INTRODUCTION.

As so many eminent Authors have already preceded me with their various opinions (and I might say endless speculations) concerning the Proper and Appellative Name of the Beast, which is declared by St. John to be that of 1" a MAN," and the" Number of his Name"-" Six Hundred Threescore and Six," [in Greek character, x5',] it might perhaps be supposed, either that the NAME of the MAN could not be ascertained by the means of “ Wisdom" and Understanding; or, that the subject has been already so far exhausted, that nothing more could possibly remain to be stated by any future writer. Such an inference, however, may rather be expected from those who heedlessly adopt the speculations of fanciful men, than from the careful Investigator of Religious Truth.

Pilate indeed said to Christ, 2" What is TRUTH?" but he did not wait for an ANSWER. May I then be

1 Rev. xiii. 18.

2 John xviii. 38.

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allowed to hope that such inconsistency and such want of candour will be carefully avoided by all my readers? Should the Subject of the NAME and NUMBER of the MAN be deemed by any UNIMPORTANT, I must then shelter myself under the auspices of

ST. JOHN the Divine . . . and of the pious and learned IRENEUS: of Hyppolytus Martyr... Aretas ... Feuardentius ... Ticonius ... Primasius ... Vitringa... Bengelius... Piscator... Grotius... Fungerus... Vignier ... Broughton... Potter... Mede ... Poole... Diodati...Down...Dr. Henry More ...Bishop Newton...Lowman... Daubuz...Leigh

...

...

Brightman... Durham... Whiston... Dr. Fulke Pyle... Kershaw... Bishop Dounhame... Galloway...Jurieu... Dr. Wells... Dr. Cressener... Dr. Hales... Dr. Gill... Dr. Wall... Reader .. Lord Napier... Archdeacon Wrangham... Matthew Henry... Burkitt ... Burkitt... Flemming...Dr. Doddridge Dr. Guise... Scott... Fuller... Bicheno.... Kett... Dr. Adam Clarke... Faber... Professor Lee... Wm. Cuninghame, Esq... Fry...Gauntlett ...Jones... Butt... Simpson... Keith... Croly.. Dr. Parry Dean Woodhouse... Thurston ... Archbishop Laud...Cardinal Bellarmine... Bishop Walmesley.... Bishop Bossuet... Calmet.... and many other writers whose Names I have omitted, for these may surely suffice to show the importance of the subject in the esteem of men who have thought it worthy their careful investigation; although their conclusions have generally been more in accordance with their own favourite views, than consistent with

those of Holy Writ. Much instability of opinion must necessarily have been produced by successive publications of men distinguished by an equal variety of sentiment and versatility of talent: in proof of this position I will venture to adduce the following illustrative examples.

The CONFESSION of MR. CROLY, in the year 1827, is the following.

1'It may have been known to the reader, that the Number of the Beast, "the 666," has exercised more intellects than perhaps any ONE problem, sacred or profane, that ever perplexed the human mind. Whole treatises have been written upon it. It occupies a considerable space in almost every Commentary on the Apocalypse. The inquiry and the FAILUre began so early as IRENEUS, in the second century, and have been perpetuated to our days by a multitude, among whom were many of the most undeniable learning and sagacity; HITHERTO NO SATISFACTORY SOLUTION HAS BEEN GIVEN.'

The foregoing remarks of Mr. Croly are comparatively true but IRENEUS evidently had the Proper and Appellative Name of the MAN, [LATEINOS,] upon his lips when he said, 2 LATEINOS NOMEN

HABET SEXCENTORUM SEXAGINTA SEX NUMERUM:

et valde verisimile est, quoniam novissimum Regnum HOC habet VOCABULUM. LATINI enim sunt qui

1 CROLY On the Apocalypse, 'The Vision of the Church.' page 222. London, 1827.

2 IRENE. Adver. Hæres. lib. V. cap. xxx. page 449. Edit. Grabe. Oxon. 1702.

NUNC REGNANT;' and although this Christian Father has conjectured Three Names, viz. TEITAN, LATEINOS, and ETANOA, before the Event [Ante Eventum,] that is, before the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the LATIN PAPAL CHURCH of ROME, which had neither place nor power to rise till after the downfall of the old ROMAN IMPERIAL POWER, which was flourishing in the SECOND CENTURY, in which IRENEUS lived and wrote. Yet AFTER the EVENT, [POST EVENTUM,] that is, after the full Revelation of the "MAN of SIN," the "SON of PERDITION," in the year A. D. 533, according to the Imperial Edict of Justinian to Pope John, the old Pagan Roman Power being already destroyed by Barbarians, the PAPACY began to rise out of the ROMAN or LATIN EARTH and what IRENEUS only conjectured in the Second, is manifest enough in the Nineteenth Century, inasmuch as the Appellative Name Aarêivos is every way applicable to the ROMAN or LATIN PONTIFEX MAXIMUS,' as well as to every individual Papist through the whole duration of the LATIN PAPAL KINGDOM, and, therefore, Mr. Croly is mistaken in his assertion concerning the FAILURE of IRENEUS,' who has, on the contrary, given us the true Appellative of the numbered MAN in the proper and descriptive Name, LATEINOS.

It is here worthy of remark, how very far superior the conjecture of IRENEUS on this Name and Number 666, was (even before the Rise or Existence of the PAPAL HIERARCHY), to that of any other writer who

1 CUNINGHAME on the Apocalypse, page 201, second edit. London, 1817.

has succeeded him; so much so, that those who have followed him have invariably traced the numbered Beast to ROME; while all others who have gone into devious labyrinths and foolish speculations, have lost his proper and descriptive Name, in their failure to convince themselves that the iota circumflexed, as i, is equivalent to the Diphthong or broad et ord, in LATEINOS, which it certainly is, according to the best Ancient Orthography both among the GREEKS and LATINS, as Λατεινος, Λατάνος, Λατίνος. For authorities, see CHAPTER XV.

I shall next transcribe the opinion of the learned VITRINGA concerning the No. 666, as set forth by Mr. Croly with the observations of the latter; for I believe that, in point of intrinsic wisdom and research, the former takes the precedence of almost all other Authors since the time of Irenæus; although I have certain objections to VITRINGA himself concerning the Name DN, ADONIKAM, inasmuch as in that View he follows not the example of IRENEUS.

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1 VITRINGA, undoubtedly a man of understanding, and of the most extensive learning, approaches it with an almost superstitious awe. His apostrophe is solemn and eloquent.'

"Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the Number of the beast." Yes, here is wisdom. Let the man, gifted by grace with such gifts, here display the acuteness of his genius, the clearness of his sagacity, the depth of his spiritual knowledge, things, which fall to the lot of few; but

1 Croly on the Apocalypse. Pages 223-225.