Проповеди и лекции

Kfrom bread aod wnter in thift world, and from aal- ration ill llml wiiich is lo come. Aiul iiQt Hguiuvt the saints only, but aguinst kings and all in au* tbority ; '' not being afraid to speak evil of dig- cities, through covotou^nc^ making merchandize of men a souls. Avith feigned words/' This ia the spiritof the holy a5)o»toiical empire, aa it is called, which succeeded to the spirit of the I^agun em- pire : the one being of a kind with the three kiDgrloms, which had preceded it, a wild and rerocioii& boast of the earth ; the other bein^ of wholly a new kind, with eyes like the eyes of a man, and with the aspect or a hamb, but apeuking like a drvi^m. And this second apirit had ila )>erii.Kl uf 1260 yeaj»j dating from the time when it became absolute over the saint* of the tea- horned kin^^dom ; and it is remarkable that the period of the tyrannies which prccCHled it, reckon- ing from the time that they ^ral made laracl cap- jLive, was aXuo jiif^t 12'10 ytAT», Now, tonchii^ the end and ptifpc?^c winch this my»t«ry of iniquity did Kerve, in the scheme of God s purpose toward his church, it h never to be doubted that thi« monster of iniquity^ and mother of all harlotry and abominations, and master-piece of all Satan's inrcntions, hath served mt>st imporlaiit endi( m the liistcry of ChrUts church; which. I think, wc ProleAlauts have too little inquircil into. The first question* indeed, that It U a myatcry of iniquity, wc have well re- solved, and do well ever [o maioUiLn ; btii tlie questioQ, why Ood ;;hoiild have permitted such a tnonstroua usurpation of bix Son'^ royal- priestly oftico, we hare indeed very little thought of. Nor ifl thid here space to contain so mighty a subject. But yet we cannot pa&K on without raiiting out some thoughth theicou. Tlit^re is itu duubt, then, that the Bishop of Rome, or rather Satan, in that episcopal see and imperial eity, directing his am- bition according to the promifie of Christ's sccood advent, univtrsal priestly kingdom, and holy city of the new Jerusalem, did «hape ihc Pope* dom accordin^^ to the pattern thereof, and consti- tute the bi;aet with a certain resemblance of the Lamb, who ^^-ag to be the ruler of the earth. He wiutoojcalousof the honour of bis mmion, to suffer any part of the original to be lost, and did fa-* shiun liim to the very similitude nf tli<i MeJchi- Kedec to come, with what exactness Mosea f^mcd tbe Lcvitical economy to the fashion c that which was shewed him in the Mount. And. therefore, no point of sound doct