The other actions likewise of the little horn accord better with the Romans. This horn, tho' little at first, yet waxed exceeding great toward the fouth, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. This horn therefore, as Sir Ifaac Newton (5) justly obferves, was to rise up in the north-west parts of those nations, which compofed the body of the goat; and from thence was to extend his dominion towards Egypt, Syria, and Judea. Obferve the particulars. He wared exceeding great: and fo did the Roman empire even within the territories of the goat, but not so did Antiochus Epiphanes: for he was fo far from enlarging the kingdom of Syria, that it was lefs in his time than under most of his predeceffors, and he (6) left it as he found it, tributary to the Romans.-Torward the fouth: Antiochus indeed did feveral times invade Egypt, and gained great advantages over Ptolemy Philometor king of Egypt: but he was never able to make himself abfolute master of the country, and annex it to the kingdom of Syria; as the Romans made it a province of their empire, and kept poffeffion of it for several centuries. His designs were frustrated, as we have feen, by an embassy from the Romans; and he went out of Egypt baffled and disgraced, a word from them being as effectual as an army.-Toward the east: the Romans did grow very powerful toward the east; they conquered and made a province of Syria, which was the eastern kingdom of the goat: but Antiochus was feated in the east himfelf, and did not extend his dominions farther eastward. On the contrary the Parthians had withdrawn their obedience from the kings of Syria, and had erected a growing kingdom in the east. Antiochus did indeed (7) vanquish Artaxias, the tributary king of Armenia, who had revolted from him: but this was rather in the north than in the east. He had not the like fuccess among the Perfians, who were alfo dilatory in paying their (5) Sir Ifaac Newton's Obferv. on et 131. Edit. Steph. p. 187 et 212. Daniel. Chap. 9. p. 119. 120. (6) 2 Macc. VIII. 10. Edit. Tollii. Porphyrius apud Hieron. in Dan. 11. Col. 1133. Edit. (7) Appian. de Bell. Syr. p. 117 Benedict. tribute; tribute; for (8) having heard much of the tribes of Elymais, and particularly of the temple there, he went thither with a design of feizing the treasures of the city and temple; but the inhabitants rose upon him, repelled and routed him and his army, fo that he was forced to fly with difappointment and difgrace out of the country; and foon after he fickened and died. --And toward the pleasant land, that is Judea; for so it is called in the Pfalms (CVI. 24.) the pleasant land; and in Jeremiah (III. 19.) a pleasant land, a goodly heritage; and so twice again afterwards in Daniel. (XI. 16, 41.) Antiochus did indeed take Jerufalem, and miferably harrass and oppress the Jews, as it has been above related: but the Jews in a little time, under the conduct of the Maccabees, recovered their liberties, and established their religion and government in greater splendor and security than before. The Romans more effectually conquered and fubdued them, first made a province of their country, and then destroyed their city and temple, and dif persed the people, so that after so fatal a fall they have never from that time to this been able to rife again. Another remarkable property, that eminently diftinguished the little horn from all others, was that his power Should be mighty, but not by his own power; which commentators are much at a loss to explain. Some say (9) that he should be mighty not so much by his own industry, as by the gift of God: but fo are all horns or kingdoms whatever. Others say, (1) that God should give him this power for the punishment of his people; and others again, (2) that he should obtain it by the factions and perfidy and baseness of the Jews, who should betray their country to him: but these limit and restrain the meaning to a particular fubject, to his power over the Jews, whereas it is faid in the general, that his power should be mighty, but not by his own power. His (8) 1 Maccab. VI. 1-4. 2 Масcab. IX. 1, 2. Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 12. Cap. 8. Sect. 1. p. 544. Edit. Hudson. Porphyrius apud Hieron. ibid. (9) Non propria industria, fed Deo dante. Vatabulus. (1) Quia Deus voluit per ipsum punire populum fuum. Clarius. (2) So Poole, Lowth, &c. Non tam ex ipfo causa erit tanti incrementi, quam ex factionibus Judæorum, Grotius. Y2 power power in general, not only over this or that particular people, should be mighty, but not by his own power. The best explanation that they can give of it, who understand the whole of Antiochus Epiphanes, is that (3) he attained to the crown chiefly by the favor and assistance of Eumenes king of Pergamus and Attalus his brother, who having at that time some jealoufy of the Romans, were defirous to make the king of Syria their friend: but we do not read that they assisted him in any of his wars afterwards, and neither was his kingdom strengthened by foreign armies or alliances. They who conceive Antiochus to be a type of Antichrist, (4) offer a fairer interpretation, because Antichrist was to exercise an ufurped authority, and not his own, and the kings of the earth, according to St. John, (Rev. XVII. 13.) were to give their power and ftrength unto the beast. But this part of the prophecy, as well as the rest, can no where be fo justly and properly applied, as to the Romans. With them it quadrates exactly, and with none of the other horns or kingdoms of the goats. The strength of the other kingdoms confifted in themselves, and had its foundation in some part of the goat: but the Roman empire, as a horn or kingdom of the goat, was not mighty by its own power, was not strong by virtue of the goat, but drew its nourishment and strength from Rome and Italy. There grew the trunk and body of the tree, tho' the branches extended over Greece, Afia, Syria, and Egypt. The remainder of the prophecy relates mostly to the persecution and oppreffion of the people of God. And he waxed great even to the host of heaven, (or against the hoft of heaven), and he caft down fome of the hoft, and of the stars to the ground, and ftamped upon them, that is, the Jewish state in general, the mighty and the holy people, (ver. 24.) or the Priests and Levites in particular; who are called stars; as they were eminent for their station and illustrious for their knowlege; and the host of heaven, as they watched and ferved in the temple, and their fervice is denominated a warfare. (Num. VIII. 24, 25.) (3) Appian. de Bell. Syr. p. 116. (4). See Lowth's Comment. Edit. Steph. p. 187. Edit. Tollii. : This paffage was in some measure fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes as well as by the Romans: but our Saviour making use of the like expreffions, (Matt. XXIV. 29.) the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, in speaking of the destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, this passage also may more properly be referred to that event. Yea he magnified himself even to the prince of the hoft, (or against the prince of the hoft) and by him the daily facrifice was taken away, and the place of his fanctuary was caft down. Antiochus did indeed take away the daily facrifice, but he did not caft down the place of his fanctuary, he did not destroy the temple. He took away the daily facrifice for a few years, but the Romans for many ages: and the Romans likewife utterly destroyed the temple, which he spoiled only and profaned. And an hoft was given him against the daily facrifice by reason of transgression. The word here tranflated an hoft is rendered in other places, (Job VII. 1.) and in the book of Daniel itself, (X. 1.) an appointed time: And an appointed time was given him against the daily facrifice by reason of tranfgreffion: Or as we read in the margin, The host was given over for the tranfgreffion against the daily facrifice, and he caft down the truth to the ground, and he practised, and profpered. Or as the fame thing is expreffed by the angel: He shall destroy wonderfully, and Shall profper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people; and through his policy alfo he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many. But Antiochus did not fo mightily destroy the Jews, nor profper in his practices and designs against them. When he took Jerufaleın, (5) he flew forty thousand, and fold forty thousand more: but when the city was besieged and taken by the Romans, (6) the number of the captives amounted to ninety seven thousand, and of the flain to eleven hundred thousand. The Romans too carried their conquest and revenge fo far, as to put an end to Cap. 9. Sect. 2, et 3. p. 1291 (5) 2 Macc. V. 14. the government of the Jews, and entirely to take away their place and nation. Antiochus meant as much to root out the whole people; his malice was as great, but his fuccess was not equal: for though his forces were victorious at first, yet they were defeated at last, and his (7) generals Apollonius, Seron, Nicanor, and Gorgias, Timotheus and Bacchides, and even Lyfias himfelf, were all shamefully routed one after another: and the news of thefe defeats haftened his death. It is further added, that he shall also stand up against the prince of princes. If by the prince of princes the highpriest be meant, it is very true that Antiochus did put in and put out the high-priests at pleasure, but the Romans took away the whole administration. If by the prince of princes be meant, as most probably was meant, the Meffiah, then Antiochus had no share in the completion; it was effected by the Romans. It was by the malice of the Jews, but by the authority of the Romans, that he was put to death; and he fuffered the punishment of the Roman malefactors and flaves. And indeed it is very worthy of our most ferious confideration, whether this part of the prophecy be not a sketch of the fate and fufferings of the Christian as well as of the Jewish church. Nothing is more ufual with the prophets than to defcribe the religion and worship of later times by metaphors and figures borrowed from their own religion, The Chriftians may full as well as the Jews be comprehended under the name of the holy people, or people of the holy ones. And the Romans not only crucified our Saviour, but alfo perfecuted his difciples for above three centuries: and when at length they embraced the Chriftian religion, they foon corrupted it; fo that it may be questioned, whether their favor was not as hurtful to the church, as their enmity. As the power of the Roman eimperors declined, that of the Roman pontiffs increased t and may it not with equal truth and justice be faid of the latter, as of the former, that they caft down the truth to the ground, and practised, and profpered? How applicable (7) 1 Macc. III, IV. 2 Maçc. VIII. X. XI. Josephi. Antiq. Lib. 12. Cap. 7. p. 537. Edit. Hudson, |