A god of guardians

In times past, the little horn of the goat has admirably illustrated the prophecy concerning him. "Through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper by his power." In studying the reign of Justinian this is remarkably apparent. But before the Horn could find scope for the promotion of the species of craft referred to, it was necessary, that he should "disregard all the gods of his fathers," that is, embrace some other religion than paganism; in other words, become a Greco-Roman catholic, such as Justinian, who occupied the throne, but did not inherit the peculiar superstition of the Caesars. Having discarded the gods of his fathers, it suited the Horn's policy to bestow his patronage upon another, who should be a god upon the earth, and residing in Rome, instead of above the heights of Olympus. The testimony in Daniel is, that "In his estate he shall honor the god of forces;" or more intelligibly, "In his kingdom shall he do honor to a god of guardians." The word rendered "guardians" is mahuzzim and signifies munitions. Hence, any real, or supposed, persons adopted as protectors, guardians, or patrons, are mahuzzim, or munitions of strength and safety. Now the god whom the Little Horn of the Goat honored in his kingdom, was a god of guardian saints, who are regarded by his worshippers as protectors and towers of strength and security against all "the ills that flesh is heir to." Such a god is the Bishop of Rome; who, to the pagan officials of the Little Horn, was unknown, being in their reign only a simple bishop, undistinguished front the rest of his class, save that he flourished in the capital, and they in the provinces, of the empire. He is therefore styled in the scripture, "a god whom his (the Little Horn's) fathers knew not;" hence he is also termed "a strange god." But though "strange" and unknown to Trajan and the Antonines, he was afterwards brought into notice by Constantine and his successors. In 313, he was made chief magistrate of Rome, or, as we would say, Lord Mayor, for life. His jurisdiction was confined to the city. In 378, however, the Little Horn of the Goat then reigning over the east and west, extended his spiritual authority over all the churches of Italy and Gaul; and by the time of Justinian, he was prepared for presentation to the nations as spiritual head of the whole Roman habitable. He was the god of a new system of idolatry, whose idols were the images of Mahuzzim, or "the ghosts" of pretended saints and martyrs, the demi-gods, or demons, of the new Roman mythology.