tained, that the year of Chrift 756 was the very year in which the Papal government became a civil one, or in the fymbolical language, a beaft, it will now be easy to know with equal certainty, in what year the Papal government fhall be finally dif folved. In verse 5th, this government was to continue 42 months. In Daniel vii. 25, 26. it is thus predicted of the last head of Roman government. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and fhall wear out the faints of the Most

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High, and shall think to change times and laws; "and they fhall be given unto his hand, until a "time and times and the dividing of time. But "the judgement fhall fit, and they fhall take a

way his dominion, to confume and to destroy it "unto the end." All these fufferings of the Chriftian church which in this prophecy are declared to be cotemporary with the Papal reign, and which in the nature of the thing must be so, are reprefented as continuing for the exact fame fpace of time for which he is faid to continue in verfe 5th. Thus inch. xi. 2. the Gentiles are to tread the holy city under foot 42 months; in v. 3d, the two witnesses are to prophecy 1260 days clothed in fackcloth; in ch. xii. 6. the woman hath a place prepared for her in the wilderness for 1260 days; and in v. 14th, the is to be nourished there for a time and times and half a time. Every one of these prophetic expreflions of time fignifies the exact fame num

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ber of years, even 1243 folar years, as has been fhewn already. If then to the year 756 we add 1243, we shall find the year 1999 to be the year in which the Papal hierarchy shall be totally and finally diffolved.

This calculation will be further confirmed, if more confirmation is neceffary, when in its proper place we come to fix the commencement of the millennium; which, upon very ftriking principles, fhall be fixed to the beginning of the year of Chrift 2000. But in the nature of the thing, that æra of purity, peace, and profperity to the church of Chrift cannot commence until Antichrift be overthrown.

That this calculation is juft, we have very strong reafon to believe, from what hath already in fact happened relative to the Papal government. Though this prediction was written by John 657 years before the Papal government became a civil one, it became one in the year 756, the very year which John predicted. Since that time, it hath continued the fame form of government, the fame civil constitution, and in the same seat of government for 1034 years. There is not another civil government in Europe whose constitution hath not been changed during that period. When it arofe at the predicted time, when it hath continued fo long, when it is the only one in Europe which hath continued fo long, are not all these together

very ftrong prefumptions that it shall continue for the remaining 209 years of the predicted period. Since the Reformation, above 220 years ago, though the Papal conftitution continues ftill the fame, and though the city of Rome ftill continues the seat of government, the extent of the Papal dominions, and the authority and power of the Pope and of the Papal hierarchy have been greatly contracted. Since that time they have been diminishing, they are ftill diminishing with an accelerated motion; is it not therefore highly probable that they will go on diminishing until they shall be totally diffolved? All civil governments, like men, have their infancy, their progrefs, their prime, their decline, and their diffolution. Can there be any reafon to conclude, that after it has been on the decline for above 220 years, the Papal shall be the only civil government in the world which fhall renew its age and its vigour? But if it fhall go on in its decline with an accelerated motion, as all other empires have done whenever they had paffed their prime, and as itself hath done for the last 220 years, it must be totally diffolved in the remaining 209 years of the predicted period.

Before leaving this chapter, I fhall make three general obfervations, which I truft will be followed out at greater length by the candid and intelligent reader.

1st, All the fymbolical terms used in this chapter have been explained in the common acceptation of the fame fymbolical terms, wherever they have occurred in any other part of this book, or in any other prophetic writings. Hence, it is evident that no false interpretation hath been for. ced upon them to ferve a particular hypothefis.

2d, That the beaft with the feven heads and ten horns described in this chapter, fignifies the Papal government, with the city of Rome for its feat, after it became a civil as well as an ecclefiaftic one, is evident from this circumftance, that in this chapter that government is reprefented not by one fymbol, but by a great many diftinct and feparate ones, and every one of them exactly agrees to the particular feature in the Papal government to which it refers. One fymbol might by accident agree to one particular feature in that government, but it is beyond all the calculations of chances that, of fo great a number of fymbols, every one fhould exactly agree to its respective feature in the Papal government; unless the whole picture had been intended to reprefent that government. The hieroglyphic in this chapter is a full picture of a particular civil government. Like every picture, it fhews the particular government of which it is the picture, by exhibiting all its features in their proper places and proportions. If I go into a gallery hung with a number of well drawn pictures, and fee one which hath

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hath the nose or the eyes of a gentleman who is a particular acquaintance of mine, at first glance I conclude, that this is his picture: but, on examining it more narrowly, I cannot find another feature in it which correfponds to my friend's face, and therefore am quite certain that it is not his picture, but that it was drawn for fome perfon who refembles him in his nofe or eyes, but in no other part of his face. As I walk along the gallery, my eyes are attracted by another picture which much resembles my friend's face, I examine it with attention, and find that not only the general complexion and shape of the face resemble his, but that every particular feature, however minute, exactly agrees to the correspondent feature in his face. I am then more certain that he is the perfon for whom this picture was drawn, than I could have been that another one was his picture which had his name written on the bottom of it. In the laft cafe, the name might have been affixed to a wrong picture by mistake, it might be the picture of another person whofe name was the fame with my friend's, or of one to whom my friend's name was humourously given. But when, in its complexion and in all its features the picture exactly corresponded to my friend's face, none of thefe circumftances could attend it, nor any other which could raise a doubt in the mind of an intelligent, candid, and attentive person, that it was the pic