which hath kingdoms over the kings of the earth, v. 18.; which, as we have before observed, plainly points out the great ancient city of Rome, that domineered over the greatest part of the kingdoms of the then known world. The woman therefore is the image of that city, and in the inscription an her forehead she is styled Babylon the great : consequently Babylon the great, is here the same with the city of Rome. In the primitive ages this figurative name of Babylon was frequently given to heathen Rome by the Christians, on account of the resemblance of the characters of those two cities, for their idolatry, and for their oppressing, the one the Jews, the other the Christians. St. Peter dates his first letter from Babylon, 1. Pet, v. 13. that is from Rome, as St. Jerom and Eusebius tell us. "The appellation of Babylon," said Tertullian, "is used by St. John for the city of Rome, because she resembles ancient Babylon, in the extent of her walls, in her haughtiness on account of her dominion, and in persecuting the saints.". Lib. Adv. Jud. "Rome is a second Babylon," says "also St. Austin, and a daughter of the ancient Babylon." De Civit, lib. 22. c. 18. Babylon the great is therefore sufficiently distinguished: but her character is completed, and she appears in plain colours, in what follows: "And I saw," says St. John, the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus," v. 6. This inhuman woman, this impious jezabel, this cruel persecutrix, has drenched herself with so much Christian blood, which she has spilt, that she appears to be drunk with it. Who is this but idolatrous persecuting Rome? Innumerable were the martyrs she put to death, throughout the vast extent of her dominions, and even in her own bosom, the city itself. Innumerable likewise were the other saints or holy confessors, who, though not slain, were by her condemned to lose

some of their limbs, and had an eye bored out, their tongues plucked away, or the sinews of a leg or a thigh cut, &c. or in fine, were put to tortures that tore away their flesh and drained their blood. We have seen the account of ten dreadful persecutions, which swept away an infinite multitude of Christians; and all these persecutions were the work of the Roman emperors and their substitutes in the provinces. It is then apparent who the woman is, that was seen drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

After the description of the woman, we are then favoured with an account of the beast that carries her, v. 7. The woman being the image of the city of Rome, the beast on which she sits, naturally represents the Roman empire. And as the woman was styled the mother of fornication or idolatry; consequently Rome was the seat and centre of idolatry; and in like manner by the beast the Roman empire is represented as the empire of Idolatry. The colour of the beast is scarlet, v. 3. an emblem of its sanguinary disposition: and it is said to be full of names of blasphemy, or marked over with the names of the heathenish Roman gods, the greatest indignity that can be offered to the majesty of the Supreme Being.--Then the angel, who promised to St. John to discover to him, v. 7. the mystery both of the woman and the beast tells him:

v. 8. "The beast, which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction: and the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundations of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast, that was, and is not,"*

Behold a very mysterious explication of a mystery. But to unfold it: here is expressed the state of the beast, as it passes through different • In the Greek text is added, "And yet is "

periods of time. The beast or the Roman idolatrous empire was, that is, existed for a term of time then is not, or exists no more as the empire of idolatry, but is changed into a Christian empire; which happened when Constantine the great became emperor, suppressed the power of idolatry, expelled Satan, and established Christianity But it is added, "and the beast shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction:" the Roman idolatrous empire will rise up again under Antichrist from the bottomless pit or hell, because Satan will be loosed before the end of the world, and will revive idolatry chiefly by means of that wicked man, Antichrist, who will become master of the ancient Roman dominions. And the inhabitants on the earthshall wonder, seeing the beast, that was, and is not, and yet is; all the world will be struck with amazement, at seeing the idolatrous Roman empire re-appear, which had been so long ago destroyed. But the reign of Antichrist will soon go into destruction, as it will last no more than three years and an half. This last period of the beast will be more fully explained in its due place. -The angel proceeds in his explication :

v. 9. "And here is the understanding, that hath wisdom.* The seven heads, are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings.

v. 10" Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when he is come, he must remain a short time."

Let the understanding, that is endowed with wisdom here take notice: the seven heads, which are upon the beast, are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth; we have already observed that ancient Rome stood upon seven mountains. But besides, they, the seven heads, are seven kings, or

In the Greek, "here the understanding that hath wisdom.”

seven Roman emperors who are particularly distinguished as the chief supporters of idolatry, and the most virulent persecutors of the Christian Religion. These are, as we have already remarked, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, Valerian, Dioclesian and Antichrist. Five are fallen: we saw, before, the successive periods of the beast with regard to its existence; here we have the succession of its heads. Five of them are fallen or gone; namely, Nero, Domitian, Severus, Decius, and Valerian, by whom the idolatrous empire was supported for a time; one is, the sixth or last of that period, viz. Dioclesian, with whom the reign of idolatry falls: and so it happened, by the accession of Constantine to the imperial throne. Here then is interrupted the succession of the heathen and persecuting emperors for a long space of time; for the other is not yet come, the seventh Roman emperor, Antichrist, who will come only in the latter days; and when he is come, he must remain a short time, three years and a half, as we shall see in the sequel. No notice is here taken of Julian the apostate, who broke indeed the series of the Christian emperors, and attempted to re-establish idolatry, but was taken off after a short reign of less than two yearsThe angel continues ;

v. 11. "And the beast, which was, and is not, the same also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into destruction."

Here is a new state of the beast, which begins at the fall of the sixth head, or Dioclesian, with whom the beast itself or the power of idolatry also fell. On this account the former simple appellation of the beast, is now changed into the beast, which was, and is not, as being now no more what it was, having lost all power, and that power being transferred into the hands of Christian emperors. In this situation the beast is said to be an eighth king that is, the Roman idolatrous people, though left without

& heathen prince at their head by the death of Dioclesian and succession of Constantine, are: nevertheless to be reputed equivalent to an eighth pagan emperor, because they retain still. their former attachment to paganism and their hatred to Christianity. And thus they are of the seven,, as being alike in their dispositions to the seven above-mentioned heathen emperors. But they go into destruction: this idolatrous people will soon disappear, as we shall see, either by being destroyed, or by their conversion to the Christian Religion.

After the account of the beast and its seven' heads the angel proceeds to explain to St. John the meaning of the ten horns of the beast.

v. 12." And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, which have not yet received kingdom, but shall receive power as kings, one hour: after the beast*.

v. 13. "These have one design: and their: strength and power they shall deliver to the beast."

The ten horns denote then ten kings or ten powers, namely, the Goths, Huns, Alans, Vandals, Saxons, Burgundians, Franks, Heruli, Suevi, and Quadi, the chief of the barbarous nations. that invaded the western Roman empire in the fifth century. These have not yet received kingdom or dominion, viz. at the beginning of this period of the Christian emperors, or of the beast that was and is not; but they will. receive power? as kings one hour with the beast, that is, they will be commanded by their own chiefs, and will engage by treaty to serve for one hour or a while as auxiliaries to the beast, that is, to the pagan Roman armies. Thus the Prophet continues to describe the succession of the changes that were to happen in the Roman empire. The above-men-i tioned nations come all, with one design of relin

In the Greek, "with the beast," and so read St. Ireneus and.atkess