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ed. "But she shall be given up, and they that "brought her, and he that begat her." She was daughter to the king of the south, he was the perfon that begat her, and who was given up, confequently the perfon whose arm did not ftand.

As the foundation on which Mede builds his interpretation is untenable, fo an observation. will readily occur to the common sense of the attentive reader, which fixes the application of the paffage to the blafphemous king. The defign of the prophet, in this passage is to give a hiftory of the blafphemous king. The king of the north is introduced merely on account of his making war with him; and that he overflowed the territories of the blafphemous king, does not imply that he destroyed his existence, as appears from the frequent ufe of the term in the preceding part of the chapter. Are we to fuppose, then, that the prophet would stop short in the history of the blafphemous king, of which he profeffedly treats, before he had brought it to a conclufion, and carry on that of the king of the north, introduced accidentally? Put the case, that a person profeffedly writes the Histo ry of England; that he introduces France as at war with England; that he ftops fhort in the Hiftory of England, and carries on that of France; would not the historian be charged

with great impropriety? But with that impropriety the spirit of prophecy is chargeable, by Mede's interpretation. I cannot therefore hefitate in rejecting it.

I am aware that another objection may be made to the interpretation I have now given; namely, "That the glorious holy mountain" may be taken, in a figurative sense, to fignify the church; fo we understand the Apostle, when he fays of the man of fin, That he "fitteth in "the temple of God," 2 Theff. ii. 4. In anfwer, I would obferve, That there are feveral circumftances in the narrative, which cannot accord with a figurative interpretation. As, first, The time when he took up his refidence in the holy mountain, it is faid to be" at the time "of the end," about the clofe of his reign; whereas he had his refidence in the church from the beginning of it.-Secondly, The manner of his coming to refide there, in confequence of a forcible expulfion from his former place of refidence; whereas he attained his empire in the church gradually and imperceptibly.-Thirdly, The glorious land, in a figurative fenfe, fignifies Heaven, Heb. xi.; to which the blafphemous king cannot be supposed to have access. It must be taken in a literal fenfe; fo ought alfo the glorious holy mountain, when conjoined with the glorious land, in the fame narrative.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, The glorious holy mountain is faid to be" between the feas," which admits of an obvious meaning, if taken literally; but appears to me abfolutely inexplicable, if taken figuratively. I conclude, therefore, that the blafphemous king is the perfon whom the prophet has in view; that his entering the glorious land, and placing the tabernacles of his palace in the holy mountain, are expreflions to be taken literally; which certainly imply his refidence in the land of Judea, in the city of Jerufalem.

The prophet Jeremiah had given a similar account before Daniel. The account of the former, when viewed by itself, is obfcure, but when illustrated by the latter, we discover the fame circumftances, related of the fame perfon, and at the fame time. "Behold, he shall

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come up like a lion from the fwelling of Jor"dan, against the habitation of the ftrong : "but I will fuddenly make him run away from "her; and who is a chofen man that I may

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appoint over her? for who is like me? and "who will appoint me the time? and who is "that fhepherd that will ftand before me?" Jer. xlix. 19. The perfon here spoken of is the king of Edom, that is of spiritual Babylon, (fee page 46.), as a lion lodging in the thickets, on the banks of Jordan, is forcibly driven from his habitation, by the overflowing of the river,

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fo he fhall be forcibly expelled from his first refidence, by the king of the north coming against him as an overflowing flood. In confequence of this expulfion, he fhall come up" against the "habitation of the ftrong ;" a term more applicable to the city of Jerufalem, than any other place upon earth, being ftrongly fortified by nature and art, the refidence formerly of heroes, and the city where the Almighty "placed his "name," and in a peculiar manner dwelt; whereas he flatters himself with a lafting refidence in that city. God informs the prophet, "I will fuddenly make him run away from "her," intimating, that God himself would interpofe, and make his refidence there short, when compared with the time he continued in his former habitation. To eftablish the truth of this declaration, he intimates, that he hath ordained the inftruments, and appointed the time, and that no human power may contend with his.

The time when the king of Edom comes up against the habitation of the ftrong, is after the place of his former refidence is reduced to a ftate fimilar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, as we learn from the preceding verfe, "As in the over"throw of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the

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man fhall abide there, neither fhall a fon of 66 man dwell in it."

The fame expreffions, including the fame circumstances, are repeated, chap, 1. 40. 44. and applied to the king of Babylon, to intimate that the kings of Edom and Babylon, literally taken, are not intended, but a perfon in whom the characters of both, namely, cruelty and idolatry, unite.

II. Another ground of this opinion, is the connexion betwixt the fixth and feventh vials. The fixth vial reprefents the conversion of the Jews, as we have already feen, p. 73. The converted Jews, are the perfons who go down to Armageddon at the feventh vial, and by whom the beast and falfe prophet are finally destroyed, Rev. xiv. 20. Yea, upon their conversion, he and his followers are feized with a horrible dread, apprehending fuch an event. Now, upon the fuppofition of his refidence in Europe, the reafon of this apprehenfion does not appear, nor is it probable either that they would meditate an expedition against him, or that he, in the declining state of his own affairs, should form a crufade against them. But his refidence in Judea clears up thefe things, which appear obfcure in the narrative. It fhews the parties brought into contact, by the providence of God,

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