their own wickedness, they were even a Synagogue of Satan *; and, as such, they were finally destroyed. Hence their ancient Prophets, looking at God's mercy to Jerusalem, speak of her as Sion, the beloved city but regarding her iniquities, they call her Sodomt, the bloody city ‡. In like manner, by reason of God's goodness to her, Rome has received His Word and Sacraments, and through His long-suffering they are not yet utterly taken away from her: and by virtue of the remnants of divine truth and grace, which are spared to her, she is still a Church. But she has miserably marred and corrupted the gifts of God. She has been favoured by Him like Jerusalem, and like Jerusalem she has rebelled against Him. He would have healed her, but she would not be healed §. And, therefore, while on the one hand, by His love she is Sion-on the other, through her own sin, she is Babylon. IV. Having now specified certain causes of a particular kind, which have partially interfered with the right application of these Apocalyptic prophecies, we should not be dealing candidly, if we did not advert to one, of a different nature, which has operated unfavourably to the true Exposition of the Apocalypse. This was the intimate connexion of some of our own Princes, especially three of the Stuart race, with Papal Courts. One of these three Sovereigns * Rev. ii. 9. iii. 9. Ezek. xxiv. 6. Isa. i. 9, 10. iii. 9. § Jer. li. 9. was wedded to a Princess of the Romish persuasion; the second was brought up under Romish influence; and the third was himself a Romanist, and endeavoured to establish the Romish Religion in this land. This civil connexion of England with Papal Courts exercised a pernicious influence on our own Theological Literature. Those writers were supposed to be ill-affected to the reigning Powers, and disloyal to the Throne, who identified Rome with Babylon, and pointed to the evils which Scripture reveals as the consequences of communion with her. They were discouraged or silenced: and so the true Interpretation of the Apocalypse was in peril of being suppressed *. This may be a warning to us, that civil connexions with Rome are not unattended with religious dangers. Before we conclude the present discourse, which, as I have said, is intended to serve as preliminary to the argument which will be pursued on future occasions, let me desire you to fix your minds on certain very important practical uses of the particular prophecies of the Apocalypse, which have now been occupying our thoughts. I. Many admirable works have been composed by our own Divines, in Vindication of the Church of England from the charge of Schism, preferred against her by Romish Controversialists, on the ground of her * See the facts stated in Bp. Warburton's Sermon, as cited above, p. 307, and Pyle's Introduction to the Apocalypse. conduct at the Reformation, when she cleared herself from Romish errors, novelties, and corruptions. It has been shown in these Vindications, that it is indeed the bounden duty of all Churches to avoid strife, and to seek peace, and ensue it *. But it was also demonstrated, no less clearly, that Unity in error is not true Unity, but is rather to be called an impious Conspiracy against the God of Unity and Truth. Doubtless, there is a Unity, when every thing in Nature is wrapped in the gloom of Night, and bound with the chains of Sleep. Doubtless there is a Unity, when the Earth is congealed by frost and mantled in a robe of snow. Doubtless there is a Unity, when the human voice is still, the hand motionless, the breath suspended, and the whole frame locked in the iron grasp of Death. And doubtless there is a Unity, when men surrender their Reason, and sacrifice their Liberty, and stifle their Conscience, and seal up Scripture, and deliver themselves miserable captives, bound hand and foot, to the Dominion of the Church of Rome. But this is not the Unity of Light; it is the Unity of sleep and gloom. It is not the Unity of warmth and life; it is the Unity of cold and death. It is not true Unity, for it is not UNITY in the TRUTH. Therefore, since it has been proved by Appeals to Reason, to Scripture, and to Antiquity, that the *Psalm xxxiv. 14. Church of Rome has built hay and stubble on the one foundation laid by Christ*; that she has added to the faith many errors and corruptions which mar and vitiate it; and since, as the Holy Spirit teaches us in the Apocalypse, it is the duty of every Church, which has fallen into error, to repent; and since Jesus Christ Himself, the Great High PriestWho walketh in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks -declares that when a Church has left her first love, He will remove her Candlestick out of its place except she repent, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die§; and since the corruptions of one Church afford no palliation or excuse for those of another; for, as the Prophet says, though Israel play the harlot, let not Judah sin ||; and, as Christ Himself teaches, though the Church of Sardis be dead **, and Laodicea be neither hot nor cold t†, yet their sister Ephesus must remember whence she has fallen, and do her first works ‡‡, and Pergamos must repent, or He will come quickly, and fight against her with the sword of His mouth §§-therefore, we say, it was justly concluded by our Divines, that no desire of Unity on our part, nor reluctance on the part of Rome to cast off her errors, could * 1 Cor. iii. 12. † Rev. iii. 3. ** Rev. iii. 1. ‡‡ Rev. ii. 5. exempt England from the duty of Reformation; and if Rome, instead of removing her corruptions, refused to communicate with England, unless England consented to communicate with Rome in her corruptions, then no love of Unity could justify England in compliance with this requisition of Rome; for Unity in error is not Christian Unity; but, by imposing the necessity or erring as a term of Unity, Rome became guilty of a breach of Unity, and so the sin of schism lies at her door. This, I say, my brethren, has been clearly demonstrated by our Divines; and a careful study of this proof is rendered requisite by the circumstances of the present times. But there are many persons who have not the opportunity of perusing their works; and they who have, will not forget that their works are the works of men. Let all therefore remember, that there is another Work on this important subject; a Work not dictated by man, but by the Holy Spirit; a Work accessible to all,-the APOCALYPSE of ST. JOHN. 66 The Holy Spirit, foreseeing, no doubt, that the Church of Rome would adulterate the truth by many gross and grievous abominations"-I use the words of the judicious Hooker *-that she would anathematize all who would not communicate with her, *Eccles. Polit. iii. 1, 10. |