higher splendour, to that consummation of overwhelming glory, too dazzling to be steadily contemplated, when shall be achieved the final triumph of almighty love-when redeemed and ransomed multitudes, the remaining victims of evil, shall be emancipated from its last retreats; and, the darkest mind illumined, the foulest bosom purified, not one vicious impulse shall be felt, and not one tear shall fall, through the illimitable regions of the universe of God; but from all creatures in all worlds, shall arise the swelling song of praise to Him, the Father, the giver of felicity eternal as his own throne, and boundless as his love! NOTES. NOTE (*)-Page 6. We must compute the time," observes Bishop Newton, "according to the nature and genius of the prophetic language. A time, then, and times, and half a time, are three years and a half; and the ancient Jewish year, consisting of twelve months, and each month of thirty days, a time, and times, and half a time, or three years and a half, are reckoned in the Revelation, (xi. 2, 3, xii. 6, 14,) as equivalent to forty and two months, or 1260 days; and a day in the style of the prophets is a year;-so long Antichrist, or the little horn, will continue; but from what point of time the commencement of these 1260 years is to be dated, is not so easy to determine. It should seem that they are to be computed from the full establishment of the power of the Pope." This prediction does appear to be justly referred to the Papal power exclusively; but those in the New Testament demand a much wider application, to render them at all consistent. It was not the object of these Lectures to offer a minute and critical interpretation of the prophecies in question, but to take some general views of the apostacy, which might be interesting and useful. The caution (as applied by Bayle) was borne in mind, -"Nec Babylonios Tentaris numeros." The very ingenious letter of Mr. Evanson to Bishop Hurd, (which well deserves to be reprinted,) furnishes a variety of proofs and illustrations of the distinction above alluded to, and of the leading object of the first Lecture. "With respect to Daniel, it must be remarked, that if we except the celebrated prediction of the seventy weeks, the avowed objects of all his prophecies are the great revolutions of civil government under the four universal monarchies of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude, that no circumstances are introduced by the prophet, but such as coincide, or are necessarily connected with the main scope of his predictions. Now, since the ten horns of his fourth visionary beast are declared to be emblems of the many separate kingdoms into which this prophet, so many ages before the event, repeatedly foretold the European Roman Empire would be divided, it will readily be granted, that the little horn, representing a temporal principality arising upon the ruins of some of the various governments, into which the body of the empire was at first broken, differing from the other kingdoms of the West, and though little, that is, inferior to the other principalities in power, yet assuming a tone and deportment more arrogant than any of them, blaspheming the Deity, and persecuting conscientious Christians, is a very just and exact type of the Roman hierarchy, and applicable to no other hierarchy upon earth, because none other ever acquired to itself an independent civil dominion. But then it is to be observed, that the Church of Rome, as described in this prophecy, within the limits of its own temporal jurisdiction, that is, as far as its local situation is concerned, is itself one of the disjointed members of the old Roman Empire, a horn of the emblematic beast, described both in this vision and in the Revelation of St. John. It cannot, therefore, in respect of its local situation, be considered, much less exclusively considered, as the antitype of the woman represented by the apostle riding upon that very beast, that is, supported by all the European princes, of whom the Roman hierarchy is one. Nor can the exaltation of the Bishop of Rome to the throne of civil power, which is clearly one of the chief subjects of this prophecy, any otherwise assist us in determining the æra of that universal apostacy from the true religion of the gospel, predicted by the prophets of the new covenant, than as it affords us a very convincing proof of its having taken place previously to that event; because, without a long and general falling away, both of pastors and people, from the spirit and principles of Christianity, ecclesiastical ambition could never have aimed at, much less have attained, so high a pinnacle of worldly greatness." |