be overthrown together at the close of the 1260 years, which Daniel assures us is likewise the era of the incipient restoration of Judah and Israel. These are the ten-horned beast under its last head, or the papal Roman empire under the line of the Carlovingian princes; its little horn, which is the same as the second apocalyptic beast and false prophet, or the spiritual empire of the Papacy; the infidel king, or Antichristian France, now identified with the last head of the Roman beast the kings of the earth, or the vassal sovereigns of the Latin empire; and the little horn of the hegoat, or the false religion of Mohammed*. Now among

One great branch of Arohammedism, the Turkish empire, will be overthrown under the sixth apocalyptic vial, and therefore. previous to the destruction of the Antichristian confederacy, which will take place under the seventh: and, as for the religion of Mohammed itself, I cannot find any positive declaration that the professors of it will, in a national capacity, join the armies of the infidel king. Daniel speaks of it, as being, at the time of the end, broken without hand, (Dan. viii. 17, 25.) This expreffion is ambiguous: and may either mean, that it shall be (as it were) practically confuted and silenced by the manifestation of Christ, against whom Mohammed had presumed to stand up (Compare Dan. ii. 34, 35, 44, 45.); or it may mean, that it shall gradually fall away to nothing by the desertion of its votaries, and thus die a sort of natural death. The exhaustion. of the mystic Euphrates will no doubt greatly weaken it: and it is a remarkable circumstance, even in these eventful times, that a sect has lately made its appearance in the very country of the false Arabian prophet, which threatens no less than the destruction of his religion itself. The Wahabees are infidels; and

among all these we find not a single power, that at all answers to the character of the great ma

ritime

their numbers are daily increasing. Their opinions have been propagated near sixty years; and they at length find themselves strong enough to take up arms in their defence. It is said, that they occupy the greatest part of the country which extends from Medina to the Euphrates. Their last exploit, of which we have recently received an account, shews their decided hostility to Mohammedism in a very striking point of view. Having reinforced their army from the desert, and having overwhelmed the whole adjacent country, they suddenly assaulted and took the city of Medina with infinite bloodshed and devastation. They set fire to it in various places; destroyed the mosques, after having ransacked them of their valuable shrines and treasures; and completely demolished the tomb of the prophet. Some thousands of females of the first rank were carried off by the besiegers into the desert, with a number of the principal male inhabitants. A troop of camels was also sent away with jewels and other treasure to an immense amount. See Morning Post, Feb. 22, 1806.

The following account of the Wahabees is given in a very curious work recently published by Mr. Waring.

"The founder of this religion, Ubdool Wuhab, was a native "of Ujunu, a town in the province of Ool Urud. Some have "been of opinion, that Moola Moohummud, the son of Ubdool "Wahab, was the first person who promulgated doctrines sub" versive of the Mussulman faith. However this may be, it is "certain that one or other of these persons was the founder of "the religion of the Wuhabees; and the name inclines me to "believe Ubdool Wuhab. Both these persons were great tra"vellers. They studied under the principal Mohammedan "doctors at Bussora and at Bagdad; and afterwards went to "Damascus, where Ubdool Wuhab first began to avow his re"ligious principles. The priests were alarmed at the tendency

" of

ritime nation of faithful worshippers; and we further find it implied, that all, who have come

out

"of his doctrines; he was obliged to fly from this city; and, "on his arrival at Mousul, he publicly supported the purity, "excellence, and orthodoxy, of his tenets. This new religion, "which had sprung up in the midst of Arabia, excited the at"tention and roused the indignation of the orthodox Sheikhs, "who could not bear the notion of the Wuhabees ridiculing "with contempt the legends and tales which they so consci"entiously believed. The Wuhabees are accused of professing "the following belief: That there is one just and wise God; that "all thofe persons called prophets are only to be considered as just "and virtuous men; and that there never existed an inspired work nor an inspired writer. A party of the Wuhabees last year "(1802) attacked Kurbulu, celebrated among the Persians as "being the burial place of the sons of Ali; destroyed the "tombs; and plundered the town and pilgrims. I met several "of the people who had been there at that period, and they "all agreed in complaining most bitterly of the cruelty of the "reformers. It must be recollected that the destruction of "the holy sepulchres would alone be considered as an enormous "act of impiety and cruelty. The force of the Wuhabees is very "considerable, probably eighty or ninety thousand; and, as "their expeditions are conducted with great celerity and sc"crecy, they keep all the neighbouring countries in perpetual "apprehension.-Since finishing this, intelligence has been re"ceived of their having attacked and plundered Tyeef, Mecca, "and Medina. They have, in consequence, violated the sacred "law which forbids armed men approaching within a certain "distance of the temple, Thus have they destroyed the foun"dation stone of Mohammedism; and this mighty fabric, which "at one period bade defiance to all Europe, falls, on the "first attack, at the feet of an Arab reformer. The event "may make a great change in the Mohammedan world; for it

"appears

out of the mystic Babylon and have separated themselves from her, shall not partake of her

་་

σε

plagues.

appears to me almost certain, that the pilgrimages to Mecca "have had nearly as great an effect in supporting this religion as the first victories and conquests of Mohammed-The Wu"habees are now a considerable people, sufficiently powerful to resist the divided efforts of the Turks, whose power in "Arabia must decrease in proportion to the aggrandisement of "this roving race of reformers. Indeed the Turks have already

66

found it expedient to court and even purchase the friendship "of their Arab subjects. They have extended their depreda"tions over the greatest part of Arabia; the fate of Bassora "may be said to depend upon the clemency of the conqueror, "or rather on his being engaged in other pursuits. Many places in the Red sea have been obliged to purchase the good "will of the reformer." Tour to Sheeraz, p. 119–125.

In the time of Niebuhr this sect of infidels was in its infancy. "Some time since," says he," a new religion sprang up in "the district of El Ared. It has already produced a revolution in the government of Arabia, and will probably hereafter "influence the state of this country still farther. The founder "of this religion was one Abd ul Wahheb, a native of Aijæne, a "town in the district of El Ared-Abd ul Wahheb taught, that "God is the only object of worship and invocation, as the "creator and governor of the world. He forbade the invoca"tion of saints and the very mentioning of Mohammed or any "other prophet in prayer, as practices savouring of idolatry. "He considered Mohammed, Jesus Christ, Moses, aud many "others respected by the Sunnites in the character of prophets, "as merely great men whose history might be read with im"provement; denying, that any book had ever been written by divine inspiration, or brought down from heaven by the "angel Gabriel." Travels, vol. ii. p. 131, 134.

It

plagues *. Such being the case, and such likewise being the office of the great maritime power at the time of the end, we cannot reasonably or consistently with prophecy suppose, that it is destined to perish in the common wreck of Popish, Infidel, and Mohammedan, nations: and therefore we of course cannot suppose it to be the antitypical Tyre, which does then perish.

Hitherto the question has only been answered negatively, we must now endeavour to answer it positively. Since we have no sufficient ground to

It is a remarkable circumstance, that, as the two apostasies of Popery and Mohammedism arose together in the same year and attained their zenith at the same period, so Voltaire should have begun systematically to propagate his infidel principles in the west exactly about the same time that Abd ul Wahheb began to advance nearly the same doctrines in the east. So many curious coincidences serve to confirm my opinion, that Daniel's two little horns are the two apostasies of Popery and Mohammedism, and that the year 606 is the most probable date of the 1260 years.

Should the sect of the Wahabees continue to increase in numbers, Mohammedism must fall eventually by mere force of opinion. If its votaries gradually abandon it, we may easily conceive how, at the time of the end, it will be broken without hand.

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. xviii. 4.). Hence apparently we must conclude, that all such as do come out of her will not receive of her plagues; provided only they have refrained from defiling themselves with the atheistical abominations of Antichrist. See 2 Pet. ii. 18.

think,