preffions from Ifaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Again (third vision*), an angel came down from heaven, who had the key of the bottomlefs pit, and a great chain. He laid hold on the dragon, who is Satan, and bound him. Thus bound, he caft him into the bottomless pit, where he was to remain a thousand years; and after. that be loofed again for a fhort time. Thrones appear; and they to whom a power of judgment is committed, feated themselves thereon. The fouls of thofe who had been flain on account of the doctrine of Jefus revived, and ruled with Chrift a thousand years. But the reft of the dead did not live again until the thoufand years had expired. This was the firft refurrecttion. After the expiration of the thoufand years, Satan will be loofed from his imprisonment, and x Chap. xx.-end of the book. feduce 8 feduce the nations which are in the four ends of the earth.-Then he beheld a white throne, and He fat thereon from whofe look earth and heaven fled. The dead, great and small, ftand before the throne; books are opened, according to which they are to be judged. One book, in particular, is opened", the book of life; and whoever was not found written therein was caft into the lake of fire, together with Death and the Grave.-Now appeared to him a new heaven, and a new earth. And he beheld the holy city, the new Jerufalem, come down out of heaven from God: its wall was of jafper; the city itself, pure gold; each of its twelve foundations was a precious ftone, jaf per, fapphire, &c.; each of its twelve gates a pearl 2; and the streets of gold. y Chap. xx. 12, and following verses, • ¿ Mapyapirns means in the Chaldee not only a pearl, but likewise a precious stone; fee Buxtorf lex. talmud. in v., But here it is exprefsly diftinguished from the precious ftones, 0 w, chap. xxi. 21, comp. ver. 19, 20. But no temple was there; for God and the Lamb are its temple.-The groundwork of the imagery here alfo is taken chiefly from Ifaiah and Ezekiel; but the poetical dress in which it is clad, the precious ftones, pearls, &c. is the author's own production. The book concludes with this affertion, "I teftify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man fhall add unto these things, God fhall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God fhall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which teftifieth these things faith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even fo, Come Lord Jefus." a Chap. xxi. 22, and following verfes. SECT. SECT. II. The Interpretation of the Book of NEVER did a book exist on whofe contents fuch different opinions have been formed. In the earlier times of Chriftianity, when its followers were perfecuted by the Roman Emperours, the Revelation was confidered as а prophecy of the fpeedy deftruction of Gentile Rome. b Irenæus thought that the number fix hundred three fcore and fix " indicated AATEINOZ. How it was understood after Chriftianity itself had afcended the imperial throne in the perfon of Conftantine, is unknown. But when the Romish Bishops had erected the horrid Adverf. hæref. v. 26. 30% 0 3 fyftem fyftem of papal tyranny, and tormented and murdered all that oppofed it, d In the fixth century the bishops of Rome made pretenfions to the fovereignty over the whole world, as a right bestowed upon them by God, from being, as they afferted, the fucceffors of St. Peter, and the vicars of Chrift. In the eighth, from the grants of Pepin and Charlemagne, they became temporal lords. In the ninth, they placed themselves on an equality with princes and emperours, and in fome cafes claimed the fuperiority; now it was that they published, if they did not forge, the Decretales, and Donatio Conftantini Magni. The eleventh century brought this infamous ufurpation to its maturity. Hildebrand, a blacksmith's fon, who, on being raised to the papal fee, took the name of Gregory the Seventh, fummoned the emperour Henry the Fourth to appear at Rome under the penalty of ecclefiaftical cenfures; and on his not appearing, pronounced him excommunicated, and releafed all his fubjects from their oath of fidelity, The emperour was at length obliged to comply; but was not received again into the pale of the Church until he had food barefoot and without nourishment during three days in the caftle of Canoffa, where the pope then refided, and had humbly prayed for favour. Laftly, fince the thirteenth century, they exercised fovereign authority over all the monarchs of the West: pope Innocent the Third depofed the emperour Otta the Fourth, and eompelled John, king of England, to make |