magnify himself in his Heart, and by Peace (or Profperity) fhall destroy many.

And to this agrees the fhort Expreffion in the XII Chapter, which I have made my Principal Business to explain in this Essay,

"It fhall be for a Time, Times and an Dan. XII. 7. "Half, and when he fhall have accomplished to fcatter the Power of the Holy People, all "these things shall be finished.

St. John fpeaks in the fame ftrain "and there was given unto him," (that is, to the Beaft rifen out of the Sea,,) "a Mouth speaking great "Things, and Blafphemy's, and Power was "given unto him, to continue Forty and Two

"Months.

"And he opened his Mouth in Blafphemy "against God, to blafpheme his Name, and his "Tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven.

"And it was given unto him to make War "with the Saints, and to Overcome them, and "Power was given him over all Kindreds, and Tongues, and Nations.

And all that dwell upon the Earth shall
"Worship

N 2

Rev.

XIII. S.

6.

7.

8.

Worfhip him, whofe Names are not written "in the Book of Life of the Lamb Slain from "the Foundation of the World..'

And afterwards, where the fame Power is Rev. xiii represented, as coming out of the Earth with two Horns like a Lamb, but speaking as a Dragon. It is thus continued,

I

"And he exercised all the Power of the firft

Beaft before him, and caufed the Earth, and "them which dwell therein, to Worship the firft Beaft, whofe deadly Wound was Healed.. "And he doth great Wonders, fo that he maketh Fire come down from Heaven, on the "Earth, in the fight of Men..

"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 Beast,. "faying 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.

"And he had Power to give Life unto the "Image of the Beaft, that the Image of the

Beaft should both speak, and cause that, as

6. many

many as would not Worship the Image of the "Beaft, fhould be killed.

"And he caufeth all, both fmall and great, Rev. xiij "Rich and Poor, Free and Bond, to receive a “Mark in their Right Hand, or in their Fore"Heads.

"And that no Man might buy or fell, fave "he that had the Mark or Name of the Beaft, or the Number of his Name.

"Here is Wifdom, let him that hath Underftanding, count the Number of the Beaft, for "it is the Number of a Man, and his Number ❝is Six Hundred Three Score and Six. "

All these Paffages compared with one another, give fo full and plain an Account of the Popes of Rome, from first to laft, that a very moderate Knowledge of Hiftory ferves to fatisfie us, that they are meant of them, and cannot be applyed to any other.

17!

18.

His (a) Speaking great Words against the Moft a Dan

High, and (b) Blafphemies, and

(a) Wearing vii 25.
(c) through
(c) through

out the Saints of the Moft High, and,
Policy causing Craft to profper in his Hand, and

Permitting

b Rev.

i

XIII.5.
Dan.

viii. 25%

Rev. permitting none to (d) buy or sell without the XIH. 17. Mark, are a literal Description of the Impiety

of the Pope, in affu.ning divine Honcur and Power to Himfelf, of his Perfecuting all true Chriftians in the most Cruel Manner, of the deep Policy of the Court of Rome, and of their denying all the common benefits of Life to all who are not of their Religion.

But we shall fee yet more certainly that the Papacy is defcribed, when we confider the more particular Strokes of his Conduct, He exercifeth XII. 12. all the Power of the fift Beaft before him, and caufeth the Earth, &c. to Worship the Beast that had the Wound by a Sword, but did live.

13.

The Power that the Popes and their Pricfts have had over the Confciences of the People, has been employed to inspire them with a Slav fh Obedience to their Princes, and by means of this the Pope can likewife ferve himself in his turn, by making Fire come down from Heaven on the Earth, in the fight of Men; that is, by delivering over all that Offend him, to the Secular Arm, for Heaven stands for Government, Fire for Perfecution

Perfecution, and Earth for the People, to he exercifes all the Power of the first Beast, by being the Director of Mens Confciences, he helps the Temporal Princes to the Obedience of the People, and the Temporal Princes are his Executioners, as often as he Pkaf s to Perfecute Hereticks or Schifmaticks,, as he shall call them.

Rev.

The Image of the Beast that had the Wound, was the fetting up a new Western Empire in XIII. re Charlemagne, which by the Popes Confecration was fo refpected, as to be univerfally Acknow ledged, and to grow fo great as to Punith all who would not Worship him, that is, who difputed his Title or Power..

The Mark of the Becft, may allude to the Custom of figning themselves with the Sign of the Cross, by which all Papifts make themselves known.

α

T

And the Number of his Name, was the Number of the name of a Man, Latinus, (^&TEIVOS in Greck, in which St. John writes), and according to the Greeks manner of counting by their Letters, V this word makes juft 666. which exactly agrees S

with