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previous to the decifive victory. The converfion of the Jews implies their restoration to the promifed land; and their reftoration implies the deftruction of the possessors of that land. Hence the horrible confternation with which the beaft and his followers are feized, upon their converfion; and hence the extraordinary preparation for war, by which earth and hell are moved for their defence, Rev. xvi. 13, 14.

III. The ftate of the world, (represented in the prophecies), at the period the beast takes up his refidence in Judea, fhews the high probability of fuch an event, though it had not been fo clearly revealed.

The Ottoman empire was diffolved immediately before the feventh trumpet founded, about eighteen years before the destruction of Rome. The unfettled ftate of affairs, which naturally follows the diffolution of a great empire, affords an opportunity to adventurous fpirits, to feize upon the provinces. We have a striking example of this in the rapid divifion of power and territory among the fucceffors of Alexander the Great, when the unity of his empire was diffolved.

There is at prefent, and in all probability there will be, at the period specified in the prophecy, a party of the Latin church resident in Judea. They are of all the other fects that in

habit Jerufalem, the most powerful. It is probable, that when they hear of the deftruction of Rome, they will elect one of their own number to be head of the Latin church, well knowing how much the head of their church. was indebted all along to the blind veneration which the inhabitants of the Roman empire had for the city of his refidence; knowing likewife, that Jerufalem is the only place on earth which, in respect to the veneration due to it, may vie with Rome; being acknowledged by Chriftians of all parties to be the mother-church. Now, if fuch a head is elected, and acknowledged by the Catholic party, the prophetic defcription is fully vindicated, though the Pope and the College of Cardinals were exterminated in the deftruction of Rome.

IV. The circumftances which accompany the converfion of the Jews, and the arguments which prove the place of Armageddon to be Judea, put the refidence of the beaft at that time in Judea, beyond a doubt. But to prevent a repetition, I fhall refer the illuftration of this argument to the detail of thefe circumftances, in their proper place and order.

When the Papal fovereignty is erected in Judea, its influence fhall fpread rapidly and extenfively in the benighted regions of Asia. We

might expect that a power, artful and ambitious, would procure numerous followers among a people for ages involved in Mahometan delufion, Pagan idolatry, or grofs fuperftition, under the name of Chriftian; accustomed to submit to the galling Turkish yoke, ignorant of the sciences, ftrangers to civil and religious liberty. Upon the fame principles that the Pope extended his influence in Europe, in the tenth century, we may infer that he will extend it in Afia in the twenty first century.

Accordingly the Prophet Daniel lays before us the subjects of his spiritual jurisdiction. "He "shall enter alfo into the glorious land, and

many countries fhall be overthrown; But (and) "these shall (not) escape out of his hand, even "Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children "of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also ' upon the countries; and the land of Egypt "fhall not escape. But he fhall have power

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over the treasures of gold and of filver, and "over all the precious things of Egygt: And "the Libyans and the Ethiopians fhall be at "his fteps," Dan. xi. 41, 42, 43. The word tranflated overthrown, fhould be rendered ftumble; a fcripture expreffion, which denotes rejecting the truth, through delufion. So the Prophet Isaiah fays of the Jews, in our Saviour's time," Many shall stumble," Ifa. viii. 15. The

expreffion

expreflion intimates that the countries mentioned, fhould not be conquered by force of arms, but should fubmit to the blafphemous king, by rejecting the truth, through his delufion. I am of opinion that the particle not, has been dropt out of the text; and that it fhould be, "These shall not escape out of his hand, "even Edom and Moab, and chief of the "children of Ammon." For the turn of the expreffion is the fame with that in the following claufe: " And Egypt fhall not escape." The design of the prophet appears to be, to represent such as fubmitted to him, not such as rejected him. But above all, I find in other paffages the inhabitants of these countries reprefented as his chief fupporters. "He fhall have

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power over all the treasures of Egypt." It is not faid that he had power over the Egyptians, but over their treasures. Just as the Pope, in the dark ages, conveyed the wealth of Chriftendom to the fee of Rome, without claiming a temporal fovereignty over thofe people whom he gulled out of their money.

"The Libyans fhall be at his fteps." Here again the expreffions intimate a voluntary fubmiffion. They follow him as their guide, yielding a fubmiffion very different from that which the defpotic fovereigns of Afia and Africa require of their fubjects. We have in this paffage, therefore,

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an account of the fubjects of his spiritual jurif diction; and thefe are the inhabitants of Paleftine, where he refides. Those of the neighbouring countries, once poffeffed by the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, together with the Egyptians, Cullites, (either the Ethiopians or Arabians), and Libyans. It is probable, likewife, that the whole Greek church fhall fubmit to him as their spiritual head. The Greek church is equally fuperftitious and idolatrous with the Latin church. When fuperftition and idolatry are on the decline, through the influence of the gofpel, these two bodies may be led by a fimilarity of fentiment, to unite in their adverfity, though they quarrelled in their prof perity. Again, the real ground of the quarrel feems to have been pride. The Greek church had four patriarchal feats within her own territories, the confidered each of them equally venerable with Rome; at any rate, her pride would not permit her to renounce the respect due to them, fo far as to acknowledge Rome the chief. The difpute concerning the addition of the word filioque to the creed, was rather the oftenfible, than the real reafon of their feparation. When, therefore, the real reafon is removed, by the refidence of the head of the church in Jerufalem, it is likely that they will fubmittohis authority. Farther, the design which

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