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with each other. For it is manifest, that the king who magnified himself above every god cannot be, as Mr. Kett supposes, a double type of Antichrist, without being secondarily either Mohammedan Turkey, or infidel France : and, let him be which of these two he may, he will be equally confounded with the king of the North, if the king of the North may be either Mohammedan Turkey or infidel France likewise.

With regard to the exposition offered by Bp. Newton, it is liable to a variety of objections.

1. The first, which presents itself to the mind, is, that it makes this last prediction of Daniel very little more than a mere repetition of a former one. Since the prophet had already described the tyranny of the Papacy under the symbol of a little horn, it is scarcely probable that he would resume a subject, which he had viously discussed and dismissed. Yet this superfluous resumption is necessarily supposed by such an exposition.*

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2. The next objection is its want of unity and simplicity. Each of the little horns symbolizes one single and distinct power: whence it is but reasonable to conclude, that the king, mentioned in the last prophecy of Daniel, is one single and distinct power likewise. But the system of Bp. Newton makes him a complex power, exerted first in the empire in general, and afterwards partly in the East, and partly in the West; a sort of compound, in his latter character, of the Greek emperor and the Pope.

* Daniel's frequent recapitulations of the temporal history of the four great empires are, not only not superfluous, but absolutely necessary. The great excellence of his prophcies is, that they are strictly both local and chronological ones. Hence he repeats the substance of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the image in his vision of the four beasts, in order that we may exactly know at what era, and in what empire, to look for the tyranny of the first little born: and hence, in a similar manner, he recapitu lates the history of the second and third empires in his vision of the ram and the he-goaf, in order that we may be able precisely to ascertain the age and country of the second little born. For the same reason, he once more repeats, in his last vision, the history of the second and third empires, and the latter part of the history of the Romans; with a view to conduct us, in a regular chronological series, to the tyranny of the king who regarded not any god. Now, if this king be, in a great measure, the same as the first little born; it is evident, that the last vision must be almost entirely a mere repetition of the vision of the four beasts; (the first of them alone being excluded) not a studied recapitulation of their temporal history, for the purpose of introducing a new character, different from those of which he had treated before. Consequently, upon such a supposition, the last vision will be a complete repetition, not a partial recapitulation

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This system with some. shades of difference has the sanction of the venerable name of Joseph Mede. Mr. Mede includes in the character of the king, not only the Pope together with the Eastern and Western Emperors, but likewise the pagan Roman state from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Such an unwarrantable licence of exposition seems to me to carry along with it its own confutation: for, if a single prophetic character may comprehend so many different persons and things, the application of the different parts of the prediction must be left entirely to the discretion of the commentator. In the prophecy, a certain number of actions are ascribed to one single and distinct power. But, if we inquire what is meant by the king's speaking marvellous things against the God of gods, Mr. Mede informs us, that it alludes to the crucifixion of our Lord by the Romans. If we next inquire, what is intended by the king's doing according to his will, we are taught by Bp. Newton that it relates to a tyrannical power exercised in the Church first by the Christian Emperors before the division of the Empire and afterwards by the Greek Emperors in the East and the Popes in the West. If we again inquire what is meant by the king's magnifying himself above every god, we are referred to the prophecy of the man of sin, and are told that it alludes to the Pope receiving divine honours in the temple of God. If we further inquire what is meant by the king's disregarding the desire of women, we are then carried back to the days of the Emperor Constantine, the rise of monasticism in the East, and its subsequent establishment in the West. If we next inquire what is intended by the king's honouring a foreign deity and certain Mahuzzim or tutelary gods, we are referred to the idolatrous veneration of saints and angels which alike infected the rival churches of Rome and Constantinople. And, if we lastly require an explanation of the wars of the king with the kings of the North and the South, our attention is then entirely diverted from the Church to the State; and we are taught that they refer, not to any actions of the Pope,

* Apostacy of the latter times, Part I. Chap. 16, 17. VOL. I.

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but to the wars of the Eastern Emperor with the Saracens and the Turks.

I cannot but think, that such a mode of exposition as this accords very ill with the definite simplicity, for which the prophecies of Daniel are so remarkable. Instead of treading with confidence upon sure ground, I feel myself bewildered in a succession of rapid changes from pagan Rome to Christian Rome, from the Emperors before the division of the Empire to the Emperors after its division, from the Emperors of Constantinople to the Popes of Rome, from the East to the West and from the West to the East, from the State to the Church and from the Church to the State, from the impious adoration paid to the Roman Pontiff to the struggles of the Constantinopolitan monarch with the Saracens and the Turks.

To this objection it would probably be answered, that the king, like the ten-horned beast, means the whole Roman state; and consequently that the different actions, performed by the different members of that state, are all ascribed to the same king or kingdom.

Such an answer, though perhaps the best that can be given, is to me by no means satisfactory. In the united prophecy of Daniel and St. John relative to the Roman beast, their own proper actions are assigned respectively to his seven heads, his ten horns, and his little horn; so that we are in no danger of mistaking either the actions or the persons of some of his members for either the actions or the persons of others of them :* but, in the prophecy of the king, according to the mode of exposition now under consideration, all is confusion and uncertainty; insomuch that even Mr. Mede and Bp. Newton cannot agree as to the precise period of the Roman history when we are to suppose that the prophecy began to be accomplished; the one conceiving the king to mean the Empire from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and interpreting part of the prophecy to relate to the death of our Lord, the other dating the prophecy only from about the days of Constantine.

* The same remark applies to the double prophecy respecting the Macedonian empire symbolized both by the leopard in one vision and by the be-goat in another. It likewise applies to the prophecy of the Persian ram with two horns.

3. The last and most conclusive objection, which I shall urge, is, that such an exposition cannot be made to accord with the chronological series of events as detailed by Daniel, in regular succession, in this his concluding prophecy.

We have the authority of our Lord for pronouncing, that the abomination of desolation, mentioned in the 31st verse of the 11th chapter, is to be referred to the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans. Of this Bp. Newton is sensible; and therefore very justly applies the two following verses to the pagan persecutions of the primitive Christians. "The Roman magistrates and officers," says he, "it is very well known, made use of the most alluring promises, as well as of the most terrible threatenings, to prevail upon them to renounce their religion, and offer incense to the statues of the emperors and images of the gods. Many were induced to comply with the temptation and apostatized from the faith, as we learn particularly from the famous epistle of Pliny to Trajan: but the true Christians, the people who knew their God, were strong; remained firm to their religion; and gave the most illustrious proofs of the most heroic patience and fortitude. It may too with strictest truth and propriety be said of the primitive Christians, that, being dispersed every where, and preaching the gospel in all the parts of the Roman empire, they instructed many, and gained a great number of proselytes to their religion: yet they fell by the sword, and by Aame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days; for they were exposed to the malice and fury of ten general persecutions, and suffered all manner of injuries, afflictions, and tortures, with little intermission for the space of three hundred years."†

The 34th verset he with equal propriety applies to the days of Constantine. "The most natural way of interpretation," he justly observes, "is to follow the course and series of events. The Church had now laboured

* "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people, that do know their God, shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people, shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.” Ver. 32, 33.

+ Bp. Newton's Dissert. xvii.

"Now, when they fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." Ver. 34.

under long and severe persecutions from the civil powerThe tenth and last general persecution was begun by Diocletian it raged, though not at all times equally, ten years; and was suppressed entirely by Constantine, the first Roman emperor, as it is universally known, who made open profession of Christianity and then the Church was no longer persecuted, but was protected and favoured by the civil power. But still this is called only a little help: because, though it added much to the temporal prosperity, yet it contributed little to the spiritual graces and virtues, of Christians. It enlarged their revenues, and increased their endowments; but proved the fatal means of corrupting the doctrine, and relaxing the discipline, of the Church. It was attended with this peculiar disadvantage, that many clave to them with flatteries. Many became Christians, for the sake of the loaves and the fishes; and pretended to be of the religion, only because it was the religion of the Emperor. Eusebius, who was a contemporary writer, reckons, that one of the reigning vices of the time was the dissimulation and hypocrisy of men fraudulently entering into the Church, and borrowing the name of Christians without the reality."*

Hitherto the Bishop has very clearly explained the meaning of the prophecy: but in his exposition of the 35th verset he has not been equally successful. He supposes, that this passage relates, in the first instance, to the quarrels of the Christians among each other. "The Consubstantialists," says he, " even in the time of Constantine, led the way by excommunicating and banishing the Arians. The latter, under the favour of Constantius and Valens, more than retorted the injury, and were guilty of many horrible outrages and cruelties towards the former." He aftewards applies the passage, in the second instance, to the persecution of the protestants by the papists. "These calamities were to befall the Christians to try them, and purge, and make them white, not only at that time, but even to the time of the

Bp. Newton's Dissert. XVII.

↑ "And some of them of understanding shall fall" (that is, perish)" in purifying them, and in purging them, and in making them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet unto the time appointed." Ver. 85,

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