of the bottomless pit; consequently, the Latin empire here intended, is the one which was in futurity in the apostolic age.

Verse 13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.-Therefore the ten horns must constitute the principal strength of the Latin empire; that is to say, this empire is to be composed of the dominions of ten monarchs, independent of each other in every other sense, except in their implicit obedience to the Latin church. The beast, in this and the preceding verse, is distinguished from its horns, as the whole Latin empire is distinguished in history from its constituent powers.-See on ver. 16.

Verse 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.-The ten powers of the beast must compose the secular kingdom of antichrist; for they make war with the Lamb, who is Christ Jesus. This is perfectly true of all popish states; for they have constantly opposed as long as they have had any secular power, the progress of pure Christianity. They make war with the Lamb by persecuting His followers; but the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings; all lords have their authority from Him and no king can reign without Him; therefore the ten Latin kings are God's ministers, to execute His vengeance upon the idolatrous nations. But when these antichristian monarchies have executed the Divine purpose, those that are with the Lamb, the called, the chosen, and the

faithful, those who have kept the truth in the love of it, shall prevail against all their adversaries, because their battles are fought by the Lamb, who is their God and their Deliverer.-See chap. xix. 19, 20.

Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." So many words," Bishop Newton observes, “in the plural number, fitly denote the great extensiveness of her power and jurisdiction :-She herself glories in the title of the Catholic church, and exults in the number of her votaries as a certain proof of the true religion. Cardinal Bellarmin's first note of the true church is, the very name of the Catholic church: and his fourth note is, amplitude, or multitude, and variety of believers, for the truly Catholic church, says he, ought not only to comprehend all ages, but likewise all places, all nations, all kinds of men.

Verse 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.-Here is a clue to lead us to the right interpretation of the horns of the beast. It is said the ten horns shall hate the whore; by which is evidently meant, when connected with what follows, that the whole of the ten kingdoms in the interest of the Latin church, shall finally despise her doctrines, be reformed from popery, assist in depriving her of all inAuence, and in exposing her follies; and in the end consign her to utter destruction. From this it follows that no Roman Catholic power which did not exist so

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late as the Reformation, can be numbered among the horns of the beast; the horns must, therefore, be found among the great states of Europe at the commencement of the Reformation. These were exactly ten, viz. France, Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, and Portugal. In these were comprehended most of the minor states, not styled monarchies; and which, from their first rise to the period of the Reformation, had been subdued by one or more of the ten grand Roman Catholic powers already named. Consequently, these ten constituted the power and strength of the beast; and each minor state is considered a part of that monarchy under the authority of which it was finally reduced, previously to the Reformation.

But, it may he asked, how could the empire, which was the revived head of the beast, have been at the same time one of its horns? The answer is as follows: horns of an animal, in the language of prophecy, represent the powers of which that empire or kingdom symbolized by the animal is composed. Thus the angel, in his interpretation of Daniel's vision of the ram and he-goat, expressly informs us, that "the ram with two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." One of the horns of the ram, therefore, represented the kingdom of Media, and the other the kingdom of Persia; and their union in one animal denoted the united kingdom of Media and Persia, viz. the MedoPersian empire. In like manner the beast with ten horns denotes that the empire represented by the beast is composed of ten distinct powers; and the ten horns

being united in one beast, very appropriately show that the monarchies symbolized by these horns are united together to form one empire; for we have already shown, in the notes on chap. xiii. ver. 1. that a beast is the symbol of an empire. Therefore, as the horns of an animal, agreeably to the angel's explanation, (and we can give no higher authority) represent all the powers of which that domination symbolized by the animal is composed, the Roman empire of Germany, as one of those monarchies which gave their power and strength to the Latin empire, must, consequently, have been A HORN of the beast. But the Germanic empire was not only a LATIN power, but at the same time was acknowledged by all Europe to have precedency of all the others. Therefore, as it is not possible to express these two circumstances by one symbol, it necessarily follows, from the nature of symbolical language, that what has been named the Holy Roman empire must have a double representation. Hence the empire, as one of the powers of the Latin monarchy, was a horn of the beast, and, in having precedency of all the others, was its revived head.

Verse 17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.Let no one imagine that these ten Latin kingdoms, because they support an idolatrous worship, have been raised up merely by the power of man, or the chances of war. No kingdom or state can exist without the will of God; therefore let the inhabitants of the world tremble, when they see a wicked monarchy rise to pow

er; and let them consider that it is raised up by the Lord to execute His vengeance upon the idola-' tries and profligacies of the times. It is said of the kings in communion with the church of Rome, that God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will. How is this divine will accomplished? In the most awful and aflictive manner! In causing ten Latin kings to unite their dominions into one mighty empire for the defence. of the Latin church. Here is a dreadful dispensation of Jehovah; but it is such as the nations have most righteously deserved, because when they had the truth, they lived not according to its most holy requisitions, but loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Therefore hath "the Lord sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they might all be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness." But this deplorable state of the world is not perpetual; it can only continue till every word of God is fulfilled upon his enemies; and when this time arrives, (which will be that of Christ's second advent,) then shall the son of God slay that wicked "with the spirit of His mouth, and shall consume him with the brightness of His COMING.'

Verse 18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.— It has already been shown that the woman sitting upon the seven-headed beast is a representation of the Latin church; here we have the greatest assurance that it is so, because the woman is called a city, which is a much plainer emblem of a church, as the word is used un