It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the visible head of the universal church of Christ , invested with supreme authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world . More than this , the pope has been given the very titles of Deity . He has been styled " Lord God the Pope " ( see Appendix ), and has been declared infallible . He demands the homage of all men . The same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation is still urged by him through the Church of Rome , and vast numbers are ready to yield him homage .
But those who fear and reverence God meet this heaven-daring assumption as Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe : " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God , and Him only shalt thou serve ." Luke 4:8 . God has never given a hint in His word that He has appointed any man to be the head of the church . The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures . The pope can have no power over Christ ' s church except by usurpation . Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of heresy and willful separation from the true church . But these accusations apply rather to themselves . They are the ones who laid down the banner of Christ and departed from " the faith which was once delivered unto the saints ." Jude 3 .
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his deceptions and withstand his power . It was by the word that even the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks . At every assault , Christ presented the shield of eternal truth , saying , " It is written ." To every suggestion of the adversary , He opposed the wisdom and power of the word . In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men , and establish the authority of the papal usurper , he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures . The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position ; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed . This logic was adopted by the Roman Church . For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was prohibited . The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their houses , and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions . Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth , endowed with authority over church and state .
The detector of error having been removed , Satan worked according to his will . Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to " think to change times and laws ." Daniel 7:25 . This work it was not slow to attempt . To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols , and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity , the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian worship . The decree of a general council ( see Appendix ) finally established this system of idolatry . To complete the
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