oath pledging their loyalty to the state , yet back of this lies the vow of obedience to Rome , absolving them from every pledge inimical to her interests .
History testifies of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations ; and having gained a foothold , to further her own aims , even at the ruin of princes and people . In the year 1204 , Pope Innocent III extracted from Peter II , king of Arragon , the following extraordinary oath : " I , Peter , king of Arragonians , profess and promise to be ever faithful and obedient to my lord , Pope Innocent , to his Catholic successors , and the Roman Church , and faithfully to preserve my kingdom in his obedience , defending the Catholic faith , and persecuting heretical pravity ." --John Dowling , The History of Romanism , b . 5 , ch . 6 , sec . 55 . This is in harmony with the claims regarding the power of the Roman pontiff " that it is lawful for him to depose emperors " and " that he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to unrighteous rulers ." --Mosheim, b . 3 , cent . 11 , pt . 2 , ch . 2 , sec . 9 , note 17 . ( See also Appendix .)
And let it be remembered , it is the boast of Rome that she never changes . The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church . And had she but the power , she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries . Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation . While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose , Rome is aiming to reestablish her power , to recover her lost supremacy . Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state ; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws ; in short , that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience , and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured .
God ' s word has given warning of the impending danger ; let this be unheeded , and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are , only when it is too late to escape the snare . She is silently growing into power . Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls , in the churches , and in the hearts of men . She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated . Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike . All that she desires is vantage ground , and this is already being given her . We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is . Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution .
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