fixth head. 4. When it is faid, that after this fixth. head, who was blafphemous, another would come who fhould continue for a fhort fpace, (How far this from being applicable to the Papal power ?), it is immediately added, that the beaft that is the fubject of the prediction is the eighth, and is of the feven. There is a plain key to thefe expreffions in what is juft now obferved as to two effential ingredients in the characters of the beaft, and heads of the beaft, declared in the prediction itfelf to be effential. The first is fovereign power, which in common ftyle is implied in the name and notion of heads of empires; as, in the prophetic ftyle, beats are emblems, both of empires themfelves, and of the heads or fovereigns that act by them, both amounting to the fame thing in hiftorical and prophetic defcriptions, the actions of the one being fo frequently confidered as the actions of the other; which explains the propriety in the prophetic ftyle, in calling the beaft that was yet to rife or afcend the feventh head; and in fpeaking of giving power to the beaft, and of fubmitting to the feducing power that fat on him, or ruled him, as equivalent.

The fecond effential character is blafphemy, implying enormous corruption in religion, as appears from the whole feries of the prediction. As this character is evidently diftinét from the former, viz. fovereign civil power, (which is God's ordinance), and feparable from it, the paflages cited prove that a fucceflion of rulers having the firft of thofe characters, in itself fo law ful and honourable, without the other criminal one joined with it, may be counted among the heads of the empire, without being one of the heads of the beaft. And even though fuch paffages had not furnifhed fuch a key to the expreffions in y 11. other parts of the prophecy, if duly compared with notour facts, which in all reafon may and ought to be used as a key to hiftorical, and confequently to prophetic defcriptions, might reafonably

reasonably suggest a folution of the difficulty in view, by fhewing, that the fame power which in one respect, namely, that of fecular authority, was the eigth head, might in another refpect with too great reafon be counted as the feventh, because of too much resemblance and imitation of the firft fix:

and fuch a manner of reprefenting and expreffing things has a peculiar fuitableness to the genius and fcope of facred predictions, concerning which a modern eminent author * juftly observes, that when they treat of the civil affairs of empires, it is only, or chiefly, fo far as the facred interefts of the kingdom of God are affected by them.

These remarks prove, that to make the Heathen emperor the beaft, or the head, that is, the chief fubject of the prophecy, is directly to contradict the prophecy itfelf. It is to fay, that what the prophecy makes the fixth head, is the eighth, and of the feven; and that what the prophecy makes the eighth is the fixth.

The converfion of the empire is neceffarily implied when another head, not counted among the idolatrous ones, is evidently declared to intervene between the fixth head of that criminal character and the feventh, who as to fovereign power fimply confidered is the eighth.

Thus John has the two characters of time formerly obferved in Daniel, characters relating to the time of the converfion of the empire, and of its divifion and downfall, with more abundant refutations of the opinion that would apply the predictions in view to the Pagan emperor, though the refutations inferred from Daniel are convincing.

The remarks made, furnish abundant proofs, that thofe predictions cannot be applied to any imaginable fucceffors of the prefent Romih power, any more than to his predeceffors. It cannot be faid of

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ány fuch power, that it was to rife about the time of the divifion of the empire; and that the ten kings who divided it among them fhould receive power one hour with that beaft. It cannot be faid of it, that it is the eighth fovereign, and the feventh blafphemous head. If it exift, it muft in thefe different refpects, be the eighth and the ninth. Befides this, how can it be faid, that the space intervening between the fixth head, and that new future head, is but a fhort space, y 10.? how can that be applied to a space exceeding fourteen centuries at leaft, which far exceeds the duration of all the former heads put together?

IV. The fecond diftinguishing character relates to the complex nature and the extent of power belonging to the feducer defcribed, concerning which it was proved before, that while Daniel makes his power little as to fecular things, he makes it at the fame time very great as to matters of religion; extending to the whole ten horns, or the body of the fourth beaft, or Roman empire. Though the Apostle John does not exprefsly call the power he defcribes in any refpect little, yet as the fame thing may be declared, with equal cleárnefs, in different expreffions, the comparative littleness of Rome's fecular power is implied in various parts of John's defcription. It is neceffarily implied, in the downfall of its ancient extenfive fecular empire, and its divifion into fo many different kingdoms. It is implied, in its owing its moft extenfive authority of a peculiar kind, to a voluntary furrender and agreement on the part of thofe kingdoms. Thefe proofs are fo clear and decifive, that it is the lefs needful to insist much on confirmations of the fame conclufion from the difference between the emblems which reprefent the fame Roman empire under its fixth head, in its Pagan ftate, and thofe that reprefent it under its feventh idolatrous, and eighth fecular head. Both reprefent it as an animal with feven heads,

and

and ten horns. In the 12th chapter, which treats of it in its Pagan ftate, the emblem is a great red dragon; in the 13th, which treats of it in a fubfequent idolatrous ftate, after the downfall of the dragon, (or of Paganifm), the emblem is a leopard; which is the reprefentation in Daniel of the third or Greek empire, that was fo foon divided into different kingdoms. Though the equal number of heads and horns, befides other things in chap. 12. is an argument that the dragon and leopard are the fame empire, there is an additional ftrong proof of this in chap. xiii. 2. which, fpeaking of the leopard, exprefsly fays, that the dragon gave him his power, and his feat; which implies plainly, that the feat of the old Pagan empire was to be that of the beast fo much infifted on. In the emblem of the Pagan empire, the crowns are only on the feven heads; in the other emblem they are on the ten horns, chap. xiii. 1. As crowned heads, in common ftyle, denote fovereign powers; and horns, in the prophetic ftyle, denote rulers; crowned horns are no obfcure emblem of the fame thing with crowned heads; ten of these are reprefented as having the empire divided among them at the time that it has the abovementioned effential characters of the beaft; which makes it evident, that the fecular power falling to the fhare of the ancient feat of empire itself must be very little, compared to what it was formerly.

But it is no lefs evident in the prediction, that its power in another refpect, fo oft mentioned already, was to be very great, fo great as to extend to the whole ten horns. It is exprefsly declared, that the beaft that was to rife or afcend was to be the eighth head, and of the feven; which fhews, that the names of the beaft, and of that head, are by John promifcuously used for the fame thing. Seeing the ten horns are his horns, and he is the head over them, it cannot be justly reckoned an obfcure de

duction

duction to infer, that however thefe horns are diftinét and divided in refpect of fecular power, they must in some other respect be united, and joined in common fubjection under that head. But we are not left to gather this merely by fuch deductions; (which however have their ufe), feeing it is fo directly and explicitly afferted, that the ten horns or kingdoms fhould be of one mind, giving their ftrength and power to the beaft, and agreeing to do fo, Rev. xvii. 13. 15. & 17.; befides that the many waters on which the woman (explained to be the city on feven hills) is faid to fit, are faid to be "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and

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tongues;" as in the parallel paffage, chap. xiii. 3. it is faid, "that all the world wondered after the beaft."

As thefe things prove, that the authority of the beaft, or of its feventh idolatrous head, was to be of fo great extent as above mentioned, but not as to secular matters, this itself is an argument for its being an authority and influence in religious matters, which are the chief fubjects of facred predictions, and facred writings in general. But befides this, that diftinguishing quality of this authority appears almost from the whole feries of the defcriptions in view; particularly from chap. xvii. 2. & 5. which; with other things of the like kind, will come more fully under confideration in treating of the fourth character, relating to the beaft's crimes.

Little fecular power, and extensive power and authority exercifed over other kingdoms in religious matters, are characters evidently exclufive of the Heathen empire, which was abfolute and univerfal, in the limited prophetic meaning, in fecular things, and meddled little in thofe of the religions of the conquered nations, except in the way or borrowing from them, rather than of dictating or impofing. If it be objected, That they meddled too much in trying to fupprefs the Chriftian religion; it is fuffi