church: hence, gathering the clus-origin: his ascending out of the sea ters of the vine of the earth and treading the wine press, denote the wrath of God against apostates.

6th. A wild beast, considered prophetically, is an empire hostile to the church of Christ; it never means a single kingdom co-existing with other kingdoms, all in joint opposition to the church, but always, an empire, universal so far as the church is concerned: its heads, if it have more than one, will represent its successive different forms of government: its horns, different kingdoms of an empire partly broken, co-existing its tail will mean the anti-christian superstition of the beast, which renders it utterly offensive in the eyes of God: his dominion will be his power of her secution: his life will be his idolatry or apostacy: his death will be their renunciation: his revival will be their resumption; we are not to suppose that when a beast ceases to exist, as a beast, all government will cease within the limits of the empire, nor, that while his life is prolonged he will of course have the power of persecution; his dominion may be taken away, and yet his temporal power, in his own proper territories, may remain.

marks his natural,and his ascending out of the bottomless pit, his spiritual origin. The spiritual parent of a beast is the dragon or serpent. This fierce and noxious reptile, when simply mentioned, is the devil: when mentioned with other symbols it is the devil acting through the power marked by those symbols. Thus the king of Egypt is termed a crooked serpent, and a dragon in the midst of his rivers; in like manner, the great red dragon of the apocalypse, having seven heads and ten horns, is the devil, acting through the seven-headed and ten-horned beast, or Roman empire.

With respect to the phrases, the latter days, the last days, and the time of the end, after the Author, we remark, that throughout the Old Testament the different phrases latter days and last days never in fact occur, the Hebrew expression thus variously rendered is invariably the same, and is literally and properly rendered the end of days. This means primarily any time yet future, but never, perhaps, the whole period of the Christian dispensation. On the contrary, when it is used in its appropriate sense, it marks that period of time which commences at the end of the great apostacy of 1260 years, and which expires at the end of the millennium, and at the consummation of all things, or, the period of the millennium and the 75 years which will intervene between the end of the 1260 years and the proper com

An ecclesiastical beast is a shiritual power affecting universal dominion; his horns are spiritual kingdoms; such a horn may spring out of a secular beast. In that case its geographical origin is pointed out. An ecclesiastical kingdom may increase to an ecclesiastical empire, with ecclesiastical kingdoms sub-mencement of the millennium, which servient to it: hence what in one 75 years will be occupied in the reprophecy is symbolized by the horns storation of the Jews, and in the deof a secular beast, may afterwards, struction of God's enemies. See in another, be symbolized by a dis- Dan. xii. 6, 7, 11, 12. Isa. ii. 2. tinct spiritual beast. Such a beast Mich. iv. 1. Joel ii, 28. is found in the apocalypse, whose In the New Testament, however, character is there marked by the there is a real difference between appellation false prophet. A beast the phrases the latter times and the may have a natural and a spiritual || last days, both in the original and in VOL. I. NO. 3.

M

the same period of superstition. For the latter of these, see 2 Tim. iii. 1. 2 Pet. iii. 3. 2 Pet. ii. Jude 4.

the vulgar translation, and they are never confounded together. Whenever the phrase, the last days, is ased declaratively and not prophet-19. 1 John ii. 18, 22. iv. 3. In the ically it means the whole period of the Christian dispensation. So it

account indeed which St. John gives of the principles of anti-christ he

is used, Heb. i. 1, 2, and 1 Pet. i. 20. uses the last time in the sense of the but when the phrases,latter days and whole period of the Christian dislast days,are used prophetically they pensation, because he uses it declamean exclusively two successive ratively, and asa generic name inparts, of that dispensation. The cluding all persons who deny the whole duration of the times of Chris-Father and the Son during that tianity,under the reign of the stone,

period. But his reign is confined to the last days of the last time, and he tells his disciples, ye have heard that anti-christ shall come. Indeed, the opinion has ever prevailed in the church, that some great opponent of the Messiah would be manifested, at an era far remote from the apos tle's days, founded, no doubt, on the prophecies of Daniel. St. John, however, warns his disciples to be upon their guard, against the principles of anti-christ, which existed in his days, though he was not then revealed in an embodied form.— Daniel has described the monster in his mature state, as a king or porver "which magnified himself above every God, and who spake marvellous things against the Godof gods," and St. John adds, that his detestable principles were already working, and it is our lot, to see them embraced by a whole nation, without disguise. The papacy answers in no particular to anti-christ as marked by St. John, they will Co-exist indeed from the rise of the latter, to the end of the 1260 days, and will then perish together.

exclusive of the millennium, or the reign of the mountain, is considered in the evangelical predictions as divided into three periods; that of primitive Christianity, ending with the fourth trumpet; that of the great apostacy during its flour ishing state, detailed under the two first woe trumpets: and that of the reign of anti-christ, detailed under the third woe trumpet and its seven vials. The second of these periods is termed the latter times or days, latter, when compared to the days of primitive Christianity, or the first period: the third of the three periods, or the reign of the atheistical anti-christ, is called the last times or days, as being so, in relation to the two preceding periods. Accordingly, we find that every apostolical prediction, relative to the latter days, speaks of certain superstitious practices set up by the little horn of the fourth beast, during the flourishing period of the apostacy, but never of atheism; and that every such prediction, relative to the last days, speaks of atheism and the monstrous brood of vices engendered by it, but never alludes to the superstitious practices of the The phrase, the time of the end, so apostacy. For the former of these, often used by Daniel, the Author consee 2 Thess. ii. 3. 1 Tim. iv. 1. -2ceives, commences with the terminTim. iv. 3. Rev. ix. 20. Col. ii. 18, 19, 23. The phrase latter days or times occurs indeed in one only of these prophecies, but it must be evident that they are all to be referred to

ation of the whole 1260 days, the conclusion of the great drama of the two-fold apostacy, and the reign of anti-christ, and extends through the 75 years, which intervene between the

These were brought over the land in vast numbers.

The Egyptians had particular deities, whose department was to ward off those natural evils to which their votaries were liable; and the province allotted to several of these deities was to drive away flies. From the supposed influence of the presiding deity many temples were said to have been free from these insects.

end of the 1260 days, and the beginning of millennial blessedness: The awful period of God's wrath upon the nations, his enemies. Thus the vision of the ram and the he-goat is to reach unto the time of the end. The reformation from the great apostacy, or the prophesying of the two witnesses, is to progress to the time of the end. The war of the atheistical king, with the kings of the north and the south, his invasion of Palestine, and his subsequent destruction, are to be at the time of the end. The restoration of the Jews is to commence at the period, when all these things shall be finished, and consequently, at the time of the end. And the prophecies of Daniel are to be sealed, or, are not to be fully accomplished, so as to because they were esteemed sacred completely understood, till the time of the end.

[To be continued.]

An Abridgment of Bryant's Observations on the Plagues of Egypt, &c.

(Continued from p. 74.)

But this was not all. These insects, however incredible it may appear, were in many places worshipped. This reverence seems to have been sometimes shown, to prevent their being troublesome; at other times be

to the deity. Nor did the Egyptians, and other ancient nations, only show a regard to flies in general. There was a deity stiled Deus Musca, who was par ticularly worshipped under the Achor of Cyrene seems to have character of a fly. The god been of this denomination; and it is probable that the word Achor denoted a Fly, or had

Fourth Plague. FLIES. EXO-some relation to it. dus viii. 20-24.

The reason why this kind of fly, spoken of in this Plague, was thought sacred, arose probably from its being esteemed among many nations an instrument of vengeance in the hand of God. The bite or puncture of this insect was terrible; hence people's fears increased their reverence, especially when it was esteemed a messenger of the gods.

If then such was the worship of this people, nothing could be more striking and determinate than the judgment brought upon them. They were punished by

was of far greater consequence, they saw the representatives of their deities, and their deities themselves, sink before the God of the Hebrews. Hence it is said by the sacred writer,—

the very things which they revered; and though they boasted of spells and charms, yet they could not ward off the evil They had gods who, they tho't, could avert all mischief; but their power was ineffectual; and" Upon their gods also the Lord both the prince and the people executed judgment." were obliged to acknowledge the inferiority of their own deities, by sucing through Moses to the God of Israel. "Intreat for me," says Pharaoh. "And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord."

Fifth Plague. MURRAIN OF BEASTS. Exodus ix. 1-6.

This judgment, so precisely foretold, and so early carried into execution, must have had a great effect upon the minds of the Egyptians. And when they found that the cattle of the Israelites were exempted from this evil, they could not but perceive the hand of God manifest throughout the whole operation. We may also observe a particular scope and meaning in this calamity, if we consider it in regard to the Egyptians, which would not have existed with regard to any other people. It is well known that they held in idolatrous reverence the lion, wolf, dog, cat, ape, and goat. But they had gods which were held in still greater reverence than these; such were the ox or steer, the cow, the heifer, and the ram, This judgment therefore displayed upon the kine of Egypt,was very significant in its execution and purport. For when the distemper spread irresistibly over the country, the Egyptians not only suffered a severe loss; but, what

These events, we may well imagine, had a happy influence upon the minds of the Israelites, to whom the worship of the Egyptians must at this time have appeared in a most contemptible light, and their gods despicable. Their separation too, and exemption, during the time of these evils, must have had still greater weight. It ren dered them more ready to quit a people, from whom they were in so salutary a manner distinguished; and to embrace a better and more rational religion, whenever it should be offered.

This plague, like those which preceded, was particularly well calculated to confound the Egyptians; and to show the baseness and imbecility of their deities, who could neither ward off the evil when impending, nor afford any alleviation when it was brought on.

The Egyptians had many gods, and those of high rank, who were supposed to preside over pharmacy and medicine and to these the people looked up with great confidence in all those pains and maladies, to which the human frame is liable. Among these deities Esculapius was held in particular honor, for his skill in this science. This people had also many books of

great antiquity upon the subject | moded with vermine; and thro' the pollution of their river, and the murrain of their cattle, been put to great inconveniences. But this evil was brought more home to them; it was a taint of the human frame, a grievous malady, under which the priests as well as the people smarted, to their astonishment and confusion. Hence it appears that the prince of that country was deserted of his wise men, as well as of his gods. "And the magicians could not stand before Moses, because of the boil: for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians."

of medicine; many of which were attributed to Sesorthrus or rather Torsorthrus, who was supposed by some to have been the same as Esculapius. In consequence of this the Egyptians were always famed for their knowledge in medicine; and their physicians were held in great repute. They were in great numbers in Egypt; each distemper having its proper physician, to which his practice was confined. In these physicians the people reposed great confidence, and they were maintained at the public expense. They joined astrology to physic, by which they founded their pretended foresight in respect to impending maladies; and in consequence of it they were continually prescribing antidotes and preventives to the people.

When this judgment was to be inflicted, Aaron and Moses were ordered to take ashes of the furnace; and Moses was to scatter them up towards heaven, that they might be wafted over It pleased God to order his the face of the country. This judgments accordingly; and to mandate was very determinate, bring upon this people a fearful and to the last degree signifidisorder, which their deities cant. The process had an allucould not avert, nor the art of sion to an idolatrous and cruel man alleviate. He could have rite, which was common among caused commotions in the earth, the Egyptians, and to which had it seemed fitting, and shaken it is opposed as a contrast. They their high edifices to their basis; had several cities styled Typor brought on a supernatural honian. In these at particular inundation, by which their cities seasons they sacrificed men.had been swept to the deep. The objects thus destined were But this would not have been foreigners; and it is probable sufficiently significant. It seem that while the Israelites resided ed therefore good to divine wis- in Egypt, they were chosen from dom to be more particular in its their body. They were burnt judgments. Hence in this in- alive upon an high altar, and stance, as well as in those which thus sacrificed for the good of preceded, the Egyptians were the people. At the close of the not only punished; but were sacrifice the priests gathered toshown the baseness of their gether the ashes of these vicworship, and the vanity of their tims, and scattered them upconfidence, where they most wards in the air; that where trusted. They had before been any atom of this dust was waftinfested with flies, and incom-ed, a blessing might be entailed.