be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the defire of women, nor regard any god: for he fhall magnify himself above all. But in his eftate fhall he honour. the God of forces; and a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and filver, and with precious ftones, and. pleafant things. Thus fhall he do in the most strong holds with a strange God, whom he fhall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he fhall cause them to rule over many, and fhall divide the land for gain. And at. the time of the end fhall the king of the fouth push at him: and the king of the north fhall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horfemen, and with many fhips; and he shall enter into the countries, and fhall overflow and. pass over. He shall enter alfo into the glo rious land, and many countries fhall be overthrown: but these fhall efcape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He fhall ftretch. forth his hand alfo upon the countries: and the land of Egypt fhall not efcape. But her shall have power over the treasures of gold and of filver, and over all the precious things, of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians. fhall be at his fteps. But tidings out of the

east

eaft and out of the north fhall trouble him: therefore he fhall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palaces between the feas, in the glorious holy mountain; yet he fhall come to his end, and none shall help him."

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which ftandeth for the children of thy people: and there fhall be a time of trouble, fuch as never was fince there was a nation even to that fame time: and at that time thy people fhall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth fhall awake, fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wife fhall fhine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." The application of this Prophecy to the Papal Antichrift to the conquefts of the Saracen king of the fouth, and the Turkish king of the north, over the holy land and many other countries-the escape of Arabia, and the subjection of Egypt and Barbary have been clearly, I had almost faid indisputably, established by many

learned

learned Commentators.

But how far this Prophecy may be confidered as a double type of Antichrift, and how much may be fuppofed to be yet future, are queftions that can only be decided by a careful comparison with other Prophecies refpecting the fame period, and by the course of events which time shall bring to light. Mr. Wintle's tranflation gives a more clear view of what I confider as the primary object of this Prophecy, than the common one; I shall therefore beg leave to state it, with a few observations connected with the leading ideas of this chapter.

"For ftill, for an appointed time, a (or the) king fhall even act according to his will, and shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and against the God of gods fhall he speak marvellously, and shall profper until the completion of the indignation: for the decifion is made."

This "king" is conftantly allowed to mean Antichrist, who fhall poffefs himself of the Roman power of which the angel has been fpeaking, and affume defpotic authority both in civil and religious matters, and fhall occafionally exalt himfelf above all laws human

VOL. I.

A a

and

and divine. Yet it fhall profper till the indignation fhall be completed; that is, probably till the days of vengeance against the Jews fhall be accomplished h, and the fulness of the Gentiles fhall be come in;" for till then "the witneffes are to prophefy in fackcloth ;" or the church is to remain in a state of suffering and trial." Alfo to the gods of his fathers fhall he not attend." This power, though not a faithful worshipper of the true God, shall pay no attention to the polytheism of his Roman ancestors he fhall not attend either to the established Chriftian religion, but fhall corrupt it with his own vitiated mixtures; nor to the defire of women, nor to any god fhall he attend, but shall magnify himself above all." "The defire of women" is interpreted by Mr. Mede and Bishop Newton, as relating to the conjugal ftate, or the defire or affection for wives and feems to be placed in this defcription of Antichrift, not merely as a striking feature of Monkish and Papal inftitutions, but to diftinguish this power from the Mahometan horn defcribed in the former vifion.-A dif regard to the holy inftitution of marriage is indeed ftrikingly applicable to both Popery

h Wintle and Mede,

and

and Infidelity—but not to Mahometanism, where it is held in high eftimation, according to antient customs and eastern manners— "Yet near to God, in his stead shall he honour Mahuzzim [or God's protectors] even near the God whom his FATHERS [the antient Romans] knew not, fhall he do honour, with gold and with filver, and with precious: ftones, and with the most defirable things. And he fhall provide for fortreffes of Mahuzzim, together with God, whom he shall certainly honour, and cause them to have dominion over many; for the land will he diftribute at a price. But at the time of the end, a king of the fouth shall push at him also a king of the north fhall tempestuously rufh upon him with chariots and with horfemen, and with a large fleet, and shall enter into the countries, and fhall overflow and pafs through. He fhall enter alfo into the land of glory, and though many shall be ruined, there fhall efcape out of his hand. Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the Ammonites. Yet when he fhall extend his power over the countries, the land of Egypt

;

i For the application of this most accurate description of the Papal power of Antichrift, I refer the Reader to the following Chapter upon that subject.