es. But, even though the woe, that is announced to the inhabiters of the earth, unlike to the two former, reach to the sea as well as to the earth, (v. 12); and although the dragon, spoken of in the first part of the vision, reappear at its close, yet, looking to the original formation among the children of men of a church to Christ amidst manifold tribulations, and unto witnesses that afterwards, under another form of persecution, testified successively for 1260 years, who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and who loved not their lives unto the death; and waiting farther for a little season, the faithful need not fear that the last war and brief triumph of their wrathful enemies, shall dispossess the saints of their faith and patience, or extirpate the religion of Jesus from the world. The man-child whom the Roman empire, like a dragon, sought in vain to devour, shall rule all nations with a rod of iron. However great may be the wrath of the devil, it is but the last sting of the serpent before the crushing of his head. And the kingdom of God and his Christ shall come.

Thus partly has the progress of history been anticipated, in order to view, in connexion, the one subject of the vision, the conflict of the church; and thus, as well as in preceding prophecies, it may be seen, that momentous events, if not a series of judgments, follow the expiry of "the appointed time, during which the church of Rome was to wear out the saints of the Most High. And their termination may therefore be marked by other wars.

The fate of the church having been noted in the preceding vision, the next, we apprehend, fills up the history of her enemies, pagan and papal Rome, till those judgments begin to sit upon the latter, which subsequent prophecies specially define.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE FIRST AND SECOND BEAST.

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. 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. 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. 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? 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. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 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. If any man have an ear, let him hear. 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 the faith of the saints. 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. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth, and them that dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he hath 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 the sword and did live. And he had power to give life to 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. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, and free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads 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. 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.

It seems to be universally admitted, that the first beast in this vision represents Rome;-but whether pagan or papal, has been disputed by Roman Catholic and Protestant commentators: we adhere to the opinion of the former. The beast, like the four beasts in the vision of Daniel, rose up out of the sea. It had seven heads, or seven kings, seven forms of government which successively ruled over it, Rev. xvii. 10. Like the fourth beast also he had ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, even as these are similarly interpreted by Daniel as ten kings or kingdoms. A leopard in the vision of the prophet, represented the Grecian empire, a bear the Persian, and a lion the Babylonian-and these were all to be

subdued by the Roman, the fourth empire, which is described as a beast great and dreadful and strong exceedingly; and which devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it. And the beast which I saw in the vision, says John, was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion.

Upon his heads were names of blasphemy.—And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority-Romulus, the son of a vestal, the reputed suckling of a wolf, the murderer of his brother, and the chief of a band of robbers and ravishers, gave to Rome its existence and its name. Narrow and irregular lines of huts, not exceeding, when completed, a thousand in number, and a thatch-covered dwelling formed of rushes, were the city and palace of Romulus.* From such beginnings, how mighty was the power, how celebrated the seat, and how great the authority of the empire, or the beast. Babylon, Persia, and Greece yielded to Rome; and the fragments and residue of these kingdoms were but a portion of its greatness. From the sides of the Grampians to the banks of the Euphrates, the Roman legions held the world in awe; and its great authority is told in "the majesty of the Roman name." But it was not

founded in righteousness. An all-holy God was not worshipped there. It upheld idolatry throughout the world. The names of blasphemy were upon the heads of the beast, and Satan gave him his power, and seat, and great authority.

The vision further represents the power, the idolatry, the period of the continuance of the Roman empire, the wounding of one of the heads, and the healing of the wound, and the grievous persecutions which it exercised against Christians. All the world

* Val. Max. B. 4.

wondered after the beast. Never was an imperial authority greater or more wonderful than that of Rome. And long was the period during which the question might have been asked, but could not be answered throughout the world, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Power was given unto him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. In the wilderness, where Christ was tempted of the devil, the arch-deceiver, shewing him all the kingdoms of the world, and all the glory of them, said, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve," was the answer of the Son of God. But while the Romans tolerated every form of idolatry, they persecuted unto the death the worshippers of the only living and true God. Under their authority Christ was crucified, and by imperial edicts saints were martyred. An odium was attached to the Christian name. They worshipped the dragon, and bowed down to idols, and, doing the work of the adversary of God and the enemy of the souls of men, they were led captive by Satan at his will. Idolatry alone was the religion of the empire. He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God. The holy One of Israel was the only God they disowned and dishonoured. The whole system of idolatry was a repudiation of his worship, and blasphemy against the only living and true God. They blasphemed his name, and his tabernacle, and those that dwell in heaven. The first testimony on record concerning

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