follows, that the Greek which was spoken in the Apostolic age, must be that in which the Beast is numbered. To complete the evidence for the possessive Λατίνος, this word was that which was used by Plutarch, who lived between A. D. 50, and A. D. 120, (and consequently was contemporary with St. John,) as may be seen in the following examples: Τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ὀνομάτων τότε μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν τοῖς Λατίνοις ἀνακεκραμένων, * "Greek words being mixed with Latin at that time, rather than in the present age.” Τὰς καλεμένας Λατίνας ἑορτὰς, † “ the Latin feasts so called." Before I close this chapter it will be proper to notice the very striking peculiarity of this number. There is no other kingdom but that of the Latins which contains it, that I have been able to discover. There are, indeed, hundreds of nations not noticed in the preceding Tables, because I was not able to find their national possessives; and several of those directly denominated kingdoms I have been obliged to omit on the same account, such as the kingdom τῶν Δρυόπων, of the Dryopes; τῶν Σικανῶν, of the Sicani ; τῶν Σεγεςανῶν, of the Segestani ; τῶν Σογδιανῶν, of the Sogdiani ; τῶν Ὀσροηνῶν, of the Osroeni; τῶν Οὐαρνῶν, of the Varni; τῶν Ματέων, of the Matei; τῶν Παφίων, of the Paphians; τῶν Λυγκηςῶν, of the Lyncestæ; τῶν Ὀδρυσῶν, οἱ * See his Lives, Vol. I. p. 139, Edit, Lond. 1729. † Ibid. p. 289. the Odrysi; τῶν ̓Ασπληδονιῶν, of the Aspledonii; τῶν Ραεσίων, of the Ragusans; τῶν Αἰζειῶν, of the Æzei; τῶν Λυκαονῶν, of the Lycaonians; τῶν Καινιτῶν, οι Κενινητῶν, of the Cæninensians; τῶν Κυρι τῶν, of the Quirites ; τῶν Κλεσινῶν, of the Clusini; τῶν Μυκηνῶν, of the Mycenæ; * τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, οἱ the Israelites; τῶν Ἐρεχθειδῶν, of the Erechthidæ ; τῶν Μακκαβαϊκῶν, of the Maccabees; τῶν Βερεγεν δῶν, οι τῶν Βεργενζιόνων, of the Burgundians; τῶν Ούγγρων, οι τῶν Οὐγγάρων, of the Hungarians; τοῦ Περγάμε, of Pergamus; τῶν Ροτόλων, of the Rutuli; τῶν Κλεσίων, of the Clusii; τῶν Τεγεατῶν, of the Tegeates, &c. &c. † But there is a peculiarity in the Latin kingdom which does not obtain in some of the others. Only one kingdom appears to contain 666; but several other kingdoms have similar numbers, such as Ἡ ̓Αραβικὴ βασιλεία, the Arabian empire, and H Γραϊκὴ βασιλεία, the Greek empire, both which contain the number 409; Ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ βασιλεία, the. Greek empire, and Ἡ ̓Αλεμανικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Alemans, both containing 428; Ἡ ̓Αλανὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Alans, and H Μηδικὴ βασιλεία, the empire of the Medes, both containing 357; Ἡ ̓ Αμβρακιακὴ βασιλεία, the king * If Μυκηναῖος be an adjective, which I rather think may be proved, then Ἡ Μυκηναῖος βασιλεία, οι Ἡ Μυκηναῖα βασιλεία, will contain 1066 or 797. + The nations mentioned by Strabo, for which there are no possessives, amount to several hundreds. See his Geography passim. racia, and Ἡ Νομαδική βασιλεία, the the Numidians, both containing 470; κὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Ambracia, Ἡ Σαμιακὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Samos, and Ἡ Σθλαβικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Sclavi, all three containing 547; Ἡ ̓Αλανικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Alans; and Ἡ ̓Αργεία βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Argives, both containing 387; Ἡ ̓Αργολικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Argolis, Ἡ ̓Αῤῥαβικὴ βασιλεία, the Arabian empire, and Ἡ Λακεδαιμόνια βασιλεία, the kingdom of Lacedæmon, all three containing 509; Ἡ ̓Αρκαδιακή βασιλεία, the kingdom of Arcadia, and Ἡ Θρηικιὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Thrace, both containing 432; Ἡ ̓Αττικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Attica, Ἡ Κυπριακὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of Cyprus, and Ἡ Σαμνιτικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Samnites, all three containing 906; Ἡ ̓Αχαϊκὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Grecians, and Ἡ Ἰσιγοτ θικὴ βασιλεία, the kingdom of the Visigoths, both containing 907; &c. &c. Having thus demonstrated that 666 is a distinguishing character of the Beast from an inexpugnable body of evidence; it will now be necessary to examine whether the description of the Beast corresponds exactly with the history of the Latin empire; and that it does, even in the minutest tittle, will I trust be fully evident to every person who carefully examines the contents of the following chapters. : CHAP. V. Exposition of the twelfth Chapter of the Revelation, respecting the Woman and the Dragon. Ir may seem strange, at first sight, that I should here leave the general subject of this work, and make a digression upon the twelfth, chapter of the Revelation; but the reader's surprise will immediately vanish, when he is informed, that the proper understanding of the Beast is so intimately connected with that of the Dragon, that they cannot be satisfactorily explained independently of each other. In fact, a great portion of the chapter now under consideration has been generally misunderstood; and this has arisen principally from supposing that the heads of the Dragon and the Beast were the same; a supposition which will in the following pages be proved to be without foundation. St. John commences his prophecy of the Woman and Dragon with the following words: "There appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman cloathed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." That the Woman here represents the true church of Christ, most commentators that I have read, are agreed; and it will be further illustrated by the K passages in the 19th and 21st chapters of the Revelation, where the pure church of Christ is evidently represented by a woman. In the first a great multitude are represented as saying, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him : for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." In the second, an angel talks with St. John, saying, "Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." But that the Christian church is meant will appear also from her being "cloathed with the sun," a fine emblem of Jesus Christ, the, sun of righteousness, the light and glory of the church. The woman has also "the moon under her feet." Bishop Newton understands this of the Jewish new moons and festi, vals: and indeed, the Mosaic system of rites and ceremonies could not have been better represented; for they were the "shadow of good things to come." The moon is the less light, and derives all its illu mination from the sun; in like manner the Jewish economy possesses a portion of the glorious light of the Gospel. At the rising of the sun the lunar light is no longer necessary, as the sun which enlightens her, shines full upon the earth; and exactly in the same way has the whole Jewish system of types and shadows been superseded, and rendered unnecessary by the birth, life, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension, of Jesus Christ. * Upon the head of the woman is also a crown of twelve stars, a very significant representation of the twelve apos * See Kershaw on the Revelation, Vol. II. p. 142. |