Page images
PDF
EPUB

name to the ecclesiastical composition of their newly constructed semblance of Pagan Rome; That the Roman beast caused this mark and name to be universally known, and denied the common rights of humanity to those who would not enrol themselves as servants of the master whose mark and name were thus proclaimed; That the ecclesiastical composition of the semblance of Pagan Rome was a man; and That the name given to him by the barbarians, expressed, in numeral letters, the number 666.

Having now completed our analysis of the prophetic terms, we may proceed to ascertain the replies of history to the several conditions imposed, which, stated in accordance with the order and exigency of the prophecy, have been found to be-That after the subjection of the western Roman empire by the barbarians, and the subsequent invasion of its territory by the Saracens, a new essentially Roman power gradually gained an ascendency ultimately resulting in an empire of sufficient importance to meet the requirement of a symbolic beast; That the profession of Christianity was the great element of strength by which the secular power of the Roman beast was created and maintained; That the beast's profession of Christianity masked an idolatrous spirit that found expression in heathenish and not Christ-like mandates and decrees; That he exercised in his dominions all the power that had been previously exercised therein by the barbaric beast, subject to the barbaric beast's supremacy; That Paganism Paganism was perpetuated in another form under the Roman beast's rule; That the Roman beast became very celebrated; successfully invoked the highest ruling powers to support him by a manifestation of wrath against his opposers; imposed pretended miracles on the credulity of the Romans and barbarians, and induced them to construct a semblance of Pagan Rome; That the Roman beast infused life into the ecclesiastical composition of the semblance of Pagan Rome which he had induced the barbarians to construct; That the ecclesiastical composition of the semblance, thus verified, issued decrees and caused the penalty of death to be enforced against those who refused their religious

homage; That the secular composition of the semblance was constructed by the Romans; That the barbarians instituted a mark by which the devotees of the ecclesiastical composition of their newly constructed semblance of Pagan Rome might be known; That this mark had consistent reference to the right hand or forehead; That the barbarians also gave a name to the ecclesiastical composition of their newly constructed semblance of Pagan Rome; That the Roman beast caused this mark and name to be universally known, and denied the common rights of humanity to those who would not enrol themselves as servants of the master whose mark and name were thus proclaimed; That the ecclesiastical composition of the semblance of Pagan Rome was a man; and lastly, That the name given to him by the barbarians expressed in numeral letters the number 666. The parallelism between the present and former series of figurations must also be again exhibited.

The circumstances of papal history having been too vividly and pertinaciously engraven on the annals of time to admit of a reasonable doubt as to the subject of the Apocalyptic delineation before us, it is not a little satisfactory to find that the papacy also formed the principal element of representation in the latter part of the sixth trumpet's imagery -the former part, it will be remembered, having prefigured the rise of the Turks and the ultimate fall of Constantinople under their yoke, a subject which also engaged our attention in the last lecture. Presuming, therefore, that the historical records of the papal power will be found to satisfy the foregoing conditions, we may, subject to subsequent correction, anticipatively consider the parallelism of the two series of figurations to be again established. First observing that the illustrations of the latter part of the sixth trumpet occupy nearly the whole of our second volume as well as the conclusion of the first, and therefore that history, instead of being continuous on the present occasion, may perhaps be deemed to be sufficiently quoted if its replies are confined, as much as practicable, to the immediate conditions prophetically imposed, the following testimonies present themselves as admirably meeting our requirements. "The Papal

Power, or an historical essay on the Temporal Power of the Popes," translated from the French by an anonymous writer, and published by R. M. Tims, Dublin, 1825, says :

"It is, however in the eighth century, and a short time after this date, A.D. 727, that we perceive, not the establishment certainly, but the first symptoms of the temporal power of the Roman prelates. The various causes which could tend to this result, about this period begin to be perceptible, and to acquire additional strength from their combined operation.

"We may place in the catalogue of causes which favoured the ambition of the popes the preposterous taste of the Greek emperors for dogmatical controversies, and the unfortunate part they incessantly took in them. They thus provoked apostolic resistance, which, by its splendour and success, humbled in the eyes of the people the imperial authority. They beheld the doctrines of the pontiff exercising a solemn triumph over the edicts of the sovereign [or his profession of Christianity establishing the foundation of his temporal power]; and he, whose pastoral charges thus limited the civil authority, must have appeared competent to exercise it the moment he ceased to disdain it. A sect was formed in Constantinople against the images, brought into disrepute in some places by the victories of the Mahometans over them. The emperor Leo, the Isaurian, placed himself at the head of the Iconoclasts, or image-breakers. He published, at the same time nearly, an edict which prohibited the worship of every image, and the proposition of a new capitation tax, to be paid by the people of Italy. Pope Gregory the Second became the defender of their temporal and spiritual interests and their faith: he addressed respectful but energetic letters to the emperor to induce him to maintain in the churches an ancient and salutary practice. Leo replied only by menaces calculated to strengthen in the hearts of the Italians their love and veneration for the pontiff. What does Gregory do? He appears inattentive to his personal danger, but implores for the people and their prince the divine mercy; he thunders no anathemas, but recommends good works, and sets himself the example of

them; he desires especially that each may remain faithful to the head of the empire, whatever may be the deviations of Leo, and perseveres in applying to him the terms of emperor and head of the Christians. According to Gregory, it is God himself who preserves the empire to Leo, the image-breaker. A pontiff has no right, says this pope, to bestow crowns: his eye should not seek to penetrate into the palaces of kings: and it no more belongs to him to meddle in politics, than for a sovereign to become a teacher of dogmas in religion. The army, the people, Venice, Ravenna, all Italy revolted, says Paul Diacre, against Leo, the Isaurian, and would undoubtedly have acknowledged some other emperor, if the Roman pontiff had not himself opposed it. Anastasius relates the same facts, and represents Gregory to us occupied in retaining the provinces in allegiance to their legitimate sovereign.

"Liutprand, king of the Lombards, however, took advantage of these troubles to make himself master of Ravenna and many other places. In this conjuncture it was that Gregory wrote to the duke of Venice. Gregory did more, he negotiated with Liutprand, he soothed him; but the king of the Lombards, in abandoning the cities he had conquered and pillaged, was not disposed to restore them to the officers of the emperor: he made them a present to the Roman church, which abstained alike from an acceptance or refusal of them.

"His successor, Gregory the Third, conceived himself dispensed from so rigorous a circumspection. At the head of a council he excommunicated the emperor, not, indeed. by name, but by not excepting him from the general sect of the Iconoclasts; and while Leo applied to himsel this anathema, evidenced by the burst of anger with which he resented it—while he confiscated in Sicily the lands o the Roman church-while a fleet, dispatched by him against Italy, was perishing by shipwreck-the pope laboured t create in the bosom of Rome an [essentially Roman] independen state, or, at least, one destined to become so [prophetically styled "a beast coming up out of the earth."] Some authors think they perceive, from the year 726, in the pontificate of

Gregory the Second, a semblance of a Roman republic; and we may assure ourselves, at least, that in 730, a short time previous to the death of this pope, and apparently without his concurrence, the Romans formally erected themselves into a republic. But it was especially subsequent to the year 731, and down to 741-that is to say, under the pontificate of Gregory III.-that the expressions, 'republic of the Romans, republican association, body of the Roman army,' were accredited phrases which did not disappear till the year 800 [the year, as we shall see, in which the image to the beast was set up], and which, during the seventy preceding years, are very often employed, both in the acts of interior administrations, and in the negotiations with the kings of the Lombards, or mayors of the palace of Ferara. They always avoided the positive declarations which would have irritated the court of Constantinople; in case of necessity they even acknowledged the supremacy of the emperor, solicited his assistance, and received his officers; and the homage paid to the imperial authority is the ground of the opinion of those authors who deny the existence of this republic. Without doubt, it was but a shadow of a republic; but they loved to present themselves under this title to the sovereigns of the west of Europe: it was a mode of ranking themselves secretly in the number of independent states, and of weakening still more the ties which held them to the Byzantine empire. [Gregory III. sent two ambassadors into France, to invite Charles Martel, the mayor of the palace, to declare himself in favour of the Roman republic against the emperor of the east. Baronius ascribes the embassy of one of these to Gregory II.-an important mistake which Bossuet has removed.-Def. Chr. Gall. p. 2, b. 6, ch. 18.] Generally the pope did not fill in person the office of first magistrate of this republic; he left the insignia of its power to a prefect, or a duke, or a patrician; and prepared to substitute, in a short time, for these unstable forms, a definite and pontifical government;" or "an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live."

Dr. Mosheim (Cent. viii.) says:-"When that part of Italy which was as yet subject to the Grecian empire, was

« PreviousContinue »