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the principles of their own acknowledged ancestors] rifling and pillaging churches, alienating 'church lands, &c. as may be seen in the history of the Reformation by Dr. Heylin.”

34.Wheresoever the reformed gospel was preached, it brought forth seditions, tumults, rebellions, &c. as appears from all the histories of those times.-Insomuch that in France alone, the re'formed gospellers, besides innumerable other outJeru &rages, are said to have destroyed no less than twenBabel, ( p. 169. ty thousand churches.* How little does such a ReGrounds formation resemble the first establishment of the 'church of Christ?"

of C.Doc.

p. 56.

35. The Protestants of France were Calvinists, the disciples and followers of JOHN CALVIN, whose principles were to defend his reformed religion by the sword, and put heretics to death. In the year 1560, the riotous Calvinists were called Huguenots; [i. e. confederates] and it was but natural for the disciples to be as their lord. Mosheim observes conEeel. His cerning their commotions in that country, that, “both 'the contending parties committed such deeds as are 6 yet, and always will be remembered with horror,"

tory, vol.

iv. p. 373.

bid. P. 373.

36. These outrages, however, were calmed by HENRY IV. king of France, who renounced protes tantism and made a public profession of popery. Notwithstanding by an edict drawn up in the year 1598, called the edict of Nantes, he gave the Protestants liberty of conscience, and "a full security (says Mo"sheim,) for the enjoyment of their civil rights and "privileges, without persecution or molestation from "any quarter."

37. The honour, therefore, of this religious liber: ty, is due to the Papists, and not to the Protestants. But it must be observed, that this liberty proceeded from political and sinister motives: as the religious peace, of Passau, flowed from Maurice's treacheries.

38. Such then, as have been stated, were the first means which the Protestants used, in reforming a base and superstitious church; and reform it they did, into as many different shapes and forms, as have been sufficient to keep the whole world in perplexity, and which would require the labour of a life to ex pose to full view.

IV.

39. But if such means, as those by which the Re- CHAP. formation commenced, and was promoted, and finally established, under the name of Christ, were contrary to the precepts and example of Christ, it still remained an incontestible truth, that the whole work, from beginning to end, was the work of Antichrist.

40. Seeing that such false and deceitful terms as the Blessed Reformation, a religious peace, a glorious cause, &c. are applied to quarrelling, wrangling, animosity, endless dissensions, perfidy, fraud, usurpations, fightings, wars and bloodshed, with all of which the Reformation was replete; and seeing that the promoters of such a cause called themselves the ministers of Christ; then with the strictest justice and propriety, may also the following titles be applied to such.

41. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, 2 Cor, xi. transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, 13,14,15. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

CHAPTER IV.

Reformed Churches established by the Works of
Antichrist.

THI

HE reformed churches sprang immediately out of the papal hierarchy: and being separated, founded, and established, and their doctrines, discipline and government, reformed by works contrary to, and without the example, precepts or commandments of Christ, are properly called the works of Antichrist.

2. Christ and Antichrist could never sit together on one throne, nor rule in one kingdom; therefore, while Antichrist had the dominion, Christ had it not. Antichrist, in the time of his dominion, could exer

IV.

CHAP cise his authority over the subjects of his own dark kingdom, but such as never claimed any relation to his orthodoxy, but rather suffered death under his tyranny, were never his subjects.

Hist. of Redemp.

Diss. on

3. Catholic despotism, under the name of orthodoxy, was invented by the Alexandrian priesthood, and from thence, like the torrent of one mighty river, it came rolling along down to the Reformation, through emperors and popes; and this despotic hierarchy, through all its progress, by Protestant as well as Popish writers, is called the CHURch.

4. At the Reformation this one great church is divided, and soon after subdivided; and so it continued to divide and subdivide, until innumerable churches were formed and re-formed, full of clashing principles, sectary against sectary, each claiming the greatest evidence of orthodoxy.

5. And what is still more remarkable, all those divided churches still continue to make up the one great body of Christians, the one great Catholic or Universal Church, very properly called the Church Militant, that is, the Fighting Church.

6. The papal hierarchy naturally arose out of that huge mass of corruption and motley spectacle of su perstition, established by CONSTANTINE, and called the CHURCH; which from the setting up of the school at Alexandria, until the time of LEO the GREAT, is by all her conduct, most manifestly proved to be the Church of Antichrist. Over this self-stiled Catholic church, the bishops of Rome took the su premacy.

7. From about the year 756, the Protestants have, p. 431 generally, dated the beginning of the reign of AntiSote [h.] christ, and have taken great pains to prove, that the Papal power was Antichrist-that the church of Proph. Rome was the Mother of Harlots, by whom the kings . . P. and inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with 206, 219. the wine of her fornication-and that the Papal hierarchy, church or kingdom, over which the popes had the supremacy, was the wicked Antichristian kingdom.

8. Yet from this complicated source, this self-stiled holy and ever orthodox church, this kingdom of An

tichrist and Mother of Harlots, the reformed churches immediately proceeded, and took with them, the same doctrines, sacraments, manner of worship, discipline and government, together with a vast increase of ill nature against each other, and an unmerciful spirit of persecution, as will yet more fully appear.

9. The first reformers, at the commencement of the Reformation, particularly Martin Luther, had no intention of separating from what they called the holy Roman church, as hath been observed; his only intention was to brand with infamy those emissaries who abused its authority. A reformation of the same corrupt church of Antichrist, was the highest that was even pretended.

10. But when Luther and his associates were expelled from the communion of the church, projects were formed with the princes, who thereupon withdrew the churches in their dominions from under the papal hierarchy. These churches in all parts, were the same which had, for many ages, professedly belonged to the jurisdiction of the popes of Rome.

11. And as it is strongly urged, by modern Protestant writers, that the first reformers, Luther, CALVIN, and the rest who merited that title, pleaded no divine commission;-that they taught no new religion, nor laid claim to any extraordinary vocation; it therefore, consequently and inevitably follows, that these churches were, and continued to remain the churches of Antichrist; and that they still retained the same religion, doctrines, discipline and government, which they had been taught by their mother, the MOTHER OF HARLOTS.

12. The church of Antichrist, in truth, never had the doctrine, discipline and government of Christ in possession; but had stolen the words and institutions of the saints, and clothed herself with their profession. Her doctrine was a monstrous abuse of sacred words; her discipline was written with the blood of the innocent; and her government was the grossest insult upon the rights and consciences of mankind. As was the mother, so were her daughters: they were open prostitutes, who could show no true descent, but from the same Mother of Harlots.

CHAP.
IV.

CHAP.

IV.

Christian

gy,p.333.

13. A late Protestant writer, speaking on the various state of the church, very justly says of the Reformation, "It remained imperfect, which is mostly Theolo discernable, in the discipline and government of the 'church, as likewise in morals. For with the re'formed, the true government of the church was 'changed, apostolic discipline laid aside, and the whole authority engrossed by politicians; so that at present the most grievous abuses are flagrant with respect to the vocation of ministers, the ex'ercise of discipline, the use of sacraments, &c."

14. Then surely, where churches were established without a divine commission, and without any extraordinary vocation; where apostolic discipline was laid aside; and where the whole authority was engrossed by earthly politicians, it is no marvel that the most grievous abuses should become flagrant.

15. The Church of Rome never was uniform in her doctrines; the monastic orders held sentiments directly contrary to each other, about which they were perpetually quarrelling and wrangling; yet all were held in a kind of subordinate union, so long as they professed their subjection to one infallible head.

16. But when the reformers cast off the pope's supremacy, and still retained the same contentious doctrines, and the same sordid thirst for pre-eminence, they had nothing to prevent them from showing out their divisions to their utmost extent.

17. The scriptures, which they adopted as the Word of God, and only test of religious truth, suffered them not only to retain their former respective and contradictory doctrines, but to wrangle and dispute about them in the most shameful and scandalous manner, and to give the most positive judgment against each other, followed by banishments, imprisonments, and even death. If such is the only test of truth, it is indeed a strange mystery, and mankind might forever content themselves to remain in darkness.

18. Through the whole progress of the Reformation, the same doctrines and disputes were kept up, which for many ages had existed in the Romish church, concerning The Eucharist-The TrinityThe Decrees of God-The Vicarious AtonementImputed Righteousness, &c. &c. &c.

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