which is given in the facred fcriptures of the natures, character, offices, and religion of Jefus Christ, and they boldly give their teftimony to thefe. It is fcarcely poffible to draw a more exact and marked description of the character of true Chriftians, than this one. If those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus are not Chriftians, I know not who are Chriftians. This is a character which will fuit no other except Chriftians. It cannot be faid with truth of any others, that they keep the commandments of God and have the teftimony of Jefus Chrift. They are called the remnant of his feed, because they are perfons of the very fame character with her manchild whom the dragon wifhed to destroy, as in verfe 4th.

This prediction was verified in the many Papal perfecutions which commenced with the wildernefs ftate of the church, in which great numbers of Chriftians were put to death, because they kept the commandments of God and had the testimony of Jesus. The perfons who fuffered under Papal Rome were of the fame character, and fuffered on the fame account with the Chriftians who fuffered under Heathen Rome. It is in rela-tion to these primitive Christian martyrs, that the perfons foretold in this verse are called the remnant of the woman's feed. In chap. vi, 9. the character of the primitive martyrs, and the cause

for

for which they fuffered, are expreffed in terms of the precise fame import with thofe by which the martyrs under Papal Rome are defcribed in this verse. "They were flain for the word of God and "for the teftimony which they held." And in verfe 11th of that chapter, when a reference was made to thofe who fhould be killed as martyrs under Papal Rome, they are called "their fellow "fervants and their brethren, that should be kil "led as they were." The former of these, the church of Rome extol, canonize, and almost adore as Christian martyrs and faints, while they traduce and anathematise the latter as obftinate heretics. Let any candid intelligent perfon read with attention the hiftories of the characters of both, and of the causes for which both these suffered, and they shall clearly perceive, that they both kept the commandments of God, had the teftimony of Jefus Chrift, were fellow fervants of God and brethren, and that they were both flain for the word of God and for the teftimony which they held.

CHAP.

CHA P. XIII.

VISION VII.

Verfes 1ft, 2d, 3d. AND I ftood upon the

fand of the fea,

and faw a beast rife out of the fea, having feven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blafphemy. And the beast which I faw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his feat, and great authority. And I faw one of his heads, wounded as it were to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

These verses contain a very minute and ftriking description of a beast which John saw in vision, and of thofe circumftances which mark the nature

of

of the beaft, and the time and place of his appear

ance.

John informs us, that the fand of the fea was the scene of this vifion. In the fymbolical language, fea as opposed to earth, fignifies a fluctuating, unfettled, and violent ftate of civil fociety: Hence, the fand of the fea fignifies, like the fand which is fituated between the fea and the dry earth, a state of civil fociety when the convulfions of the preceding fluctuating state are just ending, and the calmness and firmnefs of eftablished government are just commencing. Such was to be the fituation of the Roman empire at the time when this beast fhould arife.

The word in the original which is here translated beast, is ongior, which fignifies a beast of prey. In ch. iv. 6. beasts are mentioned, but the word in the original in that place is (a, which fignifies living creatures, as has already been fhewn. In the fymbolical language a beaft of prey always fignifies a temporal kingdom, because temporal kingdoms, like beafts of prey, in all ages have preyed upon and swallowed the weaker ones. Like beafts of prey, they make use of force to feize upon other kingdoms. Like beasts of prey, they are in fact restrained by fuperior force only. It is unneceffary to spend any time in tracing the analogy between temporal kingdoms and beasts of prey, on which this symbol is founded, because this is the explicit and uniform mean

ing

ing given to it in facred prophecy, which is a fufficient, and even the best reafon for us to understand it in that fenfe when explaining facred prophecy. Thus, Daniel vii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Daniel faw four great beasts of prey like a lion, a bear, a leopard, and one of a most monftrous appearance. In verfe 17th, which contains an explication of the meaning of thefe ravenous beafts, it is faid: "These great beafts "which are four, are four kings which fhall arife "out of the earth." That by kings are meant kingdoms in that place, is evident from verse 23d, where it is faid, "Thus he faid, the fourth beast "fhall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth." Indeed, king in prophetic writings fignifies not an individual king, but the regal power or kingdom, as is evident from the fequel of that 7th chapter of Daniel, and many other of the prophetic writings. In particular this is the sense, as we are told in chap. xvii. 9,-18, in which this very beast is to be understood, as fhall be fully fhewn in the commentary on that place.

That this beaft fignifies the Roman empire, under the Papal form of government, which, as a temporal kingdom, commenced in the year of Chrift 756, and which fhall continue one until the end of the year 1999, fhall, I hope, clearly appear to every candid, intelligent and attentive reader, from the following explication of the various parts of this hieroglyphic.

VOL. II.

E

John