The first beaft, or the Babylonian or Af fyrian Empire, is reprefented "like a lion with eagle's wings," "the wings whereof were plucked" at the time of the delivery of this Prophecy in the reign of Belfhazzar, for the Medes and Perfians were then encroaching upon it.

The fecond beaft, or the Medo-Perfian Empire, is " "like to a bear, and it raised itfelf up on one fide, and it had three ribs (or tufks) in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it; and they faid unto it, Arife, de vour much flesh."

It is well known that the Perfians foon " raised themselves up" above the Medes, and that they were remarkable for cruelty and oppreffion. The three ribs (or tusks) in the teeth of this voracious animal, are fuppofed to be the kingdoms of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which greatly strengthened the Empire, but which were dreadfully oppreffed by it,

The third beast, or the Grecian Empire, is "like a leopard, which had upon the back

See Bp. Chandler, and Sir I. Newton.

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of it four wings of a fowl; the beaft had alfo four heads." The leopard is a spotted animal, and remarkable for its swiftness, and is therefore a striking emblem of the different manners of the nations whom Alexander commanded, and of the rapidity of his conquefts. Some think the four wings are defigned for Affyria, Media, Perfia, and Grecia -others, Perfia, Greece, Egypt, and India, as well as to denote peculiar fwiftnefs. The four heads are evidently the four kingdoms, into which the Empire was divided after the death of Alexander, becaufe the four horns of the he-goat are thus explained by the angel. And dominion was given to it," fheweth," as Jerome faith, “that it was not owing to the fortitude of Alexander, but proceeded from the will of the Lord"-" and indeed unless he had been thus affifted, how could he in fo fhort a time have brought all the countries, from Greece as far as India, into fubjection"?”

The fourth beast, or the Roman Empire in all its ftates, "is dreadful and terrible, and ftrong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth," "and nails of brafs,"" it devoured

and brake in pieces, and stamped the refidue with the feet of it; and it was divers from

all the beafts that were before it, and it had ten horns." This beaft was fo great and horrible, that no name was found for it-it had no fimilitude to any known beaft. The Roman Empire was of a different nature and conftitution of government from all the former kingdoms; and the length of its duration, and the variety of forms it was to affume, would scarcely admit of its being called by any particular name fufficiently defcriptive. -"The ten horns" of this beaft correspond with the "ten toes" of the image; and the nails of bras" denote the long continuance of fome fort of connexion between the Roman and the Grecian Empires; or rather, I apprehend, that the Roman Empire fhould in part exert itself under the name of a Grecian power: and this was in fact the cafe, when the Roman Empire was divided, if not when Constantinople became the capital.

Thus far the Monarch's dream and the Prophet's vifion exactly agree. But another fubject is now introduced before the folemn mention of the time when all these thrones were to be caft down," and "dominion and

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glory, and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages should serve him, were to be given to the Son of man, for an everlasting dominion d." a conclufion as exactly fimilar to the conclufion of the dream.

While Daniel was contemplating "the ten horns, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the firft horns plucked up by the roots and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." Daniel was greatly disturbed by this vifion, and anxiously enquiring into its meaning, the angel anfwered, "Thefe great beafts, which are four, are four kings (or kingdoms), which fhall arife out of the earth" (or as it should be tranflated in or upon the earth-Daniel had feen these beasts fymbolically arife from the fea; the angel fpeaks of them now in plain language as empires) "but the faints of the Moft High shall take the kingdom, and poffefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."- Still was he anxious for a more particular explanation of the fourth beast, which was "fo exceeding dreadful," "and of the ten horns that were

a Daniel vii. 14.

in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake

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very great things, whofe look was more ftout than his fellows."-" I beheld," fays the "I Prophet, whofe attention feems to have been fixed upon this object of the vifion, and the fame horn made war with the faints, and prevailed against them; until the Antient of days came, and judgment was given to the faints of the Most High; and the time came that the faints poffeffed the kingdom.” And the angel thus anfwers his repeated enquiries; "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be divers from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and fhall tread it down and break it to pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings (or kingdoms) that shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and shall be divers from the first, and he shall fubdue three kings. And he shall fpeak great words against the most High, and fhall wear out the faints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.