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CHAP. XII.

Verse 3. "And behold a great red dragon, having feven heads, and ten horns, and feven crowns upon his heads."

Here we have a reprefentation of the Roman Empire, after the three Kings were fubdued, (as foretold by Daniel,) this was in the reign of Juftinian. By the word dragon" is meant the abomination which would enfue on the rife of the Beast out of the earth, as expressed by "and his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven." That is one-third of the Roman empire. The fame might be faid of the extent of France, A. D. 536.

Verse 14. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place where fhe is nourifhed for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."

The word "woman" we conceive alludes to the Gospel of Chrift.

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"Two wings of a great eagle." is an evident allufion to the Greek church, which was the eftablished religion of Conftantinople and not to the Roman church: because the word "great" cannot properly apply to Rome, which at that time was only the fecond city in the Empire.

"Wilderness" beyond the Danube, is an expreffion used by Gibbon, and, probably, he may have met with it in fome old latin author.

We read that the barbarians with Attila, were, in general, converted to the Chriftian Religion, or, at least, many of them, and that his palace * was feated between the Danube, the Teyfs, and the Carpathian hills, in the plains of Upper Hungary, it might therefore be fuppofed that even in his reign, fome miffionaries would have resorted to that country from Conftantinople; but if not at this period, they did foon after, as the communication with that city became more frequent.

*Gib. Vol. 6, p. 136. The palace of Attila, with the old country of Dacia, from the Carpathian hills to the Euxine, became the feat of a new power; which was erected by Ardaric, king of the Gepida.

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In one of the notes to chap. 6. it is stated, that the kingdom of Kiow was peopled by a colony of Huns, that the capital city was no great diftance from the mountains, and that the Sovereigns of that part of Ruffia were first converted. For Photius, congratulates the Greek church on the converfion of the Ruffians, A. D. 864 †. And Gibbon further remarks, that a Greek bishop, with the name of Metropolitan, might administer the facraments in the church of Kiow, to a congregation of flaves and nativest. But the feed of the Gospel was fown on a barren foil: (here is a Metropolitan in a wilderness.) The word "nourished," we read, as applying strongly to " time, times, and half time," and pointing out the place of the flight of the Gofpel, and where it will be found.

CHAP. XIII.

In this chapter we find a full defcription of the Beast, which was only mentioned before in chap. xi, v. 7. The words " leopard, bear, and lion", are used in a figurative sense to defcribe the Roman empire, and the expreffions, " ten horns, with ten crowns", mark the period in which the beast mentioned in Gib. Vol. 10, p. 238. ‡ 239.

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this chapter is to arife. his heads wounded to death." This we conceive applies to the first æra of the Roman empire*, to A. R. 666, when Marius made himself master of the city, and declared himself and Cinna, confuls, without even the form of affembling the Comitia. And in A. R. 671, Sylla is conftitutedperpetual dictator. "And his deadly wound was healed." The election of the Juftinian Emperors by the Comitia. "And the dragon gave him his power." The revival of faction, party, rebellion, &c. in church and state; and all the other evils which were co-eval with the foundation of Rome. Ver. 5, "And there was given unto him a mouth fpeaking blafphemies." "And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.' This implies that the power of the beast and dragon would continue forty and two months.

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Verfe 9. "If any man have an ear let him hear."

This is a ftrong exhortation to the reader. And the following verfes are defcriptive of the different circumftances which are to happen to mark the empire; and this empire we conceive to be France.

Elective monarchy, and republican government.

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Verfe 10. "He that leadeth into captivity, fhall go into captivity. He that killeth with the fword, must be killed with the fword. Here is the patience and the faith of the faints.

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

Verse 12. "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beaft, whofe deadly wound was healed.

Verse 13. "And he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth, in the fight of men.

Verfe 14. "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles, which he had power to do in the fight of the beaft, faying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beaft, which had the wound by a fword, and did live.

Verfe 15. "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beaft, that the image of the beaft fhould both fpeak, and caufe that as many

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