applying the language of prophecy to the minute detail of events in the late Revolution; but, it should seem, the teeth of the vanquished monster have been sown, and will spring up into armed men! And thus may we expect to see that nation of the last times, that are emphatically "the people that delight in war," who are to plunge the world into a scene of trouble, such as was not since there was a nation upon earth; and whose career can alone be stopped by the appearing of the great Avenger of Israel.

We now come to the description of the last expedition of this great foe of the people of God; and, distant as is the seat of his empire, we shall find that, agreeably to former prophecies, he meets his fate upon the mountains of Israel, where THE AVENGER of his people is manifested in his glory.

40." And at the time of the end, the king of the south shall push at HIM," or, "butt with him."

That the subject of this prediction is the same character whose exploits are described in the last verses, according to the plain grammatical structure of the language, we have no reason to doubt.* It is then the Roman empire, under its divided sovereignties, by whatever influence or power combined together, that is the object of this attack. Who the king of the south is, that ventures to contend with the fourth empire, putting forth at that time, it should seem, in an unusual manner, what "it has in it of the strength of iron," perhaps we are not warranted to say positively. But, we may suggest, some power commanding to the south of the land of Israel, having possession most probably of the land of Egypt

FRASER and FABER.

-the " messenger nation," I suspect, whose seat, or principal scene of operations, is beyond the rivers of Cush *— the party described in Ezekiel as questioning or braving the triumphant adversary to the last. "Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof."+

The issue of this contest, or threatened contest, is not mentioned. The brunt of the war appears to be in another quarter; perhaps it was a preconcerted and united attack.

"And the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen, and with many ships."

Unless the situation of nations shall be strangely altered, we can have no doubt who the king of the north must be; certainly the great Russian empire. "At the time of the end," then, this empire, moved by some political causes, will make a furious and desperate attack upon the sovereignties of the Roman empire. The issue is silently, but very clearly, predicted. The king of the north fails, and exhausts his powers in the unsuccessful attack. The consequence is, the great apostate marches forth in an uninterrupted career of victory, unarrested by any arm of man.

"And HE shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow, and pass over."

That is, shall invade, and completely subdue them. What countries are not specified; those of the northern enemy we may suppose, and all his dependencies, or

* Isaiah, xviii., xlii. 10; Zeph. iii. 10.

↑ Ezek. xxxviii. 13.

whatever may be the object of the victor's ambition. We gather from Ezekiel, that before the apostate enters Palestine, he has attached to his party, either by conquest or by stratagem, all the countries of the north, and of the Turkish and Persian empires.* For the combination is specified, as "Gog 'from' the land of Magog, the prince of Ros, Meshech, and Tubal,”—" Persia, Ethiopia, Lybia,"-" Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters." We may say, in fine, that Russia, and all that Russia threatens from her present power and position to conquer, acting under a STILL SUPERIOR HAND, are pushed forward to this great conflict.

41. "And He shall enter also into the glorious land.”

-For what purpose, Ezekiel, and the ancient prophets, have told us. The Israelites, some of them at least, had been restored to "the land, brought back from the sword," and were dwelling in peaceful security.

"And many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand, Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon."

This circumstance, that Israel's last foe should not extend his ravages to the east of the Jordan, has several times been pointed out before by the oracles of God. Read the description of the mystic storm, Psalm xxix.; and compare Psalm lxviii., and Isaiah, xxxiii. 7, &c. with Joel ii.

42." And he shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries."

* Chap. xxxviii.

Many countries have been subdued, and his ambition aims at overthrowing many more.

"And the land of Egypt shall not escape, but he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans, and the Ethiopians, shall be at his steps."

He compels them to march in his train. This prophecy also illustrates and explains several former predictions; especially the sixty-eighth psalm, where the adversary, in his last movement towards his destruction, is blazoned with the emblems of Egypt, and described as coming up from that country, with the African nations in his alliance.

He hath checked the beast of the reed, the assembly of the bulls,

With the calves of the nations, disturbing with their feet the silvery streams;

He hath dispersed the nations that delight in war.

Chiefs come out of Egypt,

His hand urges Ethiopia against Elohim.

Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing ye Elohim,

Chant ye the Lord.

Him who rideth upon the heaven of heavens' as' of old;'

Lo! he uttereth a mighty sound with his voice.

44. "But tidings out of the east, and out of the north, shall trouble him; therefore, shall he go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many."

Thus he sets out from Egypt, with Ethiopia at his steps, little thinking that it is against the Almighty Re

deemer himself that he now leads his forces. "Tidings," it was said, "out of the east, and out of the north, had troubled him." What these tidings concern, we can only conjecture from a comparison of other passages in the prophetical writings. "Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with the young lions thereof;" — and Sheba and Dedan are in an eastern position-know of something that would defeat the arrogant expectations of Gog. "Art thou come to take a prey?" &c. *

The psalm we just quoted, which describes the foe as first led into Egypt, and then returning with recruited powers, describes also the presence of Jehovah as, at that time, leading his people through the desert; and several other passages had mentioned the manifestation of the God of Israel in the desert to his people, whom he was leading to Zion. The "Just One," who was to execute God's vengeance upon the idolatrous princes of the last days, was to be "raised up from the east."+ And it is remarkably said, in the twenty-fifth verse of the same chapter, that he comes from the north, as well as from the east.

"I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come, From the rising of the sun, he shall call upon my name. And he shall trample princes as mortar,

And as the potter treadeth the clay."

Whether, from the mention of north and sun-rising, two lines of march are pointed out; or the north-east direction, with respect to Egypt, where the adversary, and his congregated armies, then lie; we seem to discover, that the tidings which trouble him have some connexion with the final restoration of the Israelites. We