nus Secundus, * "Linus the Second," contains the precise number of 666. M. Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, finds the number in Diocles Augustus, the Roman emperor, the first word being his private name, the latter the title of his imperial dignity. But it is evident, if this persecutor of the Christian church were intended, that the whole of his imperial name would have been computed, thus Diocletianus Augustus, and not Diocles Augustus. M. de la Chatardie finds the number in D. F. Julianus Cæsar, Atheus, "D. F. Julian, the Atheist," another of the Roman emperors. But Calmet has made a very great improvement in M. de la Chatardie's example by writing it, according as he says it is found on the Roman coins, thus, D. F. Julianus Caesar, Aug. § Luther's name has also been made to contain 666 by whimsically affixing to it Ductor Gregis, i. e. "Luther, leader of the flock;" || and Calvin's name has been similarly handled in the words, Calvinus, tristis fidei interpres, Calvin, the baleful interpreter

* L, 50, I, 1, V, 5, C, 100, V, 5, D, 500, V, 5,—666. See Bengelli Gnomon in Apoc. xiii.. 18.

+ D, 500, I, 1, C, 100, L, 50, V, 5, V, 5, V, 5,666. See Calmet's Dict. of the Bible on the word Antichrist.

‡D, 500, V, 5, L, 50, I, 1, V, 5, C, 100, V, 5,#666. See Calmet, ibid.

§ The same letters as in the preceding note. See Calmet's Commentary on Rev. xiii. 18.

|| L, 50, V, 5, V, 5, D, 500, V, 5, C, 100, I, 1,666.

I C, 100, L, 50, V, 5, I, 1, V, 5, I, 1, I, 1, I, 1, D, 500, I, 1, I, 1,666.

of the faith."

The number 666 has also been found in Doctor et Rex Latinus, "the Latin king and teacher;"✶ and also in Dic Lux; † but what was meant by this phrase I cannot discover. Upon the supposition that the Pope is the head of Antichrist, the two following examples are given in addition to what has hitherto been laid before the public. The first is, Auctoritas politica ecclesiasticaque Papalis, "The Papal civil and ecclesiastic authority;" and the second, Auctoritas politica ecclesiasticaque Latina, § "The Latin civil and ecclesiastic authority."

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Some attempts have also been made to discover the number of the Beast by either summing up the Roman numerals in English words, or by making a numerical table for the purpose; I shall give only two instances, the first of which is that of T. Elmham, prior of Lenton. He finds the number in John Oldcastle, thus: "John Oldcastle in numerals makes 701; || from which sum he subtracts the year of his age, wherein he so charitably took part with the Lollards, viz. 35, and the remainder is

* D, 500, C, 100, X, 10, L, 50, I, 1, V, 5,666. See Vitringa on the Apocalypse, in loc.

+ See Lord Napier on the Revelation. The number in this phrase is thus computed, D, 500, I, 1, C, 100, L, 50, V, 5, X, 10, 666.

V, 5, C, 100, I, 1, L, 50, I, 1, I, 1, C, 100, CC, 200 L, 50, I, 1, I, 1, C, 100, V, 5, L, 50, I, 1,—666. § The same as the preceding.

|| I, 1, L, 50, D, 500, C, 100, L, 50,=701.

666." Martin Luther's name in German, viz. Martin Lauter, has been shewn to contain 666, by means of a numerical alphabet invented for the purpose; thus, M, 30, A, 1, R, 80, T, 100, I, 9, N, 40, L, 20, A, 1, U, 200, T, 100, E, 5, R, 80, =666 !! †

But there are some commentators who entirely disapprove of the general idea that the number 666 is the sum of the numerical values of the letters in Antichrist's name, and think it refers either to the number of years from the date of the vision till Antichrist's appearance, or else to the duration of the Antichristian tyranny. The first of these opinions Balæus partly adopted; but he supposed that the 666 years should be computed from 60 years before Christ, when Pompey reduced Judea into a Roman province, which will lead down to 606, the year in which the Roman bishop was declared infallible by Phocas. Beverley, by means of a computation unnecessary to be detailed here, supposes the 666 years to have ended in A. D. 725, or 726. § Lowman and Dr. Johnston think these years terminated about A. D. 756. Among the commentators that entertained the opinion, that the number 666 is the number of years assigned for the tyranny of Antichrist, is Erasmus, who supposed

* See Selden's Works, Vol. III. Tom. II. col. 1080, and 1081; and Chronic. Hen. V. in Bibliothecâ Bodleianâ.

+ See Massuet's Notes on Lib. v. c. 30, of Irenæus. See Poole's Synopsis Criticorum in Apoc. xiii. 18. § See his Scripture Line of Time:

them to have ended in A. D. 1520, the year of the Reformation, and consequently, they must have commenced in A. D. 854. In a little anonymous tract by a prelate of the Lutheran church, translated from the German, and printed at London in 1797, the 666 years are dated from A. D. 1073, and are said to have ended in A. D. 1740. But Mr. Bellamy's opinion on this subject is the most feeble which can possibly be conceived; for he says, "that the number has no reference to kings, kingdoms, nor popes, but that it refers to the time when the Divine theocracy ceased in the true visible church of God among the Jews to the establishment of the true visible church of God by our Lord Jesus Christ among the Gentiles. This," he says, "was precisely 666 years; † viz. from the destruction of Solomon's temple by Nebuchadnezzar, to the destruction of the second Jewish temple by Titus!"

Some commentators have supposed the number 666 to refer to the year of our Lord 666. Luther says, that the Pope was first considered as uncontrollable about the year 666; § and Fleming thinks it remarkable that Pope Vitalian in this year should

* See his Commentary on the New Testament, in loc. + By what system of chronology is this sanctioned? According to the Ussherian account this period consists of only 658 years:

1812.

See his History of all Religions, pp. 207-213, London,

§ See Trapp in Apoc. xiii. 18.

first ordain that all public worship should be in Latin. *

"Others have been of opinion that 666 refers to the expiration of the Beast, which they thought would have been in the year 1666, the number of the thousand being dropped, as it is in our common way of speaking; as when we say, the Spanish invasion was in 88, meaning 1588, and the civil wars began in 41, that is, 1641."+ Others again have computed the 666 years, with the millenary added, from the time of Christ's resurrection; and have, therefore, supposed that the Beast would expire in 1699. But time has demonstrated the fallacy of both these opinions.

The Rev. Robert Fleming says that the number of the Beast is not to be solved by an arithmetical computation of the numerical letters in his name ; and considers that the Romish hierarchy is alone designed, and not the whole body of Roman Catholics. §

Fr. Junius understands the number 666 in a way totally different from other commentators; for he says it consists of sixes throughout; and as six is a perfect number, it shews that all parts of the Romish hierarchy agree with one another in the most perfect manner, in order to deceive the

*See his Apocalyptical Key on this text:

+ Gill on Rev. xiii. 18.

See Beverley's Great Line of Prophetical Time.

§ See his Fulfilling of the Scripture, pp. 155, 156. Edit. Lond. 1726.

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