* Antiochus declared openly for all those who should renounce the law. Having published an ordinance, by which all the Jews in general were commanded, upon pain of death, to change their religion, he sent some officers to Jerusalem, ordering them to pollute the temple, and abolish the worship of the Most High. They accordingly dedicated this temple to Jupiter Olympius, and placed his statue in it. They raised in every part of the city profane temples and altars, where they forced the Jews to offer sacrifices, and eat of meat sacrificed to idols. Many, from the dread of the torture, seemed to comply in all things required from them, and even prompted others to countenance their base apostacy.

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall he," (Antiochus) corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do "know their God, shall be strong and do exploits." This manifestly points at old Eleazar, the seven Maccabees and their mother, and a great number of other Jews, who courageously opposed the impious orders of the king.

"And they that understand among the people shall instruct << many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by "captivity, and by spoil many days." This relates chiefly to Mattathias and his sons.

"Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a "little help but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." Mattathias and Judas Maccabeus supported the distressed na. tion, and the almost universally abandoned religion, with so small a number of forces, that we can consider the success which the Almighty gave their arms no otherwise than as a miracle. Their troops grew more numerous by degrees, and afterwards formed a very considerable body.

"And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, "and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of "the end; because it is yet for a time appointed." The suf ferings and death of those who stedfastly refused to obey the king's decree, was their glory and triumph.

" And the king shall do according to his will, and he shall "exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and "shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and "shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that "is determined, shall be done."

"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the

1 Maccab. 1. xliii. &c. 2 Maccab. iv. 7, &c. vi. 1, kc. + Dan. xi. 32. + Ver. 33. I Ver. 34. ** Ver. 36.

tt Ver. 37.

¶ Ver. 35:

"desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify "himself above all."

Epiphanes ridiculed all religions. He plundered the temples of Greece, and wanted to rob that of Elymais. He exercised his impious fury chiefly against Jerusalem and the Jews, and almost without any resistance. The Almighty seemed to wink for a time at all the abominations which were committed in his temple, till his wrath against his people was satisfied.

وو

* "But tidings out of the east, and out of the north, shall "trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many." Antiochus was troubled when news was brought him, that the provinces of the east, and Artaxias king of Armenia to the north, were in arms, and going to throw off his yoke. Tacitus † tells us, that when Antiochus had formed a resolution to force the Jews to change their religion, and embrace that of the Greeks, the Parthians had revolted from Antiochus. Before he set out for the provinces on the other side of the Euphrates, he gave Lysias, whom he appointed regent of the kingdom in his absence, half his army; commanding him to extirpate all the Jews, and to settle other nations in their country.

66 He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace," [¶ in Apadno]"between the sons in the glorious holy mountain" [of Zabi]; "yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." This verse, which is translated literally from the Hebrew, is very difficult to be explained, because of the two words Apadno and Zabi, which are not to be found in the ancient geography. The reader knows that I do not take upon me to clear up these kind of difficulties. Porphyry, whom we have no reason to suspect, imagined that this verse alluded to Antiochus's expedition beyond the Euphrates, and to his death, which happened on that march. This is the opinion of the greatest part of the interpreters, and therefore we ought to be satisfied with it.

The prophet therefore declares that Antiochus shall pitch his camp near mount Zabi, doubtless the same with Taba**, where,

* Dan, xi. 44.

+ Antiochus demere superstitionem, et mores, Græcorum dare adnixus, quo minus teterrimam gentem in melius mutaret, Parthorum bello prohibitus est: nam ea tempestate Arsaces defecerat. Tacit. 1. v. c. 8. Dan. xi. 45·

Maccab. iii. 31-39

N. B. The words between the crotchets in this verse are not in our English translation of the bible.

** Taba, according to Polybius, was in Persia; and in Paretacenas according to Quintius Curtius.

according to* Polybius, he died, and that there he "shall come "to his end," being abandoned by God, and having none to "help him." We have seen how he expired in the most cruel agonies, and struck with an unavailing repentance, which only increased his torments.

Theodoret, St. Jerom, and several interpreters, take all that the prophet Daniel speaks concerning Antiochus Epiphanes in another sense, as alluding to antichrist. It is certain that this prince, who was equally impious and cruel, is one of the most sensible, as well as most expressive types of that enemy of Christ Jesus and our holy religion.

It is impossible for us, whilst we are reading this prophecy, not to be prodigiously struck, to see the justness and accuracy, with which the prophet traces the principal characteristics of a king whose history is so much blended with that of the Jews; and we perceive evidently, that for this reason the holy spirit, either entirely omitting, or taking only a transient notice of the actions of other much more famous princes, dwells so long on that of Antiochus Epiphanes.

With what certainty does Daniel foretel a multitude of events, so very remote, and which depended on so many arbitrary cir cumstances! how manifestly did the spirit, which presented futurity to his view, show it him as present, and in as clear a light as if he had seen it with his bodily eyes! Do not the divine authority of the scriptures, and, by a necessary consequence, the certainty of the christian religion, become, by such proofs, in a manner palpable and self-evident?

No prophecy was ever fulfilled in so clear, so perfect, and so indisputable a manner as this.. † Porphyry, the professed enemy of the christian religion, as well as of the Old and New Tes tament, being infinitely perplexed in finding so great a confor mity between the events foretold by Daniel, and the relations given by the best historians, did not pretend to deny this conformity, for that would have been repugnant to sense, and de nying the shining of the sun at noon day. However, he took. another course in order to undermine the authority of the scriptures. He himself laboured, by citing all the historians extant at that time, and which are since lost, to show, in a very extensive manner, that whatever is written in the eleventh chap. ter of Daniel happened exactly as foretold by that prophet; and

*Polyb. in excerp. Vales. p. 145.

Porphyry was a learned heathen, born at Tyre, A. D. 233* and wrote a very voluminous treatise against the christian religion.

he concluded from this perfect uniformity, that so exact a detail of so great a number of events could not possibly have been written by Daniel so many years before they happened; and that this work must certainly have been written by some per son who lived after Antiochus Epiphanes, and borrowed Daniel's name.

In this contest between the christians and heathens, the former would indisputably carry their cause, could they be able to demonstrate, by good proofs, that Daniel's prophecies were really written by him. Now this they proved unanswerably, by citing the testimony of a whole people, I mean the Jews, whose evidence could not be suspected nor disallowed, as they were still greater enemies to the christian religion than the heathens themselves. The reverence they had for the sacred writings, of which providence had appointed them the depositaries and guardians, was so prodigious, that they would have thought him a criminal and sacrilegious wretch who should have attempted only to transpose a single word, or change one letter in it. What idea would they then have entertained of that man who should pretend to introduce any supposititious books in them? Such are the witnesses who attested the reality of Daniel's prophecies. And were ever proofs so convincing, or cause so victorious?" Thy testimonies are very sureO Lord, for ever."

* Psal. zciļi. 5.

THE

HISTORY

OF

ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS

CONTINUED.

PLAN.

THIS nineteenth book contains three articles. In the first, the history of Perfeus, the last king of Macedonia, is related; he reigned eleven years, and was dethroned in the year of the world 3836. The second article gots on from the defeat of Perfeus to the ruin of Corinth, which was taken and burned in the year of the world 3858, and includes something more than 2 years The third article contains the his tory of Syria and that of Egypt, which are generally joined together. That of Syria continued almost 100 years from Antiochus Eupator, son of Anticchus Epiphanes, to Antiochus Asiaticus, under whom Syria became a province of the Roman empire; that is to fay, from the year of the world 3840 to 3939. The history of Egypt includes also 100 years from the 20th year of Ptolemæus Philometer, till the expulsion of Ptolemæus Auletes, that is, from the year of the world 3845 to the year 3946.

ARTICLE I.

THIS article contains eleven years, being the whole reign of Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, from the year of the world 3826 to 3837.

SECTION I.

PERSEUS PREPARES FOR WAR AGAINST THE ROMANS.HE ENDEAVOURS A RECONCILIATION WITH

ACHEANS.

THE

THE death of Philip * happened very opportunely for suspending the war against the Romans, and giving them time to pre

A. M. 3826. Ant. J. C. 178. Liv. 1. xl. n. 57, 58. Oros, l. iv. c. 20.