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A. D., 533, history is marked by any event corresponding in magnitude with the taking away of the power of the Papal Antichrist, all conjecture, as to the birth of this power, viz., A. D., 533, must give place to certainty.

This then, we affirm, is true of A. D. 1793.

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To place this subject, in connexion with our preceding remarks respecting the persecuting powers of of the Church in a still clearer light, we remark, that, "during the Old Testament dispensation, the people of God wore a strictly national aspect." So with their persecutors. "First they were the Egyptians, then the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, and subsequently the Romans. But among them BABYLON was pre-eminent: so much so, as to give a general name to the whole persecuting power.”

But, as under the Old, so under the New Testament dispensation: "the people of God wore a two-fold aspect, national and spiritual,-national as regards their outward privileges, spiritual, as regards their religious character." So, "the great oppressor, the persecutor, the successful opponent of the people of God:" the Scriptures presenting him to our view in a double aspect, viz., "national and anti-spiritual,- national, in opposition to their outward privileges, to their properties, and to their LIVES; and anti-spiritual, in her deadly hostility to THE TRUTH, the life and soul of the Church of God."

The question now presents itself,-whither are we

1. Dan. ii. 31-38.

to look for the existence, in their perfection, of these hostile machinations, against the outward privileges and spiritual truth of God's people? As "the language, applied to the literal Israel, continues applicable to that nation, still beloved for the Father's sake, and at the same time becomes transferable to the spiritual Israel;" So "the language of the Old Testament, also, applied to the literal Babylon, furnished a mode of speech which was adopted by the Apostles under the new, to set forth the anti-spiritual oppressors of the people of God under the present dispensation: so that the language applied to the literal Babylon is now transferrable to the Romish system, wherever found. This fact may be confirmed by a single illustration, that, for instance, which relates to the destruction of HUMAN LIFE of "the Saints of the Most High," at the hand of the little papal horn of Daniel. "Joseph Mede reckons up 1,200,000 of the Waldenses and Albigenses put to death in 30 years. It is calculated, that the Roman Catholics, since the rise of the persecution in the 7th or 8th century, to the present time, have butchered, in their blind and diabolical zeal for the Church, no less than 50,000,000 of those they term heretics. Since the Spaniards set foot on the shores of America, it is calculated they have butchered 12,000,000 on the Continent, besides the many millions who fell in the islands." 1 "Lorentes calculates that the inquisition in the Spanish peninsula alone, under the uninterrupted dominion of 45 grand inquisitors, have sacrificed 241,000 individuals."

1. Simpson's Plea, p. 195.

"Popery must bear the blame of this; for the Pope, by virtue of his blasphemous title as God's vicar and vicegerent, gave Philip of Spain all those countries, and his blood-thirsty soldiers first took possession of them in the Pope's name, and then proceeded to extirpate the inhabitants.”1

This, we say, was the virus (the venom) of the ancient "Babylonish system: but the perfection of that system is found especially at Rome; and therefore, we find this persecutor of the people of God, set forth under the New Testament, by the name of Babylon, and by the description of a city standing on seven hills, which is a description of Rome, as the mystic "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."2

"Curs'd System, bitter root of every crime,
Of sin the ugliest, foulest incarnation;
The darkest blood-shot on the face of time,
Sure source of ruin unto many a nation :
The bane of peace, the hind'rer of Salvation,
The severer of every tender tie;

Fountain of broken hearts, true imitation
Of Satan's regal power and dignity."

In addition, "a few facts recalled to mind, will show that these heavy charges are not without foundation. Look at its image worship, and other hundred senseless, mischievous mummeries, both for the dead and the living. Think how it takes away the book of life,

1. Thoughts on the Com. and King of Chris.. by John Cox, p. 29. 2. Rev. v. 17.

the lamp of eternity. Consider how it exalts saints and angels, and degrades the Redeemer !"

"But we are told that popery is changed, and that these things should not now be mentioned; but because I believe it is unchanged and unchangeable, I have hinted at these things. I believe popery as a system, to be like sin; both may, yea, both shall be annihilated, but neither can be changed; while they live, they will retain their nature, and restlessly follow up their grand object, which in both is, DOMINION."

The strength of the papal dominion may be inferred from the fact, that in A. D. 1793, France alone contained upwards of 366,000 secular and regular clergy, besides an immense number of nuns. In the whole of Christendom, there were no less than 255, 444 monasteries about 150 years ago.

The period however had ultimately arrived, when this Anti-christian dominion was to receive an intimation, (a sign,) of its long-predicted doom. Besides numerous other premonitions of this, which our limits necessarily exclude, that of Henry VIII and his successors in England, in suppressing 3180 monasteries, containing a population of 50,000 persons, may serve as an example. But it was at the fall of the French monarchy, on the 10th of August, 1792, that a series of the most stupendous events began their awful course, which so exactly correspond in character with the results to be expected from the judgement of the Ancient of Days upon the Papal power, that we are led, reasoning from these events, to fix on the following year, A. D. 1793, when that Hierarchy was shak

en to its centre by the apocalyptic earthquake, as the ERA of the commencement of that Judgment, a description of which is given in Daniel vii. 9-11. It is as follows:

"I beheld till the thrones were cast down (or set) and the Ancient of Days did sit. A fiery stream came forth from before him, thousand thousands ministered unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him-the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame."

Before considering the import of these words, let it be observed, that the verse which follows, namely, the 12th, is a parenthesis, and simply informs us, that when the three former Beasts were deprived of their dominion, it was not effected by a destruction similar to that of the fourth Beast, but their lives (that is, the political existence of the nations of which they consisted) were prolonged for a season. As to the fulfilment of this, history testifies to it. Indeed, the nations inhabiting the territories of the former three Beasts, continue in existence even to the present day, although in a feeble state, and now fast wasting

away.

The Judgement of the ANCIENT OF DAYS is an emblematical representation of that special act of the FATHER, which is signified in the words of the 110th

1. Rev.

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