66 The Rife, Progrefs, and Establishment of the IN- fions of Daniel; and "THE SECOND BEAST Prophecies which remain to be fulfilled-RESTO- RATION OF THE JEWS to their own Land, and THEIR CONVERSION to the Church of Chrift-The GENERAL DIFFUSION of the Gof- pel-The FINAL TRIUMPH of our Lord over all his Enemies, and the UNIVERSAL HAPPI- NESS of his glorious Reign, confidered as the Accomplishment of the Original Promife made to Adam-as the ultimate meaning of the Pro- phetic Defcriptions of the Kingdom of the Meffiah, and tending to reconcile the different Opinions of Jews and CHRISTIANS upon this CLASS II. CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE RISE, PROGRESS, ESTABLISHMENT, AND DESTRUCTION OF THE PAPAL POWER OF ANTICHRIST. As Popery was the greatest corruption of Christianity that was to be permitted to take place in the world, it cannot be thought extraordinary, that more of the Prophecies, which we have brought forward to the notice of the Reader in the Introductory Chapter, are applicable to it, than to any other branch of Antichriftian Power. As both Mahometanifm and Infidelity confifted more of open hoftility, they were likely to be better distinguished by Christians, without the aid of fuch strong prophetical light, as that which is afforded to expofe, and to bring into full view, the counterfeit Christianity of the Church of Rome. VOL. II. B A com A combination of Prophecy with History will shew with what perfect exactness this Papal Fower of Antichrift is marked out by the Prophets Daniel, St. Paul, and St. John. To guide our enquiries to the right points of obfervation, St. John has defignated, by certain appropriate allusions and descriptions, the peculiar nature of this power, the time when it began to manifeft itself to the world, and the feat of its authority and government. And I ftood upon the fand of the sea, and faw a beaft rife up out of the fea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blafphemy. This wonderful beast with a crown on each horn, and a blasphemous inscription on each of his feven heads, denoted the new form of government that was to be erected in the city of Rome, by the great commotions of the world, after the Imperial Power had been destroyed, and the Empire was divided into ten diftinct and independent fovereignties. In the mystical defcription which the Apostle afterwards gives of this beast, it will Rev. xiii. 1. Lowman on the Revelations, p. 173. C Lowman, p. 191. greatly greatly affift our enquiries to discover by a given number, when this Antichriftian power fhall arife; and from thence afcertain with more precision what Power is meant by this prophetical reprefentation. Here is wisdom: let him that hath understanding, count the number of the beaft: for it is the number of a man, and his number is fix hundred threefcore and fix. If we compute this number 666 from the time when St. John faw this Prophetic vifion, we fhall find that this new Power was established at the termination of this myftic number of years. St. John was banifhed to the ifle of Patmos in the latter part of the reign of Domitian, and returned from thence immediately on his death. mitian reigned from A. D. 81 to 96. St. John faw the vifion in the ifle of Patmos; and it is generally acknowledged, that the Papacy received the temporal power, and became the beast, in A. D. 756. e d Rev. xiii. 18. DoNow It is very remarkable that this myftic number should fo accurately apply both to the time when the papal Antichrift established his reign, and the titles he affumed. See note to the Introductory Chapter, vol. i. p. 393. Pyle's Paraphrafe, p. 105. Newton, vol. iii. p. 390. Lowman, p. 194. The feat of this Power is fixed at Rome. THAT GREAT CITY, which in the times of Pagan idolatry had been the mistress of the antient world by the force of her arms, became in more modern ages, by the establishment of her fpiritual laws, fo much exalted in power, as to reign over the kings of the earth. The woman, upon whofe forehead was infcribed Myftery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and abominations of the earth, is, according to the explanation of the angel, the city of Rome; for the feven heads of the beaft that carried her, are feven mountains on which the woman fitteth, and the woman which thou faweft is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Rome is well known to be built upon feven hills; and at the time when this revelation was communicated to St. John, its dominion was extended over all the known world. Furnished "It feems intended by the angel's interpretation that we fhould confider the city of Rome as marked out in this Prophecy for the feat of government to prevent mistakes, that we should not underfland this Prophecy of an empire. or government in any other place than the city of Rome, though it should take the name and ftyle of the Roman Empire, as the Greek Emperors and the Emperors of Germany have feverally done. This may give us a good reason |