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Some things highest in popular estimation, shall be reputed as gods. Or some deceased champions of their Infidel order shall, in the impious fancy of their followers, be deified; and perhaps their bones deposited in some temple.

Or, after this Power shall gain national importance, he shall honor military munitions; or pay his first attention to the arts of war; a sense which the term Mozim may bear.

The last part of verse 38th; And a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver and precious stones and pleasant things. Although his fathers' god, and all gods have been rejected; yet a god, or ruler, of foreign descent, shall by and by come to be acknowledged by this power, and honored with the greatest magnificence.

Verse 39th; Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. This infidel Power shall overrun strong holds, and powerful nations, with this foreigner at their head, who shall be received as their supreme ruler, and honored with the highest dignity; and he shall lead them to subdue states and nations; and shall distribute their governments among his favorites, for his own aggrandizement.*

Verse 40th; And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him; and the king of the north shall come against him, like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and After this Power shall have been for a time in existence, trouble shall arrest him from powers here called, the king of the south, and king of the north.

pass over.

* The Hebrew word Mehir, rendered by our translators gain, signifies a price, worth, value. See Micah iii, 11, and 2 Sam. xxiv. But the radical idea is to exchange. He shall divide out the nominal crowns of his conquered nations, for an exchange of homage and aid, which in his turn he is to receive.

These names, in the preceding parts of the chapter, are applied to Egypt and Syria. These countries are now under the dominion of the Turks. These appellations, in the above passages, may be designed to denote. the Turkish empire. This empire, it is thought, is soon to be subverted; that the way for the return of the Jews may be prepared. (See section on the sixth vial.)

The sixth trumpet established the Ottoman empire, by loosing the four Turkish sultanies, which were bound upon the river Euphrates.* And it is expected the sixth vial will effect the ruin of the Turks; and this at a period not far distant. The attack in this passage in Daniel, of the king of the south, and the king of the north, upon the infidel Power, may probably be an event introductory to the judgment of the sixth vial. The Ottoman empire may in some way be engaged in a war with the infidel Power, to its own ruin. Whether this will be the case, or whether some other powers, on the south, and on the north of the infidel Power, will prevail to check the common enemy, time will decide. In favor of this being the case, it may be remarked, that the leading subject, in this chap. ter, preceding the 36th verse, changes, in this verse, from the type to the antitype. In like manner the kingdom of the south, and kingdom of the north, spoken of after this change in verse 36th from the type, to the great Power of the last days, may relate to different powers from the kingdom of the south and kingdom of the north, in the preceding parts of the chapter. Some nation in the south of the infidel Power may push (butt) at him, and prevail so far as to impede his ambitious projects: And some mighty power in the north may lead a numerous host against him. The coming of this king of the north against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, (armies of infantry, artillery, and cavalry) and many ships, seems clearly to intimate, that a vast coalition is formed in the north against him, in connexion with some naval pow †Rev. xvi, 12.

*Rev. ix, 13.

er.

And the phraseology seems to intimate also great success against the infidel Power. For a mighty whirlwind usually prostrates every thing in its way. This great reverse of things perhaps, fulfils the predictions in parallel prophecies;-that the last part of this Roman Power-being part of iron, and part of clay,-should be partly strong, and partly broken;-that its parts should not cleave one to another;-that the earth should open her mouth, and swallow up the floods;-or the remainder of that wrath God would restrain.

A new turn scems in this passage to be given to the operations of the infidel Power: Or he is, afterward, found making new invasions. He enters into the countries; overflows, and passes over. Some distant ex

pedition is set on foot. Something new and wonder. ful must be done, perhaps to retrieve the tarnished fame of his arms; and to accomplish some deep plot' formed against the enemy. He is by and by found in the Holy land. The way must be prepared for another vial of divine wrath to be discharged.

Verses 41st-43d; He shall enter into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hands, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hands also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps. Great success, attending the arms of the infidel Empire, in this his first expedition into the east, is here indicated. Having entered into the countries, probably of Turkey in Europe, and having overflowed, and passed over the ancient Hellespont into Asia Minor, he enters into Palestine, from the north, laying all the Turkish provinces at his feet. The south eastern Arabs, in Arabia Felix, escape, as being far out of the line of his tour. But the express exception of these, implies, that the other countries generally, in those parts, will fall be.

fore him. He beats his way round into Egypt, where he makes a thorough conquest, and finds access to whatever treasures the subdued people may have in their possession; or may have been conveyed thither by Turks, fleeing in consternation. Ethiopia, (probably not the African, but the Arabian,) and Libya, or the States of Barbary (now subject to the Turks) are to become subservient to his views. Thus he finishes a most extensive expedition; in which probably, the judgment of the sixth vial is fulfilled, in the subversion of the Euphratean empire, that the way of the return of the Jews and Israelites to the land of their fathers, may be prepared.

Verses 44th and 45th; But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palaces between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. These tidings out of the east, and out of the north, probably will relate to the return of the ancient people of God. Their return may be expected soon to succeed the overthrow of the Turks. And the infidel Power evidently feels his interest extremely affected by this event. To have such an influence set up within his lately acquired territories, in favor of the Christian Religion, and of those powers, who support it, will fill him with rage. These tidings may be said to be out of the east, and out of the north, as they will relate to the collection of the Jews and Israel from eastern and northern regions, to the Holy land. Repeatedly the restoration of the Jews is predicted as being from the land of the north, See Jer. xvi, 14, 15, and xxiii, 7, 8. The infidel Power will therefore be excited to collect "the kings of the earth, and of the world," for a new expedition into Palestine;* and to

* That this passage in Daniel xi, from the 40th verse to the end, predicts two expeditions of the infidel Power into Palestine, and at some distance of time from each other, I trust will appear very evident from collateral prophecies, which will come into view in the course of this Dissertation. This concise proph

unite in a vast confederacy for the utter extirpation of the new church of God in Jerusalem.† The seventh vial finds him there, in Armageddon, at the head of his vast coalition of the kings of the earth, and of the false prophet; and it plunges him in ruin. Here, under the most signal judgment of the great Head of the church, he comes to his end, and none shall help him.

Other passages in the Old Testament predict this infidel Power, and his overthrow in Palestine. But as the way may be better prepared to form a right understanding of them, the consideration of them will be deferred till the third chapter of this dissertation.

ecy in Daniel makes no mention of this Power's crossing the Mediterranean, to return home from his first expedition; or of any events, after he subdues Egypt, and has the Ethiopians and Libyans at his steps; till the tidings out of the cast and out of the north trouble him, and call him again to Palestine. But we cannot infer from this, that he returns to Palestine from Egypt; or that the event takes place immediately, or before he returns home from his first expedition. The contrary of this will doubtless appear to be the fact. This first expedition prepares the way for the restoration of Israel, by the subversion of the Ottoman empire; as I trust will appear. And the return of God's ancient people, their conversion to Christianity, and the preparing of the way for the last coalition against them, must occupy some time; as long a time, I apprehend, as the space between the sixth and seventh vials. For I believe it will appear, that the first expedition of this infidel Power will fulfil the sixth vial; and that the second will open the way for the fulfilment of the seventh. To suppose that this prophecy in Daniel predicts but one expedition of the infidel Power into Palestine, is to involve the subject in great obscurity. The first expedition being said to be at the time of the end, (verse 40,) amounts to no great objection against there being two expeditions. The slaying of the witnesses is said to be, when they shall have finished their testimony. Yet some authors suppose that the event may consistently with this be more than three centuries before they shall have actually finished their testimony. This I believe to be incorrect. Yet I think it very consistent with the language of prophecy, where the year is not specified, to say, a thing is at the time of the end, when it is yet as far distant, as is the time of the sixth vial from that of the seventh.

† See chapter 3d of this Dissertation.

Rev. xvi, from the 13th verse to the end; and xix, 19, 20, 21.

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