A vision is now given for the purpose of elucidating those states, and minutely displaying the nature, the instruments, and the action of Paganism in its new form. PROPHECY. THE PAPACY. CHAPTER XIII. Ver. 1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given unto him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9. If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints. INTERPRETATION. The Papacy is in this chapter shown in its full ac- tion. beast" inspirited by the "dragon." May I solicit the reader's observation to the miraculous accuracy of the prediction? A wild beast, conveying the idea of savage ferocity, and perhaps also of the natural brute insensibility to things beyond this world, ("the brutes that perish") was the usual prophetic emblem of the old Pagan kingdoms, Babylon,* &c. The Papacy could not be symbolized by the "wild beast" alone; for that emblem expressed little more than Pagan independent sovereignty; the ancient religions being of minor political influence, and scarcely exercising any degree of persecution. Nor could it have been expressed by the "dragon" alone; that emblem representing Roman Paganism, which had no sovereignty in itself, was a subject of the state, and, in all its eagerness to destroy Christianity, was yet compelled to pause for the will of the sovereign. But the Papacy comprised both, the actual fierce sovereignty which made the distinction of the earlier Pagan kingdoms; and the violent spirit of persecution against Christianity which characterized the Paganism of Rome. Its symbol in the prophecy is therefore a combined one. "The wild beast," with the spirit of the "dragon" transfused into its frame. Ver. 1. The prophet sees the "wild beast" rise up out of the sea; the symbol of barbarian and various multitudes. Thus, in the subsequent prophecy,† "The waters which thou sawest are peoples, and multitudes."-The Papacy shall rise out of a state of public confusion, barbarian invasions, struggling and savage kingdoms, &c. It shall be the representative and successor of * Dan. vii. † Apoc. xvii. 15. Roman Paganism, but at the time of its rise, the "Heads" shall be crownless, and the "Horns" or sovereignties, which were to follow those heads, shall be in existence, shall be crowned. The imperial Paganism shall have passed away before the time of the Papacy; whose rise shall be in the age of the ten sovereignties that have sprung up out of the fallen empire. Ver. 2. The Papacy shall partake of the nature of the earlier Pagan powers, Babylon, &c. (expressed by the leopard, bear, lion, &c. the symbols of the old kingdoms,*) and like them possess independent sovereignty. It shall, at the same time, partake of the nature of Roman Paganism, and be stimulated to persecution by a fierce desire to extinguish the Church. The dragon shall give it "his power, his seat, and great authority."-The Papacy shall possess the influence of Paganism over the general mind; it shall fix its throne in the ancient capital of Paganism, and it shall by the aid of the Pagan spirit of delusion obtain a vast extent of power. The prophet having given the general view of the construction of the Papacy, proceeds to its history. Ver. 3. He sees one of the "Heads" of the great body of Paganism, as it were wounded to death." The wound is stated, (ver. 14,) to have been "given by a sword." It destroys the head, but does not kill the body, the "wound is healed" in the sudden preeminence of the beast, and the whole empire is subjected to the new form of Paganism in wonder.-The imperial head of Paganism shall be destroyed by battle. Paganism shall appear to be undone for ever. But its wound shall be healed by the rise of the Papacy, (Paganism under a new form,) which shall subdue the nations to more than their old obedience, to adoration. * Dan. vii. Ver. 4. "And they worshipped the dragon, which gave power unto the beast." In the new homage of the nations to the Papacy, they are virtually doing homage to Paganism, the origin and essence of its power and nature. Ver. 5. "There was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies."The language of the Papacy shall be contemptuous of governments, and insulting to the majesty of God.* Ver. 6. It shall insult the name of God, of his Church on earth, and of his redeemed in heaven. Ver. 7. It shall wage a continual war of persecution against the people of God, and "shall overcome them;" they shall be constantly overpowered and defeated. Its influence shall extend over a vast space of the world. And this power of persecution shall continue during 1260 years (ver. 5.) Ver. 8. "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him." The earth (yn) should be translated the "land." In the prophetic Scriptures, the "land,” generally signifies the people acknowledging the God of Israel. The text implies that all Christendom shall be subservient to the Papacy, excepting those whose names are written in the Book of Life, the Saints, the Church of God. Ver. 9. The description closes with that demand on the attention of mankind, usual in the language of our Lord, when a declaration of some most important truth was to be pronounced: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." The declaration is, that the papacy shall be punished in the manner of its crime; that, for having thrown the saints into captivity, it shall Blasphemy is either the denial of the homage due to the Deity, or the assumption of that homage. "Datum est ei os loquens magna et blasphemias, magno quippe cum fastu et arrogantia sibi vindicaret que solius Dei et Christi sunt, in injuriam Christi et Sanctorum." Vitring, in loc. † Isaiah xxiv. be thrown into captivity; and for having slain them, it shall be slain. And in this high consciousness that the guilt of its persecutor shall be stricken with complete retribution, the Church is commanded to sustain its sufferings in patience, and in reliance on the sure judgments of heaven. PROPHECY. THE INQUISITION. Ver. 11, And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their forehead. 17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. INTERPRETATION. Ver. 11. Another extraordinary shape of power shall arise in Christendom, (nn) bearing a close resemblance to the Papacy, like it combined of the "wild beast," and the dragon: assuming to be independent of temporal sovereigns, and persecuting the Church in the spirit of pagan and papal Rome. It |