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MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS; OR, The Christian's Survey of the Political JVorld*
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Untitled Article
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Monthly Retrospect Of Public Affairs; Or, The Christian's Survey Of The Political Jvorld*
MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ; OR , The Christian ' s Survey of the Political JVorld *
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« Babylon is fallen , is fallen . " This is a passage of holy writ , to which the true Christian looks forward with just confidence ; but the completion of the prophecy remains to be witnessed by a future generation . The blow struck at anti-christian tyranny and superstition ,
has produced very important effects , but the system is not overthrown . What was effected by the fraud of several ages , cannot be overpowered by force in a few years .: it is a great point gained for mankind , that this force , however
injurious it may have been in other respects , has been directed against many points of papal tyranny and usurpation , and ^ by weakening their strength , has prepared the way for * the complete -downfal declared in the prophecy . "We cannot , however , flatter ourselves with the
hopes , that the name of Pope will soon cease to exist . The seiz 4 ire of his capital and territories has taken from him the tetnporal power he enjoysd in Italy ; but his pre-eminence and spiritual power to a certain degree remain , and the manner of their exercise is not yet completely ascertained .
The arrival of Buonaparte in France , after his late heroical achievements , has developed some part of his plan respecting * the Roman church . The city of Rome addressed him ; and in his answer to it , and speech to his own states , he gave sufficient indications of his future
intentions . To the former , he spoke of the glory of their ancestors , and the po ^ - licy of the civil state being made superior to the temporal ; to the latter , he expressed his regard to the spiritual power , and boasted of his right to be
esteemed the eldest son of the church . An expression © € our Saviour was artfull y introduced , by which the emperor signified , that he would claim and keep every thing that belonged to Caesar , whilst he was wiping to render to God what belonged fa- God *
As eldeStoson of the church . Buonaparte allows the pre-eminence of the Pope over all other bishops and spiritual teachers , and acknowledges him to be
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the representative of the apostle Peter * Of course a high degree of honour remains to the pretended apostolical father . In the widely extended dominions of the Emperor of the West , he will be the acknowledged cUief in spiritual matters . The army of churchmen under him will look up to him . as their head , and there is no saying how far
their influence may extend over th , e minds of the ignorant , and it will be their interest , as it so long has been , to keep the world in ignorance . It is difficult to account for the step which Buonaparte has taken . We cannot attribute it to the want of courage * or to , ifxe secret influence of principle . He might , as our Henry had done , have declared himself to be the head of the church .
and brought the ecclesiastics under complete subjection to his authority . Tfce argument of the profaneness of the title of the head of the church , . would Have had but little weight with bim j but , as he has chosen a different mode , we must look out for refined motives of ppjicy that have thus led him to so peculiar 4 line of conduct .
According to this arrangement , tge orders of the Roman church remain as they were before , the great co ^ vuls ^ a ; the limits of its spiritual juris die tioa ^ o not seem to be in the least altered ; the service . of the church continues , _^ q % o performed in an . unknown tongue ^ and the priests remain in a state of celibacy ? A degree of toleration is however Allowed , which would seem to threaten
destruction to the ecclesiastical system ; hut the experience of centuries must convince us , how little danger is to be apprehended from Protestantism * In Germany , after the great war of religion , cJLstricts , towns , \ an 4 viMagcs * were parcelled out between Protestants and
Papists , and each party seemed to be consented in its respective domains . 'The Papists remained rather more bigoted than ever , and the Protestants ^( Jvaiiqed very little beyond the first reformers . Jn France , the Protestants may now perform their service openly > but it may be
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vox ,, iv . 4 X
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1809, page 699, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1743/page/49/
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