rupting will—“the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”
Having thus seen her in her active will, in her connection with the will of others, and her end in wealth and fatness, the announcement of her fall as a corporate system is declared.
principles of Babylon were manifested in her,—not royal power. Though Babylon was the beginning of his power in whom royal power was first displayed, yet it was specially what the confederate will of man had done; its first form was confederate will in independence of God. This is shewn in the character which constituted the whore, yet had its development by her corruption and fornication: and the effects of this are supplanted by another confederacy, which is not only apostasy, as all human will apart from God is, but active war against God’s king, the Lamb. As to the ten kings, I would here also notice, what, not being the direct subject of the book, I have not noticed hitherto.—It appears to me a mistake to include the Grecian or Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the ten kings or direct power of the beast, though he may seek to possess himself of it, as his dominion, and in a measure may do so. The little book of the eleventh chapter takes up the beast in his last satanic character, in order to complete the scene of the final catastrophe and woe; but the two first woes seem to me to embrace the Eastern or Grecian part of the great scene of the prophetic earth. When we come to the geographical divisions and actings at the close (for all are aware that the catastrophe of all the powers of the earth, is in the east, in Judea), then the king of the north and the king of the south seem to me to occupy the Grecian part, not the ten kings, though the beast may be seeking to possess himself, as of old, of their territory, and may in part succeed. I allude here to Daniel xi, as may be readily seen.
