his armies or perform the more menial offices of

his camp.

In the midst of his African conquests, he will be troubled by tidings out of the east and the north. What these tidings are, Daniel does not positively determine: but the subsequent context plainly shews, that they must relate to the approach of some new enemy, and to some disagreeable intelligence respecting Jerusalem. From these data, and by the assistance of other parallel prophecies, we may form no improbable conjecture at least respecting those tidings out of the east and out of the north, which are described as so grievously troubling Antichrist. We left the great maritime power bringing by sea its allies, the converted Jews, as a present to the Lord of hosts, to mount Zion. Now, in whatever part of the world this power may be situated, whether far beyond the eastern or the western Cushèan streams, it is plain that its navy can only approach Palestine by the way of the Mediterranean sea. Such then will indisputably be its course. The maritime expedition, which we may conceive to set sail at some indefinite period after the close of the 1260 years, in order that we may allow a sufficient space of time for the collecting together and converting such of the Jews as are destined to be restored by the agency of the great naval power, at length reaches Palestine: but the believing Jews, and their protectors, find themselves opposed by the unbelieving Jews, and the troops which Antichrist had left behind him to

garrison

garrison Jerusalem and other strong-holds. Apparently after no trifling bloodshed, and (if I judge rightly from some prophecies) when the converted Jews had suffered very considerably, the eyes of their unconverted brethren will unexpectedly be opened; they will spiritually look upon him whom they have pierced; and, throwing off the base yoke of Antichrist, they will cordially join such of their nation as had embraced christianity, and had allied themselves to the faithful maritime power. Thus will the Lord bring to salvation the tents of Judah first; or that body of the Jews, who are attached to the army of the great maritime nation, and who have not yet acquired a permanent settlement in cities and afterwards the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; or those Jews, who have been restored in an unconverted state, and have been placed in their ancient metropolis by Antichrist.

At the period when these events happen, and that they will happen may be collected with sufficient clearness, we may suppose Antichrist to be in Egypt and Libya: for to what other time, in the course of his whole progress, can we with equal propriety ascribe them? Thus situated, he would plainly receive the intelligence from the north and from the east. From the north and the north-east he would learn, by means of some light vessels, first that the navy of the maritime power was approaching, and afterwards that it had safely reached the coast of Palestine: from the east and

the north-east he would learn, by means of his own fugitive troops which had been stationed in Judea, that the maritime power had completely succeeded in its first attempt, that it had brought back a large body of converted Jews, and that those who had been restored by Antichrist in an unconverted state had suddenly embraced the faith of protestant christianity, and had revolted from him to their already believing brethren. Unless we admit, that either this or something like it will be the case, we shall find it no easy matter to account for the fury with which Antichrist is represented as returning into Judea which he had already subdued, and as besieging Jerusalem which he had already given to his allies the unconverted Jews. For, that certain unbelieving Jews will be converted in Jerusalem, is plainly asserted by Zechariah: and, that the city will afterwards be besieged and taken, is asserted both by Zechariah and Daniel. But all those Jews, who are restored by the maritime power, will return in a converted state, as is manifest from the language used by Isaiah*: by whom then can the unconverted Jews have been restored, except by Antichrist, who will make himself master of the whole land of Palestine; and why should he afterwards besiege them in Jerusalem, except on account of their conversion mentioned by Zechariah, and their revolt from

* See the preceding extract from Bp. Horsley.

his cause? for, if they had not revolted from him after their conversion, no reason can be assigned why he should so bitterly attack them *.

Troubled with such unpleasant tidings from the east and from the north, Antichrist hastily quits Egypt and Libya, and retraces his steps to Judea. Going forth in the height of his fury, he threatens to destroy all such as should oppose him: and, calling in the aid of Popish bigotry, he sanctifies his expedition by representing it as a holy crusade against heretics; and, with banners blessed by the false prophet, who (as we have reason to believe from the Apocalypse †) will be his attendant, he devotes many to utter extermination under the blasphemous pretext of religion. His wonted success at first attends him, He besieges Jérusalem now occupied by his enemies, and takes it. Here he exercises his usual barbarity; a barbarity, increased ten-fold, by the defection of his late allies. The houses are rifled, and the women are ravished, by his licentious soldiery. Half of the inhabitants are made captive: but the other half are permitted still to remain in the city, under the controul most probably of a strong garrison. Thus does he plant the curtains of his tents between the seas in the glorious holy mountain :

* It is possible however, that the tidings out of the north may relate to the northern hailstorm of the seventh vial, and those only out of the east to the revolt and conversion of the Jews in Jerusalem.

and thus is Jerusalem, now for the last time, trodden down of the Gentiles.

During these disasters, the troops of the maritime power appear to have retreated towards the seashore, in order that they may be able to regain their ships, if all further resistance should prove fruitless. Here they would doubtless be joined by the great body of their allies, the first converted Jews, and by such of those that were afterwards converted, as were able to effect their escape from the rage of Antichrist. To this devoted host the tyrant now directs his attention. Anticipating an easy victory over his last enemies, either by suddenly cutting them off from their ships or by compelling them to re-embark, and with proud exultation looking forward to the uncontrouled empire of the civilized world, he leaves Jerusalem, and advances with his whole army to Megiddo. Between this town and the sea we may suppose the troops of the maritime power and the Jews to have taken their position, hopeless probably of victory from their vast disparity in numbers to the huge hosts of their enemy. But the battle is not always to the strong, nor the race to the swift. At this anxious moment, the glory of the Lord is suddenly manifested in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jehovah himself becometh a wall of fire around her. The Almighty Word of God goeth forth, like a man of war, in the greatness of his strength; and all his saints, the innumerable armies of heaven, are with him. His awful VOL. II.' Ни commission