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The Two Republics, or Rome and the United States of America

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE5
CHAPTER I. THE LAST DAYS OF THE REPUBLIC17
Capital and labor—Electoral corruption—Anti-monopoly legislation—The distribution of the land—Senatorial corruption and State charity—Caius Gracchus is killed—The consulship of Marius—More State charity and the social war—Revolt in the East—Bloody strifes in the city—Dictatorship of Sulla—Sulla, Pompey, and Caesar—Pompey and Crassus, consuls—Land monopoly and anti-poverty reform
CHAPTER II. THE TWO TRIUMVIRATES47
The Senate offends Caesar—Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar—The consulate of Caesar—Reform by law—The triumvirate dissolved—Legal government at an end—Caesar crosses the Rubicon—Caesar dictator, demi-god, and deity—Caesar’s government—The murder of Caesar—Octavius presents himself—Plot, counterplot, and war—Octavius becomes consul—The triumvirs enter Rome—“The saviors of their country”—Antony and Cleopatra
CHAPTER III. THE ROMAN MONARCHY81
The father of the people—The accession of Tiberius—The enemy of public liberty—A furious and crushing despotism—Accession of Caligula—Caligula imitates the goods—Caligula’s prodigality—The delirium of power—Claudius and his wives—Messalina’s depravity—Agrippina the tigress—Roman society in general—Ultimate paganism
CHAPTER IV. THE “TEN PERSECUTIONS.”109
Roman law and the Jews—The persecution by Nero—Government of Domitian—Pliny and the Christians—Government of Trajan—Riotous attacks upon the Christians—Government of Commodus—Government of Septimius Severus—Government of Caracalla—Persecution by Maximum—The persecution by Decius—Christianity legalized—The ten persecutions a fable
CHAPTER V. CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE137
Freedom in Jesus Christ—Pagan idea of the State—Rights of individual conscience—Christians subject to civil authority—The limits of State jurisdiction—The Roman religion—The Roman laws—Sources of persecution—Superstition and selfishness—The governors of provinces—State self-preservation—State religion means persecution—Christianity victorious—Christianity means rights of conscience
CHAPTER VI. THE RISE OF CONSTANTINE167
The persecution under Diocletian—The attack is begun—Afflictions of the persecutors—Rome surrenders—Six emperors at once—Roman embassies to Constantine—The Edict of Milan
CHAPTER VII. ANCIENT SUN WORSHIP183
The secret of sun worship—The rites of sun—worship in the mysteries—Jehovah condemns sun worship—Sun worship in Judah—Sun worship destroys the kingdom—Sun worship of Augustus and Elagabalus—Aurelian’s temple to the sun—Constantine a worshiper of the sun
CHAPTER VIII. THE FALLING AWAY—THE GREAT APOSTASY203
The root of the apostasy—Heathen rites adopted—The mysteries—The forms of sun worship adopted—Rome exalts Sunday—Heathen philosophy adopted—Clement’s philosophic mysticism—Origen’s philosophic mysticism—Imperial aims at religious unity—Paganism and the apostasy alike—The two streams unite in Constantine
CHAPTER IX. THE EXALTATION OF THE BISHOPRIC227
“All ye are brethren”—A clerical aristocracy created—Bishopric of Rome asserts pre-eminence—Contentions in Rome and Carthage—The bishops usurp the place of Christ—An episcopal Punic War—the bishopric of Antioch—Disgraceful character of the bishopric
CHAPTER X. THE RELIGION OF CONSTANTINE245
His low utilitarianism—Pagan and apostate Christian—His perjury and cruelty—Many times a murderer—The true cross and Constantine—Is this paganism or Christianity?—A murderer even in death—Little better than a pagan
CHAPTER XI. CONSTANTINE AND THE BISHOPS263
The new theocracy—The new Israel delivered—Final war with Licinius—Original State chaplaincies—The bishops and the emperor—Constantine sent to heaven—The mystery of iniquity
CHAPTER XII. THE UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE279
A false unity—The Catholic Church established—Which is the Catholic Church?—Councils to decide the question—The Donatists appeal to the emperor—The State becomes partisan—Clergy exempt from public offices—Fruits of the exemption—The church of the masses—The church a mass of hypocrites
CHAPTER XIII. THE ORIGINAL SUNDAY LEGISLATION301
Israel rejects the Lord as king—The Lord would not forsake the people—The kingdom not of this world—The new and false theocracy—Constantine’s Sunday law—Sunday legislation is religious only—The empire a “kingdom of God”—By authority of Pontifex Maximus—Council of Nice against the Jews—Sabbath-keepers accursed from Christ—All exemption abolished—The church obtains the monopoly—Origin of the Inquisition
CHAPTER XIV. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH329
The Trinitarian Controversy—Homoousion or Homoiousion—The secret of the controversy—Constantine’s design—Constantine’s task—The Council of Nice—Character of the bishops—Constantine’s place in the council—The framing of the creed—The creed and its adoption—Their own estimate of the creed—The true estimate of the council
CHAPTER XV. ARIANISM BECOMES ORTHODOX355
Arius returned; Athanasius banished—Athanasius is returned and again banished—Macedonius made bishop of Constantinople—General Council of Sardica—Athanasius again returned—General councils of Arles and Milan—The bishop of Rome is banished—Hosius forced to become Arian—Athanasius again removed—Liberius becomes Arian and is recalled—Double council; Rimini and Seleucia—The emperor’s creed declared heretical—The world becomes Arian
CHAPTER XVI. THE CATHOLIC FAITH RE-ESTABLISHED383
Jovian, Valentinian, and Valens—The contentions begin again—The order of the hierarchy—Gregory, bishop of Constantinople—The Meletian schism—The Council of Constantinople—Council of Aquileia—Penalties upon heretics—The empire is “converted.”
CHAPTER XVII. MARY IS MADE THE MOTHER OF GOD403
Chrysostom deposed and banished—Chrysostom recalled and again banished—A general council demanded—Cyril of Alexandria—Nestorius of Constantinople—Cyril and Nestorious at war—The bishop of Rome joins Cyril—General Council of Ephesus—Condemnation of Nestorius—Council against council—All alike orthodox—Cyril bribes the court and wins
CHAPTER XVIII. THE EUTYCHIAN CONTROVERSY429
The controversy begins—Eusebius in a dilemma—Forecast of the Inquisition—A general council is demanded—The second general Council of Ephesus—Eutyches is declared orthodox—The unity of the council—Peace is declared restored
CHAPTER XIX. THE POPE MADE AUTHOR OF THE FAITH447
Pretensions of the bishops of Rome—“Irrevocable” and “universal”—Leo demands another council—The general Council of Chalcedon—“A frightful storm”—Condemnation of Dioscorus—Leo’s—letter the test—Leo’s letter approved—Leo’s letter “the true faith”—Unity of the council is created—Leo’s doctrine seals the creed—The creed of Leo and Chalcedon—Royalty ratifies the creed—The council to Leo—Imperial edicts enforce the creed—Leo “confirms” the creed—The work of the four councils
CHAPTER XX. THE CHURCH USURPS THE CIVIL AUTHORITY483
Events that favored the papacy—The bishops censors of magistrates The Bible is made the code—The bishopric a political office—The worst characters become bishops—the episcopal dictatorship—Civil government vanished
CHAPTER XXI. THE RUIN OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE499
The bishopric of Rome—Pride of the bishops and clergy—Vices of clergy and people—Abominations of sun worship continued—Heathen practices in the church—Monkish virtue made prevalent—Hypocrisy and fraud made habitual—Pure, unmingled naturalism—Destruction and devastation—No remedy, and final ruin
CHAPTER XXII. THE SUPREMACY OF THE PAPACY521
The papacy and the barbarians—The “conversion” of Clovis—The “holy” wars of Clovis—Such conversion was worse corruption—She destroys those she cannot corrupt—Destruction of the Herulian kingdom—Theodoric’s rule of Italy—Papal proceedings in Rome—The pope put above the State—Conspiracies against the Ostrogoths—The accession of Justinian—The Trisagion controversy—Justinian joins in the controversy—The Vandal kingdom uprooted—The Ostrogothic kingdom destroyed—Temporal authority of the papacy—The Lombards invade Italy—The pope appeals to France—The pope anoints Pepin king—Pepin’s gift to the papacy—The pope makes Charlemagne emperor—The papacy made supreme—The germ of the entire papacy
CHAPTER XXIII. PROTESTANTISM—TRUE AND FALSE569
The papal power and Luther’s protection—The principles of Protestantism—Protestantism is Christianity—Zwingle as a Reformer—Henry VIII against Luther—Luther against the papacy—Henry divorces the pope—Religious rights in England—The Calvinistic theocracy—Calvin’s Despotism—Religious despotism in Scotland—The rise of the Puritans—Puritan designs upon England—Elizabeth persecutes the Puritans—Origin of the Congregationalists—Puritan government of New England—New England Puritan principles—roger Williams against Puritanism—Banishment of Roger Williams—John Wheelright and his preaching—Wheelright is banished—The Puritan inquisition—Puritan covenant of grace—Mrs. Hutchinson is condemned—the inquisition continues—Planting of Connecticut and New Haven—The theocracy is completed—Laws against the Baptists—The Baptist principles—The whipping of Elder Holmes—The persecutors justify themselves—Thomas Gould and his brethren—Another remonstrance from England—First treatment of Quakers—First law against Quakers—Rhode Island’s glorious appeal—Horrible laws against the Quakers—Horrible tortures of Quakers—The people effect a rescue—Children sold as slaves—The death penalty is defeated—“A humaner policy”—The people rescue the sufferers—Laws of New Haven and Connecticut—John Wesley prosecuted—Martin Luther and Roger Williams
CHAPTER XXIV. THE NEW REPUBLIC663
Civil government wholly impersonal—It is the scriptural idea—How are the powers that be, ordained—The American doctrine is scriptural—The Declaration asserts the truth—Government and religion rightly separate—Governmental authority not religious—Daniel and the government—It is intentionally so—The Presbytery of Hanover—Their second memorial—Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance—Christianity does not need it—It undermines public authority—Virginia delivered—Ratification of the Constitution—The Christian idea
CHAPTER XXV. THE GREAT CONSPIRACY699
The Constitution denounced—A religious amendment proposed—The National Reform Association—Proposed national hypocrisy—The new hierarchy—Moral and civil government distinct—Morality and religion inseparable—This work committed to the church alone—The two “spheres”—The National Reform theocracy—The new kingdom of God—What they propose to do—National Reform toleration—They propose union with the papacy—Religious worship in public schools—Their principles and aims are alike—The W. C. T. U. in bad company—Principles of the National W. C. T. U.—History repeats itself—Wrong ideas of the gospel—Prohibition joins the procession—Principles of national Prohibition party—Origin of the American Sabbath Union—Church and State to be united—The whole scheme is theocratical—Anti American and anti-Christian
CHAPTER XXVI. THE BOND OF UNION753
The Catholic Church accepts—What Rome means by it—What the Protestants mean by it—Compulsory religious observance—What is the church for?—Sunday practice of church members—They invade the realm of conscience—The basis of Sunday observance—The authority for Sunday observance—No obligation upon a free conscience—The people must all go to church—More, more, more, more!—Sunday work is to be treason—The modern Puritan ideal—The true National Reform religion—The rumble of the coming train—Whom Sunday laws affect—How Sunday laws are enforced—Supreme Court decisions—“A relic of the Middle Ages”—It worked “nearly perfectly”—Their object is to make it universal
CHAPTER XXVII. WILL IT SUCCEED?799
Chaplaincies unconstitutional—Government chaplaincies anti-Christian—An imposition upon the people—Liquor-drinking chaplains—National Religious Proclamations—Appropriations to churches—A fallacious protest—The church raid upon the treasury—The Constitution forgotten—Church power strangles free discussion—The amendment proposed—A new Council of Nice—The proposed national theology—The Constitution disregarded—The national Sunday law—Religious legislation only—What they covet—Congress and the world to come—The State dictates to conscience—Enforced religious observance—No disturbance of worship—The Constitution protects them—The meaning of exemption—“Every-body’s attention” called—An invasion of rights—We plead for the rights of all—Why they propose exemption—“Embarrassing legislation”—They will “scoop all in”—Inalienable right
CHAPTER XXVIII. CONCLUSION861
What more is needed?—International Sunday-law movement—The pope exalts himself and Sunday—The arch-mistress of sorceries—Shall papal or Christian principles rule?—The lesson of the history
APPENDIX. HOW SUNDAY LAWS ARE ENFORCED877
Prosecution of Elder J. W. Scoles—Allen Meeks—Joe McCoy—J. L. Schockey—James M. Pool—James A. Armstrong—William L. Gentry—Ples. A. Pannell—J. L. James—Allen Meeks, the second time—John A. Meeks—John Neusch—F. N. Elmore—William H. Fritz—Z. Swearingen—I. L. Benson—James A. Armstrong, the second time—J. L. Munson—James M. Pool—J. L. Shockey, the second time—Alexander Holt—Letters from prominent citizens of Arkansas