that it fhould furpass in depravity of morals, in impiety and mifchief, all other civil focieties, which had ever exifted before it in the world, To justify this interpretation of the two meanings of the word earth, it is neceffary to remind the reader, that he is upon hieroglyphic ground, and that the Apocalypfe is written in a dialect, the types and figurative expreffions of which are taken from the forms, faculties, and qualities of things in the natural world. Here then the prophet tells us, that he faw this "beaft come up out of the earth," a great body in the natural world, poffeffing divers faculties and qualities. Now that which comes up out of, or fprings from a thing, either in the vegetable or animal world, partakes of the faculties and qualities, and of course bears the refemblance of the thing itself, out of which it came up, or from which it arofe as a tree, for inftance, partakes of the nature and qualities of the feed of the tree from which it came up; or an elephant, or a man, of the elephant or man from which he sprang. To juftify, therefore, the interpretation here, we must prove that the Power intended to be foretold by the word earth, muft refemble, in its abilities and qualities, thofe of that particular body. Now the earth is one great, diftinct, independent body in the natural world, and fo is a proper fymbol for one great, diftinct, independent nation in the moral and political world. The earth is a revolutionary body, performing revolutions not only upon its own axis, but round the fun. It must therefore be allowed, that the earth is a proper type for a revòlutionary power or nation, which has undergone fundry political revolutions. The earth again is a revolutionary body, which performs its revolutions, without the aid of any other natural body; and therefore it is an appofite figure, to denote a revolutionary nation, which performs its revolutions, without the affiftance of any other political body. The earth is alfo the great body, out of which all the additional means of fin and mifery are acquired; fuch as arfenic, and all other deadly poifons; fulphur and faltpetre; alfo the principal ingredients of that defiroying compofition, gunpowder; together with iron, fteel, and flint, which complete the fyftem of modern deftruction. Moreover, gold and filver, those common means of human corruption, excefs, and intemperance, are thence extracted. "Effodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum *." "Riches, which "lead to all manner of evil, are dug out of the "earth." By the use of these metals, mankind are drawn into all manner of fin, intemperance, and difeafe, by which a greater number of the fpecies is cut off before their time, in the career of fenfuality and fin, than by all other means whatever. Hence it is, that "a beast coming up out of the earth" is an accurate figure for a revolutionary Power, the most wantonly destructive and confummately finful. 86 Nor will this expofition appear more subtle than true, when it shall be proved, that the word earth is often made ufe of, in the language of prophecy, as a fignificant and comprehenfive hieroglyphic, to denote all that I have here faid of it. Jeremiah makes ufe of it in predicting the captivity of the Jews, becaufe they formed one great revolutionary, and very finful nation, and had undergone feveral great changes in their government, namely, from a theocracy, to judges, kings, and high priests, without the foreign aid of the pagan nations. He fays," For "I will call for a fword upon the inhabitants "of the earth;" and, "The Lord fhall give a "fhout against all the inhabitants of the "earth." And if any greater authority can be rẹ * Ovid. + Chap. xxv. 29. + Ver. 30. quired, quired, Chrift himself makes ufe of the fame figure, in foretelling the deftruction of Jerufalem*: Then "fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they "fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds, "with power and great glory." It is here evident, that neither the prophet nor Chrift referred to all the inhabitants of the earth, in the literal sense of the word; but figuratively to the revolutionary nation of the Jews only; for upon whom does it appear from the context, that "the fword was to be "called for," but for the Jews? Against whom was "the Lord to give a fhout," but the Jews? And who were the tribes of the earth, that were to mourn for the destruction of Jerufalem, the temple, and the altar, but the Jewish nation? Not the Romans, therefore, could be meant, who were never divided into tribes, and were appointed to deftroy and triumph over the city, the temple, and altar; but the Jews, who alone fuffered by that dreadful judgment. If, then, we take the text in this fenfe, the power foretold, as "coming up out of the earth," must arife out of one nation; that nation must be revolutionary; it muft, like the Jewish nation, have produced and maintained its revolutions by its own frength; and it must be very finful, and difobedient to the laws and word of God. And if, ever fince the *Matth. xxiv. 30. The word earth is figuratively ufed, on many occafions in the prophecies. It being an opake body, which neither receives nor reflects the light of the fun, it is used as a figure for the wicked and wickedness in general, which neither receives nor promotes the word of God, the true light, Píalm x. 18. lxxvi. 8. lxxxii. 8. lfa. xi. 4. ; for heathen kingdoms or nations, Pfalm x. 18. xlvi. 6. Rev. vi. 15.; for the Jewish nation in its revolutionary and degenerate ftate, Jer. xxv. 29, 30. Matth. xxiv. 30.; for Chriftian Rome, in her fchifmatic and wicked ftate, Rev. viii. 13.; for Papal apoftacy, Rev. xvi. 4.; for atheism, Rev, xii. 9.; for the German nation, Rev. xii. 16.; and' for the revolutionary power of France, xiii. 11, 12. 14. M 4 prophet prophet wrote, there has been in the world no civil fociety or ftate, which will bear any comparifon with the meanings of this prophetic type, one only excepted, and if that one fhall accurately fulfil all of them, furely no man of reafon and candour will deny, that fuch civil fociety must be the true prototype of the beaft. And this is the fact; for hiftory bears no teftimony of any fuch civil fociety, except REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE; and that nation has fo perfectly fulfilled all the different meanings of this comprehenfive figure, that nothing is wanting. For the French republic, as it is called, has rifen out of one great nation; it is an independent political body; it has performed a variety of revolutions in its government, by its own ftrength and energy, and has fupported its authority without the aid of allies, and even against a very powerful coalition; and from the dawn of its existence, it has furpaffed all other ftates, hitherto known in the world, in the extenfion and extremity of impiety, depravity, and mischief to mankind. Nor has it ftopped fhort in its Satanical career, of publicly denying the existence of a God, and of teaching and enforcing this horrible and pernicious doctrine upon the minds of mankind, with defign to fubvert the order, happiness, and peace of the world. Such are only the general features of this political monfter. I fhall next confider and interpret the more particular types of this prophecy into their literal fenfes, and apply them to their proper and refpective events, which, I hope to convince the reader, peculiarly exift in the inftitution of the government, and acts of the conftituted authorities of the French republic. Ver. 11." And he (the beaft) had two, horns. The The "two horns" is fo fingular and certain a mark of the power foretold, that it is impoffible not to know it, from all others, when it should appear. And it seems to be here given for that purpofe: for throughout the prophecies, the hieroglyphical dece of "a beast" is made ufe of to fignify a wicked, defpotic, mifchievous, civil fociety; the head of a beast, in which its fupreme will refides, and by which it directs the actions of the members of the body, denotes the legislative authority; and the horns of a beaft, the executive power of the civil fociety foretold; because, as a beaft protects and defends its body with its horns, fo a ftate protects the body.politic, or nation, by its executive power. Upon comparing these prophetic figns, thus interpreted into their literal fignification, with the conftituted authorities of France, we cannot fail to perceive "the beast" in the republic," the head of the beast" in the legiflature, and the "two horns" in the two executive powers, the Committees of Safety. The laft is fo peculiarly and exclufively characteristic of the two Committees of Safety, that, as I have before hinted, it leaves no doubt refpecting its allufion. For in all civil focieties hitherto formed, there has never been more than one legislative authority to declare the general will, and one executive power to carry that will into execution. The people, in a civil fociety with two fupreme legiflatures, or executive powers,' would be in a more infecure and wretched state, than in that of nature. In the firft, different and repugnant laws would be made, and no man, however great the penalties, would know which to obey: and in the second, competition for power between the two departments, oppofition to the meafures of each other, and unceafing anarchy, would be the refult. Mankind heretofore have ever perceived this felf-evident truth, and therefore have never before committed an abfurdity in political ethics, fo palpably fubverfive of the purposes of civil fociety. It has |