and of doubting, our sins against our own knowledge, and against our yows, and purposes, and promises of better obedience; we have greatly dishonoured thy glorious name, and grieved thy Holy Spirit, and weakened thy graces more and more in us, and have justly exposed ourselves

to thy eternal curse.

"Even at this time, Holy Father, in the midst of thy temple, we.come before thee clogged with so many imperfections, that if thou shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amiss, the best of us were never able to abide it. It is of thine infinite mercy that we are not consumed; and therefore do we live to put up this poor imperfect prayer to thee, because thy compassions fail not.

"But, O God, though in ourselves we be miserable, and weak, and forlorn, suffer us to cast up our eyes to the hills, from whence cometh our help, to importune thee by the gracious name of Father, and to entreat thee for the merits of the Son of thy love, to be merciful to us. Remember thine own promise, that if we confess our sins, and leave them, and come to thee in the son of thy love, we shall find mercy. Lord, we renounce our for'mer sins; it grieves us that we can be no more sorry for the same. By the blessed assistance of thy Holy Spirit, we hope to live more conscionably for the time to come.

"And we come to thee for Christ's sake, desiring thee to speak peace to our souls through his blood; bury all our sins in his grave, that they may never rise up in this world (to shamne us and to be a reproach unto us, to terrify our consciences to desperation, to intercept thy blessings or our prayers) or in the world to come everlastingly to condemn us.

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And because the foundation of all our comfort stands in the assurance of this, Lord, multiply to every one of our souls the blessed evidences of this thy reconciliation. Send the Holy Spirit of thy son into every one of our hearts, to renew us to that glorious image of thine from whence we are fallen, and that may work every saving grace in us; true faith in thy promises, that though thou kill us, we may trust in thee; resolution in all good causes; fear and reverence of thy glorious majesty; a groaning and daily mourning under our own imperfections, that ever we offended so CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 25.

good a God, and so gracious a Father; a good use-making of all thy afflictions and chastisements upon others. And teach every one of us, upon whom these days of our peace, and prosperity, and health, are renewed (who know not how soon we may be drawn to a reckoning) to prepare ourselves, that whensoever thou shalt come near us, either by thy general, or more particular judgments, we may be able to stand in the day of our visitation.

"And because thou of thine infinite wisdom hast set apart the ministry of thy word to fit us for that time, Lord, bless it at all times, and at this time;-enable me that am to speak it, the most unworthy of all the sons of Levi: Lord, cover all my sins and manifold imperfections, in that mercy of thine that hath no measure; and be pleased so to assist me by thy more particular help, that I may deliver thy word boldly, truly, feelingly, and sincerely. Circumcise the hearts and ears of this people, that they may hear attentively, treasure it up in their hearts carefully, and bring forth the fruits in their lives and conversations, conscionably, to thy glory, and the assurance of their own salvation in the day of Jesus Christ. To whom with thee, O Father, and thy blessed Spirit, be ascribed, as due is, all honour, and glory, both now, and for evermore. Amen."

VIATOR.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

I HAVE paid diligent attention to "the observations" of your correspondent, G. S. F. " on the concluding part of the last prophecy of Daniel. I admired the modesty, with which he expressed himself on a subject of so great importance, and of so delicate a nature; and I rejoiced that you afforded to his communication so ready an admission. That gentleman, however, of whose pious researches truth is evidently the object, will pardon me if I differ from him in my sentiments on some points, and candidly explain the grounds of such difference.

I will admit, that "in the 35th verse of the eleventh chapter the reformation is noticed;" and that "in the 36th, 37th, 38th, and 39th, the corruptions of popery are described."

C

But he seems, in the subsequent part of his interpretation, to have been previously biassed by a desire of making the character and conduct of Bonaparte to correspond with the enigmatical history of the king of the North; and yet, with an ingenuousness that does him honour, he occasionally discovers a tacit suspicion of his being misled in his judgment.

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He has undoubtedly read what Bishop Newton has written on the subject of this chapter, which has always appeared to me to be, on the whole, very judicious and satisfactory. Dean Prideaux's explanation likewise very nearly coincides with that of his lordship. It is evident from a comparison of history with the sacred prophecy, that the rough goat, the king of Græcia (chap. viii. 5. 21.) having a great horn between his eyes," signifies the Macedonian king dom or empire under the reign of Alexander the Great; that, some time after his decease, his empire was divided by his chief captains into four parts or kingdoms, ver. 8. which are said, ver. 22. to have "stood up out of the nation, but not in his power;" because they were, each of them, debilitated by the partition." Ptolemy," says Prideaux, in his immortal work of THE CONNECTION, "had Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Calo-Syria, and Palestine; Cassander, Macedon, and Greece; Lysimachus, Thrace, Bithynia, and some other of the provinces beyond the Hellespont; and Seleucus, all the rest. And these were the four horns of the he-goat,' mentioned in chap. viii. 8. which "came up after the great horn was broken." In ver. 23, 24, 25, is mentioned "6 a king of fierce countenance," &c. who should destroy the "mighty, and the holy people," the Jews," and stand up against the prince of princes." This seems to have been Antiochus Epiphanes, or Epimanes, the same with the little horn, ver. 9. and probably a type of Antichrist.

"The fourth king of Persia," chap. xi. 2. (for the history, that is contained in this chapter, must be connected with the 25th verse of the eighth) is the great Xerxes, whose military and naval expedition into Greece, Herodotus has detailed with so magnificent pomp and elaborate precision, in his seventh book; and whose ambitious projects terminated in a most

"the

ignominious defeat, and eventually in the total subversion of his kingdom. The mighty king," ver. 3. is Alexander the Great. And by king of the south," ver. 5. we are to understand, him who came into possession of the southern division of Alexander's empire; viz. Ptolemy, son of Lagus, king of Egypt. "And, the king of the south," it is said, ver. 5. shall be strong, and one of his," Alexander's “princes," viz. Secus Nicanor; "and he," Seleucus, shall be strong" above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion." For the kingdom of Seleucus at length swallowed up those of Cassander in Greece, and of Lysimachus in Thrace. This explains the reason why in this chapter no mention is made but of two of the four kings; and why the king of Syria is called the king of the north, and the king of Egypt, the king of the south. For both these," says Prideaux, "are so called in respect of Judæa; which, lying between these two countries, hath Egypt on the south, and Syria on the north." So that the whole kingdom of Alexander is now to be considered as comprehended in these two, viz. the line of the Seleucidæ in the north, and of the Lagida in the south.

These brief remarks are sufficient to lead us on to the consideration of the fortieth verse; where by "the king of the south" are designated the Saracens, who came from Arabia, and who, under the conduct of their false prophet Mohammed and his successors, pushed at him," the Greek emperor, Heraclius, sorely wounding the Greek empire in the east, and depriving Heraclius of Egypt and many of his finest provinces; " and the king of the north," the Turks who were originally sprung from the Scythians, "shall come against him, and shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over," shall at length totally overthrow and subdue them; which finally came to pass, when they took possession of Constantinople under their leader Mohammed the second, A. C. 1453.

Ver. 41. "And he," the Turks or Ottomans, under the Sultan Selim, "shall enter also into," and take possession of, "the glorious" or holy

land; andmany countries," Aleppo, Damascus, Gaza, and others, "shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and

October last, some observations on the restoration of the Jews, and the great northern king mentioned by Daniel, I shall make no apology for troubling you with a few more thoughts on the same subject, which have since occurred to me.

Every biblical student must have been struck with the wonderful correspondence of the several prophetic writings, although composed at periods very remote from each other. This correspondence is, perhaps, in no instance more observable, than in the predictions respecting the restoration of the Jews. It is uniformly asserted, that they should return to their own land in a time of trouble and political confusion, and that they should be attacked in the region of Palestine by some great northern power, who was destined to perish between the Asphaltite Lake and the Mediterranean Sea. It appears, moreover, that Egypt should then act a conspicuous part in the great drama of nations, and that christianity should mightily spread and prevail. I have already, in my last paper, mentioned the prophetic history of these events as defailed by Daniel, Ezekiel, and St. John; the same history is likewise given by Joel. In his second chapter, he speaks of a fierce and cruel people who should attack Judea, spreading desolation before them. This people he afterwards denominates the northern army, and predicts that it should perish between the east sea and the utmost sea, or, in other words, between the Asphaltite Lake and the Mediterranean. All this, he asserts, should happen "in those days and in that time, when the Lord should bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem." Chap. iii. ver. 1. The same northern invasion is alluded to, I apprehend, by Jeremiah, "Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land; for, lo! I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering in of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah." Jer. i. 14, 15.

It appears, as I have observed, from Daniel, that the northern prince should not only attack Judea, but also the land of Egypt; and that this should happen about the period of the

restoration of Israel. The same events, I apprehend, are predicted in the nineteenth chapter of Isaiah. The learned Bishop Horsley hath shewn, that the eighteenth chapter of that prophet describes the restoration of the Jews by the then prevailing maritime power. I am much inclined to think, that the 19th chapter is a continuation of the prediction contained in the eighteenth. It is styled the burden of Egypt, and commences with describing a bloody civil war in that country; the consequence of which should be, that its inhabitants should be subjected to a cruel lord and a fierce king. The prophecy further represents the artificial canals of the Delta as much neglected, and no longer answering the purposes for which they were originally intended. It next points out to us the promulgation of christianity in Egypt, or, at least, in five of its cities; and foretells, that when the Egyptians should cry unto the Lord, he should send them a Saviour, and a great one to deliver them; whereupon they should be converted to the worship of the true God, and be spiritually healed by him. The chapter concludes with exhibiting to our view Israel in quiet possession of their own land, (whither they had been brought by the great maritime people,) and Egypt and Assyria (the present Persia) converted to christianity. "The Egyptians shall serve (Heb. 172 meaning, I suppose, religious service) with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land. Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.”

The cruel lord and fierce king here mentioned, seems to be the same as the northern prince of Daniel, inasmuch as they are both equally described as invading Egypt at the very time of the restoration of the Jews. The Saviour and the great one, who should deliver them, and convert them to the worship of God, appears to me to be our Lord; but whether by the hands of his ministers, or by his own personal appearance, I will not pretend to determine; for the event alone must shew in what sense we are to understand the millennian prophecies. This, however, is cer

tain, that the Lord is uniformly described as overthrowing both the northern invaders and Anti-christ, in a supernatural manner. See Ezek. XXXVI. 22. Dan. xi. 45. Joel ii. 11. and 20. Revel. xix. 21. and xx. 8, 9. Thessal. ii. 8.

With regard both to the northern power and the maritime power, it is too presumptuous at present to determine who they shall be. The age, in which we live, is teeming indeed with great events; nevertheless, as I stated in my last communication, I am far from being clear whether we have a right to consider Buonaparte as the northern prince, who is to inVade Judea and Egypt. I am perfectly aware, that my sentiments, respecting the northern king of Daniel and the burden of Egypt contained in the nineteenth chapter of Isaiah, miItate against the interpretation of Bishop Newton; but there seem to me to be such insuperable objections to his scheme, that I cannot bring myselt to adopt it. He supposes the northern king to be the Turks, on account of their having made themselves masters of Palestine and Egypt; and conjectures, that by Edom, Moab, and Ammon, who were to escape out of his hand, are meant the Arabs, who were never entirely subdued by the Ottoman Sultans. I know not what right we have to adopt this last supposition. Edom, Moab, and Ammon, were a distinct race from Ishmael, and did not inhabit the same country. Edom was situated immediately to the Fast of the Asphaltite lake; and Moab and Ammon, directly north of Edom, between the rivers Jabok and Arnon. Now, though both Arabia Proper, and Arabia Deserta, were never subdued by the Turks; yet, the ancient habitations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon, certainly form part of the Turkish dominions. The king of the north moreover is said to come against the antichristian papal power like a whirlwind, to overflow and to pass over.This however the Turks most assuredly never did, nor was the papacy at any time in danger, from the conquests of that nation. Bishop Newton indeed, most unaccountably changing his ground, applies this part of the prophecy to the destruction of the Greek empire: but Daniel is certainly Bot speaking of that power, but of the king who should honour Mahuzzim, and disregard the desire of women.—

"At the time of the end, shall the king of the south push at him, (viz. the king, whom Daniel last mentioned, that is, the king who honoured Mahuzzim,) and the king of the north shall come against him (meaning still the same person) like a whirlwind, &c." Bishop Newton himself supposes this person to be the Pope; consequently, since the northern king was to overwhelm that person, and since the Turk never so much as even once attacked the Pope, it is evident that the northern king cannot be the Turk. This is further manifest from the consideration, that the attack of the northern king upon the king who honoured Mahuzzim, his invasion of Palestine and Egypt, and his planting the tabernacles of his palaces between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain, were all to be coetaneous with the restoration of the Jews; for the prophet says "at that time shall Michael stand up, &c." Dan. xii.-—1. Eut several centuries have elapsed since the conquests of the Turks; and their empire is now fast declining, while the Jews are still unrestored: consequently, for this reason also, the king of the north cannot be the Turkish monarchy.

I am equally, and for much the same reasons, dissatisfied with Bishop Newton's exposition of the 19th chap. of Isaiah. He supposes the fierce king to be Nebuchadnezzar, and the great one the Saviour, to be Alexander the Macedonian; observing, that in his days many of the Jews were transplanted into Egypt and Assyria, where they worshipped the God of their fathers, and enjoyed great immunities. But surely this is very inadequate to the declaration of the prophet, that Egypt and Assyria should be converted. He is speaking, not of the Jews who might perhaps be the instruments of conversion, but of the Egyptians and Assyrians themselves, when converted: and the almighty could scarcely denominate Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hand, merely because certain Jewish colonists had emigrated into those countries. Of this the Bishop himself appears sensible, for he only ventures to say, that "Israel, Egypt, and Syria, were in some measure united in the same worship" adding afterwards, that the prophecy will receive its most perfect completion, when Christianity shall be planted in