the Macedonian empire, it subdued many other provinces and kingdoms; fo that it might, by a very usual figure, be faid to devour the whole earth, and to tread it down and break it in pieces, and. became in a manner, what the Roman writers delighted to call it, terrarum orbis imperium, "the empire of the whole world." Ver. 7. And it had ten horns. And according to the interpretation of the angel, (ver. 24.) the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings, or kingdoms, that fhall arife. Four kings a little before (ver. 17.) fignify four kingdoms; and fo here ten kings are ten kingdoms, according to the ufual phraseology of scripture. "We must look," says this learned author, "for these ten kingdoms among the broken pieces of the Roman empire. This empire, as the Romanifts themselves allow, was, by means of the incurfions of the northern nations, difmembered into ten kingdoms; and Machiavel, a papist, little thinking what he was doing, (as Bishop Chandler obferves) has given us their names. 1. The Oftrogoths, in Mafia. 2. The Vifigoths, in Panonia. 3. The Sueves and Alans, in Gascoigne and Spain. 4. The Vandals, in Africa. 5. The Franks, in France. 6. The Burgundians, in Burgundy. Heruli and Turingi, in Italy. 8. The Saxons and Angles, in Britain. 9. The Huns, in Hungary. 10. The Lombards, first upon the Danube, afterwards in Italy."

Mede, Lowman, Sir I. Newton, Whifton, and others, have enumerated these ten kingdoms, with fome little variation, but all agreein the main. Bishop Lloyd makes them all to arife between the years 356 and 527 A. C. They have not always been exactly this number, fometimes more, fometimes lefs; but as Sir I. Newton obferves, (p. 73. upon the Prophecies,) "This was the number into which the western empire became divided at its first breaking, that is, at the time of Rome's being besieged and taken by the Goths. Some of these kingdoms at length fell, and new ones arose; but whatever was their number afterwards, they are still called the ten kingdoms, from their first number." And we may obferve, that they always were and still are about this number.

But befides these ten horns or kingdoms, there was another little horn, to spring up among them which was to be much distinguished by its abominations, ver. S. I confidered the horns, and behold there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. As Daniel was

defirous

defirous of being informed about the ten horns, fo of this; and the angel acquaints him (ver. 24.) that this fhall rise up after the others, or behind them, as Mede renders it, unobserved till he overtops them, and he shall be divers from the first, and he shall fubdue three kings, or kingdoms and he shall fpeak great words against the Maft High, and fhall wear out the faints of the Moft High, and think to change times and laws; and they fhall be given into his hands until a time, and times, and the dividing of time. But the judgment fhall fit, and they fhall take away his dominion, to confume it, and destroy it unto the end. "This is to be fought for," fays Bifhop Newton, among the ten kingdoms of the western empire, I fay the weftern empire (Europe) because that was properly the body of the fourth beaft. Greece, and the countries which lay eastward of Italy, belonged to the third beaft; for the former beafts were still Lubfifting, though their dominion was taken away." (ver. 12.) This is no other than the popedom, or antichrift, who hath raised himself to great power by feizing three principalities, or kingdoms, which Sir Ifaac Newton reckons up to be the exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the fenate and dukedom of Rome. And it is hence that the pope wears a triple

crown.

What is here reprefented under the emblem of a horn of the fourth beaft is the fame tyranny which is fhewn to John (Rev. xiii.

10.) as a beaft. In this all our best commentators are agreed. Nor let it feem ftrange that what is here prefigured by a horn of the fourth beast, the Roman dominion, should be represented in another vision, as a beast with seven heads and ten horns. For nothing is more usual than to defcribe the fame person or thing under different images, upon different occafions; and besides, in this vifion, the spiritual tyranny of the Roman empire is not meant to be described at large. Here notice is only given of it in the general reprefentation of the Roman dominion; when the time of the appearance of this tyranny draws near, then a more enlarged description is given. And what is here represented under one image is there reprefented under two, a dragon and a beast, each having seven heads and ten horns. The flighteft attention is fufficient to convince us that the horn here and the first beast in Rev, xiii. are the fame tyranny; if we compare the two descriptions, their language, their enormities, their duration and end are the fame.

The

The faints are faid to be given into the hand of the horn for a time, times, and dividing of times, and it is given to the beast to continue forty and two months, and in Rev. xi. 3. it is faid to be 1260 days. The fame period of time is meant, for a time is a year, times two years, and the dividing of times, a half a year, that is three years and a half (or forty-two months of thirty days) which are the fame as the 1260 days; for the ordinary Jewish year confifted of 360 days, which, multiplied by three and a half, amount to that number. And in the prophetic ftyle, a day is reckoned for a year. Compare Numb. xiv. 34. Ezek. iv. 6. Dan. iv. 16. xii. 7. Rev. xi. 2,3. xii. 14. xiii. 5. This continuance fignifies, that he is to practife and profper thus long, for Toga refers to the time of his prevailing, not of his exifting. He will exift a little longer, for he will be fome time a flaying after he is attacked.

Thus, as preparatory to the confideration of the following fubjects, I have endeavoured, in as brief a way as poffible, to fhew the origin of hieroglyphic or fymbolical representations, and the aptnefs and propriety of fuch as we have in the writings of the prophets. We will now enter upon our inquiries.

Let us first confider the vifions in the twelfth and thirteenth chapters, and especially the vifion of the fecond beast, chap. xiii. 11-18. for, if these be understood, we shall have a key to unlock, not only the myfteries of the eleventh chapter, but of many others which follow. Chap. xii. 3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having feven heads and ten horns, and feven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the ftars of heaven, and did caft them to the earth, &c. Moft of the authors whom I have confulted, though they allow this chapter to contain a representation of the perfecutions of Pagan Rome, yet have strangely fpiritualized this dragon, fo that whilft we are cautioned of our danger from invisible spirits, the true object is forgotten, and we beat the air.

There can be no doubt, but the devil is a principal agent in all tyrannies, ecclefiaftical and civil; but what is here reprefented by the most terrific imagery, appears to be no other than that cruel civil tyranny of the Romans, which caft down all the powers, and fwept away all the remains of liberty, in Europe, the then fupposed third part of the world; and which, while the imperial head remained in full power, perfecuted with unrelenting cruelty

the

the church of Christ in its infancy; and under all the defpotifms which have arifen from it, has, more or lefs, continued to oppose the kingdom of Chrift. If we compare what is faid of the dragon in this book with Pfa. Ixxiv. 13. 14. Ifa. xxvii. 1. li. 9. Pfa. lxxxvii. 4. lxxxix. 10. Ezek. xxix. 2—5. and xxxii. 2. it much confirms our hypothefis. The tyranny of Egypt, which oppreffed and perfecuted the people of Ifrael, was the type of this; but as this is fo much more cruel, additional tropes are therefore crowded together, to imprefs us with its enormity; and it is not only the dragon and the ferpent, but the devil and fatan. While the first beaft in the next chapter is the reprefentation of ecclefiaftical or fpiritual tyranny, as exerciled by the antichristian clergy, this dragon reprefents the civil tyranny exercised by the Roman Emperors, and by their fucceffors, fo far as they have been, or are, tyrannic, in the feveral kingdoms which have arifen out of the ruins of that empire; and especially by thofe who are now called the Emperors of Germany, who profefs, more immediately, to fucceed the defpots of ancient Rome. They have the fame origin, and their jurifdiction is alike extenfive; and hence they both appear with feven heads and ten horns. This dragon, we fhall find, gave to the beaft his power and his feat, and great authority; but he ftill continued, and although wounded, remains to this day, nor has he ever cealed to practite destruction. All the world have worthipped him that gave power unto the beaft; yea, so - bate and fervile have men been, that they have paid divine homage and paffive obedience to their destroyer, and have faid, in the fulness of their folly, not only of spiritual tyranny, Who is like unto the beati ! but of civil defpotiim, Who is like unto the dragon!

Chapter the thirteenth, verie the firit. I stood when the fand of the jet, and faw a seaft rije up out of the fea, having feven heads and tea horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blafghemy. And the beat which I faw was late unto a leopard, and his fect were as the feet of a bear, and his month as the mouth of a Gun; and the dragon gave him his power, and his feat, and great axthority. Having faid fo much concerning the fourth beast, and the httle horn, in the viñon of Daniel; and feeing that all Proteftants are pretty well agreed that, by this beat, the papal power, as exerented by the Bishop of Rome, fupperted by his clergy, and by

those

thofe princes who have acknowledged his jurifdiction, is intended, the lefs need be faid in explaining thefe verfes. As the great red dragon was the civil power of Rome, exercised by the emperors and their agents, fo this is the Roman ecclefiaftical tyranny, exercifed by the pope and antichriftian clergy, who have converted the benevolent religion of Jefus into a fyftem of traffic and persecution, and, as has been obferved, is the fame with the little horn in Daniel the feventh. Its rifing out of the fea may refer to thofe commotions of nations which very much favoured the rifing of the papal tyranny. The feven heads were not only the cmblems of the feven hills on which Rome was built (chap. xvii. 9, 10.) but alfo of the feven forms of government to which Rome had been, and was to be, fubject. Five were already fallen, when John faw the vision, (chap. xvii. 10.) viz. those by kings, confuls, dictators, décemvirs, and military tribunes with confular authority. The imperial then prevailed, and the papal was to follow. The ten horns are the ten kingdoms and ftates crowned with fovereign authority, of which we have already had occafion to speak.-To this beaft the dragon gave his power and his feat, and great authority; that is, it was by the affiftance of the emperors, by virtue of laws and grants iffuing from them, that the bishops of Rome and the clergy arrived at their great power. And, by the feat of the imperial government being removed from Rome, first by Conftan tine to Byzantium (Conftantinople), and afterwards into France by Charlemagne, from whence it paffed into Germany, the popes became poffefed of Rome, the old feat of the imperial government.

Ver. 3-10. And I faw one of his heads, as it were wounded unto death, and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beaft. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beaft, faying, Who is like unto the beaft? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things, and blafphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blafphemy against God, to blafpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the faints, and overcome them, and power was given him over all kindrels, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell on the earth fhall worfhip him, whofe names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear let

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