2 Theff. ii. 1,-12. which is one of the most striking and characteristic prophecies of Papal Rome that is any where to be found.

The fecond is Babylon the Great, that is, that city of which ancient Babylon was a striking type or fymbol. Ancient Babylon was marked by her pride, ambition, luxury, idolatry, number and grandeur of her images, and her perfecution of the church of God. Are not all thefe alfo the moft prominent features in the character of Papal Rome? Is the not therefore Babylon the Great?

The third is, The Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth. It is well known, that in fcripture, in the fymbolical language, harlots fignify idolaters, and abominations idolatry. The earth fignifies the Western Roman empire. With out entering into any difquifition about the nature of idolatry and fuperftition, it must be admitted, that in the Western empire, fince the year 756, many images have been used in the worship of God; the Virgin Mary and faints departed have been frequently invoked in prayer, if not as the objects of it, which some of the prayers feem to infinuate, at least as interceffors with God; and that the bread in the ordinance of our Lord's Supper hath been first deified by the prayer of a prieft, and then adored. It must also be admitted, that not one of these is enjoined in the facred fcriptures, but that they are all prohibited in them. Without enume

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rating particulars, have not many modes of religious worship been practised in the Western empire, which are not inftituted in the word of God, and which are inconfiftent with the genius of that spiritual, true, and fimple worfhip of God, which is taught by the gospel of Jefus? Do not the infpired fcriptures of the New Teftament fay, "Thou "fhalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only "fhalt thou ferve." "God is a Spirit, and they "that worship him must worship him in spirit and "in truth." "For there is one God, and one Me"diator between God and men, the Man Christ "Jefus." "But in vain they do worship me,

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teaching for doctrines the commandments of "men." Matth. iv. 10. John iv.. 24. 1 Tim. ii. 5. Matth. xv. 9. Since it is a fact too public and frequent that fuch idolaters and fuch idolatries have long abounded in the Western empire, they must have proceeded from fome fource. But is it nót equally well known, that they have all proceed. ed from the church of Rome? Is fhe not, therefore, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth? Does not every one of these three names exactly agree to her character? It is not easy to fay which of them fits Rome beft, they all fit her fo well. Muft not then Papal Rome be the city and church defigned by this three-fold name?

Verfe 6th. And I faw the woman drunken with the blood of the faints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus: and when I faw her, I wondered with great admira

tion.

In this verse, the woman is reprefented as fhedding, to the greatest excess, the blood of the faints, and of the martyrs or witneffes of Jefus. This Rome hath done to the greatest excefs in the period of the vifion.

At this part of her conduct, John wondered greatly. To fee men of any denomination fhedding the blood of their fellow men, for articles of faith, and modes of worship, is fhocking to humanity to fee heathen Rome, who knew not God, nor Jefus Chrift whom he had fent, fhedding the blood of faints, was fhocking; but not more wonderful than many others of the fhocking vices of degenerate man. But to fee a church, who `called herself Chriftian; to fee thofe, who profess themselves the difciples of that Jefus, who faid, not to the fucceffor of Peter only, but to Peter himself, "Put up thy fword into its place, for he "that killeth with the fword, fhall be killed by the "sword;" of that Jefus who thus rebuked the blind zeal of his difciples, when they afked power from him to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans, because they would pot follow their

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their master, nor become members of their church; "Ye know not what manner of fpirit ye are of, "for the fon of man is not come to destroy men's

lives, but to fave them :" to fee those who call themselves the fubjects of that prince of peace, who hath declared to his fubjects that the weapons of their warfare are not carnal but spiritual, and that," them that are without God will judge;" to see these deluging the world with the blood of innocent, of holy men, merely becaufe, as Chriftians, they confidered themselves bound in conscience to keep the word of God, to bear their tef timony to Jefus, and to acknowledge no power on earth fuperior to God, and no standard of faith, worship, and obedience, fuperior to the holy bible, was indeed a shocking and a wonderful fight.

Verses 7th, 8th.-And the angel said unto me, wherefore didft 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.

The beast that thou

faweft, was, and is not; and fhall afcend out of the bottomlefs pit, and go unto perdition and they that dwell on the earth fhall wonder, (whofe names were not written in the book of life from the foundation

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of the world), when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The feventh verfe informs us, that, in the following part of this chapter, we shall find a plain account of the true meaning of the woman and the beast, represented in the preceeding vifion. That we may be certain that the following explication refers to the woman and the beast exhibited in the preceding vision; the beaft is exprefsly faid to be the one with the seven heads, and the ten horns, and the woman to be the one, who fits on that beast; which is the very description given of them in the vifion, verfe 3d.

The beaft with the feven heads and the ten horns, as was formerly fhewn, is the Roman empire. This empire, in its heathen state, was before the year 99, in which John faw this vifion, and Rome the city built upon the feven hills was the feat of that government. But that beast with the names of blafphemies upon it, that is, the Papal Roman empire, was not in existence at the time of the vifion. It did not rife into existence until 657 years after that time; therefore, in that point of view John fays that "the beast is not." This beaft fhall afcend out of the bottomlefs pit; that is, that ecclefiaftic form, which the empire fhall affume under its laft head, and thofe erroneous doctrines, modes of worship, and rules of dif

cipline