"The celebrated Protestant author, Waddington, says:
"After the conversion of Constantine, in the fourth century, when under the protection of the State, this sinful conformity to the
practices of paganism increased to such a degree that the beauty and simplicity of Christian worship were almost entirely obscured; and, by the time these were ripe for the establishment of the popedom, Christianity of the State, to judge from the institutions of its public worship, seemed but little else than a system of Christianized paganism. The copious transfusion of heathen ceremonies into Christian worship, which had taken place before the end of the fourth century, had to a certain extent paganized the outward form and aspect of religion."
Speaking of the religion of popery DR. Middleton says:
"All whose ceremonies appear plainly to have been copied from the rituals of primitive paganism, as handed down by an uninterrupted succession from the priests of old Rome, to the priests of the new Rome."
Fauchbt, in his Antiquities of Gaul, says:
"The bishops of that kingdom employed every means to gain men to Christ, availing themselves of their ceremonies, as well as of the stones of their temples to build their churches."
Gavazzi says:
"When Christianity was imposed by Constantine on his pagan subjects, paganism introduced itself into the church of Christ. Before, the choice of religion was free; but, after he had made some laws, especially one denying service in his army, save to Christians, the profession of Christianity became almost an obligation. Commands, magistracies, were obtainable only through the portals of this new faith; it was embraced by multitudes, but with what fervor or what motive? A mercenary motive and a worse than languid fervor. . . . A pagan flood flowing into the church carried with it its customs, practices, and idols. . . . The greater part of Constantine’s pagan subjects, while in appearance Christians, remained in substance pagans; especially worshiping in secret their idols. But the church did not prevent the sin. . . . The church was then too weak to resist the abuses brought in by the inundation of paganism; further, it was no longer the upright and severe church of Christ; becoming vain of having many millions of adherents, it did not closely examine their faith."
M.E. Cornell
