by her. Moft certainly these symbols imply the entire deftruction of this capital city. Thus her fate will be like that of the literal Babylon, whofe fituation is now almoft unknown, because it has been utterly destroyed. The fall of this mystical Babylon muft make way to the fall of idolatry; it feems morally impoffible that the one should be done without the other. And when we confider the conftant method of the divine Providence, which has been to include the capital in the fate of the nation condemned, as Nineveh, Baby-lon, Jerufalem, Samaria, and fome others; why should we think it will be more favourable to Rome, the city which has been a greater and more conftant enemy to the true religion, both in the Jewish and the Chriftian difpenfations, than any other; and has tyrannized with the most horrid aggravations beyond any thing before? This Chapter puts it out of doubt, that the utter deftruction of Rome is defigned by the Almighty. Nevertheless as it will appear afterwards by the nineteenth Chapter, fome confiderable part of the favourers of idolatry and tyranny fhall still fubfift after the fall of this Babylon, and keep up the old pretenfions of the beast, and falfe

Pro

Prophet, till they are deftroyed by a judgment there defcribed and foretold. But in the mean time they fhall never be able to reftore Babylon to its former ftatem."

"It appears then that this Antichriftian power was to arife in the latter times of the Roman Empire, after an end should be put to the imperial power, and after the empire fhould be divided into ten kingdoms and it is not only foretold when it fhould prevail, but moreover how long it fhould prevail. Here we cannot but obferve, that the very fame period of time is prefixed for its continuance both by Daniel and by St. John. Wonderful is the confent and harmony between these inspired writers, as in other circumftances of the Prophecy, fo particularly in this. In Daniel the little born was to wear out the faints of the Moft High, and think to change times and laws; and it is faid exprefsly, that they fhould be given into his hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time; or as the fame thing is expreffed in another place, for a time, times, and a half. In the Revelation it is faid of the beaft, to whom

Daubuz, p. 798.

in

in like manner it was given to make war with the faints, and to overcome them, that power alfo was given unto him to continue forty and two months: and the holy city the Gentiles fhould tread under foot forty and two months: and the two witnesses should prophefy a thousand two hundred and threefcore days clothed in fackcloth: and the woman, the true church of Christ, who fled into the wilderness from perfecution, fhould be fed and nourished there a thou

fand two hundred and threefcore days, or as it is otherwise expressed in the fame chapter, for a time, and times, and half a time. Now all these numbers you will find upon computation to be the fame, and each of them to fignify 1260 years. For a time is a year,. and a time and times and the dividing of time, or half a time, are three years and a half, and three years and a half are 42 months, and 42 months are 1260 days, and 1260 days in the Prophetic ftyle are 1260 years. From all these dates and characters it may fairly be concluded, that the time of the church's great affliction and of the reign of Antichrift will be a period of 1260 years ""

The conjectures concerning the exact date of the commencement of this Antichristian power are fo numerous, that it will be prudent to wait for its end before we form a decided opinion. We have however fufficient ground to conclude pofitively, that from whatever remarkable era thefe prophetical years are dated, the period of their accomplishment cannot be very remote from the present timesFleming "reckons that the Papal head took its rife from that memorable year 606, when Phocas did in a manner devolve the government of the Weft upon Boniface III. by giving him the title of Supreme and univerfal Bishop; or in 608, when Boniface IV. did first publicly authorize idolatry, by dedicating the Pantheon to the worship of the Virgin Mary, and all faints; but he does not confider his power as established, till fome years afterwards.-By Steps he hath been raised up, and by steps muft he be pulled down."-" In the year 666, the mystical number of the beast, which Irenæus interpreted to mean the Latin Monarchy, Pope Vitalian did first ordain that all public worship should be in Latin"-In 756, or 758, which was 666 years after St. John faw the vision of the

beast,

beast, according to the most probable calculation, Pope Paul I. received the exarchate of Ravenna as a donation from Pepin, King of France, and then was his power fully established.-Bifhop Newton confiders the year 727 as the most probable era, for the rise of this power, as the Pope and people of Rome in that year revolted from the Exarch of Ravenna, and fhook off their allegiance to the Greek Emperor; and Sigonius obferves, that in 727 "Rome and the Roman dukedom came from the Greeks to the Roman Pontiff"The Pope then became a little horn, or fecular prince; but his power was not fully established, till he obtained the exarchate of Ravenna from Pepin, in 756, or 758. It is very remarkable, that whether we adopt Fleming's mode of calculation, and date the begin'ning of the 1260 prophetical years from 758, when all agree that the Papacy was fully established as a temporal, as well as fpiritual power; or whether, with Bishop Newton, and according to common calculation, we confider "the beginning of the 1260 years of the reign of Antichrift, is to be dated from the year 727, their