fully describing the rise and fall of various great empires, and of the care himself and Michael the archangel had over the destinies of the Jews. He told him also that from the day Daniel set his heart to understand and to chasten himself, (not by flagellations with a whip, &c. as some fanatics or deceivers have done,) before God, that he had desired to come to him, and to instruct him in a knowledge of future events; but that the prince of the kingdom of Persia, withstood him from doing so, one and twenty days; but lo Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help him.

We wish to notice in particular in this place one expression, as pertinent to the idea of different orders of angels, and this is it"lo Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me." By which we understand that as Michael was one of those chief princes among the angelic orders, that there are also other princes, or it could not have been said with propriety that he was one of them. From which account it appears that we here ascertain certainly three different orders of being; first, the glorious angel, who is particularly described above, and who conversed with Daniel: and second, Michael the archangel, who came to help him against the prince of Persia, an evil angel, who opposed the interests of the Jews in the mind of Cyrus and another angel who is denominated the prince of Grecia, who was to come as soon as this glorious angel, who had communed with Daniel, had gone forth from him.

But why did this evil angel, called the prince of Persia, oppose himself to those other angels, who were favorable to the interests of the Jews? (For this was the case; as appears by the statement of the angel who had conversed with Daniel, who said to him, at last, when he had caused him to know, and to understand fully, why he had visited him, that he would then return to fight with this prince of Persia,) because it is likely he knew that if the Jewish nations could by any means be prevented rebuilding their ruined city walls and temple, and restoring their religion, with all its typical observances and moral influence, which had ceased during their captivity at Babylon; that this people with their religion, would be entirely lost among the pagan nations. By this means, he hoped to prevent the coming of the Messiah into the world; and therefore fought against all impressions made on the mind of Cyrus, the monarch of the Persians, by Michael, Gabriel and other spiritual beings, who favored the Jews in the holy enterprise. And this is what is meant, when it is said that the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood the glorious angel one and twenty days, which was exactly the number of days which Daniel prayed and chastened himself-and what was also meant by his saying, "and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia." It will not do to say, in order to get rid of the being of those spirits, that this prince of Persia