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woman fit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blafphemy, having fseven heads, and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple, and fcarlet-colour, and decked with gold and precious ftone and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations, and filthiness of her fornication.

To be carried in spirit to any place, is not to be actually carried to that place; but it is to have our fpirit or mind impressed by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in the fame manner as it would have. been by our having been bodily in that place. Here John informs us, that he was under the influence of divine infpiration; that in this way he faw a particular vifion; and that the scene of this vifion appeared to his mind to be the wilderness. The wilderness fignifies the wilderness state of the church, which, as was formerly fhewn, commenced A. D. 756, and fhall continue to the year 1999. The reafon of mentioning the wilderness as the fcene of this vifion, is to inform us that the defcription of the idolatrous and fuperftitious city, ftate, and church, given in the following vifion, agrees to that city, ftate, and church, during, and only during that period, which runs from A. D. 756 to A. D. 1999.

In the wilderness, that is, during that period, he faw the vifion exactly as defcribed in these verses.

By

By divine inspiration, the very fame impreffions were made upon his mind, that would have been made upon it by the natural mode of vifion; had he actually seen with his bodily eyes, a woman fo feated, fo clothed, with fuch a name written on her forehead, and fo employed as the woman is defcribed in verses 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th. The woman, as shall be shewn in the laft part of this chapter, is the idolatrous city and church of Rome. The beaft or Ongiov which fupports her, is the beast with seven heads and ten horns, full of the names of blafphemy. This defcription exactly agrees to the beast described in chap. xiii. which was there fhewn to be the Papal hierarchy, in the character of a temporal kingdom.

This beaft is fcarlet-coloured, to mark the bloody and perfecuting character of Papal Rome. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarletcolour. In Heathen Rome, purple and fcarlet were the colours of the imperial habit; the former in times of peace, and the latter in times of war. It is well known that these colours were thence introduced into Papal Rome, and used by the Pope and cardinals. To be raised to the purple or fcarlet hat, is the ordinary term for being made a cardinal. Decked with gold, precious flones, and pearls, fignifies the great quantity of these, and of other fhewy and coftly ornaments, with which the Pope and the Popish churches are adorned. Having

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a golden cup in her hand, fignifies that fhe fèduces fome to her idolatry by her outward magnificence, fhew, and fplendid ornaments; and others by the profpect of riches or worldly gain. So depraved, alas! is human nature in its present state; and fuch strangers are many men to the spirituality, purity, and fimplicity of religious worship, that they think it mean and vulgar to worship God in any church whofe ordinances are not fhewy and pompous. Like the idolatrous Ifraelites, they wish to have a god that may be seen, and that may go before them; and they make a golden calf and fall down and worship it. Others will be the votaries of any church for worldly gain. With them gain is godliness. To both, with that worldly wisdom for which fhe hath long been diftinguished, Rome holds out her golden cup, and feduces them to her idolatrous fuperftition.

Verse 5th. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth.

By the name written on her forehead, it is fignified, that during the period to which this vision refers, her name is very confpicuous, and may eafily be perceived by every unprejudiced person.

Names

Names were originally given, not only to diftinguish one thing or perfon from another, but alfo to express their real nature or true character, as must be evident to every intelligent perfon who reads with attention the books of Mofes. Hence, in fcripture, the name of a perfon is frequently uf.. ed to fignify the nature or character of that perfon whofe name it is. In this fenfe, in fcripture, the name of God fignifies the nature of God. By her name, therefore, in her forehead it is meant, that her character fhall confpicuously correfpond to her name. Her name confifts of three diftin&t parts, or rather of three diftin&t names. It is thus fignified, that her character fhall correfpond to the true meaning of every one of these three

names.

It is not within the calculation of chances, that when three names of different meanings are given to any church or ftate above 600 years before that church or ftate had any existence, yet when it is brought into exiftence, its real character fhall exactly agree to the true meaning of every one of thefe names, unless these names had been a real prediction by the Spirit of God of the character of that church and ftate. If only one name had been given, there might have been fome, but a moft diftant chance, that it might have correfponded to the character of that state. If then it fhall appear that the character of Papal Rome

corresponds

correfponds to every one of these names, no unprejudiced perfon can doubt that Rome is the city and church fignified by them.

The first of these names is Mystery. That under that divine providence which governs the world, fuch a church as that of Rome fhould arife, become fo great, continue fo long, bear the name of Chriftian, and yet in doctrine, worship, difcipline, and conduct be fo evidently Antichriftian, is a great mystery. To us fhort fighted creatures, the ways of divine providence often appear myfterious. Though juftice and found wisdom are ever the habitation of God's throne, yet clouds and darkness often appear to us to be around him. But of all the ways of providence, none is more myfterious than that a church calling herself Chriftian, and acting contrary to that Chriftianity which is taught in the facred fcriptures by Chrift and his apostles, should have in appearance triumphed over the true church of Chrift for fo long a time. This is a mystery, which most probably shall not be unveiled to men until that day when this mystery of iniquity fhall be overthrown, when, as mentioned in chap. x. 7. of this book, "the myf66 tery of God fhall be finifhed." The ftate and church of Papal Rome was predicted by Paul in 2 Theff. ii. 7. by the name of "the Mystery of Iniquity." The reader will please read and confider that paffage, as it is contained at full length in 2 Theff.

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