IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V "^ / O (/ u z 1.0 I.I '-IIIIIM IIM ■- Im 111112 2 Sim ■* us u 2.0 1.8 1.25 u 16 = — = ^ 6" ► V] signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many framas as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 r < 'I r LATELY PUBLISHED, A COPPER-PLATE MAP OF CANADA WEST, with Statistics of the eountiy,) according to the Cen- sus of 1862. Distances, Canals, Colleges, Schools, Charitable Institutions, Population of each Village, Town and County, Population by origin, and by de- nominations. Progressive Population, &c., Average Pro- duce per Acre of the staple Crops, and beautiful views of the principal Cities, Towns, and Villages, all mounted on Canvass and Rollers, making altogether the most useful Map of Canada West ever published. im THE Mystery Solved : or, Ireland's Miseries ; THE GRAND CAUSE AND CURE. BY THE REV. DR. DILL^ WITH AN INTaODCCTION BY A MINISTER OP TORONTO. This work proves to a demonstration that the grand cause of Ireland's misery is Popery, and the cure the Gospel. It proves by public statistics that just in pro- portion to the prevalence of Popery in any section of the country, from a province down to a hamlet, do ignorances, crime, wretchedness, and degradation prevail. Price only Is. 3d. l*Ji NOW READY. GUNNISON'S History of the mormons-, OB, LATTER DAY SAiNTS, IN THE VALLEY OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE. Their Rise and Progress, Peculiar Doctrines, Present Con- dition and Prospects ; derived from personal observation during a residence among them. By Lieutenant Qp«= NI80N, of the United States Engineers, ( 4 TH THE THl mm^ THE COMING STRUGGLE AMOXO THE MTIO^^S OF THE EARTH : OR. THE POLITICAL EVENTS OF TIIE NEXT FIFTEEN YEARS, DESCBIBBD IN ACCOBDASCS WITH PROPHECIES IN EZEKIEL, DANIEL. AND THE APOCALYPSE. BROWIHO ALSO THE IMPORTANT POSITION BRITAIN WILL OCCUPY DURING, AND AT THE END OP, THE AWFUL CONFLICT. TORONTO: THOMAS MACLEAR, 45 YONGE STREET. 1853. fcv. A. 4 TORONTO : PRINTED BY JAMES STEPHENS, KINO STREET EAST. *..- f. .■< ^ i V ^ THE COMING STRUGGLE AMONG THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH. Never was there a time in the past history of the world when such a terrible and universal excitement prevailed regarding political aflfairs, as at this moment exists in the social mind. Wherever we turn, or into whatsoever society we enter, the same restless anxiety is apparent, the same question passes from circle to circle and from friend to friend, but no ^/'y comes forth to cheer or satisfy the alarmed interrogate a. " What is about to happen ?" is murmured in all the assem- blies of men; and whether the sound floats along the noble halls of the great, vibrates among the rafters of the straw- roofed cottage, or wanders through mazes of tobacco smoke in a village ale-house, echo only answers. What! Conjectures, indeed, are made and opinions delivered, but as these rest solely on the sand of political appearances, and assume the various aspects with which faction and party-spirit invest them, they are uttered only to be rejected; the same question is again asked by the same individual on the morrow, and with like success. That such an excitoraont should prevail at the present time is not at all wonderful. The position in which the powers of Europe and Asia are placed, renders it evident to evcrj' thinking mind — and in this age of boasted intelligence all should be thinkei-s — that we are on the very eve of a crisis, and a crisis unparalleled in the annals of the past. It Ls not at one part merely, or in one or two nations, that we discern the signs of an approaching storm ; but from one end of Europe to the other, the ominous -' "1 has gathered, and when it bursts, as soon it must, the deluge will not only be overwhelming, but universal. Such a prospect as this is entirely new. The shadows which precede the advent of the most devastating hurricanes that swept over the world in the ages that are gone, were not so gloomy or portentous as those which now hover above our whole horizon ; and as the image must re- semble the reality, that reality must be awful indeed. We are in the midst of that oppressive calm which reigns when the elements are fully charged with all the ingredients of a storm, and, like the mariner, we long for its inevitable out- break, in order that we may escape from our suspense, and learn at once how we are hkely to cope with it But while the painful anxiety, every where visible, is, in the circumstances, extremely natural, it is not at ail necessary that the equally manifest uncertainty and ignorance regarding the extent and duration of the coming struggle should remain ; and were the prophetic declarations of the Bible properly un- derstood, the inhabitants of Britain would comprehend all that is about to take place. In that Book — a book which some despise, many neglect, and nearly all misunderstand — is to be found a series of visions and prophecies, under which is sym- bolised the political history of the world, from the Babylonian Empire down to the Millenium, that happy era to which the human family have looked forward with delight Unfortu- nately, however, as we have said, these prophecies have been, A.. . i and arc, sadly misunderstood. The authorized interpreters of God's revelations have hitherto failed in finding a key to unlock their mysteries; but of this we do not comphiin, as wo are told that the vision was to be sealed until the time of the end. What wc regret, however, is that in the face of this de- claration, our divines should have attempted an explunation of these mysteries, before God's time for their solution was come. They have done this, and the result is that, by their erroneous interpretations, a mass of obscurity, contradiction, absurdity, and error, has been heaped upon them, wliicli serves com- pletely to mystify both its authors and the world. Had Fleming and others contented themselves with tracing those parts of the prophecy which were fulfilled in their day, and left those sublime consummations mentioned in the Apocalypse to be disclosed at " the time of the end," tiie present gene- ration would not now be under the necessity of throwing oflf a host of commentaries and opinions, which from early childhood they have considered unerring. This, however, must be done. The position of the world clearly intimates that the end has come, and events now furnish an explanation of the hitherto dark nsions of Daniel and John, and by a careful examination of these and other prophets, the political history of the next fifteen years is spread out before us, nay, we are enabled to pass beyond that pciuJ, and trace almost accurately the regular course of everts down to the beginning of the thousand years. Dr. Thomas of Americ" was the first to find the key, and they who have read his book will at once be able to un- derstand the following description of the period mentioned. For the sake, however, of those who have not oeen Dr. Thomas' work — and we believe this applies to the majority of general readers — it will be necessary to give a rapid and con- nected sketch of the prophecy on which the whole hangs, and point out the errors into which former interpreters have fallen. The first intimation we have of the prophecy is in the second A 2 fiK*t clmptor of Dhnicl, where wo nro told that one inornin- ,lu,inK the pahny dnyH of the Uahylunian ompiro. Ncbuchadnezzur, Its head, nwuke from a troubled hleep, in which ho had u strange and unaccountable dream. B.'ing fully awake, he en- deavoured to call to mind the particulars of the vision which had passed across liis sleeping Hpirit, but the "thin-r had ..one from lura," and do what lie could he was unable to recall it. Nevertheless his " spirit was troubled to know the dream." and tins he demanded of his magicians, who, being of course unable to comply. Daniel, a young Hebrew captive, volunteered to make it known and interpret it. Having « desired the mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret," Daniel had it re- vealed to him in a vision, and with a joyful countenance went uith It to the king. He informed t) ,*' .-> i 7 whole earth ; but It was only a rou»,l sketch, and the purpose Ood had in view in disclasin. it ruc,uircd that a more detailed representation should be given; accordingly, after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was favoured with a more extended view. In this second vision, the four dynasties were sym- bolised by fuur beasts, and an outline of the histor. of each g.ven The fourth power, which in the first vision was described ,is iron, and diviucd into ten parts, is in the second ahadowed forth by a beast with ten horns. The causes of the destruction of these ten powers by the God of heaven is in this vision also accounted for, and tlie time of their duration determined. They were to be destroyed on account of their civil and sj.iritual despotism._c rimes which can never in the moral government of Jehovah pass unpunished. After the ten horns had been for some time established, a little horn came up among them, in which were the "eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things." After making r.x,m for Itself by plucking up three of the large horns, this littl. horn waxed msolent and domineering, and continu*-d so "UIl the bea^t w^is slum, and his body given to the burning flame." Darnel was extremely anxious to find out the meaning of Om and having asked "one of them that stood by," he war in'. formed that the ten horns were ton kings that should ari.e out of the fourth or lost dynasty; tliat another should rise after them, diverse from all tlie others, that he would "subdue three of the farst kings, speak great words against the Most Ili.rl, wear out the saints of the Most High,, ,..nd think to chan-.e The' times and laws;" but alter continuing thus for " a time and times, and the dividing of timer his dominion would be taken away, and he would be utterly destroyed. In future visions a still more detiiiled representation of cer- tmn portions of this fust vision was given to Daniel, and many of the prophecies of EzekieJ contain important developments of ihe sarae history; but God's detei-miued measure of revelaUon beast anH 1,;. . T ^ operations of the fourth Tinwpr +v>o,./, i: J ° g'ven place to the iron been banfahed for adherin! to ™d , '' P'"" ■"= •■"* of a now ..i^„„ .btrr;::;'':^:^!*' ?rr now called Christianih, Tn ^v , ? "^ ^'^ '^"^^«' -ted folWertfte dtp td'^^^^^^^^ conCudin, ^Revelation to Z, JZT^X^Z. "Z shadowing forth the history of the beast and t^^.T .^ the e b, of seals, trunfpets, J':^:''\^^::;,:tl Nebuchadnezzar, or fourth beast of Daniel, is here represented ^r3th:ti:z-:ttrrr-=" :„ n •? distinguishing features are apparent here as m Daniel's vision. The horn, or the beast, waxes o"eat th! dragon g,ves hi. his power, and his seat, a d ^e t ^^^^^^ be changes times and laws, and niake?;ar III Ih Iw ' for a time, and times, and half a tim^ mT \ *' and liiskingdom is taken a::;.t'ltiii:rar t' dragon is cast into a pit of destruction. ' Such, then is a brief account of this important prophecv « pi-ophecy which has occupied the attention, and S.^^^^^^^ interest of Bible readel-s, for many generations Th?i in which it is couched has hither^'renH , im;5ri: .nt^rpreter. to agree concerning its fulfilment; andTde d L past t.mes. the occurrence of the event it fort Is was the Iv guide to Its course. Fleming was thp nni '^'\'^«« ^^^^ only lemmg was the only one who succeeded .> \A \\ \ « .> \Jl in desciibing any part that was as yet unfulfilled, and his mighty mind almost wrenched the secret from the grasp of the future, but it was only a partial idea he obtained of the truth ; the elements that were to be engaged in the final conflict had not, at the time he wrote, assumed the position, by which the time of the end could be recognised, and this, together with his adherence to the stereotyped but false theories of com- mentatoi-s, led him far astray. All, however, are agreed as to the general meaning of t^e prophecy, Tfee gold, silver, brass, and iron powers of the image, i :he four beasts of the vision, are the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires. The seven heads and ten hores are the various forms of government and kingdoms of this latter power. The first beast of John is Romanism, and the second, or two-horned beast, is the Austro-Papacy. Thus far the history of the past has enabled our divines to expound and agree ; but with regard to the time of the end, and the nature of the eveats which must take place previous to it, there exists an almost endless diversity of opinion, — the greatest union lying in a universal misapprehension of both, particularly of the latter. The great cause of misapprehension, besides that to wluch we formerly alluded, — viz., a premature interpretation, — is owing to the fondness of theologian* for the allegorising method of Origen. Following this early father, they assert 4hat the events to take place at the time of the end, are les§ physical than moral, and will consist of a series of spiritual ■changes wiiich will usher in the uni^^ersal triumph of the Church, and the regeneration of the world. They do not un- derstand, or rather they refuse to believe, that the Jews will be restored to their own land, and that the kingdom of Israel will once more be established, though not after its ancient model or with its former splendour. With a very restricted partiality, they have construed all those glorious promises of a physical restoration, which have lighted up with hope the » 10 heart of the wandering Jew, into nothing more and nothing else than a spiritual conversion, and they claim for the Church all the glory of the latter-day. This we apprehend is a fatal mistake. The restoraUon of the Jews to Palestine forms the very keystone to the whole polidcal structure of the world, and is the principal object to be accomplished by the awful events of the coming years. It is the grand consummation of wnich Hebrew prophets spake and Jewish bards sang; it is emphatically the hope of Israel," and the word of Judah's God is pledged to its accomplishment. Having done away with a literal restoration, our interpreters have necessarily erred in deciding regarding the many minor parts of this prophecy. Hence the locality of the final conflict has been a matter of much dispute. The general notion is, that Italy will be the scene of the great battle of Armageddon,' and one individual has actually measured a large valley^in that country to see if it answers the inspired inscription. Another class, in the extremity of their fondness for spiritualism, say that at the moral destruction of Popery, wherever Protestantism encountci-s and overcomes Romanism there will Armageddon be. In the sequel of this pamphlet, we shall show how er- roneous are both of these conjecturea Another great error, and one which has led to a host of misconceptions, is the belief that Britain is one of the ten horns, and that consequently she will be involved in the destruction that overtakes the toes of the great metallic image. This is a complete mistake. Though once a part of the Roman dominion, she is not within the boundary of the image territory ; and none of the countries beyond that territory will be over- thrown with Papacy, except those who have continued to worship the beast, such as Austria and others. And this is just an evidence of the evil effects of a premature interpretation of the prophecy. At the period when many of our commen- tators wrote, it was actually necessary to include Britain in the .♦£4. ' u . 11 ten kingdoms, in order to make up the number required. Up to the year 1820, there were only eight independent powers within the Roman Empire, but in that year the Greeks re- belled agiiinst the Sultan, and after several years' war, suc- ceeded in establisliing a new kingdom, which became the ninth horn. Still another was wanted to complete the prophetic symbol, and it did not come up till 1830, when the revolution of Paris divided the kingdom of the Netherlands into two, and Belgium became a separate Power, to defeat the calculations of divines, and pluck Britain from the anomalous position in which they had placed her. We say anomalous, for how is it possible to reconcile the past history of Anglo-Saxon progression— of which she has been the mover and sustainer— with sudden and complete destruction ? The verj- thought is a libel on the eternal law of development and the wisdom of the moral government; but it is false ; and we will by-and-bye show how dififerent is the destiny of this country, and what a noble part has been assigned her in the last act of the mighty drama. The powers which really answer to the toes of Nebuchad- nezzar's image are Bavaria, Lombardy, Hungary, Greece, Sardinia, Naples, Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium; and if we understand the prophecy aright, these kingdoms will be wholly destroyed, or at least completely shattered, within the next fifteen years. The next great error of our interpreters, and the last to wHch we will particularly advert, is in regard to the "time, and times, and half a time," or the duration of the beast They clearly understand that it means a period of 12G0 lunar years, but they have failed to find the true commencement of this epoch. The general theory dates it from the year 606, when Phocas proclaimed the universal supremacy of the Bishop of Rome. This fixes the termination of the 1 260 years in 1866, from which eighteen years must be subtracted, bemg the difference between solar and lunar time, thus making the / 12 true ending in 1848. But the "time, and times, and half a tunc" began earlier than this. The year 606 is the ,er^ ^ the ecclestaM constitution of the beast, or the time when the dragon gave him his authority. His civil constitution dates 75 hshed; and th^was the real beginning of the 1260 years The reign of the bea.t ought, then, to have terminated aboui the year 1791. or two yea. earlier or later.^.,^ so J^ The resurrection of the iu,o witnesses (or ciyil and relioious pteT'liettTtf ° 'L"^"' ''' ^ourteenth.'^t: place m 1789, or at the period of the French revoluUon and this was the first time any successful opposition Z' and the vml dominion of the Pope was taken away, to be "consumed and destroyed unto the end." And as 7o ^e«l elapsed between the establishment of the Imperial and Pap^ power of the beast, so 75 years must elapse between his cfv and ecclesiastical destruction. This period is represented by the seven vials, the fission of which is to pour chastisement ol the beast and h.s followers till at the end the whole will meet with sudden and signal destruction. It is a mistake to suddos^ that the 1260 yeai^ Ws the existence of the beastJ^t Tr ! limite his power. The full term of his political and ecclesiasti a^ existence is 1335 years, and this terminates in 1866. or abou fifteen years from this period. But what a number of awfu^ evente must tal. place in that short time; what revoludons! and strife, and bloodshed must be witnessed on the Continen and m many parts of Asia! No wonder that the political sky' IS black and lowering, charged as it is with the elements of a storm which, for tremendous force and severity, has never been equaled The people of the present age have come to the very border of a thrilling epoch, and they know it not The newspaper press laughs at the cry of war which has risen on every hand. It points to the progress of railways and electric f r I > ind half a period of whon the 1 dates 75 was pub- 160 years, ted about so it (lid ! religious enth, took evolution, ttion was jan to sit, ly, to be ''5 years id Papal his civil 3nted by Jment on viil meet ' suppose t merely esiastical or about of awfu! olutions, Mtinent, tical sky Jnts of a i^er been to the t The risen on electric i I I > 13 telcg-raphs, and asks if these are signs of war. Railways and telegraphs, steam engines and copper wire, can these overturn the purpose of God, or falsify His word ? A few houi-s of strife will suffice to tear up every vestige of these so-called pledges of peace, and their component parts may yet form efficient instruments to carry on the conflict In these dajs of scepticism and intellectual supremacy, it may be a hard matter to get such Bible truths borne home to the hearts of men; but in a very short time they will be compelled to acknowledge the reality and genuineness of that revelation they now despise or neglect. Amid the terror and confusion of the approaching hurricane, when men's hearts are failing them for fear, they will be glad to turn to its long-forsaken pages, to learn the nature and extent of the fearful calamity. If the people of Britain and America are wise, they will make themselves acquainted with this befoiehand, and thus enjoy the tranquillity which the knowledge will impart. It is, even on other grounds than personal comfort and mental peace, extremely necessary that they should do so. Though for the present they will, by caution and prudence, keep free from the struggle, they have a high and holy mission to fulfil, and are as yet ignorant of it To them has been committed the task of conducting the moral progression of the world, and preparing it for the coming mil- lennium. While other naUons are murdering and devouring each other, and gnawing their tongues and blaspheming under the iron rod of Jehovah, the Anglo-Saxon race will be openincr up the pathway for the entrance into this sin-cursed and strife-tom world of the reign of peace and love. Blessed indeed, are they that wait, and come to the thousand, three' hundred and five and thirty days. But it is now time that we enter on the principal part of our present work, to which the foregoing forms a necessary introduction. And before speaking of what is about to occur, let us see the exact portion of the prophecy that has been fulfilled. By going back along the history of the pasf, Me could clearly trace the course of the prophecy, from its iirst beginning to the present tijiie, but this is unnecessary. If will suffice if we make the reader understand where we are at present. We are, then, under the sixth vial. The gold, silver, and brass of Nebuchadnezzar's image have passed away ; three of Daniel's beasts have departed ; and John's seals have been opened, his trumpets have been sounded, and five of his vials have been poured. By turning to the 12th verse of the 16th chapter of Revelation, the reader will find a description of the present, or sixth vial. It was to be poured out on the Euphrates— or the Turkish Empire,— and began in 1820, when the Greeks rebelled agjiinst tlie Sultan, and established a new kingdom. From that time Turkey has been subjected to incessant warfare with neighbouring powers, dis- traction and strife from civil rebellions, and ravaging pestilences from the hand of God. Six years after the successful revolt of the Greeks, the Janisaries attempted to follow their example,^ but their insurrection was repressed, and by the despot's com<- raand thousands of them were butchered. The next year she lost 110 ships in the battle of Navarino, and in the following season had to sustain a double conflict, in a Russian war and an Albanian insurrection. Then followed a ten years' war with France respecting Algeria, which resulted in the ?oss of that province, and its annexation to the latter kingdom. In 1839r Egypt and Syria were taken by Mehemet Ali, and this led to sanguinary and bloody strife in that direction. Besides these reverses at the hand of man, the country was scourged with cholera and plague for eleven years; and thus wasted and weakened, she is in daily fear of being totally overthrown by a foreign power. But why, it may be asked, is such a vial poured upon the Turkish Empire ? Ah, God had a long and heavy account to settle with this nation ! When under the title of the Eastern Roman Empire, what iniquity and injustice did it •A_i " 16 ntft perpetrate against the Jews, God's own peculiar people ; and though permitted to succeed in its cruelty for the express purpose of punishing the Jewish nation for their transgressions against the Most High, yet such is God's jealousy with regard to this race which he lias chosen, that even the instruments with which he chastises them are made the objects of his fiercest vengeance. It was so with the Babylonian nation who carried them into captivity, it is so with the Ottoman Empire, which has now the seat of the dragon, and in former days dis- persed them amon^- (ho CrenLiles. For this and other crimes, enumerated in the J 1th ch:ipter of Daniel, the Lord had a bitter controversy with Turkey, which will never cease lill it is destroyed unto tl)e end. The seventh vial began in 1830, when the whole political atmosphere, as if charged with democratic electricity, gave forth flashes, and appeared to be on the eve of an explosion- These two vials are therefore both going on at this time, and will end together, at the beginning of tlie thousand years. It is at this critical period tliat the vision is to be unsealed In other words, the Roman powers are to be placed in a certain position, and to be actuated by a certain ngoiu'y, which, we are told, is to indicate tlie time of the end, and warn the inhabitants of the earth to prepare for the coming of the kingdom. This important infor- mation is given in the fallowing words : — " And I saw three unclean spiiits like frogs come out of Uie mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the benst, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto tlu; kings of the earth and the whole world, to g.ithcr them to tlie battle of that great day of God Almighty." The powers tlmt represent the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are the Sultan, the Emperor of Austria, and the Pope ; and the frogs, or frog-power, is France— frogs being the orginal heraldric symbol of that nation. Whe^ therefore, Ave perceive the influence of France causing " un- 16 clean spirits," or evil policy, to actuate these three powers, then are we to recognise the immediate approach of the end ; for this, says the prophecy, will cause the kings of the earth to be gathered together to " the battle of that great da}' of God Almighty." This period has now come. France has at this moment the Pope and the Emperor in a very critical position. By occupying Rome and protecting the Pupe, it has obt lined a certain right to dictate the policy of his Holiness, — no\7, alas, robbed of his imperial dignity, and reduced to the position of a " false prophet" — and is causing him to involve the other nations in vvar. By this move it has also placed its(?lf in antagonism to Austria, and brought forth an unclean spirit from thence, which in a little time will create an open war between the powers, involving many other kingdoms in the strife, and ultimately producing consequences of a fatal nature to the whole ten kingdoms. France is also causing an unclean spirit to proceed from the Sultan, by promising him help in case of a Russian invasion, and inciting him to a war with that migibity power, when he would otherwise quietly yield to it. Thus we see in full operation that agency which is to indicate the time of the end, and produce the terrible events which must pre- cede and accomplish that period. Let us now, by the light of the prophecy, try to discover the nature of these, and thus be able to read the political history of the next fifteen years, and learn something of the events which will take place from that time till the millennium. From what we stated at the outset, our readers will perceive that we have no sympathy with that system of wholesale spiritualizing, which our commentators have pursued in treating of the future part of this Bible history. That large portion of it which has been illustrated in the past, gives us no warrant to believe — far less to assert — that its future predictions are but emblems of the changes and occurrences that will pass over the church, and that the wars spoken of are moral, not physical. V. . > r^ rJ V 17 Hitherto it has been most accurately illustrated by physical events, and until wo have a beUer authority to go upon than Origen and his fullowers, we prefer to construe the language of the Bible in a natural manner, and, doing so, we imagme tliat the following will be the principal coming events: L The seizure of Constantinople^ and overthrow of Turkey hy the Emperor of Russia. In following Daniel's version of the prophecy, which is more detailed than John's, wc find, that Uie unfulfilled part begins in the middle of the 40th verse of the 11th chapter. That verse opens with the declaration, that Uie Kuig of the South, or Mehemet Ali, would "push" at the Sultan. This was ac- complished in 1839, when that monarch wrested Egypt and Syria from him, and endeavoured to seize Constantinople itself, and probably would have done sok had not the other powers prevented him, or rather, had not God determined that he should onlj pu^h, not overthrow. The next part of the verse is, however, fraught with dire calamity to this, the representa- tive of the dragon. « The king of the north," or Russia, it is stated, "shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overthrow and pass over." Here, we read at once the doom of Turkey j notwithstanding the assurance of assistance from France and England, the Ottoman empire wiU soon be no more. It is very probable that these allies will be deceived by the professions of peace, which the autocrat is holding out, and when they are oflF their guard, he will suddenly invade and conquer the kingdom. Evidence of this consummation is already apparent Nowithstanding the presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, Britain has been so far deceived as to recall the only man* who could have pursued efficient measures, in the event of an invasioa The ♦ Sir Stratford Canning. Since the First Edition of this work was published, he has been again appointed ambassador to Turkey, B 2 18 country is thus loft open to tho inroad of the northern emperor, and very soon the news will come that ho is in possession of the Sultan's capital. We have no date by which to determine the exact time of its occurrence, but considering the number and character of the events to succeed it, and the short space allowed for their performance, it must of necessity be almost immediately. II. War bdwcc7i France aiid Austria — Orcrthroic of the latter, and co7iseqiimt destruction of the Papacy. Leaving for a time the sixth vial to run its course on the Turkish Empire, we must follow the seventh in its operations on the horns. After the angel had poured it into the air, where it caused a world of dire commotions, the apostli" was carried away into the wilderness to see the judgments these would cause to fall on the beast and his ima!_'e — in other words, on Austria and Rome. For, let it be observed, that Austria as well as Turkey and Rome, is doomed to perdition, before the ten toes of the image are smitten witli stone. As Turkey had yielded to the Papacy its secular and ecclesiastical power, so Austria has supported this twofold autliority more than any of the other powers, and therefore shall suffer a more signal punishment. Indeed, we find this kingdom, which is in the prophecy styled the two-horned beast, identified with, and assimilated to, the Papacy in all its more damnatory features. The history of its rise and progress is given in the la.st eight verses of the 13th chapter of Revelation, as well in the seventh of Daniel, where its fate is particularly described : " They (the saints) shall take away his dominio i, to 'teonsume and deotrcy it imto the end." In that dark hi.* coiy of cruelties and crimes perpetrated by the horns agairst the saints, or friends of liberty, Austria occupies an unenviably prominent distinction. Tiie blood of the two witnesses lies heavily on that country, and has long cried for vengeance from on high. Nor has it int, onward cwT the pro- ler, take up he eleventh hth chapter ith chapter, but a para- rosperity of phant con- thcm, and J this idea i terrific as sudden and ir is unpre- his hands; ouble him, sh, with all ou come to take a spoil ? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey ?' How emphatically does tliis language identify Britain as thf noble and single-handed opponent of Gog the king of the north, and corroborate our former statements regarding the extension of her empire in the East ? We would particularly point tlie reader's attention to the "merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof;" what a beautiful description is this of the Honourable East India Company, and the peculiar constitution of the Anglo-Indian Government! This consti- tution, as is well known, is both civil and military, commercial and imperial. The former is represented by the merchants, the latter by the young lions, or the officials of the Company, who receive their authority from the Lion of Britain, and may therefore be fitly l£;rmed thus, even as the representatives of the Persiaa and Macedonian sovereignties were called yoimg rams and young goats. Indeed, the applicability of the title is admitted by the Company itself, whose arms are a shield, the quarterings of which are filled with young lions rampant The East India Company will, in alarm, notify the inroad of the autocrat, and the loss of Egypt, and receive instructions from the home government to adopt measiu"cs for opposing him, with an accompanying assurance of immediate support Hence, " tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him.'' Tlie rews that the Anglo-Saxon race have re- solved to oppose his despotic progress will reach his ears, and the intelligence will annoy him. Tlie mighty doings of this race in days that are past will come into his mind, and cause a feeling somewhat akin to fear, to move him. It is possible he may think of s time when another man, ambitious like himself, endeavoured to possess the empire of tJie world, and went forth conquering till he ivas met by this Kune power, and overthrown ; and no wonder tha^ such a thought should fill him with trouble. But quickly jage takes the place of fear; he looks proudly on the heaving army that follows at his back, and is enraged at !, 28 the presumption which dares to thwart a will and power like his, " tlierefore he goes forth witk great fuiy to destroy and utterly to make away many." Proceeding onward, he seizes the unwalled villages and gateless cities, till at length his huge and multifarious army pitch their tents before Jerusalem, He lays siege to the Holy City, which soon surrenders to his power, and enables him to " plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain." He has now reached the farthest limit of his conquering mis- sion. The decree peals forth from the eternal throne, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no forther;" and could he but look a little forward, as he paces with proud and haughty step along the brow of Zion, he might see that large and^spacious valley, which stretches itself out before him, filled with a man- gled mass of dead and dying, swimming in blood, and ready to be devoured by the myriads of birds of prey which hover over the scene. But no su(;h virion crosses his spirit, and he passes on to his tented palace to slumber in pride. Meanwhile Britain has been making strenuous efforts to stop the progress of this gigantic Napoleon; and every soldier that can be spared is sent away in the direction of the rising sun. But what can the British army do against such a host as the Russian autocrat has around him? Bnive as the officers and men may be, what success or what renown can be gained in such an unequal conflict? In the critical emergency the parent island sends a cry across the Atlantic, " Come over and help us." Swiftly is the sound borne over the waves, and soon an answering echo is wafted back from the shores of Columbia. The cause is common, and the struggle must be common too. "We are coming, brotlier John, we are com- ing," is the noble reply ; and almo?* ere it is delivered, a fleet of gallant vessels is crossing the Pacific, with the stars and stripes gleaming on every mast. Another force i.s on its way from the far south, and soon the flower and strength of the 1 \''- id power like destroy and ard, he seizes igth his huge i Jerusalem, •cnders to liis of his palace iquerino- mis- 'nial throne, could lie but liaughty stop and spacious with a nian- and ready to ■which hover 5i)irit, and he efforts to stop r soldier that e rising sun. host as the '■ officers and 30 gained in ergoncy the ne over and waves, and le shores of >lc must be -ve are corn- ered, a fleet e stars and > on its way 'ngth of the 2ft Anglo-Saxon race meet on the sacred soil of Palestine. The intelligence of their apj)roach rcuf Ik's the sacrilegious usurper, and he leads forth his army tuwaids the mountains that rise in glory round about Jerusalem. The Jews within the city now arm themselves, and join the army tliat ha.s come from the east and west, the north and s(juth, for their protection, and thus these two mighty masses meet face to face, and prepare for the greatest p/ii/sica/ bailie that ever was fought on this struggling earth. On tlu; one side tiie motley millions of Rus- sia, and the nations of Continental Europe are drawn up on the slopes of the Jiills and the sides of the valleys toward the north ; while on the other are ranged the thousands of Britiiin and her offspring, from whost; firm and regular ranks gleam forth the dark eyes (.fmany of the sons of Abraham, deter- mined to preserve thiir newly lerovered city, or perish, like their ancestors of a former age, in its ruins. All is ready. That awful jjause which takes place before the shock of battle reigns around, but ere it is broken by the clash of meeting arms, and while yet the contending parties are at a little distance from each other, a strange sound is heard overhead. The time for the visible manifestation of God's vengeance has arrived, his fury has come up in his face, and he calls for a sword against Gog throughout all the mountains. 'Tis this voice of the Lord that breaks the solemn stillness, and starUos the assembled hosts. The scene that follows bjiffles description. Amid eartlupuikes and showers of fire the bewildered and maddrned armies of the autocrat rush, sword in hand, against each other, while the Israelites and their Anglo-Saxon friends gaze on the spectacle with amazement and constemation. It does not appear that they will even lift their hand against that fuf- which they had come so far to meet Their aid is not necessary to accomplish the de- struction of the imagx^ The stone cut without hands shall full QR its fao.t .and bre^ak them to pieces, and then shall the c 2 30 iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, become like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and the wind shall cariy them away. The various descriptions which we have of this battle all intimate that God is the only foe that shall con- tend with the autocrat at Armageddon. John terms it « the battle of that great day of God Almighty," and we brieve the pnncipal instrument of their defeat will be mutual slaughter. The carnage will be dreadful. Out of all the mil- lions that came like a cloud upon the land of Israel, only a scattered and shattered remnant will return; the great mass will be left to "cleanse the land" and fill the valley of Ilamon- gog with graves. We pause at this point of the prophecy, considering it un- ncscessary at the present time to enter into a minute exara- mation of the nature or duration of the millennial period. We have already followed the subject beyond the limits indi- cated by our title page, and it would swell this pamphlet far beyond its intended size, to enter into a discussion of these points. A great obscurity rests on the events that imme- diately follow the battle of Armageddon, so that although we night come pretty near the reality, our remarks would be es- sentially conjectural. It is probable that Assyria, Persia, and Britain will be the only three powers that will exist in the old worid, besides the kingdom which the Mast High will estab- lish in Jerusalem; for it is stated by Daniel, that "the rest of the beasts" lived for a « season and a time," after the de- struction of the dragon. It is very natural to suppose that Bntam wUl continue to hold a high place among the nations, on account of the noble and important mission she will have fulfilled, though what that position will be, or how long she wUl retain it, it is impossible to say. The Anglo-Saxon race must, from the very nature of their constitution, be a leading people, and will probably continue to be unrivalled in intellectual great- ness; but it is evident that the Hebrews will have the chief n race must, place during that glorious era which these stirring changes arc to usher in. They will hccomc officially greater than any of the other nations, and tlmt in virtue of their covenant and agreement with Jehovah, but this appears to be the extent of their privi- lege. In point of intellectual attainments, the Jewisli race can never soar above the Saxon mind, and thercfoie they can never become morally greater than Britain or America. These two countries, especially the latter, will continue to move forward the chariot wheels of the world's progression, nnd carry the human soul through endless stages of develop- ment, till the highest point of its earthly compass is reached, and the wider sphere and nobler pursuits of eternity shall un- fold themselves. For the preparation of a race for such a destiny as this, it was nccessaiy that they should burst those chains' of civil and ecclesiastical despotism, which priestcraft had forged for, and fastened around the human soul; and how cmphaiically' and nobly have Britain and America performed this duty! Must we remind the reader of Bruce and Wallace and the Covenan- ters, in Scotland; of Cromwell and Milton, Hampden, and tlie Puritans, in England, or of Washington and the war of inde- pendence, in America? Those fierce and fiery furnaces through which this selected race struggled in yeai-s gone by, were intended to purify and qualify them for the woHs of the latter days; and the result is, that at this moment they are free, and ready to assume their Heaven-appointed office. Hence the difference between their fate and the fate of those ancient nations whom they imitated, or the modern nations wlio imitated them. How often have the generous and noble- hearted gazed with indignant wonder at the gallant yet abor- tive efforts of patriots to save their country from bondage and oppression, and as star after star of liberty was blotted out by the blood-red sun of despotism, turned a reproachful eye to neaven, as if t« ask why truth and justice was denied its own! 32 And never will this dark cnii-mfi be explmncd, till the light u( this prophecy, of which we have til Jilong been speakiiii,', shine iijKmit; but no sooiht does its niist-dispelliii!^' inllnenoe pass Jicixwa the ^Kmhii, than, lus sunlight from on liii>h, the answer comes, which amply satisfies the gricived doubtinif heart, nnd vindicates the justice of the Eternal. It is only while tracing the windings and dcvclupmcrits df Daniel's vision nnd John's Revelation, that we learn the secret of Poland's downfuh and Hungary's degradation. 'J'liose nations stand upon tlu, inia<>e territory, and are iiivnlved in its destruction, therefore all ef- forts to save tliem must be vain. As potrers fcliey are do<^)med to fall, and though their wrongs sliail (uie day be righted, for the present their noble-hearted patriots must resign them- selves and their ciuise to the will of Heaven. And here too, in the liglit of this truth- 'if using prophecy, do we undei-stnnd the past and learn the future of Ireland. The state of this country has long made it a puzzle to the world, and many have been tlie attempts, both within ind without, to discover the cause and the cure of its evils. The prevalent feeling is, that its union with Britain constitutes the Alpha and Omega of its miyi y, and for many years it ha.« sought to have the union repealed. Its patriots have eve:i endeavoured to identify their cause with that struggle which America successfully sustained with the mother country, and the idea has taken root in many hearts, both in Scotland and England, which cry shame .-v-ainst the injustice. Now no- thing can be more erroneous than this idea The Irish struo-ole can never be identilied with the western colonial emancipation, neither can it» on account of the rtosence of the reli'dous ele- ment, be compared to the Scotch or English wars of indepen- dence. But without going in to the vexed question of the justice or injustice of forcibly perpetuating the union, we would ask the question, What would be the consequences to Ireland herself were she to become an independent nation ? These, in 33 a politicul and social point of view, sfand clearly forth to the ejes of n^any of those wlio steadily oppose the repeal agitation ; but It IS only wh.-n observed through the medium of this Serij.ture l)ropheey that wo can discern th( ir full extent or awful mag- nitude. Passing by th.)se m.,ral and political evils which appear on the surface, what, we ask, would be the fate of iho cbimivy Jifhrn years hrnre? 'Tis true, Ireland is not on the image territory, and, though not probable, it is still jwssible, that she might escaj).. bci:,,.' conqiicmd by one of the toes;' nevrthelcss she will be legitimately within ilu« dark region of the curse. .She is among tlH>c who worship the beast 'mu\ his image. She has received its mark in her forehead, and if standing alone, and in these circumstances, when the hour of judgment omes, how shall she escape? Wo hesitate not to assert that Ireland's union with IJritaiii is the only thing that stands between her and utter ruin, and that while Poland and Hungary failed in their effort for freedom, because they were doomed to destruction, Ireland has failed to regain her inde- pendence, because she is destined to he saved. We cannot here specify the means which Britain will use for her regeneration. This the future will show, but regenerated, pu.ilied" and ele- vated she will be, and by that very union which she would so rashly sever. In the preceding pnges, we have .s'cen that Britain will be kept comparatively fiee from the war and strife that will soon rage on the continent,— how the late past harmom-zes with this decision! While nearly the whole of Kurope has been con- vulsed, our sea-girt isle has remained in peace, and kept s.j far aloof from the oppressors and the oppressed, that many gene- rous but mistaken minds liave charged her with coldness and pusilanin)ity. She has indeed given shelter to both when exiled from their own lands, but she has hitherto been kept from entangling herself with the commotions of the times, and. while strife and feud have raoed around, peace has hooi 1 m 84 !. ! a}] hoT bord(;rs. This course tJie will continue steadily to pursue ; though, us we before staled, tijc doings on the con- tinent will keep her in continual alarm and watchfulness. This leoling of uneasiness and anxiety will, however, be greatly dispelled by a knowledge of the truth; and the author of this pamphlet hofK^s that, for this very purpose, it will be widely circulated. What a sublime position docs that individual occu{)y, who can stand at a distance and gaze upon such a thrilling spectacle as Europe will soon present, with calmness and assurance, "seeing the end from the beginninphecic8. Aa •ing into the ttle between B the calmly I all mortals, to his mind, go crashing dust?" Still )ne who can boldly map ; ed|;e of the )C8 that flit e dense mist i)ridge" rolls )rtli, dimly it les and hn- he wheels of f superiority t it is only a se whom the I witness the y those they as romf; to destroy, and, above all, to know that he and his kindred nr« beyond tbc reach of tlietr sweepin-,' embrace, u to occupy n pcwhion never before reached by any, save the inspired of the Lord. Such a position may Britain and America occupy, if they can but speedily arrive at Iho knowledge of it. In n verj' short trme the conflict will begin. Tl>e "powers that bo" oannot long renmin in their present relathn.s, and the moment approaches when the dreadful moral volcano must burst Al- ready is the sound of the storm lutard among the tree topn. The Ru.ssian army is gathering on the frontiers; France has fallen back to that form of government, whose only tradition Ir war and conquest; the new Emperor is fast increasing his naval power; Turkey is trembling, and all Italy is in a smothered flame. The sooner then that a knowledge of the political fu- ture is obtamed, the better; and while the Anglo-Sn.ton race rejoice in their exemption from the doom of otlier nations, let them learn their destiny, and prepare to fulfil it As a fix conclusion to the foregoing pages, we extract the following remarks from "The Hand or God in History," by H. Read, A.M., a valuable work, which should be extensively read. "Behold how great a nailer a me fire kindl«iL"-3 ames ii. 5. A TouNO shepherd boy, as he tends his father's flocks on the hills of Palestine, dreams a dream. No strange :^vent this, and, accustomed as he -vas to gaze on the starry concave, not strange that he should dream of the son, moon and stars or that it should have been interpreted of his future greatness or that his brethren should on this account hate him — or that Joseph should be sold a slave into Egypt Here seemed an 36 end of the wliolo luaticr. The exiicil youth ;yould soon woar out in bondngv, unknoAvn, and unwept; a disconsolate taiher go down to tlie o!,nx. mourning, and the posterity of Jaccjb ^•uhivate then- lields, and watch their flocks, forgetful that this outrage to humanity ever disgraced tlio annals of their family history. But nut so tlie mind of God. Joseph is enslaved— accused of crime-thrown into prison. Yet in that dark cell IS nourislied the germ of liope to the churcJi of the livinc- God Israel should grow up on the banks of the Nile, and spread his boughs to the river, and his branches to the sea. The eye ot God was here steadily fixed on the advancement of his cnurch. Again, something is seen floating amidst the flags of the river of Egypt. A servant woman is ordered to brin°g it. It IS an ark of rushes. Thousands of Hebrew children had penshea uncared for; but now, as by accident, one is found and introduced into the palace of the king and to the court He IS educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and schooled m the discipline needful to make him a legislator and a military leader. With what care did God watch that little rush bark, and wuh what consummate skill order every event, till he had reared up Moses, and titt.Hl him to act a more pro- minent part in the advancement of his cause than any mortal had acted before. . Or, an obscure female is born in Persia At an early ae-e she IS left an orphan. An uncle adopts her, and hopes she may yet solace his declining years. She is beautiful, lovely niodest-yet nothing points her out to any enviable staUou above the thousand of the daughters of Persia. To all human forethought she would live and die unknown as she was born But the church of God is scattered throughout the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of Persia Esther is a daughter of the captivity; and God would raise up some guardian spirit to save his people from an impending danger, and honour them Ii would soon wear disconsokte lalhei- posterity of Jacob , forgetful that this lals of their family •icph is enslaved — t in that dark cell of the living God. Nile, and spread the sea. The eye Ivancement of his the flags of the d to bring it. It ■c\v children had ent, one is found and to the court ! Egyptians, and n a legislator and watch that little rder every event, ) act a more pro- than any mortal At an early age ', and hopes she beautiful, lovely, enviable station . To all human as she was born. 'Ut the hundred er is a daughter J guardian spirit id honour them 37 in the sight of the heathen. The palace of Sushan, and the gorgeous court of the Shah, shall stand in awe of Esther's God. By a singular train of circumstances the obscure orphan is brought to the notice of the king — finds favour, and is called to share with him the honours of his throne. And what deliverances she wrought for her people — how she brought them out from their long obscurity, and gave them notoriety and enlargement, and prepared the way for their restoration to their native land and to the Holy Hill of Zion, is known to all Avho hare traced the hand of Providence in this portion of Sacred History. Again, a youth of nineteen years is carried captive into Babylon. But there was nothing singular in this. Thousands of every age and rank had been forced away from their native hills and valleys of Palestine, the victims of unsuccessful war. But the time had come when God would proclaim his name and his rightful claims to sovereignty from the battlements of the greatest of earthly potentates. Again he would magnify his church in the sight of all nations. Hence Daniel's captivity — hence that youthful saint prayed and exemplified an en- lightened, unbending piety, till the king and his court, the nobles and the people, publicly acknowfedged the God of Daniel, and " blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him that hveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation," " Providence is the light of history and the soul of the world." " God is in history, and all history has a unity because God is in it" "The work of Redemption is the sum of all God's providences." Whoever will read the history of the world and of the church of God, with his eye fixed on the providential agency which everywhere overrules the events of the one to the furtherance and well-being of the other, will see all history illuminated by a lightj and animated by a spirit, of which the mere ehroniclcf i ! i II 33 of historical events know, nothing. He will fed that hi,^,™ h^. sacred ph,losophy-.hat he is standing in thocounc^ chaniber of etcrntty, reading the annals of infinite Wisdom and Mercy, as blended and developed in the great work of human redemptton. He will see in dl history ,4 a shaping of eve v event as finally to further the cause of truth. EVents Z parenlly contradictory often stand in the relation „t cause and efleet. A Pharaoh and a Nebnchadnc^ar, an Alexander and a Nero, a Domittan and a Borgta, Henry tte VHI. and ^apoIeon, men world-renowned, ye, oftentimes prodigies of "ckedness, are m evety age made the instruments andtgents to Work out the scheme of His operations who maketh .ht ™.h of man to prdse him. ..Howbei. they mean no. sa" The Lords portton ,s his people; J,,cob is the lot of his nhentance He found him in a desert land and in a wast Whngw,ldemcss; he led him about, he instructed htahe' kept h,m as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up he n« , fluttereth over her young, .preade.U abroad her w'n^ *d lead h,m. He has engraven him on the palms of his hands By some anomaly of nature a mother may for,e. her suclung chUd but Ood will not forget his inheritan'ce in'j J b Th e,„h changes; the sea changes; change is the order o all terrestnal things. They appear and pi away, ™d wj ^arcely know they have been. But not so with the';hurch „f Iroil. As He lives so shall she Uva The Lord went before them by day in . pillar of cloud to lead them and by mght in a pillar of fire to give them licht • a beauttful emblem of a superintending P™,ide„ce over h s' church. And "he has never .ri,en away the pillar of *ud by day or the pillar „ffi. by night." By .,U sleep Jent^ be has prepared the way before them, and led them by h^ own nght hand. For their sakes be has made and m>made 39 kingS' — formed and dissolved empires — east down and discom- fitted enemies, and raised \ip friends. It shall be our delightful task to trace the footsteps of Providence in the extension and establishment of the church. While much has been done for the spread of true religion by missionary eflFort, much more has been done through the direct agency of Providence, Illustrations crowd upon us unsought: a few of Avliich, as isolated cases, shall be allowed to fill up our pages. 1. Peter and the Pentecost. I do not here refer directly to the extraordinary outpouring of the spirit on that day, or to the great number of converts, but to the remarkable concurrence of circumstances, which made that a radiating point of the newly risen Sun of Righteousness to most of the nations of the earth. Had not the Parthians and the Medes, the Arabians and the dwellers in Mesopotamia — devout men out of every nation under heaven, been there, the influence of that occasion bad been confined within a narrow province. But as the event was, the gospel flew as on the wings of the wind, through all the countries represented in Peter's assembly on that memorable day. And as the Apostles afterwards travei"scd tJiose same regions, they found the glad tidings of Pentecost Ifiad gone before them as pioneers to their success, and harbin- gers of peace to welconse the more perfect establishment of Messiah's kingdom. All this was purely providential — a con- junction of circumstances to bring about results which should be felt over the whole known world. 2. The persecution which arose about Stephen. Its imme- diate and obvious result was a cruel persecution against the whole churcli, soattering abroad the disciples through all the neighbouring nations The ultimate and more glorious result — the providential aspect and design, was that they should, wherever dispersed, go preaching the gospel. The eonverts of Pentecost now need to be reinforced, strengthened aisl ea- ^ I (' fcl r I 40 couraged ; and they who sat longer at the feet of t h« o ., and learned the way of life more perfeS ^'''''' strengthen the things' that were r:d/:S^ ^ the smoking flax, they fanned it to a Le7 ^ere leT u"" ;ng lan,p they replenished it from the hon, of saaton AH the gospel, too. was by this means introduced and elblitl m other regions. They that had lonir sat I T ''^ff'"^ shadow of death, light Ihined on thZ '""'^ "' ^'" 3. Paul's being earned prisoner to Rom» r i-peml city, the metropolif of wMeljd T^ '^ a»d *o,^Moft;tH':c"rwi;;t:nr"-'' *- Me. There we. ChrMan, i„ w ° 1 1' " ""^- proud, pamm cito Tk. i, i , ^ ™°"' ""^ •> i bad^^t "^■J"; T'' ™'' '"'■•-™'^"« equally judiee, were unaprcLtod B ' 1 "^;'.'«^"°™"™ »"" I"^- ,^-he;p-e5r:rheTrr:24t:/:f ^rr::r^trirrdt:fr-^f^-^^^^^^^^ of Csar. But h wlrthta\ ^'^".^ 'I't '" ""^ P"'""" must be arrested in The m J , A '""' ° ™}— ^"^ Minor. Thu!i\ra'^:,':it:ror:'°',r°"Vr place there. But the ^reaf H„.K T T "^ '"PP^-^ ^"« -h.rpartofh.t-:rr.t:itz--: o — t of the apostles, ^ were sent to 5h. Where was here tlie flicker- salvation. And and established the land of the Rome was the tl. Judea, the > but an insig- id the founder ilefactor. But Jred at Rome Jandlosticks to this is impos- Rome was a were equally )wn, and her ance and pre- Calvary shall > the " house- I yield to the ing point of 'uld go there of the Spirit voice should n the palace way— PaM/ sion in Asia supply his i of him in 1 — brouffht 41 before a Roman tribunal — be accused — allowed an appeal to C*sar — and to Cmsar he must go. But he goes, though in cliains, the embassador of heaven, the messenger of Christianity, to the capital of the empire, and to the palace of the monarch. He goes at the expense of the pagan gorernment, in a government ship, under governmental protection, and for the express purpose of making a defcnct which shall lay a necessity on him to preach Christ and him crucified before the imperial court All this is providential On, this highest summit of earthly power, Paul kindled a fiiti whose light soon shone to the re- motest bounds of the Roman empire 4. The dispersion of the Jews was another providential inter- position which contributed immensely to the wide and rapid spread of the gospel. Jerusalem had been divinely appointed the radiating point of Christianity. The gospel must first be preached at Jerusalem; then to the mongrel tribes of Samaria; and thence, chiefly through the instrumentality of Jews, to the remotest parts of the earth. But the Jews were a people pro- verbially averse to mingling with other nations; and how shall thep become the messengers of salvation to a perishing world ? A signal providence here interposed: Jerusalem is besieged by a Roman army ; her mighty ramparts are broken down ; her palaces demolished; her gorgeous temple laid in ruins. The nation is disbanded, and the Jewish church is no more. The fold broken up, the sheep are scattered. They spread themselves over the plains of Asia, even to the confines of the Chinese sea. They wander over the hills, and ^ottle down in the valleys of Europe; nor does the broad Atlantic arrest their progress to the new world. Wherever dispersed, they bear testimony to the truth of Christianity. Whether in Kamskatka or on the torrid sands of Africa, on the Columbia or the Ganges, the Jew is everywhere a Jew — and the peculi- ar Uus which D 2 him such, make him everywhere a 1 1 42 preacher of righteousness. The bare fact of his dispersion jas a hwng and palpable illustration of God's truth. 1'^" d.rect preacher of righteousness, he was at least verifyinrtL prod,ct.ons of a long line of prophets, and confinnino-^, ^ t ...onyof all former ages. Nothing so abundantly °faou^d "Thr^uT;^^^ dispersion of L Je:^^ Ihrough then- fall salvation is come to the Gentiles." Their rejeofon was the occasion and the means of a wider and I ricJior diffusion of the gospel. Indeed, at every step of the progro , of Christianity we meet a wonder-workmg Providence opening and preparing the way for the kingdom of God among tL nations J^Z^ 5. 2 he extent and character of the Rovum Empire at this time, affords another notable instance. In the conft uct 1 tl.t vast empire God had, for near forty centum," ^ panng a stupendous machinery for the triumph of the trutl over the superstition and ignorance, the learning and 1^^^^^^^^^^ P 7 of the wlK,le earth. It was the grand concentration oU, that was good, and much that was bad, i„ the great mon arch.es wh.ch had gone before it It was, indeed a nn" mficent structure; in extent, covering nearly Ihe whol'e \: 'I M_oiId, and m political, intellectual, and moral height, overton- P.ng al that had gone before it. The mighty^monar hes w jchhad gone before, were schools and vLt Ush" in which prepare materials out of which to build Rome I„ political wisdom and the science of government, in the arts and sciences. ,„ civilization and refinement, Rome drew much from the ever instructive past. In point of religion, too, she had gamed much. Having adopted the mytho5>gi:s of her p' e dece u.e lapse of time had shown then- inefficacy and nothingness; and consequently, long before the comin. of Christ Ae state of religion was little more than the ridicJe of he phdosopher the policy of the magistrate, and the mere habit of superstition with the populace; and, of consequence, >f his dispersion truth. If not a ast verifying the ifirmino- tlie tes- (laiitly favoured n of the Jews : entiles." Their a Avider and a Christianity we i preparing the of the earth. Umpire, at this consti-uction of lies, been pre- 'li of tiie trutli ig and philoso- entration of all le great mon- iideed, a maw- CD * whole known aight, oveitop- y monarchies workshops in d Rome. In 1 the arts and w much from too, she had s of her pre- inefficacy and e coming of he ridicule of id the mere consequence 43 in a state as favorable as may well be conceived for the intro- duction and rapid .sjiread of a new religion. Such, in a word, was the character, the extent, and focilities of communication i)ossossed by the Roman Empire, as admi- rably to fit her to act llui conspicuous part in the spread of the gospel for which Providence had prepared her. G. Unroll the map of history where you please, and you will meet, portrayed before you, the wonder-working Hand stretched out to protect his people, and to overrule men and events to the praise of liis name, and the furtherance of his gracious plans. The emperor, Antonius, a persecutor of the Christian church, is warring with a barbarous people in Germany. His army is perishing with heat and thirst, and the enemy is near. Being informed of a Christian legion in his army, who were said to obtain what they desired by their prayers, the emperor commanded them to call on their God for assistance. The entire legion fell on their knnes and besought the Lord for rain. Suddenly the sky was overcast — a terrific storm of thunder and lightning burst on their enemies. They were panic-sruck and completely routed, while a copious shower afforded the imperial troops ample refreshment The heart of the emperor is turned to favour the new sect. The Christian's God and the gospel is known and honoured m the high places of imperial Rome. In a little town on the gulf of Nicomedia lived an obs( ure inn-keeper. Constantius, a Roman ambassador, returning from the court of Persia, lodges in the inn — becomes enamored of Helena, the inn-keeper's daughter — marries her, and the son of their union they call Comlantine. Constantius becomes a distinguished Roman general, and is at length honored with the purple — divorces Helena, the wife of obscure parentage, and leaves her son to humiliation and disgrace. But he was a chosen vessel. He signalized his valor in war. and in peace pet 44 showed himself worthy to be the son of « R. His fa,„er die, and I. ^r^ylZ.! l^TlZT' imperial crown. On his wiv tn P i. P* *^^^ become, a Chrislia„-„,ake, a cr«s the stanJaZf hi under .hich he fought and co„,„ered h; :„lolr7' pat™ Of the ChWsUan eh„„h. Z the .,al d^eferS tt mother k,„gdom ,s r,si„g m all U,e beauty and vil of vouth denvmg strength f™ every opposition, leringTbo^C^ human dtfBcultj,, bidding defiauce to the gorgeous 1173 I^man power and Roman paganism, and'sc^nTaCh! Rome. A nnghly hand was at work, as surely and irreS undermmmg and removing out of the way, th'e hugTX"s of Rome, as he was, with the same onward and reslL^rr reanng „p jhat kingdom whieh should never end ^^ There seemed inwroueht. in thp mmri -.<• *u r. and the ^man world, tht L;X:t:'^lZZ:Z s.gn. ms rumens i„ the hands of God, to establish the eml cf Chnst«„,ty Uaroughout the earth-th.t "his coa^ZZl was no less speeial than that of Moses, Joshua, or Gidr- ° .wnl Y"''"J°''"' '" "■* ^^ •"""■"'y- ^i'' Abysinia with two lads. Meroptus is attacked by the natives, and mulT d fte taa^rr"" ':'3"^'"^"^ spared. presenJt the kmg, and taken under his patmnage. I„ due tin.e Fru- ment^ustsmade prime minister, and uses U,e advantlsrf h. stauou to .ntroduee Chrisdanity A ch„„h is lE^' u. .hat pagan land, of which he is afterwards eonsZtel 'Oman Emperor. » to accept the ounters his for- lie says) m the coNQUEa He trd of his army, e becomes the Jefender of the lan the phasis e the gigantic ^hile the huge 'J'ng to ruins, vigor of youth, g above every >eous array of n waving the s of imperial ind irresistibly huge colossus •esistless step, Roman army tantine was a h the empire I commission Gideon." bysinia with d murdered. Jresented to i time Fni- vantages of established constituted 45 Bishop. And, what is a matter of no little interest, Christianity has lived in that country till the present day, a bulwark against the assaults of the Moslems, or the stratagems and cruelties of popery. How great a matter a little lire kindleth ! The Iberians, a pagan people bordering on the Black sea, take captive in war a Christian female of great piety. They soon learn to respect, then to revere her holy doportment— and the more, on account of some remarkable answers to her prayers. Hence she was brought to the notice of the king, which led, eventually, to the convei-ston of the king and queen, and to the introduction by them of Christian teachers to in- struct their people. Thus another portion of the great desert was inclosed in the garden of the Lord, through the gracious interposition cf an Almighty Providence. Again, the sister of the king of the Bulgarians, a Sclavonic people, is, in the ninth century, carried captive to Constanti- nople—hears and embraces the truth of the gospel; returning home, spares no pains to turn her brother, the king, from the vahity of his idols; but apparently to no effect, till a pestilence invades his dominions, when he is persuaded to pray to the God of the Christians. The plague is removed— the king embraces Christianity, and sends to Constantinople for Mission- aries to teach his people;— and another nation is added to the territory of Christianity. Thus did the " vine brought out of Egypt," which had taken deep root on the hills of Judah, spread its branches eastward and westward, till its songs of praise were sung on the Ganges and the Chinese sea, and echoed back from the mountain-tops of the farthest known west In all its leading features, in all its grand aggressive movements and rich acquisitions, we trace the mighty, overruling hand of Providence. Christian missions did hut follow, at a respectful distance, this magnifi- cent agency of Heaven. Missions overcame their thousands, . providential bterpositions their t^ns of thousands. He that 46 sal upon the white horse, who is called Faithful and True, whose name is tU word of God, rode forth victoriously to the con.iuest of the world The Christian Church is the favorite child of an ever-watt hful Providence. In the prosecution of the subject, the agency of Providence will bo illustrated by means of a variety of historical eve.its, connected, directly or indiieetly, with the history of the church: such as the art of printing and paper-making. The invention of the mariner's compass. The discovery aiid first settlement of America. The opening to Christian nations of India and the East by the Cape of Good Hope. The reformation of the sixteenth century. The expulsion of the Moors from Spain. Transfer of India to protestant hands. The destruction of the Spanish invincible armada. Philip II., and Holland. The gun-powder plot The usurpation of Cromwell. The hand of God in the origin and progress of modern missions. And the present condition of the world as prepared by Providence for the universal spread of the g-ospel. Such a view of history, it is believed, will magnify in the reader's mind the grecU moral enterprise whioh God, through his providence, is achieving in our world; and con- duct to the conclusion that Chrislianily has, from the begin- nhig, had an onward progress. She has seen days of darkness, of persecution, of apparent retrogression, and sometimes has seemed almost extinct She has had her nights, long and gloomy— her winters, protracted and dreary. But is the night less conducive to man's comfort and prosperity, or the earth's fertility, than the day? In the morning man goes forth, in the dew of his youth, fresh to his labor; and the earth, smiling through pearl-drop tears, ap- pears in fresher beauty and vigor than before. Or is the winter a blank — or a retrograde move in nature? It is a vicissitude that has its uses in the economy of the great whole, no less salutaiy aad promotive of the great good, than the . Lhful and True, ctoriously to the I is the favorite y of Providence listoricd evciits, Y of the church: The invention '. first settlement IS of India and "ormution of the ors from Spain, jstruction of the Holland. The L The hand of ions. And the Providence for vill magnify in i« whioh God, orld; and con- rom the begin- m, of apparent t extinci She iers, protracted man's comfort day? In the th, fresh to his rop tears, ap- e. Or is the ure? It is a e great whole, ood, than the . 47 freshness of spring, or the maturity of summer, or the full sheaf of autumn. The dark days of the church have boon days o{ preparation When eclipsed as to worldly prosperity-whcn crushed be- neath the foot of despotism, or bleeding from the hand of persecution, she ]>ns been gathering strength and preparinr. for a new display of her beauties, and for a wider extension o'f her territories. A thousand years with the Lord is but as one day. Time is but a moment to eternity. The few venera- tions of depression in Egypt, when the people of God were earmng obedience, and gathering strength for their fii-st ex- hibition as a nation and a church, was but a brief season to prepare for their future prosperity and glory. The night of a thousand years which preceded the morning of the glorious Reformation, and the more glorious events which were to fol- low, was no more than the necessary preparatory season for that onward movement of the church. A complete revolu- tion was to transpire in the political affairs of the world— the ecclesiasUcal world was to be turned upside down— and the social relations of man to be changed. A thousand years was not a long time in which to effect such changes— change-s, every one of which looked for^vard to the extension and estab- lishment of the church. The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of raeal, till the whole was leavened. It matters not into what part of the meal it is put, or that the quantity of the leaven is small, or that it is lost sight of in the mass. It works and ferments, and pervades the whole mass. Yet no marked efect is visible Ull the process is complete. Such is the process and progress of Christianity. The apostles cast the leaven into the corrupt mass of humanity. The fermentation began and has never ceased, and shall never cease till the whole immense mass of this corru'^t world s'^- !1 48 be leavened. It lias been a stciidy, silent, irresistible process — always onward, though not always vi.xible, and sometimes, seemingly, retrograde. It is ponading the whole lump, yet no marked eftect shall appear till the process shall be complete. Kingdoms rise and fall— moral eartlujuakes shake the earth- commotions, unaccountable and terrific, follow on the heels of commotions— the leaven of Christianity seems lost in the fearful and general fermentation— the sun is darkened, the moon is covered in sackcloth, the stars fall from heaven— all human affairs are thrown into perturbation, and Christianity is, from time to time, scouted from the habitations of men ; yet all this is but the silent, invisible, onward, restless workings of the leaven cast over the world from the hill of Calvary. Every revolution, everj- commotion, war, oppression, persecu- tion, famine, pestilence, the wrath of man, and the rage of the elements, are, under the mighty hand of God, but parts of the great fermenting prooess, which the world is undergoing from the leaven of Christianity. Seasons of unpropitious appearances are, oftentimes, seasons of the most decided advancement- espcriajly are they seasons of preparation for some onward and gl. .rious progress, \bove sUl these contending elements of hum m strife, sits serenely the Majesty of H-aven, guiding them al to the furtherance of his cause. Printed by Jamcb Stephkss, King^Street East, Toronto. e>rSfi> R3 IS5Z ^«er.^