which will alfo be introductory to the Account we shall give of the two following Chapters. "In the beginning of the Jewish War, fays "our Author, in Nero's Reign the Apoftles "fled out of Judea with their Flocks; fome 66 beyond Jordan to Pella, and other places, "fome into Egypt, Syria, Mefopotamia, Afia "minor, and elsewhere. Peter and John came "into Afia, and Peter went thence by Corinth "to Rome; but John staying in Afia, was 66 banished by the Romans into Patmos, as the "Head of a Party of the Jews, whose Nation was in War with the Romans. By this Difperfion of the Chriftian Jews, the Chriftian Religion which was already propagated "Weftward as far as Rome, fpread faft into all the Roman Empire, and fuffered many "Perfecutions under it, till the Days of Conftantine the Great, and his Sons: all which is thus described by Daniel; And fuch as do 66 wickedly against the Covenant, shall be, who "places the Abomination, caufe to diffemble, "and worship the Heathen Gods; but the Peo"ple among them, who do know their God, "fhall be strong and a&t. And they that underStand among the People, fhall inftru&t many; yet they fhall fall by the Sword, and by Flame, and by Captivity, and by Spoils many Days. "Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen "with a little help, viz. in the Reign of Conftantine the Great; and at that time, by 66 reafon of their Profperity, many shall come "over to them from among the Heathens, and "cleave to them with Diffimulation. But of thofe of understanding there fhall still fall to try "God's People by them, and to purge then from the Diffemblers, and to make them "white, even to the time of the end: because it "is yet for a time appointed." "HITHERTO the Roman Empire continued "entire, and under this Dominion the little "Horn of the He-Goat continued mighty, "but not by his own Power. But now by the "building of Conftantinople, and endowing it "with a Senate and other like Privileges with Rome; and by the Divifion of the Roman Empire, into the two Empires of the Greeks and Latins, headed by those two Cities a "new Scene of things commerces, in which a King, the Empire of the Greeks, doth accord"ing to his Will, and by fetting his own Laws "above the Laws of God, exalts and magnifies 66 66 66 himself above every God, and Speaks marvel"lous things against the God of Gods, and fall profper till the Indignation be accomplished."Neither fhall be regard the God of his Fathers, "nor the lawfulDefires of Women in Matrimony, "nor any God, but shall magnify himself above "all, and in bis Seat be fball honour Mabuzzims,. "that is, ftrong Guardians, the Souls of the "Dead; even with a God whom bis Fathers "knew not, shall be bonour them, in their Tem"ples, with Gold and Silver, and with precious "Stones, and valuable things. All which relates "to the overfpreading of the Greek Empire "with Monks and Nuns, who placed Holiness "in Abftinence from Marriage, and to the "Invocation of Saints, and Veneration of their "Reliques, and fuch like Superftitions, which "these Men introduced in the fourth and fifth "Centuries." It appears by this Paffage, with how much Skill our Author could paraphrafe the Words of the Scripture, and what a happy Genius he had to find out the hidden Senfe Senfe of the prophetic Writings. For inftance, the Defire of Women, is, according to him, the lawful Defire of Women in Matrimony: from this Paraphrafe, it is natural to conclude, the Prophet intended to speak of the Friars and Nuns, who think Marriage is unlawful. This is, no doubt, a much more natural Expofition of the Prophet's Words, than what Grotius dreamt, when he apply'd those Words to Antiochus Epiphanes's Cruelty, who did not care for Women, though never fo beautiful, but ordered the Women of Jerufalem to be killed with their young Children, which they circumcifed*: Chap. xiii. Of the King who did according to bis Will, and magnified himself above every. God, and honoured Mahuzzins, and regarded not the Defire of Women. The beginning of this Chapter is fuch, that I queftion whether it will have the Approbation of the generality of our Divines. "In the firft Ages of the Chri-. "ftian Religion, fays our Author, the Chrifti"ans of every City were governed by a Council "of Presbyters, and the Prefident of the Coun"cil was the Bishop of the City. The Bifhop "and Presbyter of one City meddled not with "the Affairs of another City, except by ad monitory Letters or Meffages. Nor did the "Bishops of several Cities meet together in "Council before the time of the Emperor "Commodus: for they could not meet toge"ther without the leave of the Roman Go"vernors of the Provinces. But in the Days "of that Emperor, they began to meet in "provincial Councils, by the leave of the Go"vernors.The Bishop of the chief City, or << Me * 1 Machab. i. 63, 64. Sé Grotius in loc. & Jofeph. Ant lib. xii. ch. 7. Metropolis of the Roman Province was "usually made President of the Council; and hence came the Authority of Metropolitan "Bishops, above that of other Bishops, with" in the fame Province. Hence alfo it was, "that the Bishop of Rome, in Cyprian's Days, called himself the Bishop of Bishops. As "foon as the Empire became Chriftian, the Roman Emperors began to call general Councils out of all the Provinces of the "Empire; and by prefcribing to them what "Points they fhould confider, and influencing them by their Interest and Power, they fet up what Party they pleafed. Hereby the "Greek Empire, upon the Divifion of the Ro"man Empire, into the Greek and Latin Em"pires, became the King, who, in Matters of "Religion, did according to his Will, and in "Legislature, exalted and magnified himself "above every God; and at length, by the "feventh General Council, established the "Worship of the Images, and Souls of dead Men, here called Mabuzzims.” WE beg leave to obferve in this Place, that there is no reason why the Greek Empire should be the King, fpoken of in Daniel, rather than the Latin Empire; befides this, Sir Isaac told us in Chapter iv. that the Roman Empire was represented by the fourth Beaft, as the Kingdom of the Greek was by the third. If then the He-Goat be the fame with the third Beaft, and if it be that King that did according to his Will, viz. the Roman Empire, it will follow that the third and fourth Beafts are the fame, fince they reprefent at laft the fame Empire, that of the Romans. No. XXIII. 1733. Ii QUR OUR Author fhews next, how the Sect of the Encralites, or Continents, fet on foot by the Gnofticks, and propagated by Tatian and Montanus near the End of the fecond Century, which was condemned by the Churches of that and the third Century, and refined upon by their Followers, overspread the eaftern Churches in the fourth Century, and before the End of it began to overspread the Western; when the Principles of the Encratites, who maintained the unlawfulness of Marriage, not being impofed upon all Men, but only upon thofe who would voluntarily undertake a monaftick Life, began to be admired. Here we alfo find a fhort Account of the Rife and Progrefs of Monachism, both of Men and Women, Henceforward the Christian Churches having a Form of Godliness, but denying the Power thereof, came into the hands of the Encratites; and the Heathens, who in the fourth Century came over in great numbers to the Chriftians, embraced more readily this fort of Chriftianity, as having a greater Affinity with their old Superftitions, than that of the fincere Chriftians; who, by the Lamps of the feven Churches of Afia, and not by the Lamps of the Monafteries, had illuminated the Church Catholick during the three first Centuries. THE Cataphrygians brought in alfo feveral other Superftitions: fuch as were the Doctrine of Ghosts, and of their Punishment in Purgatory, with Prayers and Oblations for mitigating that Punishment. They alfo used the Sign of the Cross as a Charm. All thefe Superftitions the Apostle refers to, where he says, Now the Spirit Speaketh exprefly, that in the latter times fome hall depart from the Faith, giving beed to Seducing |
