says Dr. Cressener, is a succession of ecclesiastical persons having the supreme power in ecclesiastical affairs"." The two-horned Beast may represent, says Waple, the antichristian power of the clergy.' This beast,' says

Daubuz, represents a succession of heads, having under them the whole body of the corrupted clergy.' Like Waple and Daubuz, Dr. More warns his readers, that it is not exclusively to be understood of the church and clergy of Rome. This emblematic personage, says Mr. Evanson, 'is afterwards called the false prophets, that is, a Teacher of a false religion; it plainly denotes therefore the ecclesiastical ministry of the antichristian superstition.' · All,'

says Vitringa, discern, that by this Beast is signified a certain body of false teachers; since this is abundantly clear from the attributes of this Beast, which attributes we shall presently consider, as well from a following part of the prophecy, wherein this Beast is denominated the false teacher.'

To interpret the two-horned Beast exclusively of the church of Rome is, I apprehend, altogether an error. Those, however, who attribute to it the greatest extent of import, will generally be perfectly ready to admit, that Rome has been the head-quarters of sacerdotal usurpation; and that its practices and policy have been imitated by other churches, though upon a contracted scale.

Widely did the two Beasts differ in their mode of rising. Whilst the Beast, having Ten Horns, was seen rising up out of the sca, i. e. to use the words of Mr. Pyle, ‘out of the people and nations of the world, that were in great agitation like a stormy ocean;' the two-horned Beast appeared to the apostle coming up out of the earth, i. e. from

3 Critical Notes on the New Test. in loc.

4 Dem. of the Pr. Appl. of the Apoc. p. 179:

5 0 Feudoπpopurns, which Mr. Wakefield translates the false teacher

6 Let. to Hurd, p. 52.

among the antichristian part of mankind, from among men, devoid of the love of truth, ready to follow the multitude in every folly, and principally intent on gratifying the passions of ambition or of interest. If we appeal to fact, we shall assuredly find, that it is to men of this character, that clerical usurpation owes its early growth, its maturer strength, and the fondness with which it is still cherished in its declining years. Was it not by them, that false doctrines were first arbitrarily imposed upon the mind, that superstitious practices were introduced into the church, and the engines of persecution set in motion? That this is an established symbolic sense of the word earth will be shewn in a future page. But it is not the only sense. Sometimes it is the symbol of the great body of the people. Possibly it may be so here, and in its import may be opposed to the word The former is an emblem of a tranquil character; the latter denotes commotion and turbulence. The ecclesiastical Beast may then, as Mede' and Peganius explain the words, be said to come out of the earth, not by a violent conflux of a multitude of people, as the Temporal governments arise, but silently, by degrees, and unheeded.'

sea.

This emblematic personage is said to have two horns like a lamb, i. e. says Daubuz, a pretended power like that of the Lamb. When we reflect, says bp. Hurd, 'that horns, in the prophetic style, are the emblems of power, and that a lamb is the peculiar, the appropriated symbol of Christ,and is constantly so employed throughout this whole prophecy of the Revelations, we must, of necessity, conclude, that a beast with the horns of a lamb can only be a state, or person, pretending to such powers as Christ exercised, and his religion authoriseth; that is, powers, not of this world, but purely spirituals.' The antichristian priesthood, whom the two-horned Beast represents, affect to teach the doctrines of Christ, to be animated with his spirit, and possessed of his authority. They accordingly assume the

high prerogatives of being judges over the conscience, and the decisive interpreters of the will of heaven. As if possessed of infallibility, they despotically appoint, what articles of faith are to be believed, and what modes of worship are to be practised. The horns, says Mr. Pyle, have been interpreted of the several powers this Beast pretended to have a right to exercise.-But perhaps, after all, the horns might be here mentioned by St. John only as part of the description of the lamb; the appearance whereof this Beast now affected to take upon him.' When it is said, that

the Beast spake as a dragon, the meaning is,' says bp. Hurd, that Antichrist should assume the highest tone of civil authority in promoting his tyrannous purposes, though he cloked his fierce pretensions under the meek resemblance of a spiritual character'.'

It is indeed said of him (v. 12), that he exerciseth all the power of the first Beast; and closely does this correspond with fact. Princes and nobles, during almost the whole period of modern history, have either lodged an ample share of the power and property of the state in the hands of pontiffs and of priests; or guaranteeing their possession of it, have supported them in their daring usurpation over the rights of conscience. But in pursuing this line of conduct, wicked as it may be, their interest" they undeniably consult. Accordingly it immediately follows, that the twohorned Beast12 causeth the earth and them which dwell there

9 Vol. II. p. 161.

10 The two-horned Beast is also said to exercise the power of the first Beast BEFORE HIM; i. e. says Mr. Sam. Clark, by the permission of the several princes, and in their dominions, and with their authority.' In agreement with this, this respectable annotator observes (on Rev. xvi. 13), that the Beast signifies the Antichristian Civil powers,' and the False Prophet, the Antichristian Ecclesiastical Powers.'

11 The line of interest and of policy they did, however, unwarily overstep, when, in a period of the dark ages, they raised the sacerdotal body to such a pitch of aggrandisement, as to render it formidable to themselves.

12 The ecclesiastical Beast, says Whiston (p. 244) by joining with them, procures 'them a blind obedience from their subjects.'

in to worship the first Beast. This is the alliance between church and state, the benefits of which have been so loudly sounded. Of priests in all countries, too many have been ready to propagate the detestable doctrine of passive obedience and non-resistance, and to aid the crown in the depression of civil liberty". To this reciprocity of assistance is to be ascribed the continuance of many of the grievances of mankind.

And he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men; that is, the antichristian priesthood are possessed of such power, as to cause persecution's to come down from those invested with the civil government upon their subjects; and this is done not privately and by stealth, but in the sight of men, i. e. publicly. To prove that heaven is a symbol signifying the civil government or governors, repeated authorities will hereafter be cited. That this prediction has been amply verified, the annals of Europe too clearly testify, when they give an imperfect narrative of the millions, whose slaughter has been instigated by the priesthood.

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the Beast. Since it is plain, that the Deity would not permit the antichristian priesthood to work real miracles; the import of the words may be, that they would raise themselves into the favor of princes and of people, by those arts of deception which they would employ, and those fictitious miracles which they would perform. Now every

13 Daubuz, upon this verse, pertinently cites the following passage from cardinal Palavicini. 'The monarchies would not be durable for the insolencies of innovators without the interposition of the spiritual authority; and by that means the number of plots and rebellions is much less.' 14 All disloyalty and disrespect,' shewn to princes, says the learned Bingham (in his Antiquities of the Christian Church), ' was always severely chastised by the laws of the church.' B. xvi. c. 9.

15 Not only is fire the symbol of destruction in general, but, as Daubuz observes on this verse, of persecution in particular.

16 The word translated miracles need not have been so translated. In the preceding verse it is rendered wonders.

man, conversant in ecclesiastical history, knows, that the period, when the sacerdotal body first arrived at great opulence and power, was fertile in false miracles, and that in a variety of ways they deceived the people, in order to swell that opulence, and to extend that power.

The prophet having informed us, that the two-horned Beast would be successful in the delusions which he would practise, and in his endeavors to arrive at great influence; next proceeds to state what would be the use, which he would make of that influence when acquired. He says to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the Beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live. That the suggestions of the antichristian priesthood would be listened to, and their wishes carried into execution, the prophet foretells in the following verse. And he HAD power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the Beast should be killed. What this image of the Beast is, an extract from Mr. Evanson will shew. The apostate ecclesiastics, by their intrigues and influence, procured an image of the Civil Power to be set up, and were able to give it such an active energy, that it could utter decrees and ordinances, and caused those, who refused to worship, that is, to pay implicit obedience to it in all religions concerns, to be put to death.—Such an image of temporal power, contrary to every principle, not of Christianity only, but even of sound policy, did the Latin emperors erect, and all the succeeding princes of Europe uphold, when they established the Hierarchy and its courts of spiritual jurisdiction. The authority of ecclesiastics, with respect both to this world and the next, is altogether groundless and imaginary. Yet the Hierarchy once formed, with much artifice and by degrees, acquired to itself the power of inflicting the severest penalties on those it deemed delinquents, and even of condemning them to the most barbarous deaths". The image of the Beast, says a learned Apocalyptical writer of the last century, is

17 Let. to bp. Hurd, p. 57.