66 66 ages of the Commonwealth, Cybele and Efculapius had been invited by folemn "embaffies; and it was cuftomary to tempt the protectors of the befieged "cities, by the promise of more distintinguished honours than they poffeffed "in their native country. Rome gradually became the common temple of "her fubjects; and the freedom of the 66 city was bestowed on all the Gods of "mankind." C. 2 And that modern Rome has not in this point fallen from ancient preeminence, nay that, fhe has even furpaffed it (fince from her an idolatrous worship has been propagated over the Western world) the reader may learn from Mr. Gibbon's forty-ninth chapter; and especially from his report of war fupported by the Pope and Italians in * These were literally the Maozim or Mahuzzim of ancient, as the Chriftian Saints are these of modern idolaters. defence defence of images, which the Eastern Emperour purpofed to deftroy. The following extracts from this account while they are as long as my defign will permit me to make, are fufficient to fhew how openly and earnestly Idolatry was then upholden by Papal authority. Gregory the fecond in an epistle yet extant represented the Chriftian images, as "the genuine forms of Christ, his mother, and his faints, who had approv"ed by a crowd of miracles, the inno"cence and merit of this relative wor 66 66 fhip. In a translation of part of the letter itself we find in this paffage; "the eyes of the nations are fixed on our humility; and they revere as a God upon earth, the apostle Peter, whose image you threaten to deftroy." The hiftorian afterwards informs us, that when, by the Emperour's order, the images of Chrift and the Virgin, and "of the Angels, Martyrs, and Saints were abolished in all the churches "in Italy," the country on the admonition of the Pope took arms, and " the Italians fwore to live and die in defence of the Pope and the holy images: "the Roman people was devoted to their father." This with what I have before produced on the fame point, in ftating the corruption of the Chriftians when the firft woe fell on them; will I conceive be deemed fatisfactory proof, that the potentate prefigured by the beast has in the event proved idolatrous. For the next particular of his character, blafphemy; Mr. Gibbon has not only supplied us with an inftance of it in This grammatical liberty of was and their is Mr. Gs. in the above mentioned extract from the letter of Gregory the fecond, in which that pontif calls himself the vicegerent of Chrift; but in his account of the tranflation of the crown of France from the head of Childeric to that of Pepin, he fays "the Mayor and Nobles were "bound by an oath of fidelity, the common ambaffadors addreffed the "Roman Pontiff, to difpel their fcru"ples, or to abfolve their promife-the "fucceffor of St. Peter affumed the character of a divine ambaffador. "The Franks were abfolved from their "ancient oath, but a dire Anathema "was uttered against them and their f 66 66 pofterity, if they fhould dare to renew "the freedom, except in the holy and "meritorious race of Carlovingian "Princes." To this anecdote, in which is preferved an act of Papal blafphemy in abfolving men from the obligation of an oath, and binding them under an anathema T anathema to the contrary of what they had fworn, directly anfwering to St Paul's prediction of the man of fin's oppofing and exalting himself above" all "that is called God, or is worfhipped; "fo that he as God fitteth in the temple * of God, fhewing himself that he is "God;" may be added the hiftorian's report of the Papal indulgences given in his fifty eighth chapter, on opening his account of the Crufades; from which one extract will be fufficient. "In the "council of Clermont that pope (Urban "the fecond) proclaimed a plenary in"dulgence to thofe who fhould enlist "under the banner of the cross; the abfolution of all their fins,-"and his account of the repetition of this piece of blafphemy at the jubilees, in his fiftyninth chapter: from which I must forbear making any quotation, because the number already given is fo large; and it |