The bottomless pit is Hell. Here the fea fignifies a great number of people. The Roman Monarchy rofe from the midft of the people, as amonfter that should rife out of the fea. "Tis becaufe it was establisht with a terrible havock, fuch as a hideous monster, that should rife out of the sea, and of an enormous greatnefs would cause, making the waves to foam, blowing the water with his noftrills, and fending out terrible Bellowings. Tis the emblem of the manner, wherby the Roman Empire was establisht.

This Beaft bath feven Heads. The Spirit explains this of fo many Kings, and fo many mountains. The feven heads are seven Kings, and Seven Mountains. See here the Character of Rome; together with its Empire. It fits on seven Heads, that is to fay, on feven Mountains; and it had feven Kings, that is to fay, feven forms of So veraign Governments. We have already reckon'd them up in the foregoing Chapter. i. Kings. 2. Confuls. 3 Decemvires. 4. Tribunes of the people. 5. Perpetual Dictators. 6. Emperours. 7. Popes.

Horns

only on

head.

He hath ten Horns. The Prophet doth not fay how thefe Horns were distributed on the Heads. But however it is certain, that they were all on The ten the feventh Head, that is to fay, on the Head are of the Popes. For 'tis under the Papal Domi- the feventh mon that the Roman Empire is divided among ten Horns, that is to fay, among ten Kings. Exrope, that obeyeth the Pope, is divided into ten Principal Kingdoms. 1. Germany. 2. Hungary. 3. Poland. 4. Suedeland. 5. France. 6. Spain. 7. Italy. 8. England. 9. Portugal. 10. Scotland. The other Kingdomes and States were dependencies on these. From the first divifionof the Roman Empire, that happened in the fifth Age, the partition

was

was made among ten Kings alfo, as we shall obferve afterwards. Horns always fignify power in the Scripture: this is known. So that these ten Horns must be powers, But to fignify that thefe Powers are Soveraign ones, and not fubordinate, the Spirit gives them Diadems. They are Soveraigns in name but in truth they are dependents on the feventh bead, which is the Pope, and the Papifm. For the Papism subjects all Kings to the Pope.

,

On the heads there is a name of blafphemy. This is not on one of the heads, but on all of them, And the name of blafphemy, is that of the Queen of the universe, which the vvould always bear, fince the attained to her greatness.

2

Terrarum Dea, Gentiumque Roma.

'Tis the title of Rome eternal, as Saint Ïerome Ad Algas. hath observed. The Roman Emperours made themquaft. 11. felves be called your Divinity. They built Temples to them, they burnt incenfe to their Genius, they facrificed to them. The feventh head hath alfo its names of blafphemy. The Pope is called his Holiness, Vice-God, God on Earth, Vicar of Jefus Chrift. Rome under his Dominion is called infallible Rome, eternal Rome.

The Dragon gives him his power; "Tis the Devil which gives to the Roman Empire the falfe Religion, the idolatries and herefies, by which it makes war against God; the ambition, the cruelty, and the covetousness, by which it makes war against men.

And I faw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the Beast. The Prophet doth not fay, what head was wounded: but it can't be doubted, but that it was the last fave

one. For that which comes in the place of that which is wounded, lafts to the end. Therefore the head wounded to death must be the fixth; and the refurrection of this head must make the feventh head, or the feventh Government. The fixth head is that of the Emperours. 'Tis wounded by the Goths and the Vandals. The Roman Empire is deftroyed. But it rifes again under another head, and a new kind of government, viz. that of the Popes. In the power of the Papacy is Conftant." brought forth again, if not the grandure of the ancient Empire, yet at leaft a form of government, that is not very much different from that, by which all the nations once obeyed the Emperours. "Tis the confeffion of Steuchus Bishop of Agobio.

All the World wondered after the beast. The Earth being aftonifht, to fee the Roman Empire eftablifht under the new name of the Roman Church, follows this new Beaft, fubmits to this Church; being ravifht with this dignity, that appeared to lift up Christianity to the height of grandeur, it fubmitted to this Chimaera of the fpiritual and temporal Principality of the Church of Rome.

De Donat

And there was given to him a mouth, speaking v.5. great things and blafphemies. After this, 'tis only the Seventh head that is treated of, which is called the Beaft fimply, becaufe 'tis the longest duration of the fourth Monarchy. 'Tis therefore this feventh head, the Pope and the Papifm, that brings forth thele great things. Can there be any thing greater than that which the Roman Church faith of it felf, that he is the Spouse of Christ, the Queen of all the Churches, the infallible Judge of all controverfies, the Ark, out of which there is no falvation, the Divinity to which all nations

mult

muft pay homage, the common mother of all Chriftians, the Soveraign of the Kings of the Earth, that can depofe them, transfer their Crowns, and give them to whom the thinks fit? See the great things; and thefe great things are blafphemies. This is clear. For to attribute that to her felf, which belongs only to God, is to blafpheme.

And power was given to him to continue forty And two months. "Tis ftill the feventh head that is treated of. 'Tis to it that the period of forty and two months of twelve hundred and fixty days, that is to fay, of twelve hundred and fixty years, is affigned. 'Tis clear, that these forty two months do not refpect the entire Beast, that is to fay, the feven heads, or the feven Governments for after the third verfe, 'tis only the feventh head that is fpoken of. Moreover, the feventh Monarchy, in its whole extent, hath lasted almoft twice forty two prophetical months, as we have before observed. 'Tis therefore the duration of the Antichriftian Empire, or of the fecond period of the fourth Monarchy, that muft be extended to 1260. years.

He opened his mouth in blafphemy against God. 'Tis to blafpheme God to attribute to it felf his. power, as the Roman Church doth against his name: that is to fay, against his glory. The Papifm ravishes away the glory from God to give it to the creatures. Against his Tabernacle; that is to fay, against his Temple and his Church, in calling the true Children of God, which are his houfe, heretiques and fchifmaticks. Against them that dwell in Heaven. These are the Saints and Angels, of whom the Papifm makes idols, and whom by confequence it greatly injureth.

And

Aud it was given to him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them. Tis well enough known how the Papifm hath employed Anathemaes, thunders, fire, and fword to extinguish the truth, and to deftroy the faithful.

V.7.

And I beheld another beast coming out of the v.IE Earth, and he had two horns like a Lamb, and he Spake as a Dragon.

The fccond

In the fore-going vifion, the Holy Spirit re- Beaft hath prefented the fourth Monarchy in its two Periods, two horns, and its whole extent by only one Beast. We have feen more than once that this Monarchy hath two periods very near of the fame duration. The first is from the birth of Rome, to the ruin of the Imperial dignity, and the divifion of the Empire into ten Kingdoms. The fecond, from the destruction of the Imperial dignity, to the entire ruin of the Roman Church. 'Tis this fecond period, which the Prophet here reprefents under the image of a fecond Beaft. Tis another. Beaft, because it is another name, another fort of Empire, an Empire hidden under the name of the Church. 'Tis a matter that begins again all anew. As the City of Rome in its birth was little, infenfible, a fmallmatter in a word, during two or three ages; fo this new Roman Empire, that was to be brought forth again, was to commence alfo from weak beginnings, and to be but a very little thing for fome ages. As this later period of the fourth Monarchy was to laft as long as the other, and was to have a form wholly different from it, it deferved to be called another beast.

1

This fecond Beaft afcends out of the Earth, and not out of the Sea. "Tis the fame Beaft that is fpoken of in the eleventh Chapter, that