what was meant by ποιησαι alone; but it fignifes to practise, to prevail, and profper, as the words

wy and n are (5) used by Daniel and the Greek tranflators. It doth not therefore follow, that the beaft is to continue, to exift for no longer a term, but he is to practise, to prosper and prevail forty and two months; as the holy city (XI. 2.) is to be troden under foot of the Gentiles forty and two months, which are the 1260 days or years of the reign of Antichrift. But if by the beast be understood the Heathen Roman empire, the Heathen Roman empire, inftead of fubfifting 1260, did not fubfift 400 years after the date of this prophecy.

After this general account of the blafphemies and exploits of the beast, there follows a fpecification of the particulars. He opened his mouth in blafphemy against God. Blafphemy against God may be faid to be of two kinds, not only speaking dishonorably of the fupreme Being, but likewife attributing to the creature what belongs to the creator, as in idolatry; which is often the fenfe of the word in fcripture; as in Ifaiah (LXV. 7.) They have burnt incenfe upon the

והעשתה והצליחה (5)

Eoinσe, xai εvwdwdn. et faciet, et profperabitur. and it practifed, and profpered. Dan. VIII. 12. πως πάει και κατευθυνεις

тоип

za wano. et profperabitur, et faciet. and shall prosper, and practise. ver. 24. na muy pin. 2 won autois, nai κατισχύσει. et faciet in eis, et

con

mountains, and blafphemed me upon the hills; and in feveral other places. He blafphemes the name of God by affuming the divine titles and honors to himself, and as it is expreffed in the Wisdom of Solomon, (XIV. 21.) by afcribing unto ftones and flocks the incommunicable name. He blafphemes the tabernacle of God, his temple and his church, by calling true Chriftians, who are the houfe of God, fchifmatics and heretics, and by anathematizing them accordingly. He blafphemes them that dwell in heaven, angels and glorified faints, by idolatrous worship and impious adoration; and difgraces their acts, and vilifies their memories, by fabulous legends and lying miracles.

So much for his blafphemies; nor are his exploits lefs extraordinary. It was given unto him to make war with the faints and to overcome them: And who can make any computation, or even frame any conception of the numbers of pious Chriftians, who have fallen a facrifice to the bigottry and cruelty of Rome? Mede upon the place (6) hath obferved from good authorities, that in the war with the Albigenses and Wal

confortabitur, and fhall deal against them, and fhall prevail. Dan. XI. 7. nyi. xai Tool. et faciet. and he shall do exploits. ver. 28. See also ver. 30.

(6) Prima ejus expeditio incubuit in Albigenfes et Waldenfes, et fi quo alio nomine tunc appellati fint veri Chrifti cultores: quorum tanta ftrages edita 23

fuit,

Waldenfes there perifhed of these poor creatures in France alone a million. From the first institution of the Jefuits to the year 1480, that is in little more than thirty years, nine hundred thoufand orthodox Chriftians were flain. In the Netherlands alone, the Duke of Alva boafted, that within a few years he had dispatched to the amount of thirty fix thoufand fouls, and thofe all by the hand of the common executioner. In the space of scarce thirty years, the Inquifition deftroyed by various kinds of tortures a hundred and fifty thousand Chriftians. Sanders himself confeffes, that an innumerable multitude of Lollards and Sacramentarians were burnt throughout all Europe, who yet he fays were not put to death by the pope and bishops, but by the civil magiftrates; which perfectly agrees with this prophecy, for of the fecular beaft it is faid, that he should make war with the faints, and overcome them. No wonder that by these means he fhould obtain an univerfal authority over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, and establish

fuit, ut per Galliam folam, fi P. Perionius in ejus belli hiftoria rectè calculum inierit, occifa fint ad decies centena hominum millia.-Ab origine Jefuitarum, ad annum 1480, hoc eft, paulo pluribus quam 30 annis, orthodoxorum nongenta fere millia fu

his

iffe trucidata, notat Balduinus de Antichrifto. In Belgio folo,idque manu folum carnificis, fævus ille pugil Romanæ fedis dux Albanus, ad 36 animarum millia, fe authore, intra paucos annos fublata gloriatus eft. Teftatur Vergerius, qui optime novit, Inquifitionem,

ut

his dominion in all the countries of the western Roman empire: and that they should not only fubmit to his decrees, but even adore his perfon, except the faithful few, whofe names, as citizens of heaven, were inrolled in the registers of life. Let the Romanifts boaft therefore that theirs is the catholic church and univerfal empire; this is fo far from being any evidence of the truth, that it is the very brand infixed by the Spirit of prophecy.

It was customary with our Saviour, when he . would have his auditors pay a particular attention to what he had been faying, to add He who bath ears to hear, let him hear. St. John repeats the fame admonition at the end of each of the feven epiftles to the feven churches of Afia, and here in the conclufion of his defcription of the beaft, (ver. 9.) If any man have an ear, let him hear and certainly the description of the beast is deserving of the highest attention upon many accounts, and particularly because the right interpretation of the Apocalyps turneth

ut vocant, hæreticæ pravitatis vix triginti annorum fpatio, centum quinquaginta Chriftianorum millia diverfis afflictio/num generibus confumpfiffe. Fatetur Sanderus infinitos Lolhardos et Sacramentarios in tota Europa ignibus traditos fuiffe;

upon

quos tamen ait ille non a papa et epifcopis, fed a politicis magiftratibus neci datos fuiffe. Nimirum fic juxta propheti-. am rem geri oportuit: nam de fæculari beftia dicitur, quod fanctis bellum faceret, eo'que vinceret. Mede p. 50, 54. Q4 (7) Whifton's

upon it, as one of its main hinges. It is added by way of confolation to the church, that these enemies of God and of Chrift, reprefented under the character of the beaft, fhall fuffer the law of retaliation, and be as remarkably punished and tormented themfelves, as they punished and tormented others. (ver. 10.) He who leadeth into captivity, fhall go into captivity; He who killeth with the fword, must be killed with the fword. Such a promise might adminifter fome comfort; and indeed it would be wanted; for the patience and the faith of the faints would be tried to the utmost during the reign of the beast. Here is the patience and the faith of the faints. Of all the trials and perfecutions of the church this would be the most severe, and exceed those of the primitive times both in degree and in duration.

11 And I beheld another beaft coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he fpake as a dragon.

12 And he exercifeth all the power of the first beaft before him, and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.