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to the idolatry and blasphemy of the Church of Rome. In the following history you will find, should you think it worthy of your notice, that I have translated every figurative word and expression, I trust, into its true literal meaning, and applied them according to that meaning, to the events pointed out by their symbolical resemblance, to their respective figures. In performing this task, you will farther see, that I have neither exaggerated nor diminished the dangerous and wicked principles of that Church; and therefore could not intend by the Commentaries, what you so unkindly intimate, to "draw off the attention of Christians from a quarter, on which they ought ever to be upon their guard."

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I am, with all due respect,

THE AUTHOR.

THE

PROPHETIC HISTORY

OF THE

CHURCH OF ROME, &c.

REVELATION, CHAP. XIII.

Verse 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that killeth with a sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of saints.

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

Verse 1. And I stood upon the Sand of the Sea, and I saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea, having Seven Heads and Ten Horns, and upon his Horns Ten Crowns, and upon his Heads the name of Blasphemy.

INTERPRETATION AND COMPLETION.

A Beast is an animal whose natural properties are strength, cruelty, and a gratification of its lust. Such are those of a tyger, a bear, and a lion; and therefore it is an apposite symbol to denote an idolatrous, oppressive, cruel, destructive, and sensual human power. Hence the four great idolatrous empires, those cruel oppressors and destroyers of the world, are designated by Daniel "by four beasts." (vii) on account of their filthy and lustful idolatry, and their bloody and destructive wars. Now in all these respects the Church of Rome perfectly resembles a beast. The most impartial historians bear ample testimony to her idolatry, her filthy concupiscence, and her bloody and exterminating persecutions. They inform us, that besides her blasphemous idolatry, expressly forbidden by God, and her unrelenting and merciless persecutions of the Church of Christ, during the long period of eight preceding centu ries, she has practised and countenanced every kind of crime and every filthy abomination, such as frauds, magic, simony, fornication, adultery, incest, sodomy, assassinations, poi

soning and murders; and moreover that her Popes, her head and her great Exemplars, her Cardinals, her Priests, Monks, Nuns, Friars and Jesuits, have lived in and up to these abo minations. Here then we perceive the Church of Rome as properly typified by a Beast, and we shall presently see that she is the identical beast alluded to in this verse by "a beast rising out of the sea."

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The sea is a great natural body supported by many lakes, rivers, and fountains of water, and therefore is a proper figure to represent any great human power, maintained and supported by many nations and people. In this interpretation we are justified by the Prophet himself, who tells us in another place that Waters in prophetic language is a figure for " peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and "tongues."* Hence the literal meaning of this figure is, that the Power foretold shall rise up among many nations and peoples of different languages, and establish a powerful arbitrary, and cruel domination over them. And this was the case of the Church of Rome. She first reared her head in Rome among the Western Nations of different Languages; and having, by innumerable arts, pretended miracles, and superstitious frauds, spread her blasphemous Idolatry over the minds of the Western World, she governed both their bodies and souls with a rod of heated iron, putting to the

Rev. xvii. 15. 1saiah viii. 7.

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