purpose of establishing the supremacy of the Catholics. The Ostrogoths, who held possession of Rome, were under an Arian monarch, who was an enemy to the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome; hence, before the decree of Justinian, (a Greek emperor at Constantinople,) could be carried into effect, by which he had constituted the Bishop of Rome "head of all the churches," the Ostrogoths must be plucked up. This conquest was effected by Justinian's army in the month of March, 538; at which time, the Ostrogoths, who had retired without the city, and besieged it in their turn, raised the siege and retired, leaving the Greeks in possession of the city thus the third horn was plucked before Papacy, and for the express purpose too of establishing that power. [See Gibbon's Decline and Fall of Roman Empire.]

How exactly do the facts answer to the prophecy! I will here introduce the letter of Justinian to the Bishop of Rome, of A. D. 533 :

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"Justinian, pious, fortunate, renowned, triumphant, emperor, consul, &c., to John, the most holy Archbishop of our city of Rome, and patriarch : Rendering honor to the apostolic see, and to your holiness, (as always was and is our desire,) and, as it becomes us, honoring your blessedness as a father, we have laid without delay before the notice of your holiness all things pertaining to the state of the church. Since it has always been our earnest study to preserve the unity of your holy see, and the state of the holy churches of God, which has hitherto obtained, and will remain, without any interfering opposition; therefore we hasten to subject, and to unite to your holiness, all the priests of the whole East. As to the matters which are presently agitated, although clear and undoubted, and, according to the doctrine of your apostolic see, held assuredly resolved and decided by all priests, we have yet deemed it necessary to lay them before your holiness. Nor do we suffer anything which belongs to the state of the church, however manifest and undoubted, that is agitated, to pass without the knowledge of

your holiness, who are the head of all the holy churches. For in all things (as had been said or resolved) we are prompt to increase the honor and authority of your see.

"The authenticity of the title," says Mr. Croley, "receives unanswerable proof from the edicts of the 'Novellæ' of the Justinian code. The preamble of the 9th states, that as the elder Rome was the founder of the laws; so was it not to be questioned, that in her was the supremacy of the pontificate.' The 131st, on the Ecclesiastical Titles and Privileges, chapter ii., states: We therefore decree that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome is the first of all the priesthood, and that the most blessed archbishop of Constantinople, the new Rome, shall hold the second rank, after the holy apostolic chair of the elder Rome.'" Croley, pp. 114, 115.

Some suppose that Phocas, A. D. 606, by applying the title "universal Bishop" to the Pope, first gave him his supremacy: but this cannot be, for it does not agree with the prophecy that three of the first horns were to be plucked up before it, as it came up, and this happened more than half a century before. Again, Mr. Croley, a writer of the Church of England, says— "The highest authorities among the civilians and annalists of Rome spurn the idea that Phocas was the founder of the supremacy of Rome; they ascend to Justinian, as the only legitimate source, and rightly date the title from the memorable year 533."

Imperial Rome fell about A. D. 475, and was in the hands of the barbarians. Thus it continued till the conquest of Rome by Belisarius, Justinian's general, 536 to 538, when the Ostrogoths left it in possession of the Greek emperor, March, 538. Thus the way was open for the " dragon" to give the "beast his power, and his seat, and great authority." Rev. xiii. 2. This fact, from Revelation, also, settles the point that the Pope did not receive his power from Clovis, king of France. It was the "Dragon" that gave him "his seat"—Rome, "his power," as head of the

churches. The Roman emperors had stood at the head of the churches with "power" to make important decisions for the church—it is now transferred to the Pope and he has given him, also, " : great authority," under the Justinian code of laws, to judge and punish heretics.

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4th. The next point we want to settle is, the length of time this power was to continue. Daniel says, a time, times, and the dividing of time." The Revelator says, chap. xiii. 5, "Power was given unto him to continue 42 months." He was to make war upon the saints—the church; and in Rev. xii. 6, we are told, "the woman," the church, "fled into the wilderness" 1260 days; and at the 14th verse, that it was for " a time, and times, and a half time." Here then we have the period of the continuance of this power given us in three forms of expression, which settles the point that the time, times and dividing of time is 42 months, or 1260 prophetic days or years.

5th. Did the continuance of papal dominion, as a horn of the beast, cease at the end of that period? 1260 years from 538 would extend to 1798. Did anything transpire that year to justify the belief that the dominion of Papacy was taken away that year? It is a historical fact that, on Feb. 10th, 1798, Berthier, a French general, entered the city of Rome and took it. On the 15th of the same month the Pope was taken prisoner and shut up in the Vatican. The papal government, which had continued from the time of Justinian, was abolished, and a republican form of government given to Rome. The Pope was carried captive to France, where he died in 1799. Thus, "he that " led others "into captivity," went "into captivity;" and he who killed with the sword" those he was pleased to call heretics, was himself "killed [subdued] with the sword;" i. e., his "dominion was taken away" by war. See Rev. xiii. 10. Verse 26: "But the judgment shall sit, and they [the kings that 'hate the whore,' Rev. xvii. 16] shall take away his dominion, [he is cut off from being a horn on the beast, or

deprived of his civil power, so that he can no longer wield the sword against dissenters] to consume and destroy it unto the end." See 2 Thess. ii. 8: "Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth [the "Reformation "] and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" to judge the world in the great burning day, when the "beast and false prophet" will be cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone ;" then the "little horn" will be destroyed.

Some tell us the civil power of Papacy is not taken away. That the Pope was restored, or a new one chosen, is admitted, and that he may have some civil power in Italy is not denied. But that he has power to depose kings and put to death the saints now, denied. When he was a horn on the beast, he deposed kings at pleasure, for centuries, and silenced "heretics" by the flame, the rack, prison, and the sword. Can he do it now? No. Nor has he been able to do it since 1798—since that time the church is out of the "wilderness;" and Papacy is compelled to tolerate Protestantism. Hear the Pope himself on that subject. Here is his letter, dated Sept., 1840, at Rome. Read it, and see if you think Papacy is now a horn on the beast, or is possessed of power to war against the saints unto death, as formerly.

"Encyllical Letter of Our Most Holy Lord Gregory XVI. by Divine Providence Pope, to all Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops.

Gregory XVI. Pope.

"Venerable Brethren,—Health and the apostolic Benediction.

"You will know, Venerable Brothers, how great are the calamities with which the Catholic Church is beset on all sides in this most sorrowful age, and how pitifully she is afflicted. You know by what a delugo of errors of every kind, and with what unbridled audacity of the erroneous, our Holy Religion is attacked, and how cunningly and by what frauds heretics and

infidels are endeavoring to prevert the hearts and minds of the faithful. In a word, you know there is almost no kind of effort or machination which is not employed, to overthrow, from its deepest foundations, if it were possible, the immovable edifice of the Holy City.

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Indeed, are we not, (Oh, how shameful!) compelled to see the most crafty enemies of the truth ranging far and wide with impunity; not only attacking religion with ridicule, the church with contumely, and Catholics with insults and slander, but even entering into cities and towns, establishing schools of error and impiety, publishing in print the poison of their doctrines, skilfully concealed under the deceitful veil of the natural sciences and new discoveries, and even penetrating into the cottages of the poor, travelling through rural districts, and insinuating themselves into familiar acquaintance with the lowest of the people and with the farmers! Thus they leave no means unattempted, whether by corrupt Bibles in the language of the people, or pestiferous newspapers and other little publications, or caviling conversation, or pretended charity, or, finally, by the gift of money, allure ignorant people, and especially youth, into their nets, and induce them to desert the Catholic faith.

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"We refer to facts, Venerable Brethren, which not only are known to you, but of which you are witnesses; even you, who, though you mourn, and, as your pastoral duty requires, are by no means silent, are yet compelled to tolerate in your diocess these aforesaid propagators of heresy and infidelity; these shameless preachers, who, while they walk in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves, cease not to lay in wait for the flock and tear it in pieces. Why should we say more? There is now scarcely a barbarous region in the universal world, to which the well known Central Boards of the heretics and unbelievers have not, regardless of expense, sent out their explorers and emissaries, who either insidiously, or openly and in concert, making war upon the Catholic religion, its pastors and its ministers, tear the faithful out of the