3d. The power of the horn is commensurate in time, with that of the Beast, in Rev. xiii. which is admitted by Mr. Penn himself to denote the Roman empire, in its divided state. The duration of the power of the horn is limited, in Dan. vii. 25,

signal testimony of our approbation of your laudable exertions, and also may endeavour therein still more and more to excite your pastoral solicitude and vigilance. For the general good imperiously requires us to combine all our means and energies to frustrate the plans which are prepared by its enemies for the destruction of our most holy religion; whence it becomes an episcopal duty that you first of all expose the wickedness of this nefarious scheme, as you already are doing so admirably, to the view of the faithful, and openly publish the same, according to the rules prescribed by the Church, with all that erudition and wisdom in which you excel; namely, "that Bibles printed by heretics are numbered among prohibited books, by rules of the Index (No. II. & III.); for it is evident from experience, that the Holy Scriptures, when circulated in the vulgar tongue, have, through the temerity of men, produced more harm than benefit:" (Rule IV.) And this is the more to be dreaded in times so depraved, when our holy religion is assailed from every quarter with great cunning and effort, and the most grievous wounds are inflicted on the Church. It is, therefore, necessary to adhere to the salutary decree of the Congregation of the Index (June 13th, 1757), that no versions of the Bible in the vulgar tongue be permitted, except such as are approved by the Apostolic See, or published with annotations extracted from the writings of the holy fathers of the Church.

"We confidently hope that, even in these turbulent circumstances, the conduct of the Poles will afford the clearest evidences in support of the religion of their ancestors; and this especially by your care, as well as that of the other prelates of this kingdom, whom, on account of the stand they are so wonderfully making for the faith committed to them, we congratulate in the Lord, trusting that they all will very abundantly justify the opinion which we have entertained of them.

"It is moreover necessary that you should transmit to us, as soon as possible, the Bible which Jacob Wuiek published in the Polish language with a commentary, as well as a copy of the edition of it lately put forth without those annotations, taken from the writings of the holy fathers of our church, or other learned Catholics, with your opinion upon it; that thus, from collating them together, it may be ascertained, after mature investigation, what errors may lie insidiously concealed therein, and that we may pronounce our judgment on this affair, for the preservation of the true faith.

"Proceed, therefore, venerable brother, to pursue the truly pious course upon which you have entered; viz., diligently to fight the battles of the Lord in sound doctrine, and warn the people entrusted to your care, that they fall not into the snares which are prepared for them, to their everlasting ruin. The Church waits for this from you, as well as the other bishops, whom our epistle equally concerns; and we most anxiously expect it, that the deep sor row we feel on account of this new species of tares which an enemy is sowing so abundantly, may, by this cheering hope, be somewhat alleviated; and, to

to three times and a half; that of the Beast in Rev. xiii. 7, to forty-two months, which is precisely three times (years,) and a half. From this circumstance, added to other characteristical resemblances, it is manifest, and has appeared so to the most eminent Protestant commentators, that this little horn is a symbol of the same power, as is represented in Rev. xiii. by the Beast with two horns, which Mr. Penn acknowledges to be the Papacy.

4th. The episcopal character of the power, designated by the horn, is marked by the singular circumstance, of this horn having eyes, like the eyes of a man. There is in this, a manifest allusion to the Greek word, for a bishop, EIXOTOS, which literally signifies an overseer.

The argument of Mr. Penn, against this application of the symbol, founded on what is termed the prescriptive belief of the primitive Church, seems entitled to no weight. For we are assured in the Scriptures, that even the prophets understood not their own predictions. This prescriptive belief, therefore, when strictly analyzed, appears, to consist of nothing more, than the unauthorized conjectures of the uninspired writers called the Fathers, concerning the accomplishment of Daniel's prophecy, before events had thrown light upon its fulfilment.

The second leading point, wherein Mr. Penn has seen it proper to deviate from the general system of Protestant exposition, consists in his having denied that the existence of the prophetical period of 1260 years can with certainty be inferred from the writings of Daniel and St. John. In his reply to my strictures, he lays much stress upon the period not being expressly mentioned in the Scriptures. Now I would ask Mr. Penn, whether the Roman empire which he discovers in the Beast of the Apocalypse, or the Papal power which he discerns in the two horned Beast, be any where mentioned in the Scriptures by their proper names? If it be possible, then, as

gether with the Apostolic benediction which we bestow on you and your fellow bishops, we heartily invoke on yourself and them a continual increase of spiritual gifts, for the good of the Lord's flock.

"Given at Rome, at St. Mary the Greater, June 29, 1816, the 17th year of our Pontificate.

"POPE PIUS VII."

Mr. Penn himself allows, to form undoubted deductions from the Scriptures, with respect to the prophetical designation of a secular and spiritual empire, though that empire be not mentioned by name; may not the characters likewise of a chronological period be so clearly marked, and the interpretation of those characters so determinately prescribed, by the analogy of some other similar number, with respect to which there is a common agreement among Jewish, Popish, and Protestant expositors, as to render it not a matter of rational doubt, what specific period is designed by the number which is the subject of investigation, even though that period be no where expressed without the same enigmatical disguise which is common to the whole system of prophetical truth, and one of the ends of which is expressly declared to be, that though the wise shall understand, yet none of the wicked shall comprehend the important, but mysterious revelation of the divine purposes? Now, it was shown in my former Preface, that by such principles the existence of the prophetical period of 1260 years, is certainly discoverable from the Scriptures. In his reply to my strictures, however, the author of the Christian's Survey, wholly passes over that part of my argument which is derived from the analogy of the seventy weeks of Daniel with the period in question, in which much of the strength of my reasoning consists.

But Mr. Penn reasons, that because a controversy of some years existed between Mr. Faber and myself, on the subject of the commencement and close of that prophetical period, therefore the period itself is unintelligible in point of fact, and uncertain, hypothetical and equivocal. This argument would indeed confine the range of intelligible Scriptural truth, within very narrow limits, for what parts of the evangelical system have not in a similar manner been the subjects of controversy ? And to quote an example nearer in point, does it follow (I repeat the question) because Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks is still the subject of controversy, as to its commencement and end, that therefore the period itself is uncertain, equivocal and unintelligible?

I might proceed to offer some remarks on Mr. Penn's notion respecting the thousand years mentioned in Rev. xx, and his

mode of explaining the prophecies regarding the conversion and restoration of the Jews; but I should thereby be led into too wide a field of discussion. I shall, however, very briefly place before the reader, some of the consequences which flow from Mr. Penn's scheme of the Millennium.

According to his

theory, when Innocent III. preached a crusade for the extirpation of the Albigenses and Waldenses, when the Inquisition kindled throughout Catholic Europe the flames of persecution, when the fires were lighted in Smithfield, when the festival of St. Bartholemew in France was dyed with streams of Protestant blood, at all these periods Satan was chained in the bottomless pit, and all these events are included in the Millennium which he would substitute for the opinion, which with whatsoever variation of subordinate circumstances, is generally received in the Protestant Church, an opinion which the author of the Christian's Survey classes with "the decoys of system and the fascinations of fancy!"

Mr. Penn further treats the sentiment, that the Roman empire is to be broken in Palestine, as a fond vision, and the generally received exposition of the prophecies respecting the restoration of Israel, as a Judaizing fiction. But let him not forget, that both these opinions were entertained by one of the profoundest Scriptural critics, and most sagacious interpreters of prophecy, that the last or any other age ever produced; I mean the late Bishop Horsley. If Mr. Penn, instead of calling these opinions hard names, had offered Scriptural arguments against them, he would have found some at least among their numerous advocates, prepared to meet him, and to discuss with a calm and Christian spirit, the foundation of their own speculations on these high subjects. But we must protest against either Jerome or Augustine, or any of the Fathers, being cited as authorities in interpreting prophecies, which were unfulfilled in their time. With these remarks I shall take my leave of Mr. Penn, assuring him how much pleasure it affords me in any instance to agree with him, which I cordially do, in his practical remarks upon an event which I no less than he believe to be near at hand, the second advent of our Lord. Would that Christians could always agree in all things! But since this cannot be in the present imperfect state of our knowledge,

and diseased condition of our moral powers, let us at least endeavour to infuse into our warfare, as large a share as may be of a courteous spirit of Christian chivalry, by imbibing more and more of the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

It only remains for me to add, that in this edition of my Work will be found an engraving, which may, I hope, assist the reader to understand my scheme of interpretation.

April 23, 1817.