in their foreheads, and the confirmation, or token of fellowship, by the right hand. These marks bring them into full fellowship and communion with the great body of the Roman Church, and were both established by a law of the Roman Church.

17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

No man, during the reign of Papacy, where the laws of Papacy were supreme, could buy or sell, or use any lawful trade, except such as were initiated into the Roman church, had a name in this Roman church or kingdom, and were numbered with the multitude in the great association of this blasphemous power.

18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.

Here it is necessary that the reader should exercise the wisdom given to us of God in his word, and by comparing Scripture with Scripture, get an understanding of,

1. What is the meaning of the beast in this text?

1

2. What it is to number the beast? 3. What is the number of a man?

4. To understand the number given, and apply it to the beast.

1. It cannot mean the Papal kingdom; for that is an image of this beast. Then if we can learn what Papacy is the image of, we shall have a clue to an understanding of the beast. It is a beast which existed before Papacy did, or how could Papacy be made in its likeness or image See 12th verse. Now compare Rev. xiii. 1, with Rev. xii. 3, 4, and xvii. 1-7; also with Daniel vii. 7, 8, 23, 24; which shows plainly that it is the 4th, or Roman kingdom, and a blasphemous, bloody, persecuting power. Then it is a plain matter of fact, that it is a full and clear description of Rome Pagan.

2. What may we understand by numbering this kingdom? I answer, it is to finish, or take it away. See a sample in the first of the four kingdoms-Babylon. Read Daniel v. 26, 30. To number, then, is to finish or take away. Compare Daniel xi. 31, and xii. 11, with 2 Thess. ii. 7.

3. What is the number of á man? It is the number of his days, or the years of his life. See Psalm xc. 12; Job x. 5; xiv. 5, 6, 14; xvi. 22. See margin, years of number. The number of the years of the Roman kingdom under its first blasphemous head of

Paganism, was six hundred sixty-six years, beginning B. C. 158, and ending 508 A.D. it being 666 years that Pagan Rome reigned as the supreme power over the earth, and was that bloody, that bloody, persecuting power over the people of God, which destroyed the city and sanctuary, and trod down the holy people, until its power was taken away, to make room for the imagebeast of Papacy, which reigned supreme forty-two months or twelve hundred and sixty years.

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.

REV. xvii. 1. And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.

In this chapter, John, by the angel, is shown the character and judgment of the great false Church of Rome, which sitteth on many people, multitudes, nations and tongues. See explanation, in the 15th ver., of the waters.

2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth

have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

With this false Church of Rome, the Kings of Rome have committed fornication. They have united their civil with her ecclesiastical power, and thereby produced a blood-thirsty and a supreme monster of iniquity, which has made the inhabitants of the earth giddy with ignorance, superstition and bigotry, and caused them to have fellowship with this monster of iniquity, in the union of church and state; worshiping according to the laws of the abomination that maketh desolate.

3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

John was carried away in his spirit, into the then future desolations of the Roman earth, when the Emperors of Rome would lose their power in the desolations of the empire by the barbarian Kings. These conquered the empire, and afterwards gave their power to the false, bloody church of Rome, which received her power, seat and great authority from the Emperor Justinian, and her homage from the ten kings.

4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet-color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

The raiment and splendor, with the riches of this false Church, is literally fulfilled in the dress and pomp and show of the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Legates and Priests of the Roman Catholic Church. The golden cup in her hand, is the political bait she holds out to all nations. In a republic she can be a great republican; and in a kingdom, a flaming royalist. Her golden cup is held out to all sorts of governments, so that if possible by false pretences, plighted faith and broken vows, she may obtain her object— power over all. These political movements of Priests and Jesuits are too well known to need any more description of her abominations, filthiness and fornication with the governments of earth.

5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

In the very front of this false Church is her public profession-MYSTERY-written. She claims the single and sole power of explaining the mysteries of God's word; and forbids any of her liege subjects from read