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18th verfe of that chapter, is explained to be that great city which reigneth over thefe Kings," that is, the fedes Romana, or one who prefides in the city of Rome, and gives law to the ten kings and their fubjects; and who is more fully defcribed in the 13th chapter, from the 11th verfe, by the "beaft with "two horns like a lamb."

And fince the character and duration of the beaft defcribed from the ift to the 11th verfe of the 13th chapter, cannot poffibly belong to any other mode of government but the laft; it is therefore clearly evident, that the firft fix heads of government are represented in that vifion, only as marks or figns, by which we may know the seventh.

Which laft form of government in the Roman empire is faid, verfe 2d, to have in it a resemblance to the manner, and genius of the first three grand empires, namely, to the Babylonian typified, in Daniel, by a Lyon, to the Perfian by a Bear, and to the Grecian by a Leopard. Thus, as the Grecian was divided into four monarchies, this was to be divided into ten; as the Perfian was fupported by the authority of their magi, or priefts, this was to be upheld in a fimilar manner; and as Nebuchad nezzar, and the reft of the Babylonifh princes, enforced the practice of idolatry, by terrible threatnings and inhuman punishments, fo in this very way was this government to exert itself.

Farther, the apoftle, in the vifion, perceived the "dragon or fatan, to give this ten horned beaft his 66 power, his feat, and great authority." His power, in the original Tv Süvaμiv, that is, as Mr Mede juftly explains it, his armies or forces. Thus Exodus 14th chapter, 28th verfe, "and the waters return❝ed, and covered the chariots, and the horfemen,

See chapter 13th, verfe 2d; and the reader is defired, as het proceeds, to compare the whole verfes of that chapter with the following explication.

" and all the host of Pharaoh;" in the Septuagint, TATAY THY Surau pas; and Exodus 15th chapter, 4th verfe, his hoft, or his army, z uvuv; hath he caft into the fea:" And Matthew, 24th chapter, 30th verfe," the Son of man is faid to come in the clouds « of heaven,” με τα δυναμε & which is explained in the following chapter, by his coming" with all his

holy angels." But what are the forces of fatan, but his angels, or those idols, which are the habitations of his demons? Now thefe forces he delivered to this beaft, in its last form, that they might be worshipped and adored; by engaging the inhabitants of the Roman empire, who had now embraced christianity, to fubftitute in the place of their God and Saviour, his angels as proper objects of worship; not indeed adorned with thofe titles, whereby they formerly profeffed themfelves the enemies of Chrift our Lord, but courting and foliciting the public regard, under the mafk of faints, of good angels, and even of Chrift himself. But he who worships idols, by what name foever he calls them, is a worshipper of demons. These "fatan de"livered to the beaft, with his feat or throne, and great authority," that is, the whole of his power, which had been lately overthrown (as appears from the former chapter) by Michael, and his angels, or the christian martyrs and confeffors; fo that Satan, in this laft form of government, recovered all the antient power and authority which he formerly exercifed in heathen Rome.

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We are told in the 3d verfe, that the apoftle "faw "one of the beafts heads," namely, the fixth, or Cefarian, “as if it had been wounded to death." The transition from all the other heads to the fucceeding. ones, was without a wound; but, in the tranfition from the fixth to the feventh, the axλos, or truly chriftian government, took place, which, though it lafted but a fhort time, yet by it the whole fabric of

heathen:

heathen idolatry, was, in a great meafure demo" lished.

Now the apoftle faw, in the vifion, this wound compleatly healed, and idolatry fully reftored, at the commencement of this laft form of government; for "upon all the feven heads was the name of "blafphemy." And he perceived the whole in habitants of the Roman empire admiring the wifdom of their governors, in reftoring the practice of idolatry; and as, in the 4th verfe, fubjecting themselves to Satan tempting them to it, and to the civil powers, who were Satan's inftruments in fupporting it, chufing, either from an admiration of their wifdom, or for fear of punishment, to obey men under the influence of Satan, rather than God, to whom fupreme obedience is for ever due.

Hitherto, we have had an account of the form and establishment of the beaft, under the seventh head. In the 5th verfe is explained, by what means he was to exert that power committed to him by the dragon, viz. two ways, by blafphemy against God, and threatening terrible things against the faints. And the duration of this government is fixed to forty-two months, which being calendar months, confifting each of thirty days, and each day, according to the prophetic ftile, being a year, in all, amounts to 1260 years; which is the time that the witneffes in 11th chapter are faid to "tefti"fy in fackcloth, that the woman was to continue "in the wildernets, and that the outer court was to "be trodden under foot by the Gentiles," or the reftorers of idolatry.

The duration of this laft government being thus fixed, immediately thereafter, in the 6th verfe, we have an account how it would commence, viz. by the general practice of idolatry, here as formerly called by the name of blafphemy; the worship of idols being the higheft affront offered to God,

"And

"And he opened his mouth in blafphemy againft "God, to blafpheme his name, and his tabernacle, "and them that dwell in heaven." By the name of God, we are to understand God himfelf; and God is vilified and affronted, when that worship which is due to him alone is given to any of his creatures: The tabernacle of God is Jefus Chrift our mediator, in whom the father dwells; and the beaft may be faid to blafpheme, or reproach our Saviour, in addreffing God, by any other interceffor, fince he is the "only mediator between God and man; and to blaf pheme them that dwell in heaven," namely angels and departed faints, by impioufly invoking them as their guardians and interceffors, afcribing to them numberless pretended miracles, and calling their idols by their names.

These are mentioned as the first actions of the fecular beast, after it had begun its new reign, namely, that it would exert itself in promoting, increafing, and maintaining idolatry, in its most abominable forms; confequently, the commencement, or rather the full establishment of this reign, must be dated from that time when idolatry in all its different kinds became general. For, in the vifion, it is firft obferved, that the "beaft opened his mouth "in blafphemy, and then he made war with the "faints." And it is evident from hiftory, that the perfecution of the faints, the other diftinguifhing mark of this beaft, was not begun until idolatry had reached its utmoft height; when it became fo grofs and abominable, as not only to be difcovered by the more intelligent, which had been the cafe all along, but to be felt and abhorred by the moft fimple and illiterate.

This happened in the twelfth century, when many thousands of the common people in France, in Piedmont, and Germany, openly declared against the monftrous idolatry then practifed, affirming

Rome

Rome to be the apocalyptic Babylon, and the pope to be antichrift. Then the Roman pontiff, the ri der of the ten-horned beaft, having before this event broken the temporal power of the German Emperors, and reduced the reft of the potentates in the western empire into a ftate of abfolute dependence upon his authority, iffued a new kind of crufades, ordered them to arm their fubjects against these oppofers of idolatry, and to punish them as the enemies of God and religion. In obedience to whofe commands, Thuanus writes, that as great armies were levied as thofe which formerly were 'employed against the Saracens. By which means, and by erecting the horrid tribunal of the inquifition, thofe faithful witneffes of Jefus Chrift were overcome and oppreffed, many thousands of them being tortured to death in the most cruel and barbarous

manner.

Thus, the idolatrous beaft, under the direction of its governor the pope, by these terrible and inhuman punishments, maintained its empire over all kindreds, tongues, and nations: For tho' there were, in every age, fome particular perfons, who preferved their fidelity to Jefus Chrift; yet it is certain, that, for many ages, there was no city, nor ftate, nor kingdom in chriftendom, which did not fubmit to the prevailing idolatry.

But, for fupporting the faith and patience of the faints, they are told, in the 8th verfe, that "their names were written in the lamb's book of life;" and, in the 10th verfe, that the time was approaching, when God," to whom vengeance doth belong,? would demand the juft punishment of fuch butcheries and cruelties, and make this furious beaft fuffer a full equivalent for all the feverities exercised upon the faints.

Thus