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have blotted out of the minds of men the memory of those who were called Gods. For our Lord hath brought his dead unto the place of your Gods, whom he hath utterly abolished, and hath given their honour to the martyrs: for instead of the feafts of Jupiter and of Bacchus are now celebrated the festivals of Peter, and Paul, and Thomas, and the other martyrs. Wherefore feeing the advantage of honouring the martyrs, fly, O friends, from the error of the demons; and ufing the martyrs as lights and guides, purfue the way which leadeth directly to God." Here are the doctrines of demons' evidently revived, only the name is altered, and the faints are fubftituted for demons, the Divi or deified men of the Chrif tians for the Divi or deified men of the Heathens.

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The promoters of this worship were fenfible that it was the fame, and that the one fucceeded to the other; and as the worship is the fame, fo likewife is it performed with the fame ceremonies, whether these ceremonies were derived from the fame fource of fuperftition common to the whole race of mankind, or were the direct copies of one another. The burning of incenfe or perfumes on feveral altars at one and the fame time; the sprinkling of holy water, or a mixture of falt and common water at going into and coming out of places of public worfhip; the lighting up of a great number of lamps, and wax-candles, in broad day-light, before the altars and ftatues

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θεοις και τους μεν φρούδους απέφηνε, τούλης δε τα εκείνον απένειμε γερά
τι γαρ δη των Πανδίω, και Διονύσιων-Περς, και Παυλς, και Θωμά,
και των άλλων μαρτύρων, επιτελείται δημοθοινίαι, -βωντες τοινυν της των
μαντύξων τιμης το ωφέλιμον, φεύγετε, ὦ φίλοι, των δαιμόνων τον πλάνον, και
τέτοις φωςέρσι και ποδηγοις κεχρημένοι, την προθεον άγεσαν πορείαν ίδια
Ti.cum eorum quoque qui paffim dii ferebantur, memoriam e
mente hominum oboleverint-fuos enim mortuos dominus deus
nofter in templa pro diis veftris induxit: ac illos quidem caffos van-
ofque reddidit, his autem honorem illorum attribuit. Pro Pandiis
enim ac Dionyfiis-Petri, et Pauli, et Thome-aliorumque marty-
rum folemnitates peraguntur.-Cum igitur ex honore martyribus
delato quid utilitatis proveniat cernatis, fugite, amici, dæmonum er-
rorem, præviaque illorum face atque ductu, viam capeffite, quæ ad
deum perducit. Ibid. p. 606, 607.

e The reader may fee this conformity between Popery and Paganifm proved at large by Dr Henry More in his fecond Part of the Mystery of Iniquity, B. I. Chap. 17. by Dr Middleton in his Letter from Rome, by Mr Steward in his Differtation on the Conformity between Popery and Paganism, and other learned and ingenious authors.

136

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DISSERTATIONS ON

their deities; the hanging up of votive offerrich prefents as atteftations of fo many miracuonization or deification of deceafed worthies; the and deliverances from difeafes and dangers; Z of diftinct provinces or perfedures to departed and faints; the worthipping and adoring of the their fepulchres, fhrines, and relics; the confealous powers and virtues to idols, the fetting up and bowing down to images; the attributing of

dead

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of little

highways, and on the tops of mountains; the carrying

oratories, altars and ftatues, in the ftreets and

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of images and relics in pompous proceffions with numerous lights, and with mufic and finging; flagellations at a fan&uary of temples and churches: a great variety of

prieits,

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feafons, under the notion of penance; the making

heads; the impofing of celibacy and vows of chafor the tonfure, as it is called, on the crown of on the religious of both fexes; all thefe and many Popish fuperftition. Nay the very fame temples the rites and ceremonies are equally parts of Pagan and fame altars, the very fame images, which once were fecrated to Jupiter and the other demons, are now re

very

con

The

Confecrated to the virgin Mary and the other faints.

the

e very fame titles and infcriptious are afcribed to both;
very fame prodigies and miracles are related of thefe

as of thofe. In fort the whole almoft of Pagarifm is
converted and applied to Popery; the one is manifeftly
formed upon the fame plan and principals as the other;
fo that there is not only a conformity, but even an uni-
formity in the worship of ancient and modern, of Hea-
then and Chriftian Rome.

of demons' and worthipping the dead, was not likely to II. Such an apoftacy as this of reviving the doctrines. fucceed and take place immediately; it fhould prevail and Frofper in the latter times.' times or days, or the laft times or days,' as it hath been obferved upon to come, but denotes more particularly the times of Chriftianity. The phrafe of the latter former occafion, fignifies any time yet prophets, as for example Ifaiah, Micah, and Joel. So we find it ufed by fome of the ancient

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In Differtation IV.

I

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faiah faith, ii. 2. And it fhall come to pafs in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall be eftablished in the top of the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the hills: and all nations fhall flow unto it.? Micah to the fame purpose, and almost in the fame words, iv. I. But in the last days it fhall come to pafs, that the mountain of the houfe of the Lord fhall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.' And Joel, as he is quoted by St Peter, A&s ii. 16, 17. • But this. is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it fhall come to pafs in the last days (faith God) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flefh. The times of Chrif tianity may properly be called the latter times or days, or the last times or days,' because it is the last of all God's revelations to mankind. Daniel alfo having meafured all future time by the fucceffion of four principal kingdoms, and having affirmed that the kingdom of Christ should be fet up during the last of the four kingdoms, the phrase of the latter times or days, or of the laft times or days,' may still more properly fignify the times of the Chriftian difpenfation. Thus it is applied by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb. i. 1, 'God, who, at fundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.' Thus alfo St Peter, 1 Pet. i. 20. 6 Chrift verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifeft in these last times for you.'

2.

But there is a farther notation of time in the prophet Daniel; there are the last times taken fingly and comparatively, or the latter times (as I may fay after Mr Mede): of the last times, which are the times of the little horn or of Antichrift, Dan. vii. who fhould arife during the latter part of the last of the four kingdoms, and should be deftroyed together with it, after having continued 'a time and times, and half a time.' What thefe times. fignify, and how they are to be computed, hath been fhown in a 8 former differtation: and it is in reference te these times especially, that many things under the gospeldifpenfation are predicted to fall out in the latter times. M 3

6

8 la Differtation. XIV.

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or days, or in the last times or days.' So St Peter speaketh, 2 Pet. iii. 3. There shall come in the last days fceffers walking after their own lufts.' So too St Jude, ver, 17, 18. Beloved, remember ye the words, which were. fpoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jefus Chrift; How that they told you, there fhould be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.' So likewife St Paul, 2 Tim. iii. 1. This know alfo that in the laft days perilous times fhall come.' Thefe alfo are the latter times' fpoken of in the text. In these times the worship of the dead fhould principally prevail; and that it hath fo prevailed, all mankind can teftify. The practice might begin before, but the popes have authorized and established it by law. The popith worship is more the worship of demons than of God or Chriit.

IV. Another remarkable peculiarity of this prophecy is the folemn and emphatic manner in which it is delivered, The fpirit fpeaketh exprefsly.' Every one will readily apprehend, that by the fpirit' is meant the holy Spirt of God, which inspired the prophets and apostles So the Spirit,' Acts viii. 29. faid unto Philip, Go near, and join thyfelf to this chariot.' So the Spirit.' Acts x. 19. 'faid unto Peter, Behold three men feek thee.'

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the Spirit,' Rev. xiv. 13. faith bleffed are the dead who die in the Lord, that they may reft from their labours.' But these things the spirit only faid; it is not affirmed, that he said them exprefsly. The Spirit's fpeaking expressly, as Erafmus and others expound it, is his fpeaking precifely and certainly, not obfcurely and involvedly, as he is wont to fpeak in the prophets: and Whitby argues arther, that in thofe times of prophecy, when the prophets had the government of the churches, and spake still in the public affemblies, it might reasonably be faid, The spirit fpeaketh exprefsly,' what they taught exprefsly in the church. St Paul had indeed before predicted this apoftafy both in discourse and in a letter to the Theffalonians, and he is by fome fupposed to refer to that epiftle in this place. But though the predictions are alike, yet they are not exprefsly the fame; the general fubject is the fame in both, but the particular circumstances are different, so that the one cannot be faid to be copied from the h Palas praefcripte five praecife, non obfcure et involute, quemadmodum loqui folet in prophetis. Erafm. in locum Whitby ibid.

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the other. There the apoftafy is predicted, here it is fpecified wherein it is to confiit. I would therefore prefer Mr Mede's interpretation, that the Spirit fpeaketh exprefsly' what he fpeaketh in exprefs words in fome place or other of divine writ: and the Spirit hath spoken the fame things in exprefs words before in the prophecy of Daniel. Daniel hath foretold in exprefs words the worfhip of new demons or demi-gods: Dan. xi. 38. And with God, or instead of God Mahuzzim in his eftate fhall he honour; even with God, or instead of God, thofe whom his fathers knew not fhall he honour with gold and filver, and with precious ftones, and with defirable things.' The Mahuzzim of Daniel are the fame as the Demons of St Paul, Gods-protectors or Saints-protectors, defenders and guardians of mankind. Daniel alfo hath foretold in exprefs words, that this worship fhould be accompanied with a prohibition of marriage: ver. 37. • Neither fhall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the defire of women;' that is he thall neglect and difcourage 'the defire of wives,' and all conjugal affection. Daniel hath likewise intimated that this worship fhould take place in the latter times; for he hath defcribed it in the latter part of his prophecy, and these times he hath exprefsly named a time and time and half a time.' If the reader hath been at the trouble of perufing the latter differtation upon the eleventh chapter of Daniel, he will more easily perceive the connexion and resemblance be tween the two prophecies. This therefore is a prophecy not dictated merely by private fuggeftion and infpiration, but taken out of the written word. It is a prophecy not only of St Paul, but of Daniel too, or rather of Daniel confirmed and approved by St Paul.

V. Having fhown wherein the great apostasy of the lat ter times confifts, namely in reviving the doctrines concer ning demons and worshipping the dead, the apoftle proceeds to describe by what means and by what perfons it fhould be propagated and established in the world: 'Speaking lies in hypocrify, having their confcience feared with a hot iron, or rather Through the hypocrify of liars, having their confcience feared with a hot iron. For the prepofition in often fignifies as well by or through: as in St Mark's gofpel, ix. 29. this kind can come forth by

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