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and alloted part of their annuities to the treasury of the Roman see. They had a great share in that notable, bloody and desolating contest, A. D. 1250, between the Gibelines and Guelphs, in which the first contended for the emperor, and the last for the Pope. Upon this head Honorius III founded those various monastic orders; and confirmed the Dominicans and Franciscans; in order to defend and extend the spiritual monarchy of the pontiffs by these hosts of combatans. Such achievements surely are worthy of a head of the beast. This head extended the papal power into the Grecian empire, and even intò Asia; where the Popes anathematized their enemies, and invested their friends with royal ensigns.

III. Mount Vaticanus, adorned by the superb edifice of St. Peter's Church, and the customary residence of the pontiffs. Boniface VIII, commenced a succession of Popes on this mountain A. D. 1294, which was terminated by Pius II A. D. 1464. During the reign of this head, popery, established by infernal aid, exalted by ignorance, enriched by superstition and the crusades, now strained the cords of its power beyond their natural strength, which by degrees began to burst. From this mountain the inquisition persecuted the ancient witnesses, by fire and sword in every country of Christendom, for the pontiffs were intent upon their total extirpation. John XXII filled the papal treasury to the brim, by his shameful sale of indulgences; and Clemens enlarged his territories A. D. 1348 by taking Arignon. Gregory XI, persecuted the followers of Wickliff in England; whose bones were even dug up and publicly burnt, A. D. 1423 because they testified against the tyranny of the Pope and the scandalous lives of the monks. John XXIII condemned those eminent servants of God, John Huss and Jerome of Prague, who were burnt alive A. D. 1415, and 1416 and their followers cruelly persecuted with blood and slaughter for many years. The council at Constance was held

during the reign of this head by John XXIII, and A. D. 1431, that at Basil, and A. D. 1438, that of Ferrara by Eugenius IV; whose transactions and decrees were worthy of a head of the beast.

IV. Mount Quirinalis, adorned by the Church St. Mark, and the customary summer residence of the Popes. This head directed and blindfolded the council at Trent, and on this mountain the fathers of the inquisition held their assemblies. Paul II, took up his residence here A. D. 1464, and his successors reigned on this hill until 1605, crowned with a tripple crown, to denote their power in heaven, earth and hell. This head established the order of the Jesuits A. D. 1640; a new pillar to support the Roman hierarchy, which had been shaken to its centre by the glorious Reformation. In short, the endeavours of this head to establish the Jesuits, strengthen the inquisition, found Romish missions and the propaganda, perfect the register of prohibited books, and the attempts of the Popes to place all consecrated persons out of the reach of the civil authorities, are as many ways and measures which these arrogant pontiffs have adopted, to regain their former power and supremacy.

V. Mount Exquilinus, adorned by the Church St. Maria Maggiore. On this mountain, Paul V, commenced a new succession of Popes, A. D. 1605, which terminated A. D. 1789, the years of power and prosperity of the beast. Paul V, showed a most vehement zeal for the papal supremacy, and even suffered his flatterers to style him Vice-God, monarch of Christendom, supporter of papal omnipotence, &c. &c. Gregory XV, exerted the utmost of his power to suppress the Protestants in France and Germany. Urban VIII, enlarged his kingdom by the dutchy of Urbino and other provinces of the house of Rovere; and his successors acquired by force and cunning, Castro and other countries. The Popes Nicholas IV, Gregory XI, and Martin V, had their residence on this mountain

before this period, whose actions we may number with the achievements of this head. But of all its remarkable exploits, the Bull "Unigenitus," dated from this mountain, was of most importance, and in its consequences worthy of a head of this beast.

These are the five first heads of the beast, comprising his first state of existence, power and prosperity of 666 years; which, according to the general system of the Revelation, stand in a more immediate connexion with the part of the prophecy recorded in this chapter. Upon these heads St. John beheld a name of blasphemy. In dcciphering the enigma of this name, authors have been much perplexed, and have adopted various opinions. It is agreed by all, that this name of blasphemy must refer to a most distinguishing characteristic in the general course of action of this beast, by which it may be known and pointed out from others. The mystery only lies in its signification; for the elucidation of which it is necessary to observe, that it cannot consist in any of those essential points, which constitute it a beast, but must refer, from its nature and position, to an authoritative confession and uniform patronage of some antichristian mode of worship, established by his artifice and power. In my opinion this name signifies idolatry, or image worship, so obnoxious to the Lord, which sense it also has in the following passages, Isa. LXV, 7. Ezek. xx, 27; by a mad zeal for which, the Roman see stands distinguished among all the powers in Christendom without any abatement even in these enlightened days. Here we have additional proof, that this beast cannot signify the temporal Roman empire, or any of its special dynastics or kingdoms; none of which, considered as such, have been an original source of idolatry, as this name of blasphemy most assuredly indicates, though they may all have been accessary in attributing the distinguishing excellencies of God, to images saints, and angels. It is the Roman see only, which has assum

ed and exercised the right of canonization, and the power to dispose of celestial crowns; which was taken away from councils and bishops by Alexander A. D. 1179, as one of the most important prerogatives of the Pope, belonging to him alone, and asserted by every head of this beast, with equal arrogance and ardour to this day. The Popes have filled the Church with saints, and seduced the ignorant to idolatry.

Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death: and his deadly wound was healed; and all the world wondered after the beast.

4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The learned and pious Bengelius is of opinion, that this beast received his deadly wound in his first head, by the opposition which the emperors made against papal encroachments. But his arguments on this point, never appeared to me conclusive. St. John may have been induced to mention his deadly wound thus early in his prophecy, because it referred more immediately to the beast himself which he had just described, and on account of its great importance in the history of the beast; before he entered on the prophecy concerning his actions. It is necessary to observe here, that St. John saw this wound not on the body of the beast, but on one of his heads. From this we may with certainty infer, that this wound was of such a nature, as only to endanger the reign of one of its heads, and not the immediate existence of the body of the beast; which according to chap. XVII, seems to possess its own principle of life, distinct from that of the heads, though essentially connected with each during its existence. Moreover, this head with a deadly wound, cannot be one of the two last, the proper history of which is given in chap. xvII; but must be one of the first five. Some authors have explained it as inflicted by the Reformation, which however

had no immediate influence on one head only, and rescued but a few provinces out of papal tyranny. After a general survey of the whole history of the beast, and a more minute investigation of this subject, by comparing the fates and fortunes of the several individual heads with the prophecy, I am convinced, that he received this deadly wound in his third head. For according to St. John's account, it was inflicted during the 666 years of power of the beast, and therefore cannot refer to an event by which his state of existence is destroyed, or the beast itself reduced to that low ebb of power, indicated by his following state of non-existence; in which however it still remains a kingdom, and is not even then totally annihilated, as the learned Faber and other expositors erroneously sup

pose.

Such a deadly wound may consist of many humours or morbid dispositions, arising from many remote or predisposing causes concentrating in a point; but the exciting or proximate cause of this wound is termed verse 14, a sword, which here signifies war and strife of civil authorities. The symptoms of this wound in the third head, in my opinion, are 1. The great Western schism among the Popes themselves, from A. D. 1378 to 1428; where during the space of fifty years, the Church had two or three different heads at the same time; each contending pope raising dissentions, forming plots, thundering out anathemas against his competitors; and their factions waging bloody wars, and causing innumerable calamities in church and state. During all this time it became absolutely doubtful, which of the contending Popes was the true vicar of Christ, as they loaded each other with reciprocal maledictions, calumnies, and excommunications. Thus both the papal supremacy and infallibility received a deadly wound; and the Gregorian succession languished in imminent danger, for many years. 2. The second symptom was the serious and powerful opposition, which

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