BEAST OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.

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ercise of Gospel repentance for sin; without saving faith in Christ; without Gospel justification, sanctification, or any experimental acquaintance with gracious affections; without the knowledge or possession of the grace of the Divine Spirit, and practically living without God in the world.

Such was Popery, and the state of the visible Church, from the establishment of the Papal secular power over the Church of Rome by Pepin, at the subversion of the Lombards, A.D. 756, to the commencement of the Protestant Lutheran Reformation, A.D. 1517, a period of more than seven hundred and fifty years. From the commencement of the Protestant Reformation to the Revolution of France, A.D. 1789, a period of more than two hundred and fifty years, the Church of Rome was filled with confusion, by intestine sanguinary wars for dominion, between princes of their own order; and Protestant Christians were clad in sackcloth indeed, stained red with the blood of thousands slain in battle, who fell victims. to the rage of Papal ambition to promote the antiChristian spirit of War.

But when the Beast of Atheistical Infidelity rose from the bottomless pit, at the French Revolution of A.D. 1789; when the healed head of the ancient heathen Roman Empire, once wounded to death, but again revived to life; vieing with the radiant splendor of the rising sun, by the scarlet lustre of his royal attire, and puffing out a round of blasphemies at every breath; when, in great clemency, to save the Church of Rome from impending desolation, the Infidel power condescended to take Her Infallible Holiness and Royal Feminine Majesty's propria persona into a state of Royal Identity and Infidel Alliance; when he gave her a splendid, commodious, and conspicuous

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THE DEVIL TURNS CHRISTIAN.

seat on his own illustrious back; adding to his own splendor, the stately appearance of Her Majestical Holiness, arrayed in purple and scarlet; bedecked with all the brilliant ornaments becoming a Royal Matron of Harlots, with her golden cup full of love potions, of the most alluring fragrance, and abominable enticements in her hand, ready for use in all emergencies; then, and from, and after that period, the Church of Rome adopted a system of policy not only to multiply adherents to the professed Infallible Romish Church, but also to form numerous auxiliaries under different denominational combinations, each of which shall be so far based on Roman Catholic principles, as to subserve the general cause of Antichrist in opposition to the Bible and true religion. And, also, to invent a popular plan to scatter and divide the Orthodox Church into sects and parties, emulating each other to gain proselytes by new and wonderful inventions to multiply numbers for the promotion of religion, while the anti-Christian plot was to vote true religion, and its laws and ordinances, out of the world, by a majority of its unsound professors.

The sum of the new system of policy was, that the unclean spirit like a frog, which had been prophetically seen to come out of the mouth of the old heathen Roman persecuting Beast, and which had been af firmed to be "a spirit of devils," and had persecuted millions of Christians to death by torture, should himself cease from persecution, as not the best method of destroying Bible heresy; and let it be seen and known to "all the kings of the earth and to the whole world, that the Devil himself had been converted to Christianity, and had become a Christian! a member, an officer, a leader in the only Infallible Church on earth; a counsellor of Her Holiness in devising new ways

THE DEVIL'S DIPLOMA.

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and means To ROOT out Bible heresy; and all the oldfashioned Bible doctrines; and old-fashioned creeds, catechisms, and confessions of faith; and the oldfashioned mode of preaching; and old-fashioned ministers of the Gospel; and old-fashioned Christian conferences and prayer-meetings; and old-fashioned convictions of being sinners in danger of losing the soul; and old-fashioned special work of the regeneration of the heart by the sole power of the Holy Spirit, with justifying and sanctifying grace, to fit souls for the kingdom of heaven; and the old-fashioned method of receiving members into the Church, by requiring an experimental evidence of a change of heart.

Having cleared away all this old-fashioned rubbish, the next method prescribed in the new system is, to persuade every body to believe that they are good Christians by nature, and all that is wanting to make them good members of the Church, is just to come forward and join it, and attend to the ceremonies prescribed in its rules for the regulation of public service, and all will be well.

The grand secret of the whole matter must also be understood, viz., that the unclean spirit aforesaid, the spirit of devils which had turned Christian, had also become superintendent of the education of select persons both male and female, throughout Christendom, for preachers of religion on the new system, each of whom receives a diploma from Satan the GREAT PRINCE of unclean spirits, and President of the University of Pandemonium, in the bottomless pit, which is worded as follows:

:

To A. B., DIABOLOS THE GREAT presenteth, greeting, in behalf of all the powers of ANTICHRIST : Whereas, you have been educated, and have taken

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ANTI-CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES.

holy orders at our University as a preacher of religion, and having full confidence to believe that you will be faithful in our cause, We present you with the following Diploma, for your private guide, and instruction, and directory in making Christians, such as we shall approve, and such as may be depended on to promote our cause under all circumstances and emergencies. Mark well," then, what we say.

66

Let it be your first business in every place where you make a stand, to learn the sentiments and practices of the people about religion. If they have no religion at all; read nothing about it, care nothing about it, and this is the general character of the whole community, then your work will be easy, and quickly done. Inform them that you are a preacher of religion, and that you have come to make them a visit, and gather them all into a church. If they wish to know your denomination before they hear you, let them understand that you are not one of the old-fashioned Bible preachers of doctrines that nobody can understand, and ought not to believe. That your doctrine is, that all mankind are good by nature, and that if they are only members of a church, they will, doubtless, be happy during their existence, longer or shorter.

By such an introduction you will immediately have an invitation to preach in the largest building among them, or perhaps in the open field. Your agreeable sentiments and manner of introduction will fly over the region round about, and all the people will flock to hear you. Then display yourself. Preach against all the old-fashioned Bible doctrines, and Bible laws, and Bible ordinances, that you always hated. "Speak unto them smooth things." Tell them all that their hearts are good; that you want to organize them all into a church; that you are acquainted with a very rich

A VERY BENEVOLENT LADY.

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Lady, the Mother of many immensely rich, amiable, and "infallible" daughters, who will build them a large and elegant stone church and pay for it; and that all they are required to do, to become church-members, is just to give in their names for enrolment. And the whole work will be done up in that place, as fast as their names can be written. When they are organized, and a church is built for them, have no other rules of discipline than that every one shall attend that church, and no other. No Bibles, nor Bible classes, nor Sabbath schools are needed. On Sunday, as it is called, all must attend church in the forenoon; but in the afternoon they may all be at liberty to labor, visit, or pursue any course of amusements desirable. And, doubtless, if they keep to these rules you will have a numerous church, and we shall take pleasure in your

success.

But, should you stop where some of the people are old-fashioned, Bible, orthodox Christians, let it be your first labor to dig up their influence by the roots. Keep at a distance from them, and keep them at a distance from you. Appoint meetings all around them; but hold an iron rod of contempt over their heads, and let every body understand, by your preaching and treatment of them, that you have no confidence in them nor in their doctrines. Keep it constantly before the people, that in "these times," Christians cannot be made in the old-fashioned way. Old-fashioned people, and their old-fashioned Bible doctrines and religion must be broken down; and to do it effectually, will require all your skill and energies; and, on the assistance of all our combined efforts you may always rely.

In all your preaching, affect to be very eloquent. People love to hear eloquence. Endeavor always to please the ladies in your preaching. Tell them a