Page:Mahometanism in its relation to prophecy - or, an inquiry into the prophecies concerning antichrist, with some reference to their bearing on the events of the present day (IA mahometanisminit00philrich).pdf/144

 and truly shown, that the establishment of the pope's sovereignty exactly coincided with the rise of Mahometanism, which, in their theory of prophetic interpretation, they term the eastern little horn. And hence they unanimously vie with one another in drawing absurd parallels between these two little horns, which of course they are compelled to do, if there be two little horns, seeing that prophecy predicates the same things of each. But we have shown that there is but one little horn, namely, that one which Protestant commentators denominate the eastern little horn. Consequently, we affirm, that when Scripture declares that the wings of a great eagle were given to the Church, coincidently with the rise of the little horn, that prophecy was fulfilled in that new development of the Church's temporal state, which history informs us actually did take place, coincident with the coming of Mahomet, and the establishment of his apostacy and empire. Now, this new development was the establishment of the sovereignty of the popes in the Roman states: we therefore affirm, that the wings of the great eagle signify the temporal sovereignty of Rome.

The eagle, all men know, was the symbol of Roman sovereignty. The old Romans bore the eagle as their military standard, and no