his height of glory. Cafting off his fubjection to the Moft High, he was tumbled from his lofty feat. Lofing his innocence, he was banished his celestial habitation: being lifted up with pride, he fell into condemnation, 1 Tim. iii. 6.; and being now an enemy to God, he was an adversary to his confederate on earth, man in paradise. Entering into the ferpent, he beguiled Eve; and, by her means, Adam her husband. Not only fo, but

they being our foederal root, in their fall, we fell; and were plunged into irremediable woe, had not the Son of God put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and been clad with zeal as a cloke. In the first promise, Satan is mentioned as at enmity with the woman and her feed; and there it was foretold, that as an evidence of his implacable, though impotent enmity, he should bruife his heel, Gen. iii. 15. In allufion to his first temptation, he is often called the old ferpent, as the church is called the woman and her feed, Rev. xii. 9,15,16,17. He is called a red dragon, to denote his cruelty; Abaddon and Appollyon, as being the destroyer; the Devil, as accufing the Brethren; and Satan, as being the adverfary. But,

2. As the ferpent, fo his feed are the enemy of Christ and his people. In that firft promife, we read not only of the enmity between the ferpent and the woman, but also between his feed, and her feed. And who are the ferpent's feed? All impenitent finners, as the faints are the feed of the woman. So John called the Pharifees and the Sadducees, The generation of vipers, Matth. iii. 7.: and a greater than John faid, Ye are of your father

the devil, and the lufts of your father ye will do: He was a murderer from the beginning.He is a liar, and the father of it, John viii. 44. And faid Paul to Elymas, O thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteoufnefs, Acts xiii. 10. In the children of disobedience, the prince of the power of the air is faid to work, Eph. ii. 2. Into Judas, the fon of perdition, the devil entered, and put it into his heart to betray the Son of God, John xiii. 2. Cain was of that wicked one, viz. he was of his feed, 1 John iii. 12. Nay, He that committeth fin is of the devil, as whosoever is born of God doth not commit fin, ver. 8, 9.-From this conftellation of fcriptures, it is evident, as the day, That all who are not born of the Spirit, i. e. that all men, in their natural state, are the enemies of God and his faints. Their carnal mind is enmity against God: they are enemies in their minds, Rom. viii. 7. Col. i. 2 1. And as one great body, acting under, and animated by the wicked one, they may juftly be called the enemy. They are the feed of the ferpent, the lion's whelps, thirfting after the blood of the faints: and hence, rivers of it have been fhed and drunk by them. the days of his flesh, had to wrestle, not only with Satan, but with his feed; and, at last, by them, he was crucified and flain. The ferpent and his feed, were all in arms against the Son of God. When lifted up on the ftandard of the crofs, they came in like a flood upon him. But,

So the Redeemer, in

3. And lastly on this head, Antichrift is the enemy of the Redeemer and his people. He, indeed, is included under the laft particular, as be

ing the feed of the ferpent. But being among finners, as Saul among the people; and being so particularly spoken of, and pointed out in the new teftament, I could not but mention him apart. And when I call Antichrift the enemy, I do not intend that individual perfon only, who is known by the name of the Pope of Rome; but also all that ecclefiaftic body, connected with, and adheing to him as their head, down to the meaneft miffionary, and the fillieft mass-prieft. Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, &c. down to Monks, and mendicant Friars; all hang together, as one mifhapen and monftrous body, calling themfelves, The holy mother church: how juítly, we shall fee in our progrefs. As every body, whether politic or ecclefiaftical, is in fome sense one; fo that great body which was to revolt from the true faith, is often mentioned as one man, even as the true church is called a woman, Rev. xii. And as this last defignation does not mark out any individual, but implies the church of Chrift, the bride, the Lamb's wife; fo that man of fin, the son of perdition, mentioned 2 Theff. ii. 3. fignifies the whole antichriftian church, from its haughty head, down to the meaneft of its members.-Thefe things premifed, I again fay, that the Romish church is the enemy of the Redeemer and his people. If this can be proven, it is fufficient to found the alarm to every Proteflant; and that it can, is evident from the following arguments, to which I beg your attention.

E

That the Pope of Rome is the Enemy, proved from PAUL'S Prophecy concerning the Man of Sin, 2 Theff. ii. 3,-10.

L

ET us, in the first place, confult Paul's

prophecy concerning Antichrist. 2 Theff. ii. 3,-10. There he speaks of that man of fin, the fon of perdition, who was to be revealed, so foon as that which hindered him fhould be taken

out of the way. The mystery of iniquity was even then working as under ground; only it could not openly appear, in all its extent, till that which letted, or impeded its progrefs, was taken out of the way. Now, how is that man of fin characterised? See verfe 4. He oppofeth and exalteth himfelf above all that is called God, or that is worshiped: fo that he, as God fitteth in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God.

Such a one was

the man of fin to be. And to whom doth the character agree, but to the Roman Antichrift? Does not the head of the Roman church affect divine titles and attributes, as holiness and infallibi lity? Does he not affume divine prerogatives, in pardoning fin; and in anathematifing those who doubt or dispute his authority? Does he not exalt himself above God, in granting difpenfations and indulgences? To grant a difpenfation to fin, is a direct oppofition to the holy God, and what he cannot do: fuch is the neceffary, the immaculate, and unchangeable purity of his nature, Ḥab. i. 13.

The Jews made the queftion, Who can forgive fins but God? It was an article with them, it seems, that to forgive fin, is the prerogative of Deity. But that Lucifer of Rome; not content with this robbery, afpires at what a holy God himself cannot do, even to indulge men in their fins. Does not the Roman Pontiff, as God, fit in what was once the temple of God, viz. the church, showing himself that he is God? Like another Salmoneus, he is proud to pass for a god. He is ftiled, and pleafed to be ftiled, Our Lord God the Pope; another God upon earth; King of kings, and Lord of lords: the fame is the dominion of God ' and the Pope. To believe, that our Lord God. the Pope might not decree, as he decreed, were a matter of herefy. The power of the Pope, is greater than all created power, and extends itself to things celeftial, terreftrial, and infernal. The • Pope doth whatever he lifteth, even things unC lawful; and is more than God. Such blafphemies are not only allowed, but even approved, encouraged, and rewarded in the writers of the church of Rome; and they are not only the extravagancies of private writers, but the language even of public decretals and acts of councils *. The Popes have often fuffered themselves to be called Gods. At Tolentino, a town in Italy, is feen an infcription, to Paul III. the moft excellent and the moft great God on earth. It is notour, that the Pope allowed it to be faid of him in the Lateran council, anno 1512. That he hath a heavenly

* See Dr. Newton on prophecy, Vol. II. p. 399.