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long before the period designated by the sixth vial. There fore, the beast here intended, must be the second beast, mentioned chap. xiii. 11, &c. " which came up out of the earth, and which exercised all the power of the first beast, and caused all them, that dwell on the earth, to worship the first beast." The question then is, What power is designated by this second beast? Some have supposed this to be the Roman hierarchy, or papal clergy. But this interpretation confounds the beast with the false prophet, and makes but two mouths, instead of three, out of which the frogs issue; for the false prophet is that hierarchy, as will soon be shown.

Others have supposed the second beast to be those German principalities, in which the civil and ecclesiastical powers are -united, as they are in the pope. But against this interpretation there are weighty objections. These principalities are parts of the German empire, and so members of the body of the dragon, or first beast, rather than a distinct beast. I do not find that these principalities have been so associated among themselves as to form a separate body, and act a part distinct from the empire, in the persecution of the church. And they have never been, either separately or conjunctly, so respectable, as to merit a distinct character in this great prophetic drama. I rather prefer the opinion of a late English writer, who supposes that the second beast is the French monarchy, especially under the government of the family of the Capets.

The French monarchy, in the

first, or Merovinian line of kings, began not far from the time, when the bishop of Rome assumed to be the father, or pope, or universal head of the church. Pepin, the first king in the next, or Carolinian line, granted to the pope, about the middle of the eighth century, the exarchate of Ravenna, and thus made him a temporal power. In the tenth century began the late or the Capetine line of kings, under whom France has been remarkably ambitious, and often very powerful, has been greatly devoted to the see of Rome, has contributed more to its support than any other kingdom, and has persecuted the Protestants with distinguished cruelty and wantonness as far as her power extended. The inhuman tortures and massacres in the time of Lewis XIV. have never been exceeded in any part of the papal dominions. And, which is very remarkable, the spiritual tyranny of France was a system of its own. It was independent of the pope, and yet administered in subservience to his views, and in support of his power. "In all other kingdoms, where popery prevails, the spiritual power is exercised by the pope. Heretics, as they are called, are accused, tried, and condemned in his courts, by laws issuing from him, and by his ministers. Kings are only his executioners. It was otherwise in France. There the king issued edicts, and erected and appointed offices for the trial and punishment of his Protestant subjects. By virtue of power derived from the king, not from the pope, Protestants were harassed, dragooned, ban ished, then forbidden to leave

the kingdom, given up to the brutal ferocity of the soldiery, imprisoned, condemned, and executed. This was a tyranny perfect in its kind, unknown in other kingdoms, and perfectly resembling that of the papal beast. It was properly an exercise of the" power of the first beast.”

If we have found the dragon and the beast, there will remain no doubt concerning the false prophet, This must be the papal clergy, or the hierarchy of the church of Rome. In this in: terpretation, Protestant writers, are, I suppose, generally agreed; and to this we are indubitably led by St. John himself. He says, chap. xix. 20, “The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, that wrought mir, acles before him," (or did wonders in the presence of the beast) "with which he deceived them, that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image." The false prophet is here described, as acting in subservience to, and in concert with the beast; as making an ostentation of mira, cles, and as using every argument and artifice to support the cause of the beast, and to promote idolatrous worship, He can therefore be no other, than the Roman hierarchy.

Mahomet is by his followers called the prophet; and he is vulgarly called the false prophet. But he is never so called in sacred prophecy. John, in his prediction of this impostor, makes no mention of him under such a title. Indeed, John's description of the false prophet is quite inapplicable, and in some respects wholly opposite to the character of Mahomet and his

successors; for they never acted in concert with idolatrous powers, but invariably opposed them. Besides, it should be remembered, that John never gives names to persons or things by anticipation, but rather by allusions to names in the Old Testament.

We have endeavoured to ascertain the characters, intended by the dragon, beast, and false prophet. "From their mouths issued three unclean spirits," foul, odious, and clamorous, "like frogs. These are the spirits of devils, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world."

As by the dragon, beast, and false prophet must be understood, not single persons, but communities; so by the three spirits, we must understand companies of spirits or persons, not merely three individuals. The work here ascribed to the three spirits, is too great to be accomplished by three single persons.

They are called unclean spirits, and the spirits of devils, to signify their wicked and irreligious principles, and their impure and turbulent dispositions; or their opposition to the faith and purity of the gospel, and to the peace and happiness of mankind. They are men, engaged in the cause of error and vice, which is the cause, in which the devil acts, and in which he employs his agents.

"They go forth to gather the kings to battle ;" to foment sedition in society; to excite opposition to government; to urge the powers of the earth to mutual destruction, and all with a view to exterminate the religion

of Christ, which is "their torment."

These impure spirits, if our interpretation is just, proceed, in an eminent manner, from the German empire, from the French monarchy, and from the papal hierarchy.

Now, if the battle here mentioned, is to be understood of a literal war, and if we are now under the sixth vial, then we are to look for the causes of this last, and of the next preceding European wars, in these three sources. And were not these wars, especially the former, first excited, and afterward encouraged and continued, by the influence of the German court, the French royalists and nobles, and the papal clergy in France and other countries? This was the general opinion in the time of the French revolution. These wars, contrary to all human policy, have had a great effect in drying up the mystical Euphrates, and in opening the way for the subversion of mystical Babylon; and the horrors of these wars have been, though not exclusively, yet principally felt, in those parts of Europe, which are subject to the papal beast. Even France, which has been a distinguished agent in this subversion, has had her share in the common calamity and distress. All this is manifestly agreeable to prophecy.

Or, if by the battle of the great day of God Almighty, we understand a metaphorical war, a war against religion, we shall still find the prophecy verified. It is well known, that for many years, there has been in Europe, and especially in France and Germany, great opposition to the

religion of the gospel; and that of late years this opposition has increased and become more open and active than it was formerly, Not only the peculiar doctrines of the gospel have been denied, but the essential duties of morality and the very principles of civil society have been treated with contempt. That the war against religion might be conducted more sytematically and successfully, its enemies in some parts of Europe have formed themselves into societies for that purpose.

This opposition has in a great measure been owing to the causes already mentioned; the tyranny of the German empire, the despotism of the French monarchy, and the foolery, big otry, and intolerance of the Catholic church. In those countries the most arbitrary and rigorous restraints have been laid on men's natural, social, and religious liberties. From such restraints naturally arise prejudices, discontents, and impatient and restless passions, which, though for a while repressed, will sooner or later give themselves vent in some way or other. Hence it was, that many men of learning and talents, finding it dangerous to speak openly in ordinary conversation on certain things relative to the established religion and government, instituted clubs and organized societies for free discussion of such matters. It is natural to suppose that men associating and conversing under the influence of strong passions and prejudices, should overlook the laudable object of reformation in religion and government, and contem plate the subversion of both. It

is not the nature of passion to view things candidly, and to separate the precious from the vile; but to confound the good with the bad, and to destroy both promiscuously.

Bigotry in religion, like despotism in government, may endure for a season, sometimes longer than we should have imagined; but, by overacting its part, it will in time destroy itself. As a revolution in despotic governments often produces anarchy in the first instance, but may terminate in something more reasonable; so a revolution in bigotry and superstition may be immediately followed with an apparent increase of irreligion, but be ultimately productive of a real reformation. Prophecy teaches us to expect, that, on the demolition of the papal superstition, there will be a remarkable prevalence of infidelity; but in a short time there will be a general spread of pure Christianity.

John farther says, "The kings of the earth are gathered to battle into a place, called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon," or the mountain of destruction. The name is taken from the ancient Megiddo, or Megiddon; a place famous in the Jewish history for war and slaughter. The late extraordinary wars in Europe have had their principal seat in the Netherlands, and adjacent parts, which, like the Megiddo of the Hebrews, have long been fields of blood and slaughter.

The battle, to which the kings are gathered, is called "the battle of the great day of God Almighty;" a day, in which the cause of religion is assailed, and in which God is about to perform some great work in its support;

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No. 5.

Fifth Commandment. "HONOUR thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

From father and mother all other duties originate. Duty is reciprocal. Parents must not provoke their children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and children must honour their parents. The command is a little varied in Leviticus. Ye shall fear every man his mother and father, and keep my Sabbaths. Honour in that passage is explained by fear in this. Father is mentioned first in the one, but mother in the other, probably intimating that both have an equal claim upon the honour and fear of children. Instruction of a delicate nature may be involved in the appendix to the command; 66 ye shall fear every man his mother and father, and shall keep my Sabbaths." The command of a mother and father is binding; but if it interfere with the command of God, obey God rather than man. Should parents require that children break the Sabbath, or throw contempt upon any of God's ordinances; obedience, otherwise indispensable, must be withheld,

that we may discover proper respect to the highest of all author

ities.

Grateful and affectionate ought we to be to our parents. They watched over our infant years with anxiety, and have been unremitting in their friendly offices. Their kind attachment to us, their mature judgment, and their authority over us, lay the foundation of dutiful attachment to their persons, deference to their judgment, and obedience to their commands. If they are in circumstances which require our sympathy or service, how can piety be better expressed, than by returning the sympathy and service which we received from them, when in infancy we were thrown helpless upon their care. The profligate Jews had a strange contrivance for satisfying their own minds, while they neglected this duty. Our Lord severely animadverts upon their conduct, Matt. xv. 3, 6. The supply, to which parents were entitled, they devoted by a rash vow to the sacred treasury, and thereby vainly imagined, and were confirmed in the imagination by an avaricious priesthood, that they were absolved from any further obligations to either of their parents. Such evasions are in the highest degree criminal. Children, says the apostle, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing in the sight of the Lord. The child Jesus was subject to his parents; and he ended a useful life by an act of duty to his mother, providing for her future sustenance and comfort.

All nations have had some sense of the duty, which children owe to their parents. It was

enacted by the Athenian legislator, that whoever refused to maintain his aged parents fhould be deemed infamous. The laws of Romulus carried the matter much too far, subjecting the child, of whatever age, or however dignified by talents, office, or reputation, so entirely to the power of the parents, that of his own authority he might imprison or enslave him, and even put him to death. The youth of Sparta were obliged to rise up, whenever their superiors in age appeared, to give place, meeting them in the street, and to be silent in their presence. This duty, as all others, was taught very deficiently, in the systems of morality known to the Gentiles. In the sacred page it appears in its full extent, and is enjoined by proper motives. The command before us includes relative duties of every kind, requiring us to be dutiful to superiors, whether in the family, the church, or the

state.

This commandment is the first, to which a promise is annexed. In the second commandment, indeed, there is a general declaration of mercy toward them, who love God, and keep his commandments. But this is the only precept of the decalogue, which contains a promise peculiar to itself.

Let children honour their father and mother, that their days may be long upon the land, which the Lord their God giveth them. Under the Jewish dispensation, to curse, or to strike a parent was punished with death. The same punishment was inflicted on those, who continued in stubborn disobedience to a parent's command. But obedi

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