“They established courts in which all violations of their laws were tried,
and a tribunal at the capital for the decision of appeals. There were
gradations of rank in the hierarchy, like those of the magistrates of the
civil empire. The hierarchies, as nationalized by Constantine, were formed
in each patriarchate, after the model of the civil government in the
provinces. The hierarchy of the western kingdoms, under the Pope, was
formed after that pattern; having archbishops or metropolitans at the head
of the clergy of each nation, or large district, and bishops, abbots, and
a long catalogue of subordinate ranks, under each metropolitan.
“They levied taxes for their support on ecclesiastics and laics.
“They inflicted ecclesiastical penalties on the violators of their laws;
exclusion from communion, suspension from office, deposition,
excommunication, and a sentence of eternal death.”—_Exp. of Apoc._, pp.
429-432.
These, with many other striking resemblances, demonstrate that the Roman
hierarchy, in all its great features, was a counterpart to imperial
Rome—an image of, and belonging to, the seven-headed, ten-horned monster,
whose deadly wound was healed.
Life was to be given to this image by the two-horned beast. The papal
hierarchy is created when its supremacy over other churches is declared
and _sustained_; and the power by which this is done, is that which gives
life to it. This was done, according to the following history, by the
Eastern empire.
The power of the papacy, symbolized by the image, had been predicted in
Daniel under the symbol of “a Little Horn,” that came up among the
previous “ten horns,” before whom “there were three of the first horns
plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes
of man, and a mouth speaking great things,” Dan. 7:8. These horns were
thus explained to Daniel: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom
upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the
whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten
horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another
shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he
shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most
High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change
times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and
times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall
take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey
him.” _Ib._ vs. 23-27.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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