CHAP. IV. Mr. Irving and Mr. Frere's Theory of the Apocalyptic Beasts in It is affirmed by Mr. Frere and Mr. Irving, that the beast with seven heads and ten horns, seen by the apostle in Rev. xvii. is different from the beast who appeared to rise out of the sea, in chap. xiii. The beast in chap. xiii. they assert to be an emblem of the secular Roman empire, under the influence of the papacy, during the whole of the 1260 years, and the French Revolution of 1792, is said by Mr. Irving to be "the deadthrow, the "last gasp and termination of life, to the papal "beast of forty and two months," and "the first "breath and act of life to another beast, the beast "of the bottomless pit."* Again Mr. Irving says, concerning the beast of Rev. xvii. "this new "beast is distinguished from those, viz. (the dra'gon and beast of the sea,) by having no crowns upon his head like the dragon, nor crowns upon "his horns like the beast of the sea, whose period "was forty and two months." "But besides this, "it is to be observed of the others, that they are * Irving's Discourse, vol. I. p. 144. + Ibid. vol. I. p. 273. "come to their end, the latter of them, (the beast of "the sea,) when his set period of forty and two "months had expired, after which he began to be "broken in pieces and dissolved; whereas this "new incarnation is now preparing to act with vio. "lence and strength upon the stage thirty years "after that time; when the other became prophe'tically dead in respect of power and influence." Now, seeing that Mr. Irving brings a new power upon the theatre of action, under the symbol of the scarlet coloured beast of Rev. xvii. and that the former beast of Rev. xiii. is represented as in a state of actual dissolution, from the period of the French Revolution, we might have expected that the new beast who is "preparing to act with violence "and strength upon the stage thirty years after," would have been identified with the beast who leads the armies of the empire to Armageddon. But instead of this, Mr. Irving informs us, that the beast who, with his confederate kings, is gathered to the field of Armageddon, is no other than the beast of Rev. xiii. the holy Apostolical empire.* On the other hand, the supposed new beast of Rev. xvii. is first identified with the late Napoleon Bonaparte; "The emperor of France is therefore here the personification of the beast of infidelity, "or shortly, he is that beast itself which first show"ed itself as a principle of dissolution, but hath now * Irving's Discourse, vol. II. p. 134–136. got a personality and community for a short season," &c.*-and afterwards, this same second beast, in the person of Bonaparte, is supposed to have been the seventh head of the beast of Rev. xiii.† which was to continue a short time, and the eighth head,+ Mr. Irving supposes, is to be constituted by the future resurrection of the infidel beast, in the person perhaps of the son of the late emperor.§ I have carefully endeavoured to compare the different passages of Mr. Irving's discourse, wherein he states these views respecting the beasts of Rev. xiii. and xvii. being very anxious not to misunderstand him; and should I in any respect have done so, I hope he will do me the justice to believe that the mistake is not intentional. But as I find, on turning to Mr. Frere's pages, that he distinctly asserts that the beast out of the bottomless pit is the seventh and also the eighth head of the Roman empire-it seems quite evident that I have correctly apprehended the views of Mr. Irving. In proceeding to discuss the merits and evidence of this scheme, I remark in the first place, that it is altogether opposed to the sentiments of almost every interpreter, whether ancient or modern. All * Irving's Discourse, vol. I. p. 231. + Ibid. vol. I. p. 284. The expression eighth head is inaccurate, it is plain from Rev. xvii. that there are but seven heads, though there are eight forms of government or kings. Irving's Discourse, vol. I. p. 286, 287. Frere's Combined View, p. 103–105. former writers of eminence, whatever may have been their discordance of sentiment respecting the meaning of the hieroglyphics, agree at least in the virtual identity of the beast seen in Rev. xiii. with that in chap. xvii. Among those who have held this identity, may be named Bishop Newton, Mede, Daubuz, Whiston, Pyle, Cressener, Mr. Faber, &c. &c. among the moderns; and Irenæus the disciple of Polycarp among the ancients.* Mr. Irving affirms, that the beast in Rev. xvii. is distinguished from the one in chap. xiii. by having no crowns (diadems) upon his horns like the beast of the sea. In answer to this, I remark, first, that the silence of John in chap. xvii. respecting the diadems may be accounted for, by the circumstantial explanation he afterwards gives of the horns. "The ten horns are ten kings, which re"ceive power one hour with the beast,"t-the fact of their being kings that they had diadems. formerly mentioned this in necessity to repeat it here. But secondly, were I to admit the fact that the horns of the beast seen in chap. xvii. were without diadems, this would not disprove the identity of this beast with the one seen in chap. xiii.-all that we could legitimately infer from this circumstantial difference, would be that the 1260 years of the beast's prosperous reign necessarily implies in it But the apostle having chap. xiii. there was no * See Irenæi opera, lib. v. cap. xxx. + Rev. xvii. 12. being now expired, he had been deprived of his diadems. Mr. Irving's next reason for denying the identity of the two symbols is founded on the circumstance of every part of the beast of Rev. xvii. being full of names of blasphemy, whereas the wild beast of chap. xiii. had upon his heads only the name of blasphemy. The answer to this is, that when first seen by the apostle, he had not arrived at that maturity and fulness of blasphemy which he had attained to when he appeared in the time of the vials. Mr. Irving asserts in the next place, that the beast of chap. xvii. ascendeth not out of the sea like the former beast, but out of the bottomless pit. In answer to this, I remark that the Greek word aßurros, rendered "bottomless pit" by our translators in Rev. xi. 7. and xvii. 8. is used by the Seventy to express the sense of the Hebrew In signifying simply the deep, and aẞurros is employed by the Seventy in Isaiah Ixiii. 13. to express the leading of Israel through the Red sea, as also in Ps. cvi. 9. It will be found likewise in Jonah ii. 5. in Job xxxviii. 30. and xli. 31. in each of which passages it is used synonymously with the word sea. When, therefore, I read in Rev. xi. 7. " that the “ beast το αναβαινον ἐκ της αβύσσου, that is ascending "from the deep, shall make war with them, (the witnesses,) and overcome them," and afterwards read the words in chap. xiii. "I saw ex ons Paraσons Ongrov |