culars of the character of the three former beasts. It was like unto a leopard, which was the form of the third beast, or Grecian empire. It had feet like a bear, which personified the second beast, or Persian empire; and it spake as a lion, which was the symbol of the first or the Babylonian empire. The seven heads allude (as was before observed) both to the seven hills on which Rome was situated, and to the seven forms of government to which it was successively subject, as explained by the angel in the ninth and tenth verses of the seventeenth chapter. The ten horns represented the ten kingdoms into which the Roman dominion was divided during the great apostasy. The name of blasphemy on the seven heads of the beast implies its idolatrous worship, by which it blasphemed the only object of adoration, the great God Almighty, not merely in its pagan state, but, O eternal shame and disgrace! under a different form, in its pretended Christian supremacy.

As the dragon could no longer rule ostensibly, he gave up his power, his throne, and great authority to the new beast, that he might deceive the Christian Church and the Heathen nations.

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

It appears from the explanation afterwards given, that this head was the sixth, for five were fallen before St. John's time, and the sixth was that of the emperors or Cæsars, which seemed to have been destroyed when the Roman empire was overrun by the barbarians, and the name of emperor was extinguished in Augustulus. Rome was then governed for a time by the Gothic kings, and Rome itself became a dukedom, subject to the exarchate of Ravenna; but when the pope, with the people of Rome, revolted from the exarch of Ravenna, and made Charlemagne emperor of the Romans, the wound of the sixth head was healed, the title restored, and continued to subsist. It is added, "and all the world wondered after the beast:" Such was the surprise and admiration of the world at the restoration of the beast, that all men followed him, and submitted to his authority with awe and respect.

"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 great red dragon was the idolatrous Roman empire, in which Satan reigned with uncontrolled authority, and in following with wonder and submission the beast whose deadly wound was healed, they did in truth worship the dragon, who had restored and given him his power, or

forces. And they worshipped the beast so set and boasted of his invincible prowess.

up,

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwelt in heaven."

This beast is evidently the same as the little horn in Daniel, where he is described as having "a mouth speaking great things, and he spake great words against the Most High."

What can be greater things and blasphemies than the titles of universal Bishop, infallible judge of controversies, sovereign of kings, disposer of kingdoms, vicegerent of Christ, and God upon earth 1?

"And power was given him to continue, or practise and prosper forty-two months," or as it is written in Daniel, when speaking of the same power 2, he was to prosper for a time, and times, and dividing of time, i. e. as has been shown, for three prophetic years and a half, which is the same as forty-two months, or one thousand two hundred and sixty days of years.

1 See Bishop Newton, and Barrow on the Pope's supremacy. 2 Dan. vii. 25.

"And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God," &c. Of blasphemy there are vȧrious kinds; but the most direct is that of idolatry, giving honour to any other object, and detracting from that which is due to God alone. Mede has shown incontrovertibly, from different parts of Scripture, that the very term of blasphemy is attributed to idolatry, as Isaiah lxv. 7. "They have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me on the hills, &c." He likewise blasphemes the name of God who takes divine titles and honours to himself. He blasphemes" the tabernacle of God" when he degrades the human nature of Christ, now glorified in heaven, and who is said to have tabernacled in us, ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν', by falsely pretending that a priest is able out of a wafer to construct the actual body of Christ, which suffered on the Therefore transubstantiation is blasphemy. And he blasphemes them that "dwell in heaven" when he addresses the blessed mother of our Lord, angels, and glorified saints, with prayers and adoration; when he worships their images, giving way, as the apostle says, "to doctrines of demons," and supports their canonization by fabulous legends, and lying miracles.

cross.

1 Which we translate "dwelt among us." John i. 14.

What description can be more appropriate to the Antichristian apostasy?

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given unto him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

The next mark of the Roman beast in his Antichristian form, is the persecution of the saints. "It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." So Daniel says, "He made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." The saints here signify the rest of the seed of the woman in the wilderness, who keep the commandments of God, and retain the testimony of Jesus Christ. The bloody wars which the new Roman beast waged against the faithful followers of Christ, did not take place immediately upon his being invested with authority, but after he had been fully established, and when he was instigated by the second beast or ecclesiastical power, which delivered over those which it called heretics to be slain by the secular sword.

It is almost impossible to enumerate the multitude of pious Christians, who fell a sacrifice to