Primitive Church was his real body, so long as that Church remained, and Christ Jesus reigned in it, what need could there be of another birth or bringing forth of the same? And if it is established, that another gestation commenced in the very year that Simon the sorcerer professed faith in Christ, and offered to purchase the power of God with money, and that birth took place in the same year that Constantine and Licinius proclaimed universal liberty, then what could it be but the birth of Antichrist?

24. And especially, if it is found that both the body and spirit brought forth in this latter period, is essentially different from the former, then it must follow, beyond all contradiction, that the latter is the body and spirit of Antichrist, and of course, that all such as have sprung from that body and spirit, or claim any relation thereto, are properly members of Antichrist's kingdom, and stand in no relation to Christ the true Son of God.

25. Is it not surprising, how any sensible men could avoid seeing the plain contrast between the spirit and works of Constantine, and those of the Primitive Christians? And how could any have the confidence to appropriate the name of the true God, or of Christ his Son, to a haughty, and blood-thirsty Pagan, who, through scenes of human butchery, established himself at the head of a religion, of which he knew nothing but the name?

V.

26. Where is the least resemblance of the inno- CHAP. 'cent Jesus, even according to their own account? Was it in accepting the glory of the kingdoms of this world? Surely here the contrast is perfect: and so it continues in every branch of his proceedings.

27. This is manifest from his conduct in spreading } desolation and destruction through the empire, butchering or banishing his former brethren, taking their property, and coining their gold and silver into money for his own usein honouring, and promoting the same kind of men to posts of honour and profit-in building temples, different in name, but as magnificent, and ornamented with as splendid images, as those which he destroyed. And all this they ascribe to the mighty power of God, above all that had ever appeared since the flood, Jesus and his apostles not excepted?

28. How is it possible that any man of sense could be so imposed upon, as to believe that the sacred scriptures, written by the persecuted John, was fulfilled in the frighted nonconformists' hiding themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, from LORD CONSTANTINE, who sat upon the throne of AUGUSTUS, and from the wrath of that wild and furious emperor, who first had the assurance to shed human blood, under the ensign of a cross.

29. Happily, the tree is known by its fruit: and therefore, we shall observe a little more particularly, the fruits of this great revolution; from which it will appear still more evident, that it was not Christ, but Antichrist, who accepted of that temporai honour, power and preferment, by which he adjusted matters. in his Catholic or Universal Church, so as to prepare for his unlimited spiritual reign.

CHAP.

VI.

CHAPTER VI.

The Subject continued.

CCORDING to Mosheim and others, Constan

A tine professed to be converted to the Christian

Eccl.His faith, about the year 313, while on his march toward tory, vol, Rome, to decide by a bloody battle with Maxentius, i. p. 912.) which of them should be the greatest. And having

8.

defeated his antagonist, he was instated on the imperial throne; soon after which, he repealed those laws which had been enacted against the Christians.

2. But in all this, what evidence appears to prove that it was the true faith of the Son of God that he embraced? His followers say, that he saw the appearance of a Cross in the heavens, and that Christ appeared to him in a dream, with the same cross in his hand, with this inscription on it: (Hac vince) By this conquer.

3. But why did not Christ come to him with a sword in his hand, and tell him to conquer by that? Was it by the cross, or by the sword that he conquered? If by the sword, then he mistook the vision altogether.

4. But it seems he made a sign of that visionary cross, and set it up as a standard to fight under; and herein he manifested the very spirit of his Catholic christianity, by establishing an outward sign or ap pearance of Christ, under which he could act in direct opposition to the nature and spirit of the Lamb of God.

5. The fact is, if Christ Jesus appeared to Constantine, and gave him authority to draw the sword, and force his way to the throne, through scenes of blood and carnage;-if he commissioned him to repeal civil laws and statutes-to pull down temples and build them again to banish heretics, promote proud bishops, and so on, he must first have repealed all the laws he ever gave his disciples, and contradicted all that he ever taught.

Heb. xiii. 6. But if Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and Johnxviii forever-if his kingdom is not of this world-if his servants will not fight-if they are poor in spirit,

36.

VI.

meek, merciful, peace-makers-and if the fruits of CHAP. his spirit are love, joy, peace, and such like; then it follows, that it was neither Christ Jesus, nor any of Matt. V. his followers, that repealed or contradicted his doc- 2, 9. trines, but cunning deceivers who crept in unawares.

7. If there was any truth in the story of Constantine's seeing a vision, it was not Christ that appeared to him, to encourage him to the battle; but the father of deception transformed into an angel of light.

8. It is readily granted, that Constantine effected a great revolution, by incorporating together the civil and ecclesiastical powers under the name of Christ; for which his followers exalt him above all that had been called God: yet they are greatly mistaken, when they suppose that his motley empire exceeded in temporal glory, the kingdom of Solomon.* The fact is, ch. i. it fell unspeakably short: then with how much less propriety must it bear any comparison to the spiritual kingdom of the Prince of Peace!

*2Chron.

9. Instead of being greater than Solomon, this great head of the orthodox Churches must, in fact, appear less than the least in the kingdom of heaven; that is, such a one as in no case can enter into it,† †See Mat v. 19, 20. as is most strikingly evident from the following concession.

tory, vol.

10. "It must indeed be confessed, (says Mosheim,) Eccl.Kis that the life and actions of this prince, were not i. p. 313, 'such as the Christian religion demands from those 314.. who profess to believe its sublime doctrines. It is also certain, that from his conversion to the last period of his life, he continued in the state of a cate'chumen, and was not received by baptism into the ' number of the faithful, until a few days before his death, when that sacred rite was administered to him at Nicomedia, by Eusebius, bishop of that place."

11. "For it was a custom with many, in this century, to put off their baptism to the last hour, that 'thus immediately after receiving by this rite the rc• mission of their sins, they might ascend pure and 'spotless to the mansions of life and immortality."

12. So far the principles and practices of this Catholic emperor are simply stated; the next thing then is to garnish over the whited sepulchre, and prove