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gon gave him his power duvan or his armies, and his feat Spovo or his imperial throne, and great authority or jurif diction over all the parts of his empire. The beast there fore is the fucceffor and fubftitute of the dragon or of the idolatrous heathen Roman empire: and what other idolatrous power hath fucceeded to the heathen emperors in Rome, all the world is a judge and a witnefs. The dragon having failed in his purpose of reftoring the old heathen idolatry, delegates his power to the beast, and thereby introduces a new fpecies of idolatry, nominally different, but effentially the fame, the worship of angels and faints instead of the gods and demigods of antiquity.

Another mark, whereby the beaft was peculiarly diftinguifhed, was (ver. 3.) one of his heads as it were wounded to death. It will appear hereafter, that this head was the fixth head, for five were fallen (XVII. 10.) before St. John's time: and the fixth head was that of the Cæfars or emperors, there having been before kings, and confuls, and dictators, and decemvirs, and military tribunes with confular authority. The fixth head was as it were wounded to death, when the Roman empire was overturned by the northern nations, and an end was put to the very name of emperor in Momyllus Auguftulus : or rather, as the government of the Gothic kings was (3) much the fame as that of the emperors with only a change of the name, this head was more effectually wounded to death, when Rome was reduced to a poor dukedom, and made tributary to the exarchate of Ravenna and Sigonius, who hath written the beft of thefe times and of thefe affairs, includes the hiftory of the

fexti in epifcopos Hifpaniæ, Galliæ, &c. fatis fuperbe exercuit; fucceffores feculi feptimi multo etiam magis. In utroque feculo faventibus papis invaluere imaginum cultus, et fanctorum invocatio: nam hic ipfe Gregorius litaniis inferuit nomen beatæ virginis Mariæ. En igitur blafphemias. Seculo octavo A. D. 727. imperium civile Romæ, et ducatûs Romani, excommunicato pulfoque imperatore Græco, arripuit papa (tefte Anaftafio ut Sigonio de Regno Italia L. 3.) Gre

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Gothic kings in his hiftory of the western empire. But not only one of his heads was as it were wounded to death, but his deadly wound was healed. If it was the fixth head which was wounded, that wound could not be healed by the rifing of the feventh head as interpreters commonly conceive; the fame head which was wounded, muft be healed: and this was effected by the pope and people of Rome revolting from the exarch of Ravenna, and proclaiming Charles the great Auguftus and emperor of the Romans. Here the wounded imperial head was healed again, and hath fubfifted ever fince. At this time, partly thro' the pope, and partly thro' the emperor, fupporting and ftrengthening each other, the Roman name again became formidable: and all the world wondered after the beast, and (ver. 4.) they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beaft, faying; Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? No kingdom or empire was like that of the beaft, it had not a parallel upon earth, and it was in vain for azy to refift or oppofe it, it prevailed and triumphed over all; and all the world in fubmitting thus to the religion of the beast, did in effect fubmit again to the religion of the dragon, it being the old idolatry with only new names. The worshipping of demons and idols is in effect the worthipping of devils.

Wonderful as the beaft was, his words and actions (ver. 5-8.) are no lefs wonderful. He perfectly refembles the little horn in Daniel. As the little horn (Dan. VII. 8, 25.) hath a mouth speaking great things, and fpake great words against the mojt High; fo there was given unto the beaft a mouth speaking great things, and he opened his mouth in blafphemy againft God. As the little horn (Dan. VII. 21.) made war with the faints, and prevailed against them; fo it was given unto the beaft to make war with the faints and to overcome them. As the little horn profpered (Dan. VII. 25.) until a time, and times, and the dividing of time, that is three prophetic years and a half; fo power was given unto the beast to continue, to practife and profper, forty and two months, which is exactly the fame portion of time as three years and a half. We fee that not only the fame images, but

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almost the fame words are employed; and the portraits being fo perfectly alike, it might fairly be prefumed, if there was no other argument, that they were both drawn for the fame perfon and having before clearly discovered who fat for the one, we cannot now be at any lofs. to determin who fat for the other. It is the Roman beaft in his laft ftate or under his feventh head: and he hath a mouth Speaking great things and blafphemies; and what can be greater things and blafphemies, than the (4) claims of univerfal bishop, infallible judge of all controverfies, fooran of kings, and difpofer of kingdoms, vicegerent of Christ, and God upon earth! He hath also power wonra to continue or rather to practise, to prevail, and profper, forty and two months. Some read wonoai woreμov, to make war, not rightly understanding, I fuppofe, what was meant by wonda alone; but it fignifies to praclife, to prevail, and prosper, as the words ny and wine are (5) ufed by Daniel and the Greek tranflators. It doth not therefore follow, that the beaft is to continue to exift for no longer a term, but he is to practife, to profper and prevail forty and two months; as the holy city (XI. 2.) is to be troden under foot of the Gentiles forty and two months which are the 1260 days or years of the reign of Antichrift. But if by the beast be understood the Heathen Roman empire, the Heathen Roman empire, instead of fubfifting 1260, did not fubfift 400 years after the date of this prophecy.

After this general account of the blafphemies and exploits of the beaft, there follows a fpecification of the particulars. He opened his mouth in blafphemy against God. Blafphemy against God may be faid to be of two kinds, not only fpeaking dishonourably of the fupreme Being, but likewife attributing to the creature what belongs to the creator, as in idolatry; which is often the

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nfe of the word in fcripture; as in Ifaiah (LXV. 7.) hey have burnt incenfe upon the mountains, and blafemed me upon the hills; and in feveral other places. e blafphemes the name of God by affuming the divine les and honors to himfelf, and as it is expreffed in e Wisdom of Solomon, (XIV. 21.) by afcribing unto nes and ftocks the incommunicable name. He blafphemes tabernacle of God, his temple and his church, by lling true Chriftians, who are the house of God, finatics and heretics, and anathematizing them acrdingly or as you may understand it, by perverting e places dedicated to the worship of faints and angels. blafphemes them that dwell in heaven, angels and rified faints, by idolatrous worship and impious adoion; and difgraces their acts, and vilifies their meries, by fabulous legends and lying miracles. So much for his blafphemies; nor are his exploits extraordinary. It was given unto him to make war h the faints and to overcome them: And who can ke any computation, or even frame any conception the numbers of pious Chriftians who have fallen a rifice to the bigotry and cruelty of Rome? Mede on the place (6) hath observed from good authorities, t in the war with the Albigenfes and Waldenfes re perished of thefe poor creatures in France alone illion. From the first institution of the Jefuits to the r 1480, that is in little more than thirty years, nine dred thousand orthodox Chriftians were flain. In the therlands alone, the Duke of Alva boasted, that

) Prima ejus expeditio incubuit Albigenfes et Waldenfes, et fi alio nomine tunc appellati fint Chrifti cultores: quorum tanta es edita fuit ut per Galliam fofi P. Perionius in ejus belli ia rectè calculum inierit, occifa A decies centena hominum millia. o origine Jefuitarum, ad annum , hoc eft, paulo pluribus quam nis, orthodoxorum nongenta fere fuiffe trucidata, notat Balduide Antichrifto. In Belgio folo,

thore, intra paucos annos fublata gloriatus eft. Teftatur Vergerius, qui optime novit, Inquifitionem, ut vocant, hæreticæ pravitatis vix triginti annorum fpatio, centum quinquaginta Chriftianorum millia diverfis afflic tionam generibus confumpfiffe. Fatetur Sanderus infinitos Lolhardos et Sacramentarios in tota Europa ignibus traditos fuiffe; quos tamen ait ille non a papa et epifcopis, fe a politicis magiftratibus neci datos fuiffe. Nimirum fic. juxta prophetiam rem

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within a few years he had dispatched to the amount of thirty for thousand fouls, and thofe all by the hand of the common executioner. In the space of fcarce thirty years, the Inquifition deftroyed by various kinds of tortures a hundred and fifty thousand Chriftians. Sanders himfelf confeffes, that an innumerable multitude of Lollards and Sacramentarians were burnt throughout all Europe, who yet, he fays, were not put to death by the pope and bithops, but by the civil magiftrates; which perfectly agrees with this prophecy, for of the fecular beaft it is faid, that he should make war with the faints, and overcome them. No wonder that by these means he fhould obtain an univerfal authority over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and eftablith his dominion in all the countries of the western Roman empire: and that they fhould not only fubmit to his decrees, but even adore his perfon, except the faithful few, whose names, as citizens of heaven, were inrolled in the regifters of life. Let the Romanifts boaft therefore that theirs is the catholic church and univerfal empire; this is fo far from being any evidence of the truth, that it is the very brand infixed by the fpirit of prophecy.

It was customary with our Saviour, when he would have his auditors pay a particular attention to what he had been faying, to add, He who hath ears to hear, let him hear. St. John repeats the fame admonition at the end of each of the feven epiftles to the feven churches of Afia, and here in the conclufion of his description of the beast, (ver. 9.) If any man hath an ear, let him hear : and certainly the defcription of the beaft is deferving of the higheft attention upon many accounts, and particularly becaufe the right interpretation of the Apocalyps turneth upon it, as one of its main hinges. It is added, by way of confolation to the church, that these enemies of God and of Christ, represented under the character of the beaft, fhall fuffer the law of retaliation, and be as remarkably punished and tormented themfelves, as they punifhed and tormented others. (ver. 10.) He who leadeth into captivity, fhall go into captivity; He who killeth with the fword, must be killed with the fword. Such a promise might adminifter fome comfort; and

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