Star.
London, England, 1809-04-04 00:00:00

7,.) THE EDIT R OF THE STAR.

ON THE PROPIIECIES.-NO. XXV.

THIRD TRUMPET.-PART

(C VI. Of the comest ►maintained letween the Bishops of
Rome and y. Constantinople, for the Supremacy.

Havin,..;. in the preceding sections endeavoured to
trace those deviations from the primitive practice,
which, vidcd by. other circumstances, destroyed the
independence of Christian congregations, and led to
tl:e establishment of ecclesiastical tyranny, I now
proceed t•-) offer a few remarks on the contest,
vilich was for some time maintained by the bla-
zing Star of the West and the new Eastern Comet,
ticck:d s ith the Sun-beams of the Imperial Court ;
and which, in its issue, tended to establish the supre-
macy of the former.

dn the establishment of Christianity, (to use that
term in its political acceptation) in the Roman Em-
pire, the dignity and secular power of the Magistrates
(I( to-mined, in almost every instance, the dignity and
spiritual iltri,dicion of the clergy, in every city—
their precedency being always regulated by the rank
of their respective PrOects or other Magistrates. Of
cotire the Bishops of Rome, in the very nature of
things, had the first rank. It is true, strictly speak-
ing, that !.e was not in name even an Exarch—
but the very circumstance that prevented him from
obtaining in die first instance, a high sounding name,
serves to shew that he possessed what was much more
substantial. The civil diocese of Italy, the first, the
most opulent and populous in the Empire, was, on
account of its extent and importance, divided into
two, in the ecelysiastical arrangement ; and, as neither
could be called 'the Diocese,' to the exclusion of the
other, they were called vicariates or vicarages. That
Tel ich fell to the See of Rome c ntained no les than
t2n provinces, and included the islands of Sicily, Cor-
sica, and Sardinia.

Possessing so extensive a jurisdiction, enjoying a
degree of opulence and splendour, which even Kings
could not surpass, it might have been expected that
the Bishops of Rome would have been satisfied with
the importance they had acquired—and so they
seemed to be till Constantine and his successors, by
the honours they heaped upon the Bishop of the new
Imperial city, excited their jealousy.
From this time the Roman Pontiff employed un-
common assiduity to secure and extend his influence.
Knowing by experience the valise of Imperial favour,
lie did every zhing in his power to retain it, but he
plainly F.IW that this was not now to be depended on
for tile maintenance of his importance. When exerted
in his favom , it cculd serve his ambition—but it might
also c rtiiy the ambition of another, and that other a
prelate, who, from local circumstances, now possessed
many advantages over him. He, therefore, as any
utl.er unprincipled ecclesiastic would have done in
the same position. resolved to conso'idate the power
he had al. early acquired, by every method in his
power; to improve all adventitious circumstances to
strenlo.hen it ; and to attach to himself, at any ex-
pense of principle, and by every kind of artifice, as
many of the dignified clergy as he possibly could,_
that by their joint influence and exertions, he might
be the better eilablcd to maintain his ground against
a hated rival.

This system of tactics soon began to shew itself.
The Council of Sardis, in the year 347 (when the
Arian controversy inflamed the whole Christian com-
munity) after the Oriental Bishops were withdrawn,
was, by the influence of Ostus, Bishop of Cordova,
a strenuous friend of Pope Juutts, induced to make a
Cancn, that if any Bishop should think himself un-
justly condemned by his comprovincials and metro-
politans, his judges should notify their sentence to the
Bishop of Rome, who might either confirm it, or
order the cause to be re-examined by some of the
neighbouring Bkhops. And, in the year 372, or
about that time, IJ at the instigation of
the Roman See, enacted a law, empowering the
Bishop of Rome to examine and judge other Bishops,
that religious aid ecclesiastical disputes might not be
decided by profane or secular judges. This exemp-
tion of tlx clergy from the power of laymen,.was so
gratifying to thi•se of the West in particular, that,
overlooking its tendency to enslave the whole order, a
ninnlwr of bishops, soon after synodically assembled,
at Rome, expressed great gratitude for the favour'
thus conferred on them by the Emperor. Indeed it
would scarcely have been safe for any, in that quar-
ter, to dissent, arty- the passing of a law which vir
tually subjected them to the tyranny of one of their
own number.

In the East, however, the canon law, above mention-
ed, hal little, or rather, no force. The power of the pa-
triarchs was too great to be suddenly subdued—Not
that the Emperors had not power to enforce their
own laws, but the others had influence enough to
avert its operation. The bishop of Constantinople,
warned, however, by this fresh instance of partiality
to the old see, redoubled his diligence to extend his
own influence. He had seen, in the person of the
Rnimm pontiff, to what a high pinacle of worldly
splendour, in partance and power, the smiles of the
tri7.'ror could raise a favourite churchman, and he
resolve:l to profit by the lesson. Nor was it long be-
fore he began to reap the fruits of his assiduity.
In a council, consisting of 150 bishops, held at
Crinstantinople, in the year SBl, by the authority of
l'imono,l us the Great, the bishop of that city was,
eluting the absence of the bishop of Alexandria, and
anlinFt the consent of the Roman pontiff, placed, by
the third canol of that council, in the first rank after
the bishop of Rome, and, consequently, above those
of Ah.Nand:ia anti Antioch.

Th.! b: :::1) 01 Rome, as we have seen, acquired his
r:n1; w:C.,,,,rt a struggle, an,!, consequently, without
icsalou..],-of others—very ditierent was the
dignitary. liereceived his honours
at tl ,!.ad the Eastern bishops, and it wasnot
:!:;tt. the sees of Alexandria and Antioch,
forrik rlv next in rani. to the see of 'tome, could behold
Lis elev., cordiality oreven with indifference. In
ficl d t!,?mselves degraded, and they were
i :n.l din Fr:wen Ling, as far as they were able, every
r.:•. s .; .;: cf power and dignity to the favoured See.
\var; a Lippy circumstance for the Bishop of
:.rd be did not fail to improve it.
c.m this t: me, the struggle between the two rival
icess:.nt. The Bishop of the new city hay.
tThe favour Of the Emperor, become the second
i.htsscL.J,rch, namegily conciadod, that, by the same

partiality, he might, in process of time, acquire the
first place, an object worthy the ambition of a church-
man. Can it excite wonder, then, that he should make
the attempt ? Everything seemed to favour his design.
Residing in the Imperial City, associating with court
favourites, enjoying frequent opportunities of con-
versing with the Emperor himself, and, above all, the
ear of the ladies of the court, it appeared scarcely
possible that be should fail in obtaining the object of
his desire. NECTARIUS was the first bishop who en-
joyed these new honours conferred on the see of Con-
stantinople. Hissuccessor, JONNCHRYsosTom,brought
Thrace, Asia. and Pontus under its jurisdiction; and
succeeding bishops shewed an equal zeal in augment-
ing the privileges, and extending ,the dominion oftheir
see ; nor was it long till the whole eastern part of 11-
lyrium was added to their former acquisitions.
In the mean time, the Popes were equally active
in subjugating all the western prelates to their ghostly
jurisdiction, and omitted no favourable opportunity
to obtain the Imperial sanction to their usurpations.
In 445, LEO, by the influence he acquired over the
weak mind of VALVNTINIAN 111. procured an edict,
enjoining an absolute obedience to the will of the Bi-
shop of Rome, throughout all the churches of the
Empire ; declaring that the Bishops could attempt
nothing, unless by the Pope's authority, without a
violation of ancient custom; and ordering that any
bishop, summoned to appear before his judicature.
should be carried thither by the Gi.vernor of
the province in which he resided. The We,-
tern Metropolitans were thus brought more and
more under the dominion of the Roman see. That
respect to the see, which at first was voluntary anu
merely complimentary, was thus, gradually, mould( d
into a settled and legal dependance, and, liowcv.a- -
luctantly submitted to at first, becalm, at length, na-
tural by habit, and was daily more and more fortiti
by that increasing influence which enabled-the Popes
to favour the pretensions of candidates for vacant
sees, and to fill them with their ov, n adhercnt.

The Constantimpolitan patriarch maintained, how-
ever, his own authority in the East in spite of this
law, and continued to extend his jurisdiction. But
what gave to him the highest ecclesiastical authority,
and excited most the opposition of the Roman pontiff,
was the following, being the 18th canon, made by
the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 :
" Whereas the fithers, with great propriety, be-
" stowed the chief honours on the see of Old Rome,
because it was the imperial city, and whereas the 150
" fathers, [meaning the Council of Constantinople
" holden in Sbl, and noticed above] beloved of GM),
" actuated by the same motive, conferred the like
" dignity on the most holy see of New Rome (Con-
" stantinople) judging it reasonable that the city ho-
" noured by the seat of Empire, and of the senate,
" and equal in civil privileges with antient royal
" Rome, should be equally distinguished also by ec-1
clesiastical privileges, and enjoy the second place'
" in the Church, being next to Old Rome—we ratify
" and confirm*," &c.

The same council confirmed also the eastern dig-
nitary in the spiritual government of those provinces
over which he had usurped the jurisdiction.
Lro, the GREAT, as he is called, then Bishop of
Rome, and his friends, strenuously and vehemently
opposed the passing of those decrees, but their efforts
were vain, the Court supporting the decision of the
Grecian bishops. Finding the vantage ground of
imperial favour occupied by his adversary,'the Pon-
tiff had recourse to subtilty, and to artifices, which
probably he would never have even conceived in
other circumstances, and already began to cherish
that spirit of rebellion against the higher powers, by
which '6 the man of sin" was to be eminently cha.
racterised.—But of this hereafter.

Notwithstvuding the redoubled efforts of the new
Patriarch, a variety of circumstances united in aug-
menting the power and authority of the See of Rome.
46 The Bishops of Alexandria and Antioch, unable to
make head against the lordly prelate of Constanti-
nople, fled often to the Roman Pontiff for succour
against his violence ; and the inferior order of bishops
used the same method, when their rights were inva-
ded by the prelates of Alexandria and Antioch. So
that the Bishop of Rome, taking all these prelates al-
ternately under his protection, daily added new de-
grees of influence and authority to the Roman See,
rendered it every where respected, and was thus im-
perceptibly establishing its supremacy." Such were
the means by which the Roman Pontiff extended
his power in the east. In the west, beside the causes
already mentioned, other causes contributed to its
increase. The declining power and supine indolence
of the Emperors, left the Bishop, who presided in
Rome, almost without controul. 44 The incursion,
moreover, and triumphs of the barbarians, were so
far from being prejudicial to his rising dominion, that
they rather contributed to its advancement. For the
Kings who penetrated into the Empire, were only
solicitous about the methods of giving a sufficient de-
gree of stability to their respective governments ;
and when they perceived the subjection of the multi.
tude to the bishops, and the dependence of the bishops
on the Roman Pontiff, they immediately resolved to
reconcile this ghostly ruler to their interests, by load-
ing him with benefits and honours of various kinds." t
The reader can hardly fail to observe, that the idea
of an authority derived from the Apostle Peter, and
lodged with the Roman Pontiff, had not yet been
broached. The ancients knew of no such origin of
the supremacy of Rome. They admitted its exist-
ence, but they held it to be the work of their own
creation. This is plain from the Canon above quoted.
It is true that these fathers claim for their predeces-
sors the merit of having be:towed on the Roman Bi-
shop the honours he had acquired. This, however,
alters not the case. It is common for men to make a
merit of granting what they cannot withhold—and
the larger the boon the greater the dignity of the
donor. It is an indirect way of claiming importance,
and, in the instance before us, only serves to shew,
that the distinctions in rank and dignity which pre-
vailed among the bishops, were not then pretended to
have been derived from CHRIST, Peter, or the Col-
lege of Apostles ; and that, in theory, they held all
ecclesiastical honours to be the gift of the Church
(by that term meaning their own body), though in
practice nothing could be more false.
As I ,shall have occasion hereafter to notice other
circumstances which contributed to the fabric of spi-
rittial tyranny, I will not now take up more of the
Reader's time in tracing step by step the progress of
• I have here followed Dr. Campbell's translatice (Lectures,
Vol. T. p. a9O). f haesiniin, vo{,ll. p. 29.

the contest between new and old Rome for the pre.
cedency.. Suffice it to say, that the contest was car-
tied to a period considerably beyond the fifth cen-
tury, to which I wish at present to confine my obser-
vations, and terminated at length in the entire sepa-
ration of the Latin and Greek churches. But that
the Reader may not lose sight of the object that ren-
dered this discussion necessary—the effects produced
on the profession of Christianity by this fall of the
" great star" from his own proper sphere—it is ne-
cessary I should here remark, that this dispute for
pre-eminence pervaded the whole body of the clergy.
The additions made by the Emperors and pious De-
votees to the wealth, honours, and advantages of the
bishops, were followed by a proportional augmenta-
tion of vices and luxury, particularly among those
who lived in opulent cities. The greater bishops
contended with each other, in the most scandalous
manner; concerning their respective jurisdictions ; in-
sulted and degraded these teachers who had not " tha
arm of flesh" to give them protection ; and imitated,
in their manner of living, the arrogance, voluptu-
ousness, and luxury of magistrates and princes. 'the
presbyters, who primarily wore of the same rank with
the bishops [these two appellations, as has been
sliewn, being only different names for the same office]
bei thrust down to a lower seat, now contended
for precedency in their new order, the victors assum-
il g a prefix to the name of their office, and calling
themselves Arch-presbyters ; while the Deacons, imi-
t :he examples of their superiors, had also their
1:-)r distinguishing honours, and created
,frai;Laccins among them, who claimed an authority
ewer superior to that which was vested in the
'•• • members of their order. In one point all the
did, rent rat.k, of ecclesiastics were perfectly agreed,
namely, to trample on the rights of the people ! l'hus
wa., 'he ind-pendence of the churches of CHRIST sub-
verted ! fhese fountains of living water became the
sources of death ; for many continued to drink the
water poise ned with wormwood, in the poisoning of
which the blazing star was the principal agent.
To conclude my remarks en this third Trumpet—
The blazing star, who thus poisoned the rivers and
fountains of water, fellfrom heaven. His aim was to
rise, and we shall see hereafter that he had the im.
piety to exalt himself dove all that is called God, but
he actually lost all right to any kind of rule in that
which was his proper sphere ; and having thus
fallen, it was no longer lawful for the disciples of
CHRIST to yield him any obedience or subjection.—
These, having been scald [see Rev. ch. vii.] to be
preserved from this general rebellion against their
only Master, refused to -drink the poisoned stream,
and, fearless of the wrath of man, from this time be-
came the objects of the scorn, hatred, and persecu-
tion of Ecclesiastics. BIBLIC