score days: and again, that she should fly into the wilderness for a time, and times, and half a time, which is still the very same period: and again, that a wild beast, a tyrannical power, to whom it was given to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, was to continue forty and two months,-still the very same period of time,—and to have power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations, so that all that dwell upon the earth should worship him: is it credible or possible that ignorant and enthusiastical writers should by mere chance hit upon such coincidences of occult numbers? especially as St. John could not possibly take the numbers from Daniel, as if he understood Daniel to mean nothing more than the short persecution of Antiochus. And if he did understand Daniel to mean a much longer, and greater, and more remote tyranny, which John himself prophesied of as in his time still future; then the wonder is still infinitely greater, that in those early times, when there was not the least footstep in the world of any such power as St. John distinctly describes, (but which now is very conspicuous, as I shall presently observe more particularly), it should ever enter the heart of man to conceive so much as the possibility of such a power sitting, not upon the pavilion of heathen persecutors, but expressly in the temple and upon the seat of God himself." After this, Clarke goes on more particularly to enumerate the

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prophecies relating to the Popish apostacy, and their fulfilment,—and draws from the whole a proof for the truth of Christianity with a force and distinctness which has been generally acknowledged. His remarks, with some omissions, on account of the length of the passage, are as follow:"Daniel foretels a kingdom upon the earth, which shall be divers from all kingdoms, divers from all that were before it, exceeding dreadful, and shall devour the whole earth. That among the powers into which this kingdom shall be divided, there shall arise one power divers from the rest, who shall subdue unto himself three of the first powers, and he shall have a mouth speaking very great things, and a look more stout than his fellows. He shall make war with the saints, and prevail against them. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand for a long season; even till the judgement shall sit, and the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. He shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods," &c. Suppose all this now to be spoken by Daniel of nothing more than the short persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes, which, that it cannot be, I have shown above; but suppose it were, and that

it was all forged after the event, yet it cannot be the case of St. Paul and St. John, who describe exactly a like power, and in like words; speaking of things to come in the latter days, of things still future in their time, and of which there was then no footstep, no appearance in the world. The day of Christ, says St. Paul, shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God:whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. Again : "The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, (that is, for so it should be translated, doctrines concerning demons or souls of men departed ;) forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, &c. St. John, in like manner, prophesies of a wild beast, or tyrannical power, to whom was given great authority, and a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him to overcome all kindreds, and tongues, and nations; and all that dwell upon the earth shall

worship him. And he that exerciseth his power before him doth great wonders,—and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he hath power to do. And he causeth that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast. And the kings of the earth have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast; for God hath put into their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and give their kingdoms to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. The name of the person in whose hands the reins, or principal direction of the exercise of this power, is lodged, is Mystery,-Babylon the Great. She is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and by her sorceries are all nations deceived; and in her is found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that are slain upon the earth. And this person (the political person) to whom these titles and characters belong, is that great city, standing upon seven mountains, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

"If, in the days of St. Paul and St. John, there was any footstep of any such a sort of power as this in the world; or if there ever had been any such power in the world; or if there was then any appearance of probability that could make it enter into the heart of man to imagine that there ever could be any such kind of power in the world,—

much less in the temple or church of God; and if there be not now such a power actually and conspicuously exercised in the world; and if any picture of this power, drawn after the event, can now describe it more plainly and exactly than it was originally described in the words of the prophecy: then may it with some degree of plausibleness be suggested, that the prophecies are nothing more than enthusiastic imaginations."

Thus Clarke has united in a short compass a demonstration of the truth of Christianity with a demonstration of the falsehood and impiety of Popery. And new and similar proofs are afforded by all the prophecies which concern the latter days. In all these prophecies we see the character of Popery distinctly marked; the prosperity of the false Church, which sat as a queen, reigning in all outward splendour, while the true Church had fled to the wilderness. We see also the many nations and kings which submitted to its usurped and blasphemous authority; even peoples, and nations, and multitudes, and tongues. We see also the boasted unity of the false Church, and the means by which that unity is maintained; the kings of the earth being of one mind, and giving their strength and their power unto the beast. The pretensions of the Papists to false miracles are distinctly marked in the coming of the Man of Sin, after the working of Satan with all miracles and lying wonders. The