Second advent library

'~78 Lacruaav._very lihble to err. 'Let us, then, follow this rule whilewetry to explain.ll. The beast numbered in the text. And,lst. Let us inquire what beast it is. I answer, It isthe first beast. See our context, 12th "verse, And heexerciseth all the power of the _first bars! before -him;"that is, the beast which John saw come up out ot' thesea, (the Roman government) havingseven heads andten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon hishead the name of blasphemy; and the beast which I sawwas like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feetof a bear, and his mouth as the mouth ofa lion; and theDragon gave him his power, and his seat, and greatauthority." 'By this beast, I understand the same asDaniel's fourth kingdom, the Roman government; by" names of blasphemy," I understand a mode of worshipwhich would be idolatrous orblasphemous; by thedragon, we must understand the civil power ofthe samegovernment giving its power to the ecclesiastical beast,whether Pagan or Papal. 3d verse, 'Andl saw oneof his heads, (of blasphemy, Pagan) as it were, woundedto death; and his deadly wound was healed, (by thesubstitution of the Papal lasphemous head ;) and all theworld wondered alter the beast."John then goeson to describe the civil power of thisRoman ovemment under this last head, and shows thelength ofgtime they would exercise this last power- " for.months"-which is the some as Daniel'sty-two time,times, and a half, or John?s 1260 days, mentioned Rev.xi. 3, xii.6. His power to make war and overcome thesainm is foretold. In the tenth verse he shows us howthis civil power should be destroyed, by captivity andthesword ; and this was fulfilled in 1798, when the pewas carried acaptive into France., and the states ofwereEllyconquered by the sword of the French army. Inthe 11th verse he gives us a discovery ofthe same beastin his ecclesiastical Pagan Rome in the firstbeast, tpower;and Papacy in e image beast; and it will be evidentto any one who will examine the chapter carefully,that .lohn was not commanded to number the imageboast-for the civil power oflthat beast was befores