formed the reader, to the present times. Befides, this part of the chapter has been fully interpreted and. applied to the events defcribed, by many commentators (particularly by the learned Bifhop Newton), who all agree that it contains the prophetic hiftory of the Papal depreffion of the church. To their differtations I fhall then take the liberty of referring the reader, and haften to the confideration of the latter part of the chapter, which I apprehend contains the particular hiftory of the revolutionary power of France, or "the beaft afcending out of the bottom"lefs pit," briefly alluded to in the eleventh chapter.

In turning to this part of the chapter, I have first to obferve, that it is not unufual with the prophets to defcribe the fame power by feveral different figns, expreffive of fome effential and peculiar quality belonging to it. The evil spirit is called," the devil,' "Satan,' 29 "the accufer of the brethren," " the dragon, that old ferpent which deceiveth the whole "world" Mohamed, "a fiar falling from heaven, "an angel of the bottomlefs pit," and "Abaddon "the deftroyer:" and the church of Rome is defignated by the court which is without the temple given "to the Gentiles," and "the beaft rifing up out of. "the fea." So here the prophet represents the power which he had before* mentioned under the figure of "a beast ascending out of the bottomless pit," by

a beaft rifing up out of the earth," both defcriptive of its effential qualities, and tending to show, that it should be, of all powers which had ever been and ever fhall be upon earth, the most abandoned, wicked, and mischievous...

From this general view of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth chapters, confifting of the events of the "lit

་

"the book," and containing the prophetic hiftory of the western church. I have been led, with reluctance, and not without fear of being myself mistaken, to differ from all former Proteftant commentators, who have reprefented the beaft of the bottomlefs "pit," and the "beaft of the earth," as feveral types of the church of Rome: I, on the contrary, conceive that the feveral names and marks of the latter unite, with wonderful accuracy and harmony, in defcribing a very different enemy of the church of Chrift; even the fame described by Daniel* under the type of the little horn;" by St. Paul, under the emphatical figns of " the man of fin, the fon of perdition, that wicked, and the mystery of iniquity;" and by St. John, under the name of "Antichrift: and that all these prophetic appellatives are fo many figns of one great, dreadful, impious, and atheistical power, and enemy to the word and will of God, which from fundry parts of Scripture, as well as the doctrines of the primitive fathers, was to come in the last days. Whether I fhall be thought too prefumptuous in differing from, and oppofing my humble opinion to that of the most learned, and inquifitive in the Proteftant ages, is a question, the folution of which must rest upon the juftnefs of my interpretation of the prophetic figures, into their literal meanings, and of the proper application of them, to the events, intended to be marked out by them by the Spirit of truth. And should I, however actuated by the beft intentions, be judged guilty of prefumption, I know that "magna eft veritas, et "prevalebit," great is the power of truth; and it "fhall prevail" over all errors, whether voluntary or inadvertent, in God's own time: and therefore the mischief, whether I am right or not, will not be

99 66

* Chap. vii. + 2 Theff. ii.

M

Epift. ii. 2Epift. vii.

great.

great. With a mind impreffed with this idea, I will now proceed, with diffidence and humility.

The prophet, after defcribing in the firft verfe, the beaft which he "faw rife up out of the fea, "having even heads and ten horns, and upon his "horns ten crowns, &c." (which all the commentators whofe opinions I am about to oppofe, agree is the type of the church of Rome), tells us in the next verfe of the fame chapter,

Ver. 2." And I faw another beast coming "" up out of the earth; and he had two horns like "a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."

This verfe is very comprehenfive of important matter, and profoundly allegorical. It contains a prophetic defcription of the extreme depravity and impiety of the Beaft;" of the form of its government; of the injuftice and tyranny of its laws, of the cruel and defpotic manner in which they should be administered; and of the unparalleled mischief it fhould do in the world. And therefore a juft and clear elucidation of the feveral figures will require a diftinct confideration of each of them, which I shall humbly attempt to give.

"And I faw another beaft," &c.

Here the prophet exprefsly declares that this beaft is not the fame, with that which he had feen “rise up out of the fea," or Papal Rome, and which he had just before defcribed, but another. Now can another thing be the fame thing? or can we, by any rule of conftruction, confider the word another as meaning the fame? or can we fuppofe that the prophet, when infpired, could commit fo grofs a folecifm? Indeed, had he not made this explicit declaration, it

feems

feems not eafily to be accounted for, that any person, having compared the marks of the two beafts together, could conceive that they were intended by the Spirit of truth, which is ever the most accurate in defcription, to defignate the fame Power. In many inftances their marks are fo inconfiftent, that it is impoffible they fhould exist in the fame beaft, or civil fociety *. And yet, as I have just observed, if not all Proteftant commentators, fome of the most learned, have applied every defcriptive fign of both, to the church of Rome. I will not wafte the reader's time in refuting an application fo evidently erroneous; but confidently reft in the prophet's affirmation, that thebeaft" which he faw "coming up out of the "earth," is not the fame beaft with that which he fawrife up out of the fea;" and proceed to confider it as a type of another Power.

Ver. 11." And I faw another beaft come 66 up out of the earth," &c.

* To show the extreme want of caution, nay, of the impropriety and abfurdity of commentators, in applying the marks of the two beafts to one power, in defpite of the exprefs declaration of the prophet, I have contrafted them in oppofite columns.

The firft Beaft.

"Rofe up out of the fea.
"Had feven heads.
"Had ten horns."

Upon his heads the name of
blafphemy.

Upon its horns ten crowns.
One of its heads was, as it were,
wounded to death, and was
healed.

The fecond Beaft. "Came up out of the earth.” Had only one head. Had only 66 two horns." The two horns were like the horns of a lamb. Upon its horns no crowns. It had but one head, and that was not wounded.

Now is it poffible that the prophet could mean to defignate the fame political Power, by the fymbols of actions and qualities fo different from, and contrary to each other? But to fhow this error in its true light, the prophet afferts, that the second beast fhall "exercife all the power of the first beaft before him, and in his fight;" which is to make him fay that the fame power, fuppose that of a man, fhall act before himfelf, and in his own fight.

The prophets generally begin the hiftories of their beafts, or wicked civil focieties, with fome comprehenfive figure, expreffive of the manner of their rifing in the world. Daniel, in predicting the rife of the four great and wicked empires, the Babylonian, Perfian, Grecian, and Roman, informs us that while the four winds of heaven ftrove upon "the great fea, he faw four great beafts come up "from the fea;" to intimate, that thofe empires fhould, at a future time, rife in the world, when the nations fhould be at ftrife and war with one another, and that they should acquire their great power and grandeur, by conqueft. St. John faw the first beast, mentioned in this chapter, fimply, 66 come up out of "the fea," evidently meaning when it was calm, filent, and in its natural ftate: for he does not say that it was disturbed by the wind. Befides, he tells us, he saw the beast, while ftanding on the fand of the fea, which he could not have done, had it been in a state of perturbation. And thus he defcribes a power which fhould rife in the world, and acquire its ftrength and grandeur, in a secret and filent manner, and more by craft and fraud than by war and conqueft, which was truly the cafe of the Romish

church.

We have seen, that, in prophetic dialect, the word fea" is made ufe of, to denote the manner of the rife of wicked civil focieties. A meaning not lefs comprehenfive and important, we may conclude is here affixed to the word "earth." Now a little knowledge of the nature of that body' will fhow, that the word is here made ufe of, to point out two great features of the Power typified by this other beast, viz. that it should arife out of one great kingdom or nation, and be a revolutionary Power; and