the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. It must be evident to the attentive reader, that these waters are of a more extensive import, than merely to signify Rome, or even Italy. For it is a customary figure among the Orientals, to represent many nations by waters, and an infinite number of people, by the sea; and this way of speaking is familiar to all the prophets. Thus Daniel represents the Babylonian empire chap. 111, 4. '7. 29: and chap. IV, 1. compared with chap. VII, 2. 3. which was a type of Rome and the Romish Church. They here signify chiefly the nations in the countries of the Western part of Europe, almost surrounded by the sea, where the woman has had her principal residence; and partly those Pagan nations in most parts of the globe among whom they have made missionary establishments. Some authors have not sufficiently distinguished between the woman's triumph over the beast, and her sitting upon many waters, and have thus confounded the one state with the other; whereas they are materially different, the one denoting government, and the other only residence, which last is the true sense in this verse.

Verse 16. The ten horns shall hate the whore. Of this we have seen a dreadful prelude in France. Some authors are of opinion, that these kings will separate from the Church of Rome, and adopt a purer mode of worship; but I can see no foundation for such flattering expectations. Leagued with the beast from the bottomless pit, they will make public profession of Deism and despoil the Church from very different motives. Rome has at all times considered herself the Queen and mistress of the world; and the Romish Church has long prided herself on sitting upon peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues. as being the universal Church. Instead of weighing the pleadings of ancient witnesses, and the arguments of Protestant writers when exposing her mummeries, or reproaching her with corrupting the Christian doctrines

and worship, and tyrannizing over the consciences of men; she has anathematized all other communities, and answered such testimonies by banishment, the axe, and the stake. But the judgements of retaliation are now arrived to overwhelm her; for her crimes are great, and God has remembered her iniquities, chap. XVIII. They are here detailed, in four degrees of increasing calamity, and the most poignant sufferings; which will be execut ed not by Protestant princes, but by the children of her own bosom, ch. XVII, 2. as instruments of divine vengeance. They shall make her desolate, by depriving her of all connexion with her numerous paramours, and causing a great apostacy among her citizens; and naked by exposing her errours, pious frauds, corruptions, and religious traffick with the kings of the earth, Ezek. xx111, 29. They shall eat her flesh, by despoiling her of her riches, patrimony, and revenues, abolishing abbeys, monastaries and ecclesiastical benefices, and appropriating her bishoprics and other endowments to themselves, and to complete her final doom, they shall burn her with fire. This is to be understood literally of the city of Rome, which is to be utterly destroyed. See chap. xvIII.

The powers of Europe are even yet provoked against Rome, for having tyrannized over them so long in former ages. If therefore this haughty mistress of the world should see intentions to subdue her for ever; she would, no doubt, summon her last powers into action to prevent her disgrace. And this might lead on to a siege, & taking of the city by storm, the final event of which would be dreadful, as predicted in the following chapter.

But the total destruction of Rome, will be marked by evident signs of the vengeance of God, and will be more severe and terrible in the end, than even the besiegers intended it. For all this the angel furnishes us with the following reason: God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will. The meaning of this expressionis, Providence will,

imperceptibly, so order the natural course of events, and use these wicked princes as instruments, to accomplish his divine purposes, Prov. xxi, 1. Ps. cv, 25, in bringing about this dreadful catastrophe. To the same cause the angel ascribes the following extraordinary event, that the ten kings should agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast. That Kings should do it, who are naturally so tenacious of their royal prerogatives, and have often shed so much blood in their defence, is truly remarkable; and that too for the purpose of destroying the residence of the whore, with which they formerly stood so intimately connected : this surely indicates the hand of Providence. 2 Chron. XXX, 12. 1 Kings xx, 23.—

Until the words of God shall be fulfilled. Of this comple tion of the words of God, we have spoken chap. x, 7. They refer to the destruction of mystic Babylon, and to the removal of those powers, inimical to the introduction of the personal kingdom of Christ, Dan. II. VII, of which the beast is the principal.

Verse 18. The woman which thou sawest is the great city. Here the reader is furnished with the true key to this prophecy concerning the great whore. The angel expresses himself in plain terms, and characterizes the city, so as not to be mistaken by St. John, or the discerning reader of the Revelation. Had he only called her the great city, we might have confounded her with the other great city mentioned chap. x1, 8. and chap. XVI, 19; but he distinguishes her yet further by adding, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, as a note of explanation to inform us where this city was to be found. This was as plain to the holy prophet as if the angel had pronounced the word Rome; for Rome was then, in St. John's time, the Metropolis of the Roman empire, termed herself, Urbs Regum, a city of kings, and had made the kings of the world tributary by the power of her arms. How then can Bossuet say, that this prophecy has been ac· Ll

complished in Pagan Rome; when we behold Rome yet existing to this day, yet undestroyed?

Some readers might object, that the Revelation contains a long prophetic history of the beast from the sea, and comparatively only a few events of what Antichrist, or the Eighth shall perform; to which I would answer.

1. The Eighth also is one of the seven heads, and a part of what is mentioned in the xi11th chapter as begun by his predecessors, will by him be brought to full completion; such as the image and mark of the beast. 2. This chapter contains three very important events: His rise from the bottomless pit to the throne, and his league with the ten kings; his war with the Lamb; the destruction of Rome, and the persecutiou of the Romish Church.

3. The predictions of ancient prophets, and particularly that of Daniel concerning the infidel king, chap. XI. are here presupposed as known to the reader. 4. And other facts are related in chap. x1, and XIX

which when all collected into one view, compose a more dreadful scene of events, than the Church of God has ever witnessed.

CHAPTER XVIII.

This chapter contains the signal judgments of Heaven agains the harlot, or the city of Rome, in conjunction with the Romish Church. I say intentionally Romish, for I distinguish between the Catholic-Church, and the RomishChurch; with the first I number all true Christians in that and in other communities, and with the last those who worship the beast and its image, and who receive its mark. In the preceding chapter this judgment has been merely mentioned, together with a description of the instruments of divine wrath used in its execution; but this chapter contains a prophetic history of her destruction in detail.

Verse 1. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lights ened with his glory.

2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of. devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of eve ry unclean and hateful bird.

3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

This powerful angel, with a strong voice, whose refulgent glory lightened the earth, is another messenger from heaven, like the one who came down chap. x, 1. Many other angels have since been engaged on this great thea