and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. After deliberate and mature consideration of the whole prophecy concerning the ten horns, and of the opposite opinions of commentators on this subject, I feel myself compelled to conclude with the eminent Mede, and Bp. Newton, against the learned Faber, that they can only be taken as existing in the very last stage of the beast. Upon these horns St. John beheld chap. XIII, 1. ten crowns; not 7εavo crowns, as chap. XII, 1, but didnμara, costly bandages, wherewith kings and queens encircled their foreheads in ancient times, as ensigns of royalty chap. XII, 3. xix, 12. It is not said that these ten horns were upon either of the seven heads, and we may therefore conclude, as indeed it appears evident from the text, that they do not immediately belong to any one of the seven heads, but to the beast itself, considered as the eighth. Neither do they arise in succession, like the seven heads of the beast, but are all cotemporaries with each other, and with the beast from the time of his accession to the throne. They are expressly affirmed to be kings, but the description which is here given of them as such, is somewhat mysterious. It is said, they have received no kingdom as yet. These words may indicate, that they are superiors at the head often regularly organized bodies of men, which would then receive power as kings with the beast, during the great change of the Roman hierarchy. Or the original, Οιτινες βαςιλειαν ὅπω ελαβον, may be rendered as Bengelius has it, [87w pro 8.] which have not received the kingdom, i. e. by inheritance in regular succession, or in a lawful manner, but by means of a violent revolution, as has been the case of late years in Europe. It is at least very probable from these words, that they are none of the posterity of the present ruling families, and therefore that many thrones must become vacant to make room for ten new kingdoms; especially in those countries, which have been under the power and dominion of the Pope since the time of Gregory VII. It is not expressed in this prophecy, from whom the ten horns are to receive their sovereign power, but it is probably derived from those nations, or regularly organized bodies of men, over whom they preside. However they receive it with the beast, at the same time and in some connexion with Him; but retain it only for one hour, i. e. for a short time. See the original of Philem. 15, for the sense of that word. The true manner of completion of this prophecy is yet sealed up among the mysteries of futurity, and all we can offer, as to the manner of its accomplishment, is mere conjecture. Suppose therefore, these ten powers were to meet in a general congress, and frame a constitution, according to which that extraordinary genius of splendid talents and exalted fame, was created emperor with great prerogatives, thus this prophecy would be fully accomplished. The ten kings would have acted as sovereign princes during the time of negotiation, and proven that they were of one mind, and perfectly fixed in the unchristian principles of the beast, both as to politics and religion, by thus entering into all his views. Verse 14- These shall make war with the Lamb. At this point of completion, Antichrist and the mystery of iniquity is revealed, and the son of perdition will appear upon the great theatre of the world; whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thess. 11. The true worshippers of Christ will now know him by his satanic physiognomy; but those under strong delusions will hail him in their infidelity, and believe a lie, that they may have pleasure in unrighteousness. Rest assured, christian reader, the Church of Christ has yet to pass though a fiery ordeal of tremendous persecution; and this is probably as yet only the commencement of that hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, whether they are qualified to become citizens of the personal kingdom of Jesus Christ then near at hand, Rev. 11, 10. Bengelius and Young appear to be under a mistake, when they consider the war with the Lamb to be the same with the battle on the great day of God Almighty. With this war Antichrist commences his successful career of enmity against the Redeemer and his Church; but in that last conflict at Armageddon, he meets his final doom together with the false prophet. Here are only ten kings as yet in his coalition, but in that decisive battle, the kings of the earth and their armies are assembled to his assistance. But what principally induces me to deviate from those authors is, the change of time in the language of the angel. He had all along spoken in the present time, as of objects in some measure connected with the beast's state of Non-existence, from which it was to arise, and here for the first time, he changes from the present to the future tense, oλμns, they shall make war; which seems to indicate, that its state of Non-existence was now fully past, the beast had ascended from the bottomless pit to the throne, and, from this point of time forward, acted in its finished character as the true Antichrist. Morcover, this is a war with the Lamb, which denotes a character of suffering, and not of opposition; but at Armageddon the Lord appears in the character of a great conqueror with many crowns, on a white horse, followed by the embattled hosts of his saints. This war, properly speaking, will be a war with the Lamb. The beast from the abyss has now passed the Rubicon, and appears upon the grand theatre of the world in its true character, by instituting a tremendous persecution against a great number of the faithful followers of Christ, on account of their religious sentiments and fession, but perhaps under a specious pretext. For there is no doubt, he will at first act with serpentine wiliness, pro most refined art and policy in all measures of this nature. But it is the secret motive, by which the beast is actuated to these cruel and sanguinary acts, which in the end will be sufficiently evident, from the religious principles he shall profess, and labour to establish in the world. From the expressions of the angel, "war with the Lamb," it would appear as if the doctrine of the meritorious death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, as confessed by all true evangelical believers, was the particular eyesore of the beast and its ten horns at the time; as also that they would meet with no opposition, but with a lamblike disposition and behaviour, in the objects of their cruelty. And perhaps those martyrs are also themselves informed by these words, that a lamblike conduct in this trying season, would be the most prudent and Christian, and that the Lord would consider them as suffering for his sake. This war waged by the beast and its ten horns, seems to indicate a persecution principally carried on against the true followers of Jesus among Protestants; while many Roman catholics will ignorantly exult at first, and vainly promise themselves an extention of their Church. But they will change their opinion of these raging tyrants, when the 16th verse is accomplished, as a judgment upon the whore, which is yet to follow this persecution, previously to the battle of Armageddon. And the Lamb shall overcome them, &c. What a great comfort will these words pour into the bleeding hearts of the children of God in those days, when that pregnant thundercloud arises, and menaces destruction. The Lord will never forsake his people, but afford them a sure refuge, and special assistance in times of trial and temptation. They are here promised his peculiar presence, and a most distinguished deliverance, which bears strong and evident marks of a divine interposition in their favour. The Son of God will prove on this occasion, perhaps by a movement of the rod of the man-child chap. x11, 5. in favour of the Church, that he is Lord of lords who judges in righteousness, and King of kings who possesses sup. reme power and authority over all the princes and rulers of the earth. He will exalt his friends, and subdue his enemies, for he knows how to combat and conquer all opposition. They that are with him, 01 μet avt8[OVTES,] qui cum eo sunt, ab ejus partibus stant, who in this great separation between the adherents of Christ and Antichrist, have stood firm in their Saviour's cause; these are here described according to the grace of God, and the operations of his spirit in their hearts. They are the called, who have accepted the divine call of gospel grace unto salvation, Rom. VIII, 30; the chosen, in this order of gospel obedience, Ephes. 1, 4 ; and the faithful, who abide in the doctrine and power of faith, which worketh by love until death, Rev. 11, 10. Gal. v, 6. Such will be this trying hour, that these only will join the banners of Christ; sinners and merely formal Christians will apostatize to the beast, and assist in executing his long meditated design of universal dominion. This persecution seems to correspond chronologically with the Harvest, chap. XIV, 13. 14. 15. and with the prophecy of Daniel concerning the infidel king, Dan. x1, 36-45. Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these 18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which The waters which thou sawest. Here we see the first outlines of the final judgment of God against Babylon, |