Beasts, we find therefore beautiful and striking descriptions of the power of the fourth kingdom, or Western Roman empire, and of its subduing the other three kingdoms during the period of its strength.

In the PERIOD of its WEAKNESS, or in its divided state, it is represented in the vision of the Great Image, by "the feet and toes, part of "potter's clay, and part of iron;" and in the parallel vision of the four Beasts, by the ten horns of the fourth; which are said to be "ten kings," or kingdoms, "that should arise;" the number of toes agreeing with the number of horns; and both equally representing ten minor kingdoms, which were formed by a division of the Western Roman empire. The symbols of the feet and toes of the Great Image are afterwards thus explained by Daniel to king Nebuchadnezzar, ver. 41: "And whereas thou "sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, "and part of iron, the kingdom shall be di"vided; but there shall be in it of the strength "of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron "mixed with miry clay. 42. And as the "toes of the feet were part of iron and part of "clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, "and partly broken."

The ten kingdoms of the divided Western Roman empire are represented in these verses

as being some of them strong, and others weak; and as differing from each other as iron differs from clay; and we find the contrast between these two classes of kingdoms yet more strikingly pointed out in verse 43; where it is said by Daniel to king Nebuchadnezzar, in explaining the vision, "Whereas, thou sawest iron "mixed with miry and clay, they shall mingle "themselves with the seed of men: but they "shall not cleave one to another, even as iron " is not mixed with clay :" by which we understand, that though the strong and powerful kingdoms should be mingled with the base and inferior kingdoms (called as a term denoting weakness and inferiority," the seed of men)," lying mixed together with them as the broken pieces of the Western Roman empire; they should not "cleave together," or assimilate; but should be perfectly distinct and separate characters; there should appear in the strong kingdoms all the iron, all the strength and tyranny of the old Roman empire, but none of the weakness of the inferior kingdoms of clay.

In this part we shall first inquire which are the ten kingdoms represented by the ten toes of the Image; and the ten horns of the fourth Beast; and then proceed to arrange them into the two classes of iron and clay.

In endeavouring to decide the important

question, which are the ten kingdoms interested in the prophecy of Daniel, we should consider what are the chief subjects of prophecy; and we must conclude, that these are, first, the testimony of Jesus Christ*; secondly, the history of his Church; and thirdly, the history of the kingdoms of this world, as connected with his Church.

The prophecy of Daniel every one considers as reaching to the end; we may therefore expect to find mentioned in it those modern nations of the divided Roman empire, in whose revolutions and actions the Church of Christ has been the most interested; and amongst these we must necessarily class Rome, the seat of that great enemy of the Church, who is the principal subject of Daniel's vision of the four Beasts. Great Britain, the chief supporter of the Protestant cause, and the principal seat of the true Church, we must suppose also to be noticed in prophetic history; as well as Austria, the head of the Germanic empire; and France and Spain, who have been the cruel persecutors of the Saints. The prophecy of the four Beasts also teaches us, that three of these ten kingdoms are taken possession of by the spiritual Horn; of which three, Rome is evidently one. We,

*Rev. xix. 10.

therefore, in addition to those above named, are directed to look for two, which united to Rome, became the property of the Pope; and formed the territories of the Church.

But though we should probably be correct in thus fixing upon seven out of the ten kingdoms, some principle of interpretation is to be sought for, by which we may precisely ascertain the complete number of the kingdoms typified by -the ten horns.

And here we must be guided by what we find in other parts of the prophetic writings, and argue from analogy.

We have already seen, in the emblems representing the four kingdoms which obtained successively the empire of the world, the accuracy with which they are described as territorial divisions of the whole prophetic Earth, and that their territories are obviously designed to be kept perfectly distinct and separate one from the other.

For instance, because the kingdom of Babylon formed the first Beast; and Asia Minor, with Upper Asia, formed together part of the third Beast; these three provinces are decidedly excluded from the second Beast, and are represented as three ribs in the mouth of the Bear, or flesh that he had seized to devour; the representation pointing out, that these three pro

vinces would be overrun and subdued by the Medes and Persians.

Again, in the vision of the Ram and the Hegoat, the second ruling kingdom of the world, as there described, evidently consisted of only two parts, viz., of Media and Persia, which were typified by the two horns of the Ram, of which the higher came up last.

It appears, also, in considering the symbol of the fourth Beast representing the kingdom of the Romans, that it does not include Babylon, Media, and Persia, or the four minor kingdoms of the Macedonian empire; for these territories (the greater part of which afterwards formed the Eastern Roman empire) are called "the residue," which the ten-horned Beast is repres sented as conquering, or stamping with his feet.

We shall see likewise when the destruction of the latter days is spoken of, that it is said Dan, ii. 35, "Then was the iron, the clay, the "brass, the silver and the gold, broken to dc pieces together, and became like the chaff of "the summer threshing-floors;" from which description we must conclude, that the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay, re. present territorial divisions; for they cannot be considered as severally representing the Baby. lonian, Medo-Persian, Macedonian, and Roman Empires, each in its full extent, because the