V.

sought means to climb up some other way. SIMON CHAP. MAGUS was the first; he stood ready to embrace the gospel in the very start, and even to purchase with money, that power which would raise him, in the es- Acts vän. teem of the people, to a level with the apostles.

8. DIOTREPHES gained the pre-eminence, and many followed his pernicious ways. The Alexandrian school furnished a new race of apostles, whose labours, through a great part of the second and third centuries, consisted in forming a new church, wholly different, even in its outward appearance, from the Primitive Church of Christ.

9. And this was effected by holding councils, appointing offices, and assuming titles, condemning heretics, and disputing among themselves about their self-invented doctrines. Thus, from one thing to another, they altered, expunged, and added, until their Christian religion, so called, demanded the most honourable seat in the Roman Empire, and its promoters became exalted to the utmost pitch of pride, luxury, and temporal dominion; by which the nations of the earth have been deceived, even to the present day.

18.

10. The followers of the Orthodox Fathers, have generally agreed, that the establishment of the Christian religion, so called, by the Roman emperors, was an introduction to the reign of Christ upon earth. They have generally agreed, that CONSTANTINE THE GREAT, was the man-child, spoken of in Revelations, Rev. ». who was to rule the nations: and, that the church which brought him forth, was the true church of Christ, which, at the expiration of twelve hundred and sixty years, would appear in her latter-dayglory; when all heresies, or false doctrines, (which are to be considered as the flood of the dragon,) should be swallowed up, and taken out of the way of -Catholic Truth.

11. It is well known that this is the general faith of Protestants, as well as that of their Mother Church, and that all parties in the great Catholic division, consider CONSTANTINE the GREAT, as the most eminent father, and founder of their religion and government. The following remarks of President Edwards, are

CHAP. conformable to the general opinion of protestant writers on this subject.

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Hist. Re. 411.

12. In his History of Redemption, he says, " I 'come now in the fourth place, to the great revolu'tion that was in the world in the days of Constantine, ' which was, in many respects, like Christ's appearing ' in the clouds of heaven, to save his people, and judge 'the world."

13. "The people of Rome, being weary of the gov'ernment of those tyrants to whom they had lately 'been subject, sent to Constantine, who was then in the city of York in England, to come and take the 'throne. And he being encouraged, as is said, by a 'vision of a pillar of light in the heavens, in the form 'of a cross, in the sight of his whole army, with this 'inscription, By this conquer; and the night follow'ing, by Christ's appearing to him in a dream with 'the same cross in his hand, who directed him to 'make a cross like that to be his royal standard, that his army might fight under that banner, and assured 'him that he should overcome."

14. "Accordingly he did, and overcame his ene'mies, took possession of the imperial throne, embraced the Christian religion, and was the first 'Christian emperor that ever reigned. He came to the throne about 320 years after Christ. There are several things which I would take notice of, which ' attended or immediately followed Constantine's coming to the throne."

15. First. The Christian church was thereby wholly delivered from persecution.-Christians had no persecutions now to fear. Their persecutors

now were all put down, and their rulers were some of them Christians like themselves. Second. God 'now appeared to execute terrible judgments on their 'enemies. So that what now came to pass, might very fitly be compared to their hiding themselves 15, 16, 17. in the dens and rocks of the mountains."

Ror. vi.

6

Ima

16.“ Third. Heathenism now was in a great meas'ure abolished throughout the Roman empire. ges were now destroyed, and heathen temples pul'led down. Images of gold and silver were melted 'down, and coined into money.-The heathen priests ⚫ were dispersed and banished."

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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, Chris'tian 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 Isa. pi. "God made to his Son, that we have an account of in 12. "Isaiah."

19. "This was a great fulfilment of the prophecies 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 '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 repu tation, 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:

Dissert.

vol. ii.

21. "For as the time of gestation from the con'ception to the birth in woman with child, is known on Proph. 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-viz. Aman-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:] "A great battle in the Church of God." . in the Church of the Catholics-Michael and his Angels:] "Constantine and His soldiers, &c." See Assembly's Annotations on the place. Lon. Ed. 1991.

p. 186.

CHAP.

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'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 Licinius, A. D. 313, was exactly two hundred and eighty 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 ?

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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 use-in 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 temporal honour, power and preferment, by which he adjusted matters in his Catholic or Universal Church, so as to prepare for his unlimited spiritual reign.