Five kings, or five forms of government were fallen before John's time, viz. kings, confuls, dictators, decemvirs, and military tribunes, with confular authority. To all thefe, in their turn, the city Rome, or the Roman empire, had been fubject. One is, fays the angel, viz. emperors; and accordingly Domitian filled the throne at the time when this revelation was vouchfafed. The other, fays he, is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a fhort Space: by which I would not, with fome, understand Chriftian Emperors; nor, with others, the Patriarchs who ruled at Rome, and from whofe time, the Imperial feat was tranflated from thence to Conftantinople*; but, with the learned Lowman, and Dr. Newton, I would understand the Dukedom of Rome.

It is well known, that in the fifth century, the Goths, Vandals, and other northern nations broke into the Roman empire, and divided it amongst themselves. After fome time the eastern Emperor broke the Gothic power in Italy, and reduced the greatest part of Italy into obedience to himself. And the government of Italy he adminiftred by Lieutenants, who were ftiled, Dukes of Italy. Rome was not now the feat of government, but tributary to the exarch or vice-roy of Ravenna. Thus fhe continued from the year 568 till 752, when the Lombards having taken Ravenna, claimed Rome as a part of its exarchate. The Pope alarmed, fends to Pepin, king of France, for protection. He enters Italy with an army; conquers Aiftulphus, king of the Lombards; obliges him not only to renounce

Turret. de Secef. Difp. vi. Sect. 9..

his claim to Rome, but to furrender the whole exarchate or principality of Ravenna to the Pope: and he gave the temporal government of Rome, and the whole exarchate for ever to the Pope, and his fucceffors, as the patrimony of St. Peter. The keys of the feveral cities belonging to the exarchate, together with the grant or charter, were, with much folemnity, laid on the altar of St. Peter, Anno Domini, 756.

Thus, it clearly appears what was the feventh form of government which was to come, and to continue but a fhort space. The Imperial government was loft about the year 476. For about 184 years, there was a Duke of Rome to govern the the people, and to pay tribute to the exarchate of of Ravenna. What a short space 184 years, compared with the Imperial government which preceded it, and lafted above 500 years! And how short, compared with the papal government, which has now continued upwards of a thousand years! From the above we fee, that the papal is the eighth form of government, as the Duke of Rome was the feventh. Pepin would not reftore the exarchate of Ravenna to the eastern empire, but gave it to the Pope; and therefore he, ftrictly speaking, became fucceffor to the Duke of Rome, and was now a temporal Prince *.

The beaft is faid to be the eighth king, and to go into perdition. His government shall come to an end, and there fhall be none to help him. The beaft therefore on which the woman rideth is the

*See Lowman's preface to his Paraphrafe on Rev. p. 32. Dr. Newton on prophecy, Vol. III. p. 303.

Roman government, in its eighth and laft form; and this, all muft acknowledge is the papal, not the imperial; Rome Chriftian, not Rome Pagan. -As the beast had feven heads, so ten horns: and thefe, fays the angel, are ten kings; that is, ten kingdoms, which fhall receive power with the beast, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast, ver. 12, 13. Here we fee that the beaft and the ten kingdoms were to rife out of the ruins of the Roman empire: and these kingdoms were to affist the beast in making war against the Lamb. And is it not evident, that the Papacy appeared in full power after the Roman empire, being over-run by the Goths, Huns, Vandals, and other nations, was divided into ten kingdoms? The number ten is variously reckoned up by different writers: But all history affures us, and the Romanifts themselves allow, that the Roman empire was difmembered into ten kingdoms. And however they be reckoned, they can only be found amidft the broken pieces of the Roman empire. And they giving power to the beaft, fuppofes that the beaft is not imperial, but papal Rome. We have seen how one of these kingdoms, France, gave its power to the beaft, when Pepin fet him as on the throne, in the year 756.

From what has been faid, it must be evident to every one, that the woman riding on the fcarletcoloured beaft, with feven heads and ten horns, is no other than the church of Rome, which has fo long been fupported by the European powers: and that therefore that church is indeed the enemy of Chrift and his people.

SE C T. V.

That the Pope of Rome is the Enemy, proved from the Character of the Woman who fat on the feven-headed Beaft, Rev. xvii. 4, 5.

T

HAT the church of Rome is the enemy, or

Antichrift, appears, as from the beast on which the woman rode, fo from the defcription of the woman herself; which runs in the following manner, Rev. xvii. 4, 5. And the woman was arrayed in purple, and fcarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious Stone and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of ber fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. A woman this, vaftly different from, and quite oppofite to, that woman mentioned, chap. xii. 1. as clothed with the fun, having the moon under ber feet, and on her head a crown of twelve ftars. That woman was of heaven; and hence her drefs is all celeftial: this is of the earth, earthly: that was the chafte fpoufe; this the base adulteress: that, the Zion of God; this, Babylon the Great. But to be more particular, this woman is defcribed by three things, the drefs fhe wore, the cup the held in her hand, and the name written on her forehead. She is defcribed as in a moft gaudy drefs, fuiting her character as a courtezan. How expreffive her attire of the great pomp and worldly grandeur of the Romish church, which is

truly a kingdom of this world! Her purple, and fcarlet-coloured cloathing, may juftly be confidered as emblamatic of the Pope and Cardinals, whose habits are purple and fcarlet. Their hats, their robes, their ftockings and fhoes are of fcarlet colour: nor will they change their livery, though they know how Proteftants apply this text *. This woman is also faid to have in her hand a golden cup, full of abominations, and filthiness of her fornication. In this, the new teftament Babylon refembles Babylon of old, Jer. li. 7. This cup, fo rich without, and fo filthy within, reprefents the delufive charms of Popery, in its gaudy fhows, pretended miracles, difpenfations, pardons, and the like.

Idolatry is in holy fcripture frequently held forth under the notion of adultery or fornication, it being a palpable breach of the marriage-covenant between God and his church, Jer. iii. Ezek. xvi. Hof. ii. Idolatry is a direct breach of the firft and the fecond commandments: fuch as worship other gods, or the true God in a falfe manner, are guilty of fpiritual adultery or fornication. But this the Romish church does, as we fhall fee anon; and therefore fhe is the great whore. Her intoxicating cup, so full of abominations, is a proper emblem of these alluring methods fhe takes to feduce the nations from their loyalty to Jefus, and from the fimplicity of gofpel-worship. Accordingly fhe is faid to have made all nations drink of the wine of the fury of her fornication, Rev. xiv. 18. The inhabitants of the earth, are faid to have been made drunk with it, chap. xvii. 2.

* Guyfe in loc.