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3. "And place the abomination that maketh desolate." We understand this not to refer to the standards of the soldiers, as some do, because it gives prominency to things entirely too small to be noticed in a prophecy about great objects only. The Roman power itself, as represented by the armies and their standards around Jerusalem, seems only that which can be understood. "To place the desolation," signifies to establish it permanently. To this passage Christ plainly refers, when he says, "when ye see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, standing where it ought not, then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains." He here plainly refers to the desolating and unholy army of Rome, which encamped in the suburbs of Jerusalem, or on holy ground, on the 14th of Nisam, A. D. 68.

4. "And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall be corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God, shall be strong and do exploits." Two classes are here mentioned; the first, who were averse. to the covenant, and those who favored it. As at this time the old covenant had passed away, and the new covenant succeeded it, the term covenant here used must represent the gospel, or Christianity. They who did wickedly against it, and were corrupted by the Romans, must be those Jews who rejected it, or those who, having embraced it, apostatized. Many great offers were made to the primitive Christians to forsake their religion, and many were induced to comply by flatteries.

The other class remained firm to their profession, and performed miracles, and suffered martyrdom gloriously. This period seems to refer exclusively to the Apostolic

age.

5. "They that understand among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by captivity, and by flame, and by spoil, many days." This embraces the era from the apostles to Constantine. The "men of understanding" are plainly put for Christians generally, who, after Jerusalem's destruction, went every where preaching the word. During the ten persecutions of pagan Rome, they fell in multitudes, by sword, fire, captivity, and by the joyful spoiling of their goods.

6. "Now when they shall fall they shall be holpen with a little help, but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." This clearly coincides with church and state union under Constantine. During the ten great universal persecutions, the last of which was desolating, and immediately prior to Constantine, the Christians had fallen as if their fall was irrecoverable. The union of church and state gave them some relief for awhile; but it is properly termed, "holpen with a little help." This very rest proved, ultimately, most disastrous to the piety of the church; for many adhered to it, or to the Christian power, allured by the flattering prospects of preferment; so that the state church became a most wicked and worldly political establishment.

During this state, it is said, "some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge them, and to make them white." Notwithstanding this "help," still many true Christians were to fall, and their sufferings were to continue down to "the time of the end," says the text. This has been most fearfully true, as all know.

7. "To the time of the end, because it is yet for a time appointed." This period, therefore, of falling, was

to continue from the time of the "little help," down to an appointed time. This era is called "the time of the end,” and is, of course, a considerable era, as it is called a "time," and not the end itself. It is the period between the two endings of the three and a half times, or that between the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days. The first of these ended at the rise of the United States. Now, it is remarkable, that persecution and death for religion's sake ceased at the rise of the United States; and we have since heard of few judicial murders for religion's sake. The prisons that before were crowded with victims, are moldering and empty. An occasional sufferer is dragged to prison for conscience sake, but the beast is careful not to draw blood. It was not so before the Declaration.

Paragraph III.

THE WILLFUL KING-ROME AND RUSSIA.

"The king shall do according to his will." Two principal interpretations of this power have been given to this kingdom; one by Bishop Newton, and another by Mr. Faber. Newton thinks it was the Roman church in Europe; but Faber tries to identify it with France. Bishop Newton is partially right, and only so; for it is impossible to explain this power of the church only, for the willful king was, without doubt, one of the mightiest political powers on earth, as we shall see.

We shall identify it with the Roman empire in all the stages of its history, and also see that it coincides. with the iron and clay, or church and state united in the Roman empire; and also with the restoration of

the empire under Russia. We shall sift the subject thoroughly.

First. Our reasons for identifying the willful king with Rome, are because the word ARMS is proved to be the Roman empire; and, it is plain, that the pronoun HE, which follows it in the thirty-second verse, refers to ARMS, or the Roman empire, as its antecedent, for it has no other antecedent; and, it is also equally plain, that the term king, which follows the term HE, has no other antecedent; and, therefore, it is the very same power as that indicated by the terms HE and ARMS.

Again; the description of the Roman power previously given by the angel, was symbolic, and the other descriptions had been literal; and it is an invariable principle in Daniel's visions, that symbols all receive an interpretation, so that this repetition of the description of Rome was to be expected, as interpretative of the first or symbolic description of Rome.

Again; this power must be the Roman empire, because it is described as perishing on the mountains of Israel, and at the last end of the indignation, or late during the period of the time of the end.

In addition, he is represented as conquering Europe, Asia, and Africa, and then passing beyond their limits, and meeting his doom. Now, these things can not be said of the Roman church, for it is not anything like the national organization requisite to such immense conquests.

Besides these things, he is said to give all those things to that power which Newton identifies as the church; and, of course, he existed as a superior power, because he was the bestower of these favors. Indeed, the Roman

empire was a consolidated government of church and state, and the emperor was head of both, and, in describing the empire, the description of its religion would be a natural part of its history.

Lastly; the interpreting angel promised to interpret the substance of all Daniel's visions at this time; and unless this is a vision of the Roman empire, as represented by the iron, and iron and clay, and fourth beast, and king of fierce countenance, the angel does not fulfill his promise.

Second. "He shall magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods." The term, "every god," implies a plurality of gods, and therefore must be applicable only to such deities as are called gods by men. Indeed, the scripture does not always confine the term to the Almighty, as we learn from the words of Moses and of Christ; thus, "Is it not said in your law, ye are gods? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came, and the scripture can not be broken," &c. "Ye shall not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people." Here the chief persons of Israel are called by this name. The "magnifying himself above every god," indicates, therefore, that he would claim superiority over all persons high in office in the church. "He shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods." Here the Almighty Ruler is plainly distinguished from all inferior sovereignties. This power was even to arrogate to himself divine honors, and, of course, was to be a religious as well as political power.

St. Paul's description of the "Man of sin," so perfectly coincides, not only with this very character, but

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