The Christians now enjoyed a great calm under the reign of _Constantine_ and _Theodosius_; but Satan always took an opportunity to ruin the Church by Heresies when he could not by Persecution. Arianism, and many other errors were propogated, which occasioned dreadful troubles to the Church. _Julian_ the Apostate, endeavored once more to extirpate Christianity, but was killed in a Persecution he raised, before he had reigned two years. Errors increased daily. About the beginning of the sixth century the Church seemed more tranquil, but the Devil was incessantly working her ruin by the introduction of Popish errors; ignorance and profaneness was almost universal. The Government was almost one perpetual struggle between the Bishops, which should be the greatest. _Gregory_ the Great, by immense superstition, troubled the Church; and her discomfiture was soon universal. This was the case of the Church in the West; while, about this time, _Mahomet_ the Arab, took his rise in the East, and propogated his delusion there. Thus the Beast rose about 606, or 666; and now, in another sense, the Church entered into her Wilderness state, the outer Court being given to the Gentiles, to be trodden under foot for forty-two months, or 1260 years. Sad indeed the consequence of the rise of the Man of Sin. For many years worse Persecutions than under the Pagans took place, but God did not leave the World without a Witness for himself. Every now and then the Lord raised up faithful men, who opposed the Pope’s Supremacy; particularly _Luther_, in _Germany_—_Zuinglius_, in _Switzerland_, and _Calvin_; in _France_. The christian Religion, as taught by _Luther_, was established in _Demark_, _Sweden_, and _Germany_. The Doctrines taught by _Calvin_, in _Holland_, _Scotland_, _England_, and _Ireland_; but in _Ireland_ the Persecution was dreadful indeed, and not much less in _England_. The Popish massacre of about three hundred thousand Protestants in _Ireland_, and the Persecution in _England_, bid fair to abolish the Protestant cause among us. In _France_ the Persecution was dreadful—_Lewis_ the 13th distressed the Protestants greatly; numbers were barbarously murdered, and several hundred thousand with difficulty fled to _Holland_, _England_, and elsewhere. But blessed be God for the glorious Reformation! for a Protestant King and Princes; for the Will of God in our mother Tongue; for Parliaments that secure our Rights; for the clear Preaching of the Gospel, which is our joy, though we have to lament great decays among Churches; a dry, speculative, legal System, in opposition to the pure truth, which is branded with the odious term of Antinomianism; and in the world an infidel spirit of Free-thinking, in opposition to the Word of God. But we are looking to a glorious period, when truth in its native simplicity, shall fly with the rapidity of lightning, and illuminate the World; when _Anti-christ_, _in