q The Papacy filled with the Blood of thoſe Holy Ones, which ſhe cauſed to be ſlain for bearing Teſtimony to Jeſus Chriſt. / VVhich he would not havedone, had it been Pagan Rome he had ſeen in this Viſion. But that any that owned Chriſt, and called themſelyes the Holy Church, ſhould kill Men for bearing Teſtimony to Chriſt, and adherence to his Rule of Faith and Life, this cauſed in Fohn a
juſt wonderment.
7 And the angel ſaid unto me, Wherefore didft thou marvel ? I will tell thee the myſtery of the wo- man, and of the beaſt that carrieth her, which hath the {even heads and ten horns z.
t The Angel promiſeth to open this Viſion, it being the Key of the former Viſion, and is the only Viſion expounded throughout this whole Book.
$ The beaſt that thou {weſt #, was w, and is not x ; and * ſhall aſcend out of the bottomleſs pit a, and
go into perdition 6: and they that dwell on the earth || {hall wonder, whoſe names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when
they beheld the beaſt that was, and is not, and yer 1SI C.
yu This Beaft was the Roman Empire, the Scarlet-coloured Beaſt which carried the Whore, wer. 3. w Was of old, in Rome's Pagan ſtate, x and 7s not, not in that form, not now Pagan; and yer 5s (as is aid in the cloſe of the Verſe) the ſame in another form, Idola- trous and Perſecuting. a Either out of the Sea, which ſignifies a multitude of People ; or from Hell (the word ſignifies both.) 6 And ſhall certainly be deſtroyed. c But before he goes into Perdition he ſhall ſo cheat the World, that the generality of the People ſhall wonder at the Beaſt, (ſee chap. 13. 8.) ſetting aſide thoſe who are choſen of God to Eternal Salvation : the 144000 mentioned chap. 14, I conceive that which hath made Interpreters ſo divided in their Notions about this Beaſt is, becauſe thoſe words, and yet 5, are not added in the beginning of the Verſe, which being under- ſtood, there appears no difficulty conſiderable ; for it is certain the Roman Empire was from before Chriſt, and continued Pagan till 310; then was not Pagan but Chrittzan ; yet after ſome years, was again as Idolatrous and Bloody againſt Chriſtians, as the old Pagan Empire was ; eſpecially when ſwallowed up by the Pope, the Beaſt with two Horns like a Lamb. This 1s the Beaft with ſeven Heads and ten
Horns, chap, 13. 2» 5 And * here zs the mind which hath wiſdom d.
_
R EV ELATION.
* The ſeven heads are ſeven mountains 5n which rhe woman fitteth e.
_ 4 That is, here is that which requireth a Mind endued with Spi- ritual Wiſdom. e The ſeven Heads which he ſaw the Beaſt with. ſignified ſeven Mountains or Hills, upon which Rome is ſcituated, they were named betore (ſee the Notes on ver. 3.) They tell us now Rome 1s ſcituated in Camp» Martio : Reſp. Whatever it now is, cer- tain it 15, that in St. Fobn's time it was ſcituated upon them, and they are now within the compaſs of Rome.
10 And there are ſeven kings f, five are fallen 2, and one is h, and the other is not yet come 4, and
when he cometh he mult continus a ſhort ſpace #.
F The ſeven Heads do not only fignifie ſeven Hills, or Mcun- fains, but alſo ſeven Kings, that is (according to the beſt Interpre- tation I meet with) /even forms of Government which ruled Rome (the term Kings, in Scripture ſignitying Rulers, whether the Govern- ment was in ſingle Perſons, or more, as Dent. 33. $.) Rome was Governed, 1. By Kings. 2. By Conſuls. 3» Tribunes, 4. Decerhi- VIS. 5. Dietators. 6. Emperors that were Pagans. 7. Emperors that were Chriſtians. g Five of theſe were fallen, extinguiſhed be- fore Fohn's time, viz. The Government by Kings, Con/uls, Tritunes, Decemuirs, Diftators, þ The Government by Pagan Emperors was at that time in being. # The Government by Chriſtian Emperors was not yet in being ; and when it came, 1t held but a little time betore the Biſhups of Rome wreſted the Government of Ttaly out of their hands: This to me ſeemeth the moſt probable Interpretation of this difficult Text.
11 And the beaſt that was, and is not, even he is the eighth 7, and is of the ſeven x, and goeth into perdition 9.
m This made the eighth ſucceſſion of Governments in the Roman Empire. n This was the ſeventh lead ; for although this w:s the eighth Governinent in order as we have counted them, yet one of theſe, viz. the ſeventh (which was that of true Chriſtian Emperor:) muſt not be counted as c.1e of the ſeven Heads, which were all 1do- latrous : So . though this was the eizhth Government, yet he was one of the ſeven Heads, 7. e. Idolatrous Governments, and 0 to be deſtroyed as they were.
12 And the * ten horns which thou ſaweſt are ten kings p, which have received no kingdom as vet a, =- receive power as kings one hour with the beaſt 7.
r ! 7 Ci.14,f
YDatl. 7.26 Ch. 12. 7-
Þ Poſſibly by ten Kings here are not meant Monarchs but Govern-
ments. q Which were not in being in Fohn's time, nor in many
ears after, ry But ſhould, during ſome time of the Beaſt's Reizn,
ave Power with the Papacy, employing their Power with his, to eſtabliſh his Idolatry. But who theſe Ten Monarchs be, or what theſe Ten Governments are, I muſt confeſs my ſelf at a loſs to de- termine : It 1s plain they ſhould be, 1. Such as ſhould be contem- poraneous with the Reign of the Beaſt. 2. Such as employ their Power 1n conjun&ion with his. 3. Such as ſhould afterwards be In- ſtruments to ruine the Papacy, wer. 15, 17. The Beaſts Reiznbeing 1260 years, there hath been, and will be ſuch a variety of Princes and Governments, as it is very hard to determine who they ſhall be. But their being contemporaneous with the Beaſt, makes me think it cannot be underſtood either of any that were in the World be- fore the year 605, when the Beaſts Reign began (though the My- ſtery of Iniquity was working, and the Image of the Beaſt was making long betore ; ) as alſo that the Ten Barbarous Nations that diſturbed [taly from 410, till near 600, could not be meant; . being all before Antich,/t came to any Reign, nor did they ever ſhew any great love or hatred to the Pope; ſometimes ſerving, ſometimes op- poſing him, as tuited their refpe@ive Civil intereſts. _ I am very in- clinable to think the Propheey to concern ſome Kings nearer the end of Antichriſt's Reign, who tho' for a while they ſerve the Papacy, yet ſhall at laſt be Inftrume:.:s to ruine him; but who they are ſhall do this, or when it ſhall be, I cannot determine.