"And it deceiveth the inhabitants upon the earth, through the signs which were given it to do, before the wild beast; saying to the inhabitants upon the earth, to make an image to the wild beast that had the wound by the sword and revived: And there was given to it [power] to give spirit to the image of the wild beast; so as that the image of the wild beast could both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the wild beast to be killed. "And it causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, freemen and slaves, to impose a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads and that none should be able to buy or sell, except he that had the mark of the wild beast, and the number of his name: 1 "Here is wisdoin: Let him that hath understanding compute the number of the wild beast, for it is a man's number; and its number, 666." The second wild beast, cannot possibly denote the Papal Antichrist, in any shape for 1st it arose out of "the earth," or east; as contrasted with "the sea," or west, whence both Daniel's fourth beast, and John's first beast, (which we have shewn to be the same) arose. 2. The first wild beast had ten horns, this only two. 3. The second wild beast, rose after the first, (in its Papul state) which it contributed to support, and to make an image thereto. 4. The second wild beast, is afterwards stiled "the fulse prophet," Rev. xvi. 13. and both are doomed to be punished together, Rev. xix. 20, and to be followed by the dragon, their Lord, (xii. 2, and ix. 11) at the end of the world, Rev. xx. 10. I conjecture (partly with Sir Isaac Newton, p. 281,) that the second wild beast, in its earliest state, denotes the Apostate Greek Church, rising out of the Metropolis of the eastern empire, Constantinople; which was afterwards succeeded by the Apostate Mahometan Church; in which latter state, it is termed "the false prophet," from its founder, Mahomet, whose leading title is "the prophet of God," throughout the Koran, and among his followers, to this day: and whose name, by a curious coincidence, both in Hebrew and Greek, furnished the mystical number 666; as I have remarked in former publications :-For this "man's" name, as fully written in Hebrew, and, (MAHMUD) Lament. i. 11, signifies do," famous or celebrated." But in the Arabic language, the aspirate, or guttural letter Hha (corresponding to the Hebrew, r, Hheth,) according to "the very hard breathing of the [modern] Arabs, may be well expressed by doubling the mark of aspiration, as in Muhhammed."- The very instance adduced by Sir William Jones, in his curious remarks on the orthography of Asiatic words, ASIATIC RESEARCHES, Vol. 1. p. 32. Lond. Edit. If therefore, we substitute the numeral values of the several Hebrew letters; (doubling the letter Hheth, and taking the value of the Mem final, instead of the Mem initial) there will arise 1 7 מ ** n 4, 6, 40, *8 8, 600 666. The same also will arise, from substituting the numeral values of the Greek letters, of the name MAOMETIE, or MOAMETIZ, according to Euthymius, Patriarch of Constantinople's, conjecture about A. D. 900, as he, and the Greek historians Zonaras, and Cedrenus write it : M, A, O, M, E, T, I, Σ Vol. V. Churchm. Mag. Nov. 1803. 10, 200 PP 666. It It has lately been remarked also, in the Gentleman's Magazine, that. the numeral values of the letters of Aroraτns," Apostate," furnish the same number: A, π, 0, 5, α, T, in, 5, 1, 80, 70, 6, 1, 300, 8, 200 666. These solutions seem to be less forced and unnatural, than those of the numeral values of the Greek letters Aaru, (Latinus) or the Hebrew, n" (Romiith,) generally adopted by commentators: still, however, they are but guesses, and I shall close them with the excellent remarks of Irenæus, (who first suggested Latinus) on his own guesses: "If it had been proper that this name should be proclaimed, in the present time, it would have been made known by him who saw the Apocalypse." The two horns belonging to the second wild beast, may denote the union of the supreme spiritual and temporal authority, in the persons of the Greek Emperors*, which was afterwards assumed by Mahomet and his successors the Caliphs; and resembled the same union in the popes of Rome, when they became temporal princes. And about the year A. D. 372, the emperor Valentinian, unwarily contributed to lay the foundation. of that ecclesiastical despotism, which the popes afterwards so successfully improved; when he passed a decree that all disputes which might arise among the several members of the Episcopal order, should be reserved for the hearing of the Bishop of Rome; wishing that ecclesiastical differences might not be carried before secular tribunals for on this law, (which probably was only local at first, confined to the provinces within the jurisdiction of the Romish see, and merely temporary) the crafty pontiffs gradually erected the right of appeal to Rome, in all ecclesiastical cases, throughout Europe. See Mosheim's Eccles. Hist. Afterwards, the superstitious empress Irene, assembled a second general council, at Nice, A. D. 787, at which Pope Adrian's letter was read, approving of the worship of images, which her predecessors, Leo, and his son Constantine Copronymus, had abolished; when the council, basely apostatizing from the faith of the first general council of Nice, A. D. 325, decreed, "that the images of JESUS CHRIST, the holy Virgin, Angels and Saints were to be placed in Churches, to revive their memory, and express veneration; and that they were to be honoured, adored and worshipped, but not with that worship peculiar to the Divine nature :" introducing a subtle and deceitful distinction, between veneration and adoration; adopted by the modern Romanists in their A, and Aarpsie. See Dupin. In these signal cases, the second wild beast, or Apostate Greek Church, remarkably supported the authority and corruptions of the Apostate Latin Church, Nor was the growth of Islamism, (or the religion of Mahomet) in the east, rising on the ruins of the Greek Church, less favourable to the corruptions of the Latin Church.-The sensual voluptuousness authorized by the Koran, kept pace with the scandalous profligacy tolerated and licensed by the see of Rome: And lying signs and wonders, were as "Imperator sum et Sacerdos," was the lofty answer of the Emperor Leo to Pope Gregory II, who wanted, in vain, to dissuade him from prohibiting image worship, in his dominions. Dupin. prevalent prevalent in the east as in the west :-the Greek Church abounded in such; and Mahomet availed himself of pretended revelations, and miracles, to support his cause: witness his boasted journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to Heaven; under the conduct of the angel Gabriel; who carried him through the seven Heavens, to the presence of God, and brought him back again, the same night! Koran, chap. xvii witness his pretensions of having been assisted by 1000 angels in one of his battles; and by 3000 more, in another, sent down from Heaven expressly to his relief, Koran, chap. viii. and iii. &c. And it is remarkable, that as the Mahometan Antichrist, rose shortly after the Papal; so they kept pace together, both in their increase and in their decline: about A. D 600, Gregory the great published his celebrated Liturgy, "changing Ordinances and the Law of GOD," appointing feasts and fasts, enjoining the celibacy of the clergy, adoring Angels, Saints, and relics, &c. and in A. D. 606, Boniface III. was appointed Universal Bishop by the usurper Phocas, who murdered the emperor Mauritius. Mahomet likewise, in his 40th year, began his imposture A. D. 609, professing to restore the Patriarchal religion of Abraham, and in the 12th year of his mission, A. D. 621, pretended that the Angel Gabriel took him up to Heaven, (as observed before) to converse with GOD, like Moses, on Mount Sinai. But this impudent fiction was só ill received by his countrymen of Mecca, that the next year, he was forced to fly to Medina, in order to escape their vengeance; whence the celebrated æra or the Hegyra (or "flight") commenced, A. D. 622, in the fifth year of which, A. D. 626, Mahomet assumed the title of King, as he had before, of prophet. In the eleventh century, the imperious Gregory VII. raised the power of the Papacy to its height, when he excommunicated and deposed the emperor Henry IV. and founded the new Papal era of the indiction; Sept. 1, A. D. 1077. And A.D. 1036 the Turkish empire was founded on the ruins of the Saracen, when Taugripolix possess ed himself of the kingdoms of Persia and Bagdat, and to secure his conquest, by an artful policy, conformed to the religion of Mahomet; under whose successors, the threatened judgments fell upon the sever Churches of Asia Minor, in the extinction of five, and the depression of Smyrna and Philadelphia, (according to the Apocalypse) during the course of the 12th century. In the year A. D. 1300, Boniface VIII, appeared with his two swords, the temporal and the spiritual, at his newly created Jubilee; and the next year, -1301, the Ottoman Empire was erected; and rose to its height by the conquest of Constantinople, and downfal of the Greek, or eastern Empire, A. D. 1453. From the auspicious æra of the Reformation, A. D. 1517, the papal power has gradually declined, till A. D. 1798, when Rome was taken by the French, and Pope Pius VI, deposed. And at present the "shade of the papacy barely exists," stript and despoiled of its temporalities:Stat nominis umbra. And since the decisive victory gained over the Turks by prince Eugene, September 1, A. D. 1697, and the peace of Carlovitz, the succeeding year, the Ottoman power has gradually declined also; and now seems verging fast to dissolution. Such a coincidence in the rise, progress, and fall of these two kindred Antichristian powers, Pp 2 in the East and West, is truly wonderful; and seems to recommend the solution here offered, as preferable to any that has been proposed hitherto. "The image of the first beast quickened by the second," I conjecture, (partly with Kett, in his valuable work on the accomplishment of prophecy) denotes "the Infidel power of Antichrist," by itself alone, and not in conjunction with the second beast, as he imagines; which in its last state we have already shewn, more probably denotes the Mahometan power; and this too, more consistently with the tenor of his excellent historical argument, which is to shew, that "Mahometanism and Popery were the parents of infidelity; an offspring born to be their chastisement" Vol. iii. p. 10. first edition. For the great father of modern infidelity among Mahometans and Christians, is said to have been Averroses an eminent Arabian physician and philosopher of the twelfth century; who devoted himself to the study of Aristotle's metaphysics and materialism; and by his writings, which were in high repute, totally perverted the already corrupted divines and philosophers of the Church of Rome, Leo X. Petrarch, Arctin, Spinoza, &c. throughout the continent; and their successors, Descartes, Leibnitz, Boyle, &c. down to the age of the arch infidel Voltaire and bis sacrilegious crew, D'Alembert, Diderot, Condorcet, &c. who with a zeal and ingenuity truly diabolical, laboured systematically to undermine the foundations of Christianity: while the secret symbol, or watch word of their conspiracy, was Ecrasez l'Infame. "Crush the wretch," meaning by a blasphemy most horrible, CHRIST !!! JESUS Of the extravagancies of this infidel power, which chiefly reared its hydra-heads, in the dominions of the first beast-France, Italy, and Germany, flagrant instances are recorded, by Kett from Barruel's and Robison's publications, and from authentic documents of the French Revolution. Let an instance or two suffice: 1. In the year 1792, all kinds of Ecclesiastical property were confis cated by a sweeping decree of the constituent assembly of France, and the great Church of St. Genevieve at Paris, into a pagan temple, and renamed the Pantheon, to be a repository for the remains of their great men, Voltaire, Rousseau, &c. which were brought thither in solemn and triumphant procession. The bones of Voltaire, were placed upon the high altar, and incense was offered. And when the infatuated multitude bowed down in silent adoration before this arch enemy to CHRIST; in this moment of NATIONAL IDOLATRY, and of avowed attachment to his principles a single voice was heard to utter in a tone of agony and indignation, these memorable words: O GOD! thou wilt be revenged! search was immediately made for the man who thus dared to interrupt these rites; and this Abdiel was probably sacrificed to the fury of the multitude. But "his reward is with him." See Moore's Journal, cited by Kett, p. 146. 2. When a powerful French armament, A. D. 1798, treacherously invaded the dominions of the friend and ally of France, and seized Egypt unawares, in a time of profound peace with the Porte; the un principled commander in chief, Buonaparte, issued his memorable Maho metan proclamation, on landing, to conciliate the minds of the inhabitants; which for barefaced hypocrisy and stupendous blasphemy stands unrivalled in the annals of History, furnishing an awful and deplorable instance of the public and avowed apostacy of the rulers of France, in the following passages: 66 IN THE NAME OF GOD, GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL, THERE IS NO GOD, BUT GOD. HE HAS NO SON, or ASSOCIATE IN HIS KINGDOM!!!" "Inhabitants of Egypt, "When the Beys tell you the French are come to destroy your religion, believe them not; it is an absolute falsehood. Answer these deceivers, that they are only come to rescue the rights of the poor from the hands of their tyrants; and that the French adore the SUPREME BEING, and honour the prophet (Mahomet) and his holy Koran. "The French are TRUE MUSSULMEN. Not long since they marched to Rome, and overthrew the throne of the Popes, who excited the Chris tians against the professors of Islamism:alterwards they directed their course to Malta, and drove out the unbelievers, who imagined they were appointed by GOD to make war on the Mussulmen. "The French have at all times been the true and sincere friends of the Ottoman empire, and the enemies of their enemies. 66 May THE SUPREME GOD make the glory of the Sultan of the Ottomans eternal; and pour forth his wrath upon the Mameloucs; and render glorious the destiny of the Egyptian nation." N. B. See the proclamation at length, in the Appendix, No. 1, of the intercepted correspondence of the French army in Egypt; and some strictures thereon, in the IRISH PURSUITS OF LITERATURE, art. Monstrous Republic, p. 22. and in the INSPECTOR, p. 31-39. Surely these frightful examples are abundantly sufficient to prove, that the infidel power of Antichrist, has been fabricated by the Mahometan, or "the second wild beast" in its last stage; and that it is truly "the image of the first wild beast, whose deadly wound was healed," or of the papal power of Antichrist, its prototype; which it so strongly resembles, in blasphemy, hypocrisy, and persecution. Instat terribilis vivis, morientibus hæres, Sævis opus est et fortibus Umbris ; IPSA FACIT MANES: Hominum mors omnis in usu est. "Terrible she asaults the living, is heir to the dying; Lucan. There is no respite: when pillage fails, then lust succeeds; With Sword unsheathed Ruthless and potent spirits, the work requires: |