mies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

What power ever fpake greater things or more blafphemous than Papal Rome hath done?

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.66 And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." The words rendered "to continue," fhould have been tranflated to make war. In the original, they are expor moi. By that God who governs the world, who protects his church and overrules her enemies, permiffion fhould be given to Papal, Rome to make war a gainst the faints of God for 42 prophetic months; that is 1260 prophetic days, which, as was formerly fhewn, are 1243 folar years. As Papal Rome became a temporal kingdom in the year of Christ 756, 1243 years added to that year will run down to the year of Chrift 1999, the time when Papal Rome and the Roman empire itfelf fhall be for ever diffolved under this, its feventh and laft head.

This period of time during which Papal Rome fhall make war with the faints, is of the fame length, and indeed begins and ends at the fame periods, with the Gentiles treading the holy city under foot for forty-two months, chap. xi. 2. the prophefying of the two witneffes in fackcloth for 1260 days, verfe 3, and the woman's being in the wildernefs for 1260 days, chap. xii. 6. and for a time and times and half a time, verfe xiv. In the na

turę

ture of the thing, all these must be cotemporary: for the reign of Antichrift, and the fufferings and perfecuted ftate of Chrift's church, must be of the fame continuance.

The character given of Papal Rome in this paffage, and the time of his making war with the faints, are predicted of the laft head of Roman go. vernment, in terms of the very fame meaning, and almoft of the fame expreffion, by Daniel, chap. vii. 7, 8, 23,-25. Is it not wonderful? Is it not worthy of remark? Ought it not to frengthen our belief of this prediction, that amidst all the revolutions which have taken place in other kingdoms, Papal Rome hath continued for 1034 years fpeaking great things and blafphemies, and making war with the faints of God? Is not this a ftrong prefumption that she will continue during the remaining 209 years of the predicted time?

In verfe 23. Daniel fays "the fourth beaft "fhall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which "fhall be divers from all kingdoms." Is not the Papal government different from all the kingdoms which ever were in the world? It is neither civil nor religious. It is a monftrous mixture of both. A moft extraordinary and fingular combination of civil and ecclefiaftic government is the very conftitution of the Papal hierarchy.

Verfe 6th, And he opened his mouth in blafphemy against God, to blafpheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Another mark of this beaft is, that he should open his mouth in blafphemy against God. This blafphemy is described very particularly. It is of three kinds, or rather immediately directed against three different objects, in all which it ultimately ftrikes against God. It is against the name of God, against the tabernacle of God, and against them who dwell in heaven.

By the name of God, is meant God himself in fcripture. It is thus ufed in Exodus xx. 7. Pfalms xxix. 2. xxxiv. 3. lxi. 5. and Matth. vi. 9. and many other paffages of fcripture.

In the fymbolical language, the tabernacle of God fignifies the church of Chrift in this world, in its wilderness state as it is defcribed by the woman in the wilderness for 1260 days, in the preceding chapter. The reafon, why this period of the church of Chrift from the year 756 to the year 1999, is reprefented by the tabernacle of God, is that the tabernacle, and not the temple, was the visible and stated place of public worship in the Jewish church, during their abode in, and travels through the wilderness of Arabia, which state of the Jews in the wilderness, was typical of this wilderness

ftate

ftate of the Chriftian church.

Upon the fame

principles of interpretation the opening of the temple is, in this book, the fymbol for the triumphant, glorious, and established state of Chrift's church in this world, which fhall commence in the year of Chrift 2000, which fhall appear as we proceed.

By them who dwell in heaven, are meant the individual Chriftians, the real faints of God, in the church of Chrift, during that period. For heaven, as was formerly fhewn fignifies in this book, the church of Chrift, or kingdom of heaven in this world. The word which is tranflated dwell is Onvertas, which fignifies them who tabernacle. It is derived from the very word, which in the preceeding verse is tranflated the tabernacle. Hence it is evident, that it fignifies not the perpetual and eternal abode of the faints in heaven in a future ftate, but a short and unsettled habitation of Chriftians in the church of God in this world, fimilar to the nature of the temporary and unfettled habitation of men in tents. Hence too it is evident that it fignifies thofe Chriftians, who live in that state of the church, which in the preceding clause is represented by the tabernacle; that is, those real Chriftians who live from the year 756 to the year 1999.

The best informed and moft accurate hiftorian could not have given a more diftinct and precife account of the blafphemies of papal Rome, than

that

that which the prophet delivered above 1600 years

ago

in the verfe now under our view. Rome hath blafphemed God directly by arrogating to herself that infallibility, which is the prerogative of God only, by allowing and establishing image worship, by confecrating and worshiping the hoft, or bread in the facrament of the fupper.

This iaft inftance of blafphemy directly against God cannot be better expreffed than in the words of the council of Trent, fect. 13. chap. 5-" Nullus itaque dubitandi locus reliquitur, quin omnes Chrifti fideles, pro more in Catholica ecclefia fem

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per recepto, latriæ cultum qui vero Deo debetur "huic fanctiffimo facramento in veneratione exhi"beant. Nam illum eundem Deum prefentem in "eo adeffe credimus, quem Pater eternus intro"ducens in orbem terrarum, dicit, Et adorent eum "omnes angeli Dei." Which is thus expreffed in the English language. Therefore no place for doubting is left, but that all the faithful, accord"ing to the cuftom always received in the catholic' "church, give that religious worship to this moft ho

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ly facrament, which is due to the true God."For we believe, that that very God is prefent in "it, whom when the eternal Father was introdu

.46

cing unto the world, he faid And let all the angels "of God worship him." And as to the Chriftian church, and individual Chriftians, Rome uniformly blafphemes them by calling them heretics. Is

not