gent perfon who compares the imperial with the Papal conftitution of Rome, and the Heathen rites of worship in use in Rome during the times of the emperors, with very many of the ceremonies of wor ship in the church of Rome under the Popes. On account of this resemblance of Heathen Rome, Papal Rome is called the Gentiles in chap, xi. 2. This image of imperial Rome was not to be a dead one. Life fhould be given to it. It should be as really alive as the beaft had been whose image it is. Papal Rome in a great part of its conftitution civil and religious, should be modelled upon imperial Rome; and though oftenfibly a religious government, it should as certainly be poffeffed of civil and political life or power as imperial

Rome had been.

This life it should express by speaking, and by caufing those to be killed who would not act as the devoted fervants of Papal Rome. By speaking great things and killing the faints, Papal Rome is characterised in verfes 5th and 7th of this chapter. Accordingly, in fact the Papal hierarchy hath been as real, active and powerful a civil government as that of imperial Rome ever was. It hath been particularly marked by speaking great things, by its bulls, anathemas, and excomunications. By thefe it hath often produced greater effects than imperial Rome could do by large armies. It was not for nothing that in this paffage, in verse 5th of

this chapter, and in Daniel chap. vii. 8, and 25, Papal Rome is characterised by a "mouth speaking great things."

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Another feature in the character of Papal Rome is, "that it caufeth that as many as would not

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worship the image of the beast, should be kil"led." Rome hath long been distinguished, by perfecuting to death, thofe who refufe to become her votaries. The fact is fo well known, that it would be an infult offered to the understandings of the reader, to produce particular instances from history; of those vast multitudes of persons, whom the ftiling heretics, because they would not become her devoted fervants, hath put to death by fire and fword. The church of Rome indeed fays that she puts none to death, that she only delivers over obftinate condemned heretics to the civil magistrate, and he puts them to condign deaths. This distinction will be of no avail to them, in order to evade the force of the prediction of the spirit of God, in this and other paffages in this book. For it is not faid, that the ecclefiaftic power of Rome, as diftinguished from the civil power, kills them who worship not the image of the beast: But it is the image of the beaft, it is the beast itfelf under the seventh head which causeth them to be killed. But the beaft fignifies the whole Papal conftitution civil and ecclefiaftic combined together, but ftill in fuch a manner as to render the

form

form of government a temporal one, (a beast of prey). And therefore, if they are put to death either by the civil or the ecclefiaftic rulers under that hierarchy, they are killed by the beast, or the image of the beaft, as predicted; and still more fo, when, as is the fact, both the ecclefiaftic and the civil powers unite to "cause them to be kil"led." The former finds them obftinate heretics, excommunicates, and delivers them over to the civil magistrate, and the latter puts them to death, left he himself, fhould be treated as a heretic or favourer of heretics. This prediction is expreffed in fuch language as to give the most direct and full anfwer to this evafion, and to exprefs the part, which both the powers in the Papal conftitution act in killing those, who refuse to become the devoted fervants of Rome.

In verse 15th, it is said, “that the image of the "beaft fhould both speak, and caufe that as many "as would not worship the image of the beast, "fhould be killed." Scarcely could any other words have expreffed fo exactly, the part, which each of these powers act in this matter, as the words cause them to be killed. The ecclefiaftic powers do not condemn to death, by their own fentences, nor kill, with their own hands, obstinate heretics; but do not they cause them to be killed, when they excommunicate them, and deliver them over to the civil magiftrate for that ve

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ry purpofe? And does not the civil magiftrate cause them to be killed, when he paffes fentence of death upon them, and delivers them into the hands of the executioner? The one is the more remote, and the other the more immediate cause of their death. The two together form the complete cause of it.

The image of the beaft, that is, the Papal hierarchy, fhould cause all perfons of every rank and of all circumstances, to receive a mark by which they should be known to be the flaves of Rome, and should hinder all, who do not receive fuch a mark from carrying on any civil employment within the empire. These marks are fymbols borrowed from the custom of imprinting a mark and a number upon fome part of the body of flaves and cattle, to ascertain that they are the property of that person, whose mark and number they bear. With respect to these marks, Papal Rome was not to act like other perfons or communities who imprint a mark upon their flaves and cattle. The fame perfon imprints not only the fame mark upon all his flaves and cattle, but also on the fame part of their body; and he imprints his mark always along with his number. But fome of the flaves of Papal Rome were to have the mark on their right hand, fome on their forehead, fome were to have the mark, fome the name of the beaft, and fome the number of his name.

We

are

are not to imagine that any external mark was to be impreffed on any part of the bodies of the vota. ries of Rome: But only that they fhould be known to be the fubjects of Rome, by certain traits in their character, properly expreffed in the fymbolical language by a mark in their right hand, in their forehead, by the name of the beast, and by the number of his name. Those with the mark in the right hand are those persons, who though they do not openly profess themselves the votaries of Rome, are dexterous and active in promoting the interests of the hierarchy. Those with the mark in the forehead, are they who openly profess themselves to be the votaries of Rome, whether they are skillful and active or not in promoting her intereft; those with the name of the beaft, are those who after his name are called Roman Catholics; and those with the number of his name, are the great number of religious orders, who however widely, in doctrine and rules of difcipline, they differ from one another, and even from the peculiar doctrines of the church of Rome, acknowledge the Papal hierarchy, and rank themfelves among the number of its votaries. Thefe laft are properly diftinguished by the number of his name. Whoever reads with impartiality and attention the hiftory of the different religious orders which arose in such numbers in the church of Rome must clearly fee, that the doctrines and rules

of