Fourthly, The glorious holy mountain is faid to be" between the feas," which admits of an obvious meaning, if taken literally; but appears to me abfolutely inexplicable, if taken figuratively. I conclude, therefore, that the blafphemous king is the perfon whom the prophet has in view; that his entering the glorious land, and placing the tabernacles of his palace in the holy mountain, are expreffions to be taken literally; which certainly imply his refidence in the land of Judea, in the city of Jerufalem.

The prophet Jeremiah had given a fimilar account before Daniel. The account of the former, when viewed by itself, is obscure, but when illuftrated by the latter, we discover the fame circumftances, related of the fame perfon, and at the fame time. "Behold, he fhall 66 come up like a lion from the fwelling of Jor"dan, against the habitation of the ftrong : "but I will fuddenly make him run away from "her; and who is a chofen man that I may "appoint over her? for who is like me? and "who will appoint me the time? and who is "that fhepherd that will ftand before me ?" Jer. xlix. 19. The perfon here spoken of is the king of Edom, that is of fpiritual Babylon, (see page 46.), as a lion lodging in the thickets, on the banks of Jordan, is forcibly driven from his habitation, by the overflowing of the river,

fo he fhall be forcibly expelled from his first refidence, by the king of the north coming againft him as an overflowing flood. In confequence of this expulfion, he fhall come up" against the "habitation of the ftrong;" a term more applicable to the city of Jerufalem, than any other place upon earth, being ftrongly fortified by nature and art, the refidence formerly of heroes, and the city where the Almighty "placed his

ડ

name," and in a peculiar manner dwelt; whereas he flatters himself with a lafting refidence in that city. God informs the prophet, "I will fuddenly make him run away from "her," intimating, that God himself would interpofe, and make his refidence there fhort, when compared with the time he continued in his former habitation.

To eftablish the truth

of this declaration, he intimates, that he hath ordained the inftruments, and appointed the time, and that no human power may contend with his.

The time when the king of Edom comes up against the habitation of the strong, is after the place of his former refidence is reduced to a ftate fimilar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, as we learn from the preceding verfe, "As in the over"throw of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the

"man fhall abide there, neither fhall a fon of "man dwell in it."

The fame expreffions, including the fame circumftances, are repeated, chap, 1. 40. 44. and applied to the king of Babylon, to intimate that the kings of Edom and Babylon, literally taken, are not intended, but a perfon in whom the characters of both, namely, cruelty and idolatry, unite.

II. Another ground of this opinion, is the connexion betwixt the fixth and feventh vials. The fixth vial reprefents the conversion of the Jews, as we have already seen, p. 73. The converted Jews, are the perfons who go down to Armageddon at the feventh vial, and by whom the beaft and falfe prophet are finally destroyed, Rev. xiv. 20. Yea, upon their conversion, he and his followers are feized with a horrible dread, apprehending fuch an event. Now, upon the fuppofition of his refidence in Europe, the reafon of this apprehenfion does not appear, nor is it probable either that they would meditate an expedition against him, or that he, in the declining state of his own affairs, should form a crufade against them. But his refidence in Judea clears up these things, which appear obfcure in the narrative. It fhews the parties brought into contact, by the providence of God,

previous

previous to the decifive victory. The converfion of the Jews implies their restoration to the promised land; and their restoration implies the deftruction of the poffeffors of that land. Hence the horrible confternation with which the beaft and his followers are feized, upon their converfion; and hence the extraordinary preparation for war, by which earth and hell are moved for their defence, Rev. xvi. 13, 14.

III. The ftate of the world, (reprefented in the prophecies), at the period the beast takes up his refidence in Judea, fhews the high probability of fuch an event, though it had not been fo clearly revealed.

The Ottoman empire was diffolved immediately before the feventh trumpet founded, about eighteen years before the deftruction of Rome. The unfettled ftate of affairs, which naturally follows the diffolution of a great empire, affords an opportunity to adventurous spirits, to feize upon the provinces. We have a striking example of this in the rapid division of power and territory among the fucceffors of Alexander the Great, when the unity of his empire was disfolved.

There is at prefent, and in all probability there will be, at the period specified in the prophecy, a party of the Latin church refident in Judea. They are of all the other sects that in

habit Jerufalem, the most powerful. It is probable, that when they hear of the deftruction of Rome, they will elect one of their own number to be head of the Latin church, well knowing how much the head of their church was indebted all along to the blind veneration which the inhabitants of the Roman empire had for the city of his refidence; knowing likewise, that Jerufalem is the only place on earth which, in refpect to the veneration due to it, may vie with Rome; being acknowledged by Christians of all parties to be the mother-church. Now, if fuch a head is elected, and acknowledged by the Catholic party, the prophetic defcription is fully vindicated, though the Pope and the College of Cardinals were exterminated in the deftruction of Rome.

IV. The circumftances which accompany the converfion of the Jews, and the arguments which prove the place of Armageddon to be Judea, put the refidence of the beaft at that time in Judea, beyond a doubt. But to prevent a repetition, I shall refer the illuftration of this argument to the detail of these circumftances, in their proper place and order.

When the Papal fovereignty is erected in Judea, its influence fhall spread rapidly and extensively in the benighted regions of Afia. We