wears these marks of a secular; since such a power he had annexed to his spiritual, (just as the Emperor annexed a spiritual power to the civil) by his investing himself with a civil Dominion, called St. Peter's Patrimony.

2. So far in confutation of the System framed by Grotius, to facilitate the project of a visionary Comprehension; a system of real service to nothing but the Papal Tyranny. It is true, that the evidence here employed is only negative; yet it comes with a force, which no positive evidence can exceed. But to leave no subterfuge for doubt, I shall close all with the other species, the proof positive, taken from the Apocalyptic Character of this famous Per

sonage.

3. POWER is male or female indifferently. Hence the Power in question is sometimes said to be the attribute of the MAN OF SIN; sometimes, of the SCARLET WHORE. A corrupt Church may be found either under a popular or monarchic government. Under a popular, One name and one personage would serve in enigmatic Prophecy, both for the Governor and Governed; because they are all reciprocally one and the other and such a Church might be commodiously represented by one single Personage. But, under a monarchic or despotic Government, the Acts and Monuments of such a Church cannot be well represented but under Two; the Tyrannic Head and miserable Members, sometimes suffering under, and sometimes, again, sharing in, the Tyranny.

On

On this account, there was a propriety and elegance in the occasional change of the Sex, by the sacred Penmen. The POPE, as Usurper and Tyrant in Christ's Kingdom, is represented under the male image of ANTICHRIST or the MAN OF SIN; and the CHURCH OF ROME, whose cup of abominations had debauched and intoxicated the world, under the female image of the SCARLET WHORE.

And as this affords us the clearest proof, that the Antichristian Power in question is of the SPIRITUAL and not of the civil kind, I shall pursue the Vision in those famous Prophecies which presents the Christian Church under a female form; first, in its celestial, native, purity; and then, in its degenerate and apostate state. For, of all the emblematic Pictures in the Apocalyptic Visions, those two are the least ambiguous.

In the xiith Chapter, a WOMAN comes from Heaven, "clothed with the Sun, and the Moon "under her feet, and upon her head a crown of "twelve stars: And she being with child, cried,

66

travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered"And behold a great RED DRAGON, having seven "heads and ten horns, and SEVEN CROWNS upon his “heads. And the Dragon stood before the Wo

46

man, which was ready to be delivered, for to "devour her child as soon as it was born. And "she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule "all nations with a rod of Iron; and the Child was 46 caught up unto God, and to his throne. And "the Woman fled into the WILDERNESS, where

"she had a place prepared of God, that they should "feed her there."

In the xviiith Chapter, an Angel says to John, "Come hither, I will shew unto thee the judgment " of the GREAT WHORE, that sitteth upon many "Waters: with whom the Kings of the earth have "committed fornication, and the Inhabiters of the "earth have been made drunk with the wine of her "fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit "into the WILDERNESS: and I saw a WOMAN sit upon a SCARLET-COLOURED BEAST full of names "of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. "And the WOMAN was arrayed in purple and "scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious "stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her "hand, full of abominations and filthiness of for"nication. And upon her forehead was a name "written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother

of Harlots, and abominations of the earth. And "I saw the WOMAN drunken with the blood of the "Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of "Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with 66 great admiration. And the Angel said unto me,

"Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee "the Mystery of the WOMAN, and of the beast "that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and << ten horns. And here is the mind which hath "Wisdom, the seven heads are seven mountains "on which the WOMAN sitteth.-These shall make "war with the Lamb; and the Lamb shall over"come them,"

Though

Though the two prophetic Visions, I have here transcribed, be full of evidence concerning the fortunes of ANTICHRIST, and the fate of the SCARLET WHOкE; and that the POPE and See of ROME are no other than the alias names of the Criminal; yet our point being only to shew, that the ANTICHRISTIAN POWER in question is a SPIRITUAL and not a civil Power, I have at present nothing to do with its various ABOMINATIONS, here sketched out, further than as some circumstances, concerning these abominations, speak more fully to the general truth we are upon.

The SAME WOMAN, who represents the Christian Religion, we see appear in both the Prophetic Visions;-pure and immaculate when first let down from Heaven; but defiled and contaminated by a long commerce in the Wilderness of this world.

In her Virgin-state we see her armed in the ce-" lestial panoply of FAITH and KNOWLEDGE; and, (while in this state) like her Almighty Father, without variableness, or shadow of changing: expressed by her being clothed with the sun, crowned with twelve stars, and the moon under her feet.—She is in labour with her first-born, and pained to be delivered; by which is admirably held out, the dangers and difficulties our holy Religion struggled with, in giving birth to the infant Church, whom the Powers of this world stood ready to devour: strongly expressed by the great red dragon who stood before the woman ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Whose purpose was defeated by the extraordinary Providence of Heaven, wakeful

wakeful for its preservation: and her child, whose future fortune, we are told, was to rule all nations (when he had degenerated into a Tyrant) with a rod of iron, as soon as brought forth, was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The WOMAN fled into the WILDERNESS, and was in safety there. I know no better reason for our being informed of this circumstance, than that, when the fortunes of the Church are resumed, as they are in the xviith Chapter, we might know where to find her; and, as she was so totally changed, to know her likewise when we had found her. In this Chapter, therefore, the Prophet is led into the WILDERNESS, and introduced to her presence, sitting upon a scarlet-coloured Beast, under the title of the GREAT WHORE, and branded in the forehead, as was the wont, in stigmatizing common Prostitutes. Indeed her meretricious dress and equipage sufficiently shew how much she was fallen from her first love. She is stript of all the ornaments which she brought down with her from Heaven; and instead of being clothed, as at first she was, with the sun, and crowned with twelve stars, she is now arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls: that is, Religion had now exchanged those divine gifts and graces, with which she was first adorned by the Holy Spirit, for worldly wealth and grandeur, to which she was arrived, by coming to a good understanding with her old enemy the Red Dragon, or CIVIL POWER: Of whom having received the trappings of Sovereignty, she soon after tore from him the Sovereignty itself. A revolution