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Rome, that domineered over the greatest part of the kingdoms of the then known world. The woman therefore is the image of that city, and in the inscription on her forehead she is styled Babylon the great: consequently Babylon the great, is here the same with the city of Rome. In the primitive ages this figurative name of Babylon was frequently given to heathen Rome by the Christians, on account of the resemblance of the characters of those two cities, for their idolatry, and for their oppressing, the one the Jews, the other the Christians. St. Peter dates his first letter from Babylon, 1 Pet. v. 13, that is, from Rome, as St. Jerom and Eusebius tell us. "The appellation of Babylon," said Tertullian, "is used by St. John for the city of Rome, because she resembles ancient Babylon, in the extent of her walls, in her haughtiness on account of her dominion, and in persecuting the saints." Lib. Adv. Jud. Rome is a second Babylon," says also St. Austin, “and a daughter of the ancient Babylon," De Civit, lib. 22. c. 18. Babylon the great is therefore sufficiently distinguished: but her character is completed, and she appears in plain colours, in what follows: "And I saw," says St. John, "the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus," v. 6. This inhuman woman, this impious Jezabel, this cruel persecutrix, has drenched herself with so much Christian blood, which she has spilt, that she appears to be drunk with it. Who is this but idolatrous persecuting Rome? Innumerable were the martyrs she put to death, throughout the vast extent of her dominions, and even in her own bosom, the city itself. Innumerable likewise were the other saints or holy confessors, who, though not slain, were by her condemned to lose some of their limbs, and had an eye bored out, their tongues plucked away, or the sinews of a leg or a thigh cut, &c. or in fine, were put to tortures that tore away their flesh and drained their blood. We have seen the account of ten dreadful persecutions, which swept away an infinite multitude of Christians; and all these persecutions were the work of the Roman emperors, and their substitutes in the provinces. It is then apparent who the woman is, that was seen drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

After the description of the woman, we are then favoured with an account of the beast that carries her, v. 7. The woman being the image of the city of Rome, the beast on which she sits, naturally represents the Roman empire. And as the woman was styled the mother of fornication or idolatry; conse

quently Rome was the seat and centre of idolatry; and in like manner by the beast the Roman empire is represented as the empire of idolatry. The colour of the beast is scarlet, v. 3, an emblem of its sanguinary disposition: and it is said to be full of names of blasphemy, or marked over with the names of the heathenish Roman gods, the greatest indignity that can be offered to the majesty of the Supreme Being.- -Then the angel, who promised to St. John to discover to him, v. 7. the mystery both of the woman and the beast, tells him :

V. 8. 66 The beast, which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction: and the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundations of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast, that was, and is not."*

Behold a very mysterious explication of a mystery. But to unfold it: here is expressed the state of the beast, as it passes through different periods of time. The beast or the Roman idolatrous empire was, that is, existed for a term of time: then is not, or exists no more as the empire of idolatry, but is changed into a Christian empire; which happened when Constantine the Great became emperor, suppressed the power of idolatry, expelled Satan, and established Christianity. But it is added, "and the beast shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction:" the Roman idolatrous empire will rise up again under Antichrist from the bottomless pit or hell, because Satan will be loosed before the end of the world, and will revive idolatry chiefly by means of that wicked man, Antichrist, who will become master of the ancient Roman dominions. And the inhabitants on the earth-shall wonder, seeing the beast, that was, and is not, and yet is; all the world will be struck with amazement, at seeing the idolatrous Roman empire re-appear, which had been so long ago destroyed. But the reign of Antichrist will soon go into destruction, as it will last no more than three years and a half. This last period of the beast will be more fully explained in its due place. -The angel proceeds in his explication:

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V. 9. And here is the understanding, that hath wisdom.† The seven heads, are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings.

V. 10. "Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when he is come, he must remain a short time." Let the understanding, that is endowed with wisdom here

In the Greek text is addded, " And yet is."

+ In the Greek, "here the understanding that hath wisdom."

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take notice the seven heads, which are upon the beast are seven me un'ains in which the woman siteth, we have threaty observed that acent Rome stood upon seven montane Bu besides, they, the seven heads, are seven kings, or seven Be man emperors who are particularly distinguished tech supporters of latry, and the most virulent pers the Christian religion. These are, as we have a marked, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, Valeria sian, and Antichrist. Five are fallen we saw, before t cessive periods of the beast with regard to its existence we have the succession of its heads. Five of them aris or gone; namely, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, mile lerian, by whom the idolatrous empire was suppene time; one is, the sixth or last of that period, viz Dioces with whom the reign of idolatry falls: and so it happe the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne. He then is interrupted the succession of the heathen and perse ing emperors for a long space of time; for the other is not only in the latter days; and when he is come, he must re come, the seventh Roman emperor, Antichrist, who will co a short time, three years and a half, as we shall see it No notice is here taken of Julian the apostate

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ount of the beast and its seven heads, the angel lain to St. John the meaning of the ten horns

Ithe ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, ot yet received kingdom, but shall receive power hour after the beast."

hese have one design: and their strength and hall deliver to the beast."

orns denote then ten kings or ten powers, namely, Huns, Alans, Vandals, Saxons, Burgundians, ruli, Suevi, and Quadi, the chief of the barbarous

invaded the western Roman empire in the fifth These have not yet received kingdom or dominion, beginning of this period of the Christian emperors, east that was and is not; but they will receive power ne hour with the beast, that is, they will be commandr own chiefs, and will engage by treaty to serve for or a while as auxiliaries to the beast, that is, to the ɔman armies. Thus the Prophet continues to dee succession of the changes that were to happen in an empire. The above mentioned nations come all e design of relinquishing their own barren northern. es, and settling themselves in the rich provinces of the empire. But before they accomplish this design, their -h and power they shall deliver to the beast: they effecserved as auxiliaries to the Roman armies, according to ...nent, and helped to defend the empire against its enemies; have seen in the history above given. In this quality served under the emperors Constantius, Valens, TheodoHonorius, &c.

. 14. " These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb 1 overcome them: because he is the Lord of lords, and g of kings; and they that are with him, are called, and thact, and faithful."

All those different people, signified by the ten horns, were her pagans or heretics. Being therefore bitter enemies to e Catholic Christians, they in their irruptions wreaked their alice and rancour upon them; they plundered their towns nd country, and destroyed them with fire and sword. (See he history above given.) And thus these barbarous people fought against the Lamb, or Christ, but the Lamb will over* In the Greek, "with the beast," and so read St. Iræneus and others.

take notice: the seven heads, which are upon the beast, are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth; we have already observed that ancient Rome stood upon seven mountains. But besides, they, the seven heads, are seven kings, or seven Roman emperors who are particularly distinguished as the chief supporters of idolatry, and the most virulent persecutors of the Christian religion. These are, as we have already remarked, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, Valerian, Dioclesian, and Antichrist. Five are fallen: we saw, before, the successive periods of the beast with regard to its existence; here we have the succession of its heads. Five of them are fallen or gone; namely, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, and Valerian, by whom the idolatrous empire was supported for a time; one is, the sixth or last of that period, viz. Dioclesian, with whom the reign of idolatry falls: and so it happened, by the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne. then is interrupted the succession of the heathen and persecuting emperors for a long space of time; for the other is not yet come, the seventh Roman emperor, Antichrist, who will come only in the latter days; and when he is come, he must remain a short time, three years and a half, as we shall see in the sequel. No notice is here taken of Julian the apostate, who broke indeed the series of the Christian emperors, and attempted to re-establish idolatry, but was taken off after a short reign of less than two years-The angel continues;

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V. 11. 66 And the beast, which was, and is not, the same also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into destruction."

Here is a new state of the beast, which begins at the fall of the sixth head, or Dioclesian, with whom the beast itself or the power of idolatry also fell. On this account the former simple appellation of the beast, is now changed into the beast, which was, and is not, as being now no more what it was, having lost all power, and that power being transferred into the hands of Christian emperors. In this situation the beast is said to be an eighth king, that is, the Roman idolatrous people, though left without a heatlien prince at their head by the death of Dioclesian and succession of Constantine, are nevertheless to be reputed equivalent to an eighth pagan emperor, because they retain still their former attachment to paganism and their hatred to Christianity. And thus they are of the seven, as being alike in their dispositions to the seven abovementioned heathen emperors. But they go into destruction: this idolatrous people will soon disappear, as we shall see,

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