strong leagues and matrimonial alliances, as mentioned above, they endeavoured to secure a perpetual sovereignty, yet they did not cleave to each other; and they also were finally swallowed up by the barbarous northern nations; and thus terminated those four most powerful monarchies."

Thus far we have attended the interpretation Daniel gave of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and comprehends a lapse of time from Nimrod's founding his kingdom A. M. 1771, till the Romans, the last of the four great empires, were swallowed up by the barbarous nations about the year after Christ 478-amounting in all, from Nimrod till then, to 2707 years. But the stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw smite the feet of the great image, commenced its operations 478 years before the end of the fourth empire was accomplished. If this interpretation, given by Daniel, is correct, in relation to the four great empires, as above stated, we look therefore for a fifth kingdom, which he as clearly foretold should arise in the days of the kings of the fourth empire, which was the Roman, and at the time when it was in its greatest strength and glory, did the predicted kingdom begin to make its appearance. This stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw smite the feet of the great image, was Jesus Christ, who was the king of the fifth kingdom which he came to establish on the earth, and is the very one intended by Daniel, when he says in chap. 2, verse 44, And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed..

Dr. Clark remarks, first, "That Jesus Christ has

been represented by a stone," and "refers chiefly to His church, which is represented as a spiritual building, which He supports as a foundation stone, connects and strengthens as a corner stone, and finishes and adorns as a top stone. He is called a stone also, in reference to the prejudice conceived against him by his country men. Because He did not come in wordly pomp, they therefore refused to receive him; and to them he is represented as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.

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Secondly.

He is represented under another notion, viz. that of a stone projected from a catapult, or some military engine, which smote the image on its feet; that is, it smote the then existing government at its foundation, or principles of support; and, by destroying these, brought the whole into ruin.

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Thirdly-By this stroke, the clay, the iron, the brass, the silver, and the gold, were broken to pieces and became like chaff which the wind carried away. Now we have already seen that the Roman empire. which had absorbed the kingdoms of the Lagidae and Seleucidae, was represented by the legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay; but as we find that not only the iron and clay, but also the brass, silver and gold were confounded and destroyed by that stroke, it follows that there was then remaining in, and compacted with the Roman government, something of the dis tinguishing marks and principles of all the preceding empires, not only as to their territorial possessions, but also as to their distinctive characteristics. There were at the time here referred to, in the Roman empire, the

splendour of the Chaldeans, the riches of the Persians, the discipline of the Greeks, and the strength of the Egyptian and Syrian governments, mingled with the incoherence and imbecility of those empires, kingdoms and states, which the Romans had subdued. In short, with its political excellencies, it contained the principles of its own destruction, and its persecution of the church of Christ accelerated its ruin.

Fourthly. The stone represents Christ and his governing influence. It is here said to be a kingdom, that is, a state of prevailing rule and government, and was to arise in the days of those kings or kingdoms. See verse 44, chap. 2. And this is literally true; for its rise was when the Roman government partook of all the characteristics of the preceding empires, was at its zenith of imperial splendour, military glory, legislative authority, and literary eminence.

Fifthly. This stone, or government, was cut out of the mountain; arose in and under the Roman government Judea being, at the time of the birth of Christ, a Roman province. It was cut out without hands; probably alluding to the miraculous birth of our Lord; but particularly to the spiritual nature of his kingdom and government, in which no worldly policy, human maxims, or military force, were employed; for it was not by might nor power, but by the spirit of the Lord of hosts."

Thus we have ascertained the commencement, continuance and present existence of the fifth kingdom which was to arise, according to the view of Daniel when he interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

But there is one qualification foretold of this fifth king dom, which no kingdom preceding it was ever endow. ed with, which was, that it should stand forever, and never be destroyed, and was destined to become a great mountain, and to fill the whole earth. But this having not yet been accomplished, we naturally look for that period in futurity, which shall now claim our further attention.

Perhaps it is not possible, in order to arrive at the desired period, to follow a better guide than Dr. Clark's explanation of the prophet Daniel's visions, which is thought he had about forty years after the time of Nebuchadnezzar's extraordinary dream. The same paramount empires of the habitable globe that should succeed each other, are set forth in the vision of Daniel, which were shown to Nebuchadnezzar, though by a different kind of symbol, viz. an image composed of a variety of metallic substances. But the prophet Daniel had a prospective view of those four great empires, under the likeness of several monstrous wild beasts, such as a lion with the wings of an eagle, a bear having three ribs of an animal in its teeth, a leopard with four wings like a fowl, and a fourth beast dreadful and terrible, and exceeding strong, having great iron teeth, devouring and breaking in pieces, and stamping the residue with his feet, being diverse from all other beasts before it, having ten horns upon its head. The first was a lion, with eagle's wings: This was "the kingdom of the Babylonians, and the king of Babylon is compared to a lion by Je

remiah 5, 6, and by Isa. 5, 29, and is said to fly as an eagle. Jeremiah 48, 40, and by Ezekiel 17, 3, 7.

"The lion is considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds; and therefore the kingdom of Babylon, which was signified by the golden head of the great image, was the first and noblest of all the kingdoms, and was the greatest then in being. The wings of the eagle denote the rapidity with which the lion, Nebuchadnezzar, made his conquests; for in a few years, by his own arms, he brought his empire to such an extent, and raised it to such a degree of eminence, as was truly surprising; and all tended to show with what propriety this eagle-winged lion is here made his emblem."

This Babylonish kingdom is the same with that spoken of in Daniel, chap. 2, 38, and was commenced by Nimrod A. M. 1771, and ended with the death of Belshazzar A. M. 3466, and was succeeded by the Medes and Persians.

The second "beast like unto a bear. This was the Medo Persian empire, represented here under the symbol of the bear, as the largest species of these animals was found in Media, a mountainous, cold and rough country, covered with woods. The Medes and Persians are compared to a bear on account of their cruelty and thirst after blood; a bear being a most voracious and cruel animal. The bear is termed by Aristotle an all-devouring animal; and the Medo Persians are known to have been great robbers and spoilers." This Medo Persian empire, represented in Daniel, chap. 7, under the emblem of a bear, is the same re