but the spiritual dominion of Mo- | Pastor. This afterwards caused hammed. We also learn from the rise and duration of this little horn, that neither Antiochus Epiphanes nor the Romans have any connection with it for otherwise the period of 1260 years, with all the great events which must be accomplished in it, would long since have been over and past, which certainly is not the case. The Prophet informs us that, small as this little horn at first was, it soon "waxed excceding great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land." Mohammedism accordingly, though very limited in its origin, soon spread itself over the whole Macedonian empire, as the papacy spread itself over the whole Western empire. Thus this huge colossus, the great double apostacy, in the self-same year, set his feet, one upon the East, and the other upon the West, astride the Roman empire, and there the monster has stood rising of twelve centuries, and to all appearance will continue through the destined period, now almost closed, of 1260 years.

Mohammedism is a medley of corrupted Christianity, Talmudical Judaism and Arabian superstition purged of the old Pagan idolatry. It recognizes Moses, the prophets and Jesus Christ, whom the Mussulmans are taught to hold in high and mysterious veneration: and Mohammed acknowledged the divine authority of the Pentateuch, the Psalms and the Gospels: but required the Koran to be received as

a

substitute for them. Such was the transgression of desolation which set itself up against the Prince of the host, the Prince of princes; and, as represented by St. John, is

strictly an apostacy from the pure

faith of revelation conceived by a fallen star, or an apostate Christian

the daily sacrifice to cease, and gave both the sanctuary, the spiritual sanctuary of the Christian church, and the host to be trodden under foot. Doubtless the sanctuary here mentioned by Daniel is to be understood in the same sense as the temple mentioned by St. John; that is, the church of Christ. The outer court of that Temple was to be trodden under foot 42 months; but here the sanctuary itself was to be dan little horn, not indeed at its first trodden under foot by the Mohamme rise, but when it had "waxed exceeding great": or when the crescent had triumphed over the cross, in the midst of Constantinople. Here we notice, after the author, with admiration, the different language of Daniel and St.John, considered as applied by the former, to the Greek, and by the latter, to the Latin Church. Mohammedism is represented as putting an end to the daily sacrifice, as treading the sanctuary itself under foot, and as planting the abomination of desolation in its inmost recesses: But the papacy is described as treading under foot the outer court of the Gentiles and the holy city only, being unable to reach the temple or sanctuary of God, and the altar and them that worship therein. Such accordingly has been the event. The skeleton of the Greek church remains, but we hear of no spiritual worshippers in it, since the establishment of Mohammedism, the sanctuary itself is polluted, no grateful incense aspires to heavej from off its altar. On the contrary,

the Latin church has retained with

in its bosom a hidden seed who worship in the spiritual temple, and the witnesses have always prophesi serve at the spiritual altar; there after they were slain by the beast, ed, though in sackcloth; and there, they have revived and ascended into Heaven,

ciples, is uncreated and eternal ; subsisting in the essense of the Deity, and inscribed, with a pen of light, on the table of his everlasting de

crees.

At the end of the four kingdoms | revelation of Mohammed the Xof the Macedonian beast, says the ran: the substance of which, acinterpreting angel, when the trans-cording to Mohammed or his disgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and teaching dark sentences shall stand up. He was to come after the four kings, not to be contemporary with them, Such accordingly was the event. When those four kingdoms had come to their end, the religion of Mohammed arose, first at Mecca, afterwards it spread through Syria, and thus became a little horn of one of the four subverted horns of the he-goat,

The little horn or king was to cast the stars of Heaven to the ground, and stamp upon them; and the religion of Mohammed was professedly set up against the symbolical host and stars of heaven, or the bishop and pastors of the Christian church, many of whom it has compelled to apostatize, and has utterly extin

The little horn was to magnify itself against the Prince of the host, and to cast down the truth to the dism has always magnified its ground. Accordingly Mohammefounder above the divine author of the Christian religion. The impostor allowed Jesus the son of Mary to be a prophet, but he maintained that he himself was a greater prophet; and that the Koran was des tined to supersede the Gospel.

The horn was first to be small, and afterwards to be great in in a Southern, Eastern and North-guished the luminaries of Christianern direction. Mohammedism for ity where it has prevailed. some years had but few proselytes; but soon its conquests extended Southward, over Arabia, Eastward, over Persia, and, in after ages, over Hindostan, and Northward, over Palestine, Asia Minor and Greece. Its conquests Westward, were far less considerable, and less durable. The king or little horn was to arise when the transgressors were come to the full. Such was the case in Christendom in the year 606, when the saints, in the West, were delivered into the hand of the little hapal horn, and especially in the East, where, as a just retribution, the sun and the air began to be dar kened with the smoke of Moham-in itself quick and powerful; when medism, which, in its progress, has, for ages, wholly extinguished the light of divine truth.

The strength of the little horn was to be mighty but not by its own strength. The Gospel of Christ is

preached to the heathen world it appeared, by its progress against all opposition, that it was not only The king also was to be fierce of mighty, but mighty in itself, it recountenance and a teacher of dark quired not the assistance of the temsentences; that is to say he was to poral arm to support it. But Mobe a spiritual power upheld by hammedism, strong as it became, force of arms. The little horn was to was never mighty by its own natur – be a religion not of the Lamb, but of al strength. It avowedly relied, not the Dragon. The dark sentences, the on the voice of reason, and arlittle horn was to teach, were spir-gument, and evidence, but on the itual enigmas: or the pretended strength of the Saracenic sword. The impostor made slow progress while

he confined himself to preaching; | of an enemy whom they had been but after he assumed the sword he so long accustomed to depise. soon propagated his religion through the East. Thus was the power of Mohammedism mighty, but not like the Gospel, by its own power. Thus did it destroy wonderfully, and prosper and practise.

The little horn through his policy would cause craft to prosper in his hand. Thus the historian testifies that the use of fraud and perfidy, of cruelty and injustice, were often subservient to the proNor was pagation of the faith. perfidy the character of Mohammed alone, his example is copied by his numerous votaries." It is scarcely credible," says another historian, "how far the littleness of pride is carried by the Porte, in all their transactions with the Christian princes. To support their faith, and to extend their empire, are the only law of nations which they acknowledge. In a word, lust, arrogance, cevetousness, and the most exquisite hypocrisy, complete their

character."

Lastly the little horn is destined to be broken without hands: this event will take place at the close of the period of 1260 years; and of course is future. Then will the sanctuary be cleansed from the abominations of the two-fold apostacy: For Popery and Mohammedism will not

be divided in their deaths. The Ottoman power, however, like its predecessor, the Saracenic Caliphate, will be annihilated previous to the expiration of the 1260 years; and so, previous to the downfall of the revived Roman beast, and of his little horn the false prophet; for the mystic waters of the Euphrates are to be completely dried up under the sixth vial. The downfall of the Ottoman empire will greatly weaken the spiritual horn of Mohammedism, but will not altogether break its strength. How it will be

broken without hand the event must determine. The result of our

enquiry, on this very interesting point, must be this, that the Spirit of inspiration by the little horn of the he-goat designed to symbolize Mohammedism, and nothing but Mohammedism.

Another characteristic of the little horn is, that he should destroy many while in a state of negligent security. This peculiarity, in the whole progress of the Saracenic arms, the author exemplifies at considerable length, from history. It will be sufficient to observe in general that the birth of Mohammed was placed | An in the most degenerate period of the Persians, the Romans and the Barbarians of Europe. The empires of Trajan, or even of Constantine or Charlemagne would have repelled the assaults of the naked Saracens. But the enthusiasm of the Caliphs made them disdain the ordinary modes of warfare, and they attacked with the same vigor and success, says the historian, the successors of Augustus and those of Artaxerxes, and the rival monarchies, at the same instant, became the prey

[To be continued.]

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

(Continued from p. 137.) *

Ninth Plague. PALPABLE DARKNESS. Exodus x. 21–23.

HIS judgment was very

THIS

extraordinary; nor had any thing similar been ever experienced by this, or any other nation. It was certainly direct

have been superior in science to any nation upon earth. But they prostituted these noble gifts; and through an affectation of mystery and refinement, they abused the knowledge afforded then; for by veiling every thing under a type they at last lost sight of their original intelligence. They at first considered light and fire, and the great fountain of light the sun, merely as proper emblems of the true deity, the god of all pu

was the reverence which they paid to them, that in process of time they forgot the hand by which these things were framed; and looked upon the imme

ed with a particular view; and bore a strict analogy with the sentiments and idolatry of the people who suffered. They were a wise and learned nation, with minds much enlightened. They had traditions transmitted of the principal events from the commencement of time; they had been acquainted with the history of creation; and we may, from particular traces, perceive that they knew the mode in which it was carried on, and the hand by which it was effected.rity and brightness. But such But they chose to express every thing by allegory; and these allegories were again described by symbols and hieroglyphical representations, to which they paid an idolatrous reverence.diate means and support of life, By these means the original ob- as the primary efficient cause, to ject became obscure, and the the exclusion of the real creareality was lost in the semblance. tor. What then could be more They looked upon light and reasonable and apposite than for upon fire, the purest of ele- a people, who thus abused their ments, to be proper types of intelligence, and prostituted the most pure God; and they their faculties; who raised to regarded the sun, the great foun- themselves a god of day, their tain of light, as a just emblem Osiris, and instead of that intelof his glory, and likewise of his lectual light, the wisdom of the salutary influence upon the Almighty, substituted a created world. This was specious, but and inanimate element, as a of a dangerous tendency; as it just object of worship,-what drew away their attention from could be more apposite than for the proper object of worship, a people of this cast to be doomwhich became by degrees ob- ed to a judicial and temporay scured, and was at last totally darkness? The judgment bore a effaced. Both the name and strict analogy with the crime; idea of the true God were lost; and as it was a just punishment and adoration was paid to the to them, so it was a proper sun, and to the earth. The sun warning to others not to give way was esteemed to be the soul of to the like mystery and illusion. the world, and the ancient Egyptians supposed this luminary and the moon to rule all things by their influence.

I have mentioned that the Egyptians were a people of great learning; who seem to VOL. I. No. 5.

Nor was this all. As the

Egyptians betrayed an undue reverence for the sun and light, so they showed a like veneration for night and darkness. Night was esteemed by them sacred, as being more ancient than the

Z