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After what has been stated it may seem probably superfluous to add anything further to our argument : yet, on reflection, I think it will not be altogether useless to suggest the following considerations, all leading to the same conclusion.

First, that of the position of the Apocalyptic narrative of the Beast from the sea in Apoc. xii, xiii: following as it does almost immediately on the notice of the Beast from the abyss, as the Witnesses' slayer, in Apoc. xi; and as if in answer to the natural questions thereupon. arising, respecting its rise and history, in the minds both of the seer and readers of this prophecy. Certainly were it the history of some persecuting power that had nothing to do with the slaying of the Witnesses, and the real author of the iniquity was only described long after in chapter xvii, the tendency of the vision and narrative of chap. xiii would be to mislead, not to instruct.-Secondly, there is the consideration that if the Beast from the sea be not identical with the Beast from the abyss, we have no account whatever given us of the end of the former: —an omission scarcely credible, considering the prominence of this Beast in the Apocalyptic revelation; and that both of the seven-headed Dragon, his immediate predecessor, and of the Beast from the abyss, which the objector would suppose his immediate successor, the ends are related so circumstantially.'-Further, the circumstance of the Beast from the abyss being necessarily the immediate successor of the Beast from the sea, according to Mr. Brooks' theory, suggests a third consideration

2

1 Viz. of the one in Apoc. xiii. 1, xx. 10, of the other in Apoc. xix. 20. I say necessary on his theory, because the sixth head of the Beast is declared by the Angel to be that which was then in existence; viz. at the time of the visions in Patmos. Consequently if the Beast from the sea) which was evidently in origin subsequent to St. John's time) preceded the Beast from the abyss, forasmuch as the latter existed under the eighth head, the Beast from the sea must have existed under the seventh.

For the standard time to which the Angel's chronological intimations are to be referred of what had been, what then was, and what was still future, must necessarily be either the epoch of St. John's holding colloquy with the revealing Angel in Patmos, or that to which the figuration itself belonged: which latter it could not be; as the Beast was then under his last head, immediately prior to destruction. I shall have to refer to this point again, at the commencement of § 1. of my next Chapter iv. on the Beast's Heads.

alike fatal to his theory, and corroborative of the complete identity of the two Beasts in question. For the head next preceding that of the Beast from the abyss, was the original seventh head.' And this seventh head was to last but a little space; 2 whereas the Beast from the sea was to continue and prosper for 1260 years.3And indeed, once more, it appears from Daniel that it was the selfsame Beast which lasted the 42 months, or 1260 years, under the Little Horn, that had its body given to the burning flame; without any other form of the Beast, or any other chronological period intervening.

To all which indications,-indications marked in the very text and structure of the Apocalyptic record, and independent of any particular historical explanation of it, there might be added yet one other drawn from the historical solution of an earlier part of the Apocalypse already explained; I mean of that which prefigured the slaughter of the two Witnesses. For the Beast from the abyss, there spoken of as their antagonist and their murderer, was demonstrated, on I think irresistible evidence, to be the Papal power; -that power which is allowed, as I before observed, by the objector to be prefigured in the Beast from the sea.

Such is the conclusion I arrive at :-a conclusion, let me observe, agreeable with that of all the patristic expositors for such a notion as that of a discrepancy between these two Beasts seems never to have entered their minds.5 The reader, if acquainted with the present state of prophetic investigation, will be aware of the importance of the point that we have been sifting, and consequently be ready to excuse the fulness of my enquiry on it. Indeed I cannot but feel thankful that a doubt should have been so strongly raised, and by writers so respectable, on the identity of the two Wild Beasts: since we should scarcely otherwise have instituted so full

1 xvii. 11.-The reader will see hereafter why I use the phrase original seventh head; viz. from regarding the eighth head as the new or second seventh, after the amputation by a sword of the former seventh, and in its place.

3 xiii. 5.

2 xvii. 10.

4 See Vol. ii. p. 366, &c.

Mr. B. allows the truth of the year-day theory. 5 E. g. Hippolytus, Primasius, Andreas, &c.

a comparison between them; and therefore not have arrived at so clear, full, and deliberate a conviction of their being indubitably one and the same.

§ 2.-IDENTITY OF THE LAST RULING HEAD OF THE

APOCALYPTIC WILD BEAST FROM THE ABYSS AND SEA WITH THE LITTLE HORN OF DANIEL'S FOURTH WILD BEAST, ST. PAUL'S MAN OF SIN, AND ST. JOHN'S ANTICHRIST.

It remains to add a word on the identity of this Wild Beast from the abyss and sea with Daniel's fourth Wild Beast in its last or ten-horned state; and of its ruling Head also with St. Paul's and St. John's Antichrist. I do this because it will be quite necessary to refer at times to these visions and predictions in our subsequent exposition.

I. Its identity with Daniel's fourth Beast.-The description of this is subjoined below, in order to facilitate the comparison.'

1 I give the vision and explanation from Dan. vii. in parallel columns.

VISION.

7. AFTER this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast dreadful, and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth: it devoured, and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

8. I considered the horns; and behold there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

*

9. I beheld till the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure

EXPLANATION.

17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth.

18. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even forever and ever.

19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful: whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet:

20. And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

* So various ancient Versions, Mede, &c. Compare Matt. xix. 28, Apoc. xx. 4; &c.

Now of the exact appearance of the Beast with the Little Horn, we have no particular description; only that it was very terrible, and diverse from the three Wild Beasts before it. So that the Apocalyptic combination of the Leopard, Lion, and Bear may very possibly have existed in this Terrible Wild Beast, or Deinotherium, of Daniel likewise. However this may have been (and I think the fact of the Apocalyptic combination being that of the characteristics of Daniel's three first Wild Beasts almost indicates as much,) the following particulars that are noted of it, or of its Little Horn, sufficiently identify it with the Apocalyptic Wild Beast. 1. It was stated to be the fourth great mundane empire, i. e. the Roman,' in

VISION.

wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake;-I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

12. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

13. I saw in the night visions; and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

EXPLANATION.

21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

23. Then he said; The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

26. But the judgment shall sit; and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27. And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

See for the opinions of the Fathers on this explanation of Rome as the fourth of Daniel's four empires, Vol. i. pp. 203, 204, 365, 366; and for those of some of the heathen writers, ib. p. 403. To the latter list I may add Plutarch: who

its last form, under a decem-regal government; and on its destruction to be succeeded, like the Apocalyptic, by the saints taking the kingdom. 2. Its decemregal confederation was described as overawed and domineered over by the Little Horn just as the Apocalyptic eighth Head had the power and authority of the ten cotemporary kings delivered up to it. 3. This Little Horn having eyes like a man, and said at the same time to be diverse from the other horns, figured apparently some ecclesiastical episcopal power: 1 just as the ruling Head of the Apocalyptic Beast has been stated, and will soon be shewn more fully, to have been an ecclesiastical power. 4. It was declared of the Little Horn, that it would use its power to make war with the saints and prevail, -that it would with its mouth speak very great things,2 even blasphemous words against the Most High,—and that it would,-conjointly as would seem with the ten kings subordinate,-last or prosper a time, times, and

observes that "Fortune, having past in succession from the Assyrians, the Medes and Persians, and the Macedonians, after tarrying with each for a little while, at length alighted on the banks of the Tiber, and entered Rome; as if resolved to make it her abode for ever."

1 "It had eyes like the eyes of a man." The figure is one applicable in the first instance to governors generally, as overlookers of the charge entrusted to them. So Numb. xxxi. 14, of certain presiding rulers of the host of Israel; Sept. ETLOKOTOL Tys duvaμews. Compare 2 Chron. xxxiv. 12, 17, and Nehem. xi. 9, 14. Similarly Demosthenes uses the word of the Athenian provident patron-goddess Minerva ;* and Cicero ad Att. vii. 2, of magistrates and provincial commissioners.— But the horn in Daniel being diverse from the others, it needed to be a seer or overseer in a different sense; e. g. such as applied to the prophets † and ecclesiastical rulers of the Jewish people: so as, for example Ezekiel; "Son of man, I have set thee to be a watchman to the children of Israel." How peculiarly the term was appropriated to ministers and bishops under the gospel-dispensation is well known. How it was afterwards applied by Papal writers and Papal Councils to the ecclesiastical rulers, or bishops, will be illustrated in a later chapter. Says Sir I. Newton on this emblem in Daniel; It was a seer, to use the expression of the Old Testament; or, to use that of the New Testament, an EIσкOTOS, i. e. an overseer, or bishop.-It was certainly a very remarkable and significant characteristic.

2 Probably a great mouth, like the lion's mouth of the Apocalyptic Beast, indicating this. Compare Sophocl. Antig. 127; Zevs yap μey aλns yλ woons κομπους Υπερεχθαίρει.

* Viz. in his Пaрaжрeoßeias, quoting Solon's verses :

Το η γαρ μεγαθυμος επίσκοπος οβριμοπάτρη,

Παλλας Αθηναιη χειρας υπερθεν εχει.

A passage ridiculed by Aristophanes in his Equit. 1171; dŋu' evapyws h Deos σ' επισκόπει,

† Οι προφηται οφθαλμοι ήμων γεγονασι, says Hippolytus De Antichr, ad init.

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