it is not yet removed, and the man of sin, either under the character of the BEAST, or his IMAGE, (the tripple crowned king,) or at least the FALSE PROPHET, hath not yet ended his reign, or ministry of delusion and sin. For if it be alledged that the pope has been now actually despoiled of his temporal dominions, and no longer wears the three crowns, and other ensigns of the sovereign power, fraudulently usurped by his predecessors, (by which the pope became the little horn,) this does not invalidate the argument, or defeat the prophecy, but accomplishes it, as I have shewn in a former Section.* The prophet Daniel, after thus introducing the decree of heaven, for the kingdom to be given to the saints of the Most High, proceeds to shew the very extraordinary means by which this decree shall, at the time of the end, be carried into effect. "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the STONE was cut out of the mountain without hands, and * Section xxiii. p. 111. that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter." The stone cut without hands is generally applied to our blessed Saviour, whose kingdom it is that is to succeed that of Antichrist; that wicked usurper having kept him out of the greatest part of his royal sovereignty over the church, which should have been surrendered to him at that period when christianity triumphed over paganism, under Constantine; and the holy prophet (by divine anticipation of the kingdom to come) made proclamation,*—“ Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.” He is by the prophet called "the stone laid in Sion.-A foundation store; elect, precious; -a tried stone;" and by David is exalted to "the head of the corner." He is both the foundation and finishing stone of the building of God. Christ applies these prophecies to himself, and even in the same manner, (or *Rev. xii. 10. nearly so,) as they are here applied by Daniel; representing himself as a stone which should be the cause of breaking up the jewish state for their unbelief, but which should be lifted up in a more extensive and tremendous destruction against the man of sin and his confederate powers, and should "grind them to powder."* The jews were one day to have a second call, and an act of grace and amnesty was to be passed in their favor, but the destruction of Antichrist, (the ancient destroying and persevering enemy,) was to be for ever, and without hope; a lively image of the everlasting torment of the damned in hell. Yet any hypothesis which rests upon the supposition that the blessed Jesus will come in person to execute these judgments, and to establish "the kingdom of the saints of the Most High, raised from the dead,” and visibly to reign over his ancients gloriously in Jerusalem, will not now obtain very general * Mat. xxiv. 42, in acceptation. He fulfilled, in a figurative sense, his own declaration, that he would "come in the clouds of heaven," to execute judgment upon his enemies, the unbelieving jews; and he will, doubtless, do all in the same way this second great act of divine retribution on earth. What God does by his angel, or some competent instrument of his providence, raised up on purpose to fulfil his will, that he is virtually the doer of himself." Is there evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ?"-Is there any thing absolutely fortuitous in the world, and without the hand of God in it?* God, by special direction of his Providence, appointed the sword of man against Jerusalem; and it is expressly said he will do the same against the mystic Babylon.† "He that leadeth (God's people) into captivity, must go into CAPTIVITY."-How very remarkably these words seem now to be, in the immediate act of their intended accomplishment, cannot but strike every thinking mind. It will therefore be by the hand of *Luke xii, 6. VOL. II. + Jer. 1. 35. 3 L man that he will hurl the thunderbolts of his wrath the head of THE WICKED, "will upon tread down the people in his anger, and make them drunk in his fury, and will bring down their strength to the earth.* For the day of is in his heart, and the year of his vengeance redeemed is come." "Upon THE WICKED he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."+ When Christ came into the world in person, it was on an errand of " peace on earth, and goodwill towards men." And he sent an harbinger of a suitable character, to prepare the way before him, as the prophet thus, in highly figurative terms, describes the preaching of the baptist." The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert an highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made *Isaiah lxiii. 6. † Psalm xi. 6. |