goats will equally return to Palestine; and that, when they have thus returned, there will be a bitter dissention between them, the goats labouring by all possible means to injure and expel the rams. It further appears from other prophecies, that the rams or converted Jews will be restored by the instrumentality of the then prevailing protestant European maritime power; and that Antichrist and his host will at that period invade Palestine, and occupy Jerusalem. Thus we learn, from comparing these several prophecies with each other, that four different descriptions of persons will then he collected together in Palestine: the great maritime power; the converted Jews; the Antichristian confederacy; and the unconverted Jews. The converted Jews we know will be restored by the agency of the maritime power: and how are we to account for the appearance of the unconverted Jews, at the same time, in the same country, and in direct opposition to their converted brethren, except by supposing that they are in league with Antichrist, and have been brought back into their own land for political purposes by his instrumentality? In the dreadful conflict many of the of the goats' will perish; for God hath declared, that he will destroy the fat and the strong: many also of the rams will be slain; for God hath taught us, that, although he will surely chasten his people in exact measure, yet he will not make a full end of them, as he will of the nations their enemies.

But at

length,

length, when the appointed time shall come, such goats as survive the slaughter of their fellows will perceive their error, and repent them of their sins. They will look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son*. They will acknowledge their fault to their converted brethren, and will be reconciled to them. And they will jointly form only one flock, under one shepherd, David their king.

Thus, so far as matters of this kind are capable of proof, the opinion of Bp. Horsley, or at least something very like his opinion, seems to be proved †. "I have an unfashionable partiality," says he in his letter to Mr. King, "for the opinions "of antiquity. I think there is ground in the

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prophecies for the notion of the early fathers, "that Palestine is the stage, on which Antichrist, "in the height of his impiety, will perish. I am "much inclined too to assent to another opinion "of the fathers; that a small band of the Jews "will join Antichrist, and be active instruments of his persecutions . And I ‡. with you,

agree

"that

* Zechar. xii. 10.

+ Vide supra Comment on Proph. VII.

The reader will find the various sentiments of the fathers, relative to Antichrist, collected together by Calmet in his Dictionary. Among other matters he mentions the supposition, "that the Jews will be the first, who will declare for him, acknowledge his dominion, and enjoy the principal employments in his government. He will win upon them by his de"lusions

1

"that it is not unlikely, that this small part of "the Jews will be settled in Jerusalem, under the

protection of Antichrist. But it is not to the "settlement of this apostate band, that the pro

phecy of the 18th chapter of Isaiah relates."The people, brought as a present to Jehovah to * mount Zion, will be brought thither in a con"verted state. The great body of the Jewish people will be converted previous to their re"storation; and, being converted, will be assisted, by Christian nations of the uncircumcision, in settling themselves in their ancient seats. agree with you, that some passages, in Zecha"riah in particular, make strongly for this notion "of a previous, settlement of worse than uncon"verted Jews. But I am not without hope, from "the same passages, that the great body of the

"

I

"lusions, his caresses, and false miracles, and by all the appear"ances of goodness, piety, and clemency; so that this unhappy people will take him for the Messiah, and will flatter them"selves with the expectation of seeing the kingdom of Israel "restored, by his means, to its former splendor."

In my Dissertation on the 1260 years, I have conjectured that the primary revelation of Antichrist took place in the year 1789, when the French revolution commenced. It is somewhat remarkable, that Peter Dailly was of opinion, that, according to his observations, Antichrist must appear in this very year 1789; but I know not on what his observations were grounded (Calmet's Dict. Vox Antichrist). It is equally remarkable, that the present head of the Antichristian faction has recently been hailed by the Jews of Frankfort as their long expected Messiah.

VOL. II.

H

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converted Jews returning will find those first "settlers, broken off from the Antichristian faction,

in a state of deep contrition, and ready to re"ceive their brethren with open arms. So the "whole race shall be offered to Jehovah at mount "" Zion, and not one of Israel shall be lost. And แ so far, but no farther, I can admit an inchoate "restoration of the Jews, antecedent to their con"version; and a settlement of a small body of * them, in the Holy Land, by the Antichristian powers.

In some points of less moment I cannot quite agree with his Lordship, but I am persuaded that his opinion itself is perfectly well-founded. He seems to consider the destruction of Antichrist as being past, and the unconverted Jews as being penitent, at the time when their converted brethren arrive under the protection of the maritime power. Whereas Ezekiel leads us to conclude, that the goats will war upon the rams; and, not content with acquiring a settlement themselves, will do all in their power to prevent their return. He likewise inclines to believe, that only a small body of the Jews will be restored in their unbelieving state by Antichrist; and that by far the greatest part of them will be brought back by the maritime power in a believing state. But when we consider the almost exclusive influence which Antichristian France already exerts over the papal Roman empire; and when we further considér, that at the close of the

1260 years it will have succeeded in completely organizing a vast confederacy of the whole of that empire* we can scarcely suppose, that its power will be so limited as to extend only to a small body of the Jews. After the formation of this tre mendous confederacy, it is not easy to conceive how the protestant maritime power will be able to take under its protection any Jews excepting such as are out of the reach of the confederacy; those, for instance, who will then be scattered throughout Britain, Sweden, the maritime parts of Russia, America, Africa, and the coasts of Asia. Those therefore, who are within the reach of the confederacy, that is to say, those who are scattered through the papal Roman empire, can hardly be thought to constitute only a small body; unless some very remarkable emigration of the Jews from popish into protestant countries should previously take place. This opinion seems to be confirmed by what Zechariah says on the subject. He represents the Jews, who will be converted after their return, as constituting a very large body of men; so large indeed, that, were we not prevented

* See Joel iii. 2. Zechar. xii. 2. Dan. ii. 34, 35, 44, 45.-vii. 11. Rev. xvi. 14.-xix. 18, 19, 20. The general expression of the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the earth, that is the Latin earth or habitable world (x) as the Romans were wont to term their extensive dominions, certainly teaches us, that the confederacy will comprehend the whole empire of the revived beast, or the whole papal Roman empire.