coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon." The first beast, ver. 1, appeared to St. John rising out of the sea, because it was the figure of a great empire, or a great emperor, viz. Antichrist: this second beast, therefore, rising out of the earth, denotes a private man. And he had two horns, like a lamb; horns are an emblem of strength or power, and these two horns signify the power of speech, and the power of false miracles, with which this man is endued. These powers are similar, but only in appearance, to those which the true Lamb, or Jesus Christ, eminently possessed; the miracles of this new man or second beast being no more than impostures, works performed by the intervention of the devil; and his speech, though eloquent and engaging, is artful, hypocritical, malicious, and deceitful; for he speaks like a dragon, or like the devil that deladed Eve. This man is the false prophet, as St. John calls him in chap. xix. 20, and other places, that attends Antichrist, is his principal agent, and, like him, receives all his power from the devil. St. Irenæus mentions him thus: "St. John, in the Apocalypse, speaking of Antichrist's attendant, whom he calls the false prophet, says, he spoke like a dragon, and executed all the power of the former beast in his sight," &c. as in the following verse. Adv. Hær. l. v. c. 28. ~

V. 12. "And he executed all the power of the former beast in his sight: and he caused the earth, and them that dwell therein, to adore the first beast, whose wound to death was healed." The false prophet, to enhance the credit of his master, will perform in his presence the same wonders that Antichrist himself is capable of doing, and thus will prevail on them that dwell on the earth, to adore the first beast, whose wound to death was healed, that is, Antichrist, who had been mortally wounded, and cured. Perhaps also from the expression, he caused the earth to adore the first beast, it may be inferred, that the false prophet by his enchantments will make the inanimate beings, such as trees and other things, appear to pay a kind of homage to Antichrist.

V. 13. "And he did great signs, so that he made also fire come down from heaven unto the earth in the sight of men." Such then will be the power of the false prophet, that he will make fire come down from the sky, by the help of the devil. "What we read in the book of Job," says St. Ambrose, “that the devil brought down fire from heaven by the divine permission, he will do the same in the last days by his instru ments, Antichrist and Antichrist's followers."

The false prophet seems here to imitate one of Henoch's and Elias's miracles; but the miracles of these two witnesses far outshine his in number, lustre, and evidence, and will be the means of preserving from seduction the men of good will, but will be the instrument of error to those, who, as St. Paul says, "receive not the love of truth that they may be saved.” For,

V. 14. "And he seduced them that dwell on the earth, for the signs which were given him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make the image of the beast,* which had the wound by the sword, and lived." By them that dwell on the earth, seem to be understood those who wilfully shut their eyes to the truth, and them he seduces by the signs which he is allowed power to do in the sight of the beast, and prevails with them to raise an image or a statue to Antichrist, and to adore it. He enforces his wonderful performances, by representing his master as certainly God, since he had been mortally wounded by the sword, and was nevertheless alive and well. But this sophister is not able to prove the cure to have been complete, for it is here said that the beast which lived, has the wound by the sword, that is, hath the cicatrix, or mark of the wound remaining after the cure; an argument of its being the work of an imperfect operator. This agrees with what was remarked, p. 236.

V. 15. "And it was given him to give life to the image of the beast, and the image of the beast should speak: and should cause, that whosoever will not adore the image of the beast, should be slain." The false prophet has further power, by the divine permission, to give apparent life to the image or statue of Antichrist, insomuch that it shall speak, or rather the devil in it, and deliver his oracles, which was often done in the ancient times of paganism; and that the image shall cause, that whosoever will not adore the image of the beast, or Antichrist, shall be slain, that is, at the command of the devil, speaking by the statue, those who refuse to adore it will be put to death. This will be done in the persecution.

V. 16. "And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and boudmen, to have a character in their right hand, or on their foreheads." The same wicked minister of Antichrist will oblige people of all denominations, such will be the general apostacy, to let him imprint a character or particular mark in their right hand or on their foreheads,

* In the Greek, (an image to the beast, which hath the wound,) &c.

by which they will be distinguished as the votaries of Antichrist.

V. 17. "And that no man. might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." No one will be allowed to buy or sell any commodity, unless he shows the above mentioned mark, or the name of the beast, that is, the print upon himself of Antichrist's name, or of the number of his name. A similar severity was used in Dioclesian's persecution, when it was forbid for any one to buy or sell in the public market, unless he first offered incense to an idol erected there for that purpose. Thus will this other beast, or wicked minister of Antichrist, exert all his skill and power to enforce the execrable and absurd opinion of his master's divinity. Thus will he employ every diabolical art, both of persuasion and force, to prevail with his detestable enemy. And thus, as Tertullian says, will the beast Antichrist with his false prophet oppress the Church with persecution." De Resur. Carnis, c. 25.

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It was said above that no one would be allowed to buy or sell, unless he bore the mark of Antichrist, or his name, or the number of his name. His name then is something mysterious, as the letters of it will contain a particular number, which God in his bounty here gives as one characteristic among others, by which he may be known, and consequently rejected and abhorred. For thus proceeds St. John,

V. 18. "Here is wisdom." He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man: and the number of him is six hundred sixty-six.

Here is wisdom, here it is proper to take notice. He that has understanding, he that has a share of skill and knowledge, let him count the number of the beast, which he may do, for it is the number of a man; that is, it is the number of the name of a man, conformably to what is said in the preceding verse. And the number of him is six hundred sixty-six; the number thereof contained in Antichrist's name will be 666. According to the account we have given of that impious man, he will be born a Mahometan prince, and will rise to the head of the Turkish empire. We may therefore be allowed to suppose him to bear the name of Mahomet, a name which so many emperors, his predecessors, will have borne before him, in honour of the first founder of the Mahometan religion and empire. This name expressed in the Greek language, because St. John wrote the Apocalypse in Greek, is MAOMETIC, Or MOAMETIE, as Euthymius, and the Greek historians Zono

ras and Credenus write it; and according to the Greek numeration it stands thus:

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It may be here observed, how contrary to the sense of scripture is the opinion of some moderns, who, in the spirit of opposition to the Catholic religion, assign for the name of Antichrist a generical term, containing indeed the number 666, but not expressing a determinate man; and this indeterminate name they apply to a succession of many persons; whereas St. John plainly says; it is the number of a man, the number of his name;" it is therefore the number of the single name of a particular man. And in like manner is Antichrist evidently described by St. Paul as an individual man. in what other sense, partiality apart, can the apostle be understood, when he styles him, "the man of sin, the son of perdition, the opposer, who sitteth as God in the temple of God; the wicked one, whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth," &c. 2 Thess. 2. The description of him, which we have seen in Daniel, is likewise of the same tenor. The fathers of the Church join also in the same opinion, and are very copious in their account of his charac

ter.

For

The whole series we have hitherto given of his history, drawn from those sources, plainly points him out as one individual being, an extraordinary man; and it will be further confirmed in the sequel. In fine, such has been the constant and unanimous tradition from the rise of Christianity through all ages; as may be seen in the series of the scripture interpreters and ecclesiastical writers. Nay, even so universal and fixed has always been that notion of Antichrist, that it may be put upon a level with the belief of the former exist ence of an Alexander or Julius Cæsar; nor can hardly be found now an individual in the common class of people, and of the narrowest education, but knows in general the charac

ter of that enemy of Christ, and expects his coming in the last period of the world. This tradition is therefore traced up to the time of the apostles, and owes its existence to what they taught. St. Paul is an express voucher, that he had instructed the Thessalonians on that head. Remember you not," says he, "that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" 2 Thess. ii. 5.

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To return to the transactions of Antichrist:-Finding hinself so powerful by Satan's aid, and seconded by so able a ninister, his false prophet, while on the other hand he sees he converted Jews and other Christians refusing him divine

t mage, and so fortified by the exhortations and miracles of

eir teachers, that all his pretended wonders and persuasive arts can make no impression upon them; he resolves, by the instigation of Satan, to compel them by force into compliance, to show no mercy to the refractory, but to destroy them, and utterly abolish the Christian name. Full of self-conceit and

rage, he is determined to suffer no rival in heaven or on earth, but that all mankind shall bow in homage to him as God, and as the sole monarch of the whole world. This he designs to effect by the invincible force of his immense army, with which he purposes to carry ravage, devastation, and destruction, throughout every nation that resists him. Such are the hellish determinations he fixes; but before he commences the execution of them, Christ, the faithful governor of the Church, and supreme in his power, is pleased to give a special warning to his beloved servants, and for their support proclaims the following sentence:

Chap. xiii. 9. "If any man have an ear, let him hear:" let every one give attention.

V. 10. "He, that shall lead into captivity, shall go into captivity he that shall kill by the sword, must be killed by the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." That is, in the following persecution and war of Antichrist, those that force others into captivity, shall themselves be made captives: and those that cruelly put others to death shall undergo the same fate. Judgment is therefore already pronounced against Antichrist and his agents, that as they deal with others, they shall be dealt with themselves. Then it is added, Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Here is the motive of the patience and the faith of the saints, or the servants of God in this world. By faith they rely on the promises of God for the reward of their patience, and leave him to vindicate, as he may judge fit, their cause with respect to