phetic ftile, as we before observed, is a tyrannical idolatrous empire; and the Roman empire was idolatrous under the Heathen emperors, and then ceafed to be fo for fome time under the Chrifiian emperors, and then became idolatrous again under the Roman pontiffs, and fo hath continued ever fince. It is the fame idolatrous power revived again, but only in another form; and all the corrupt part of mankind, whofe names are not inrolled as good citizens in the registers of heaven, are pleafed at the revival of it; but in this laft form it shall go into perdition; it fhall not, as it did before, ceafe for a time, and revive again, but fhall be deftroyed for

ever.

After this general account of the beaft, there follows an explanation of the particular emblems, with a fhort preface intimating that they are deferving of the deepest attention, and are a proper exercife and trial of the underftanding. Here is the mind which hath wisdom; (ver. 9.) as it was faid upon a former occafion, (XIII. 18.) Here is wisdom; let him that hath understanding count, &c. The feven heads have a double fignification. They are primarily feven mountains on which the woman fitteth, ou which the capital city is feated; which all who have the least tincture of letters know to be the fituation of Rome. Hiftorians, geographers, and poets, all speak of the city with feven hills; and paffages might be quoted to this purpofe without number and without end. is obferved too, that new Rome or Conftantinople is fituated on feven mountains: but thefe are very rarely mentioned, and mentioned only by obfcure authors, in comparison of the others; and befides the feven mountains, other particulars alfo muft coincide, which cannot be found in Conftantinople. It is evident therefore, that the city feated on feven mountains must be Rome; and a plainer defcription could not be given of it, without expreffing the name, which there might be feveral wife reafons for concealing.

It

As the feven heads fignify seven mountains, so they also fignify feven kings, reigning over the feven mountains. (ver. 10, 11.) Kas Baσhes Elα BOW, And they are feven kings, or kingdoms, or forms of government, as the word

imports,

imports, and hath been shown to import in former inftances. Five are fallen, five of thefe forms of government are already paft; and one is, the fixth is now fubfifting. The five fallen are kings, and confuls, and dictators, and decemvirs, and military tribunes with confular authority; as they are enumerated and diftinguished by thofe who fhould beft know, the two greatest Roman hiftorians (7), Livy and Tacitus. The fixth is the power of the Cæfars or emperors, which was fubfifting at the time of the vifion. An end was put to the imperial name (8) in the year 476 by Odoacer king of the Heruli, who having taken Rome depofed Momyllus Auguftulus, the laft emperor of the weft. He and his fucceffors the Oftrogoths affumed the title of Kings of Italy but tho' the name was changed, the power ftill continued much the fame. This therefore cannot well be called a new form of government; it may rather be confidered as a continuation of the imperial power, or as a renovation of the kingly authority. Confuls are reckoned but one form of government, tho' their office was frequently fufpended, and after a time reftored again; and in the fame manner kings may be counted but one form of government, tho' the name was refumed after an interval of fo many years. A new form of government was not erected, till Rome fell under the obedience of the eastern emperor, and the emperor's lieutenant, the exarch of Ravenna, diffolved all the former magiftracies, and conftituted a Duke of Rome, to govern the people, and to pay tribute to the exarchate of Ravenna. Rome had never experienced this form of government before: and this I conceive to be the other, which in the apostle's days was not yet come, and when he cometh, he

7

(7) Quæ ab condita urbe Roma ad captam eandem urbem Romani fub regibus primum, confulibus deinde ac dictatoribus, decemvirifque ac tribu. nis confularibus geffere. Livii Lib. 6. Cap. 1. Urben Romam a principio reges habuere. Libertatem et confulatum L. Brutus inftituit. Dictature ad tempus fumebantur: neque Decemviralis poteftas ultra biennium, aeque tribunorum militum confulare

jus diu valuit. Non Cinnæ, non Sullæ longa dominatio: et Pompeii Craffique potentia, cito in Cæfarem ; Lepidi atque Antonii arma, in Auguftum ceffere: qui cuncta difcordiis civilibus feffa, nomine principis fub imperium accepit. Tacit. Annal. Lib. 1, in initio.

(8) Sigonius de Occidentali Imperio. Lib. 14, &c. Petavii Rat. Temp. Partis I. Lib. 6. Cap. 18,

mult

muft continue a fhort Space. For Rome was reduced to a dukedom tributary to the exarch of Ravenna by Longinus, who was fent exarch (9) in the year 566 according to fome accounts, or in the year 568 according to others; and (1) the city revolted from the eastern emperor to the pope in the year 727: which is a fhort space in comparison of the imperial power, which preceded, and lafted above 500 years; and in comparison of the papal power, which foliowed, and hath now continued about a thousand years. But ftill poffibly you may hefitate, whether this is properly a new form of government. Rome being ftill fubject to the imperial power, by being fubject to the Greek emperor's deputy, the exarch of Ravenna: and according as you determin this point, the beast that was and is not, was while idolatrous, and was not while not idolatrous, will appear to be the feventh or eighth. If you reckon this a new form of government, (2) the beaft that now is is the eighth; if you do not reckon this a new form of government, the beast is of the feven; but whether he be the feventh or eighth, he is the last form of government, and goeth into perdition. It appears evidently, that the fixth form of government, which was fubfifting in St. John's time, is the imperial; and what form of government hath fucceeded to that in Rome, and hath continued for a long space of time, but the papal? The beaft therefore, upon which the woman rideth, is the Roman government in its laft form: and

(9) Sigonius de Regno Ital. Lib. 1. Petav. Rat. Temp. Par. 1. Lib. 7. Cap. 10.

(1) Sigon. ibid. Lib. 3.

(2) Mr. Mann explains the feventh and eighth otherwife. Quis igitur rex feptimus erit? Nimirum ipfe papa. Nam ex quo A. D. 534 eum ecclefiarum omnium caput declaravit Juftinianus, alii omnium ju dicem, ipfum a nullo judicandum, tanta reverentia et obfequio ab Impp. ipfis cultus eft, tanta authoritate ipfos fubinde reprehendit, interdum etiam anathemate perculit, ut non minus dicendus fit regnaffe in fpiritualibus, quamvis fe fubditum femper fervumque fervorum diceret, quam in temporalibus imperatores. Tunc igitur

papa e feptem illis, id eft ex genere atque ordine illorum principum qui præcefferant, effe dicendus erat, donec A. D. 727 Leonis imp. jugum, quem anno fuperiore excommunicarat, prorfus excuffit Gregorius II, Romamque et regiones vicinas fibi fubjecit. Ex illo enim tempore papa rex octavus merito haberi poteft, cum gladio fpirituali temporalem quoque dehinc adeptus. Scio effe, qui pulfo Leone imp. negent Romam papæ fubjectam fuiffe, fed a Pipino A. D. 752. Exarchatum Ravennæ, &c. papæ datum Romam; fed mihi videntur non de tantum cum aliis urbibus, non ipfam re, fed umbra tantum çertare. M. S.

this, all must acknowlege, is the papal, and not the inperial.

Having explained the mystery of the feven heads, the angel proceeds to the explanation of the ten horns, (ver. 12, 13, 14.) The ten horns are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet and confequently they were not in being at the time of the vifion; and indeed the Roman empire was not divided into ten kingdoms, till fome time after it was become Chriftian. But they receive power as kings one hour (3) μar pav, at the fame time, or for the fame length of time, with the beaft: It is true in both fenfes, they rife and fall together with the beaft and confequently they are not to be reckoned before the rife and eftablishment of the beaft; and accordingly when a catalogue was produced of thefe ten kings or kingdoms in a differtation upon Daniel, they were exhibited as they ftood in the eighth century, which is the time of the rife and establishment of the beaft. Kingdoms they might be before, but they were not before kingdoms or horns of the beaft, till they embraced his religion, and fubmitted to his authority; and the beaft ftrengthened them, as they again ftrengthened the beaft. It is upon the feventh or laft head of the beaft that the horns are feen growing together, that is upon the Roman empire in its feventh or laft form of government; and they are not, like the heads, fucceffive, but contemporary kingdoms. Thefe have one mind, and fhall give their power and firength unto the beaft; which is eafily understood and applied to the princes and ftates in communion with the church of Rome. However they may differ in other refpects, yet they agree in fubmitting implicitly to the authority of the Roman church, and in defending its rights and prerogatives against all oppofers. But where were ever ten kings or kingdoms, who were all unanimous in their fubmiffions to the Roman empire, and voluntarily and of their own accord contributed their power and ftrength, their forces and riches to fupport and maintain it? Thofe fhall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb fhall

(3) Uno eodemque tempore. Vitring. cum identitate temporis durationem Malin, ad unum idemque tempus, ut complectatur. Mr. Mann's M. S.

overcome

overcome them; they perfecute the true church of Christ, but the true church thall in the end prevail and triumph over them; which particulars have been fulfilled in part already, and will be more fully accomplished hereafter.

In the former part of this defcription (ver. 1.) the whore is reprefented like ancient Babylon, fitting upon many waters: and these waters are here (ver. 15,) faid exprefly to (4) fignify peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. So many words in the plural number fitly denote the great extenfivenefs of her power and jurifdiction: and it is a remarkable peculiarity of Rome, different from all other governments in the world, that her authority is not limited to her own immediate fubjects, and confined within the bounds of her own dominions, but extends over all kingdoms and countries profeffing the fame religion. She herfelf glories in the title of the Catholic church, and exults in the number of her votaries as a certain proof of the true religion. Cardinal (5) Bellarmin's first note of the true church is the very name of the Catholic church: and his fourth note is amplitude, or multitude and variety of believers; for the truly catholic church, fays he, ought not only to comprehend all ages, but likewife all places, all nations, all kinds of nen. But notwithstanding the general current in her favor, the tide fhall turn againft her; and the hands which helped to raise her, fhall also pull her down. (ver. 16.) The ten horns fhall hate the whore; that is by a common figure of the whole for a part, fome of the ten kings, for others (XVIII. 9.) fhall bewail her and lament for her, and (XIX. 19.) thall fight and perish in the caufe of the beaft. Some of the kings who formerly loved her, grown fenfible of her exorbitant exactions and oppreffions, fhall hate her, thall firip, and expofe, and

(4) Idque hoc loco tanto magis appofite, quod ex populi reverentia et favore primò excrevit poteftas illa papalis, et per decem aut plura fæcula populi Romani fuffragiis creati funt papæ. Mr. Mann's M. S.

(5) Prima Nota, eft ipfum Catholis Ecclefiæ et Chriftianorum nomen.

Bellar. de Notis Ecclefiæ, Lib. 4. Cap. 4. Quarta Nota, eft amplitudo, five multitudó et varietas credentium. Ecclefia enim vere catholica, non folum debet amplecti omnia tempora, fed etiam omnia loca, omnes nationes, omnium hominum genera. Ibid. Cap. 7.

plunder