the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told ye these things? and now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming," &c. &c.

It is evident that St. Paul and Daniel both prophecied of the same person, and this was the opinion of Origen and of almost all the fathers :—the man of Sin therefore, Antichrist, and the little horn* of Daniel, answer to one and the same; and the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah will show the Assyrian, Lucifer, and the King of Babylon to agree in one, and to answer also, to the man† of Sin.

* See Daniel vii. 20, and viii. 9, 23; and observe that Daniel makes kings to represent kingdoms. See Dan. vii. 11 and 12.

Cyril of Jerusalem alleges "that Antichrist will come, when the times of the Roman Empire shall be accomplished, and the consummation of the world shall approach." It is certain that the times of the Gentiles are not yet fulfilled, and will not be fulfilled, till the times of the four great kingdoms (according to Daniel's prophecy) shall expire: the fact is, the seed is not yet in the barn; and also, as St. Paul says," blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and turn away ungodliness from Jacob*" Thus we cannot look for a restoration of the remnant of Jacob (i. e., Israel according to the promises,) until the fulness of the gentiles be come in; in other words,

*In this passage it is obvious that the Israel which answers to Jacob, is the Israel which is meant, as contradistinguished from that Israel of which St. Paul saith, "for they are not all Israel which are of Israel. Not because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, (saith he,) but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." The word of God will take effect as concerning an Israel so chosen. Observe the words of St. Paul, (Rom. ix. 6,) speaking of the Israelites according to the flesh, he saith, "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel which are of Israel," &c.

until the times of the fourth kingdom shall be

accomplished.

The reproduction of past things, it would seem, will be according to their times. As regarding the first 976 days, we shall find that, by comparing the eleventh chapter of Daniel (which is in some degree a detail of what in the seventh chapter is expressed to be "the sum of the matters,") with the eleventh and twelfth of the 2nd Esdras, that it is intimated in the first place, that many things will be renewed as concerning three kingdoms; also we shall find it said, that "The fourth came, and overcome all

*

*The eagle with twelve wings and three heads (having a voice which went not out from the midst of the heads, but from the body), represents "the sum of the matters," as related in the seventh chapter of Daniel; for it is said to Esdras, "The eagle whom thou sawest come up from the sea, is the kingdom which was seen in the vision of thy brother Daniel, (see Dan. vii. 7 :) But it was not expounded unto him, therefore now I declare it unto you." Thus the eagle is the same with the fourth beast of Daniel, for that is represented as having plucked up three, constituting thus, as it were, one kingdom; answering, as will be seen by comparing the description given by Daniel of the four kingdoms with the thirteenth chapter of Revelations, to what is there pointed out to be the first beast. Thus it is evident that the eagle of Esdras, the fourth beast of Daniel, and the first beast of the Revelations, answer to one and the same; and each represents a

the beasts that were past;" all this answering, as it would appear, to that saying of our Saviour, “nation shall rise against nation," &c. Now by comparing the figures in the fourth chapter of Ezekiel with the figures mentioned in the ninth chapter of Revelations together, we shall perceive, that the enemy, answering to the iron out of the kingdoms, will come after 430 days (whilst the righteousness

kind, distinguished by the clay, and of the kingdom of Satan, which is the iron; as it is written, "They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." The horn (or kingdom of Satan) is signified (see Dan. vii. 11, 12,) as being a beast (and he is expressed with a body) diverse from the other beasts, not mingling so as to cleave, even as iron does not mix with clay.

As an additional illustration, I shall observe that, in the fourth chapter of Daniel, the vision of the tree in the midst of the earth which grew, and was strong, whose height reached to heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth, in which was meat for all, evidently represents the whole material creation, which the iron has diffused itself into throughout; the dissolution of the former is signified by the cutting down of the tree; and the latter is represented by the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a `band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and it is said, let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him ; which regard a period of days, as is plain, for the 34th verse saith," and at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar," &c. That which represents the stump of his roots in the earth, with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, is to dwell (it is said,) with the beasts of the field, and to eat

of the ages do not all come in until 490 days), and they shall desolate the world to the standing up of Michael.

Daniel, in the seventh chapter, and 19th verse, speaking of this last and terrible kingdom, concentrating as it were the kingdom of Satan, and the unrighteous of the nations, saith, "Then I would

grass like oxen a. Now as there is a partial accomplishment, as it appears, of every prophecy; accordingly, Nebuchadnezzar was driven from men, and did eat grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws, which it would seem was intended for a sign, which is explained by Esdras where he expounds concerning the eagle. Daniel said to the king, “ the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies;" which intimated not only that the people of the prophet may understand the prophecies, but that it is intended for them to understand.

How wonderful, then, (it would seem, in application) is that passage of Job, "Behold now behemoth b, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together: his bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan in his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares."