apostacy as its consequence. And from what we have now before us concerning the nature, and operations, and effects of popery, every one will be able to judge for himself whether this is indeed the great apostacy of the last days.

In the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar we have a very clear delineation of an apostate, persecuting power, which would arise in the last days of the Christian church. It is agreed on all hands, that the image which the king of Babylon saw in vision denoted four universal empires which were to exist on earth. And it is equally a matter of general agreement, that the Babylonish empire is denoted by the golden head of the image; the Medo-Persian empire, by the silver arms and breast; the Grecian empire, by the brazen belly and thighs; and the Roman empire, by the legs, which were of iron, and the feet and toes, which were of iron and clay. The last great empire here symbolized was to be at first very strong, like iron, and afterwards to become weak and disunited, like iron and clay. Likewise, near its close it was to be divided into ten minor kingdoms, like the ten toes of the image. So far is very clear; for the history of events has affixed her seal to these symbols, in attestation of their truth. But in the seventh chapter of his prophecy, Daniel was enabled to carry forward the prophetic history of the fourth, or Roman empire, and thus to describe some collateral events.

"After this, I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful, and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns; and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things."

The interpretation of this vision, in the subsequent part of the chapter, thus describes the character of this little horn. "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings; and he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time."

In the above prophetic description we find delineated a power, which would arise in the last days of the Roman empire, and which would exhibit the following distinguishing marks:-1. It would come up, small in its beginning, among the ten kingdoms of the Roman empire. 2. It would have eyes like the eyes of a man; i. e. it would be remarkable for sagacity and policy in regard to its own interests. 3. It would have a mouth speaking great things against the Most High. That is to say, it would be a preaching or ecclesiastical power, and would arrogate to itself divine prerogatives, and blasphemous names and honors. It would, for example, claim infallibility, and set itself up as God upon earth. (See the preceding section.) 4. It would make war upon the saints of the Lord, and wear them out by cruel persecutions, during the continuance of its power. That is to say, it would be a persecuting power, and would have liberty to prevail against the people of God for the time appointed, which would be a period denoted by a time, times, and the dividing of time. Or, as interpreters understand it, three prophetic years and an half. That is, as many natural years as there are days in three years and an half, reckoning three hundred and sixty days to the year, which would make twelve hundred and sixty natural years. 5. It would pluck up, or subvert three of the constituent kingdoms of the Roman empire.

All that will be necessary to give a proper application of this symbolical description to the events which have been brought to view in the preceding history, is to consider the course and connexion of facts. And here we may say, that this prediction must, in the course of events, have progressed far towards its completion. Its connexion with the Roman empire shows that the power here denoted must long since have arisen and fully have developed itself. Now, the only question to be solved is, what power, among those which have existed since the rise and decline of the Roman empire, answers most exactly to the description here given? What power is it that came up from small beginnings, among the ten kingdoms of divided Rome? What power has been remarkable for all manner of craftiness and watchfulness, in promoting its own designs? What power has placed itself on a level with God, and become a competitor for divine honors? What power has made war upon the saints by most cruel and unrelenting persecution, for more than twelve centuries? What power have we seen, in the course of events, subverting the three kingdoms of the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Lombards in Italy, and reigning in their stead? Can there be any hesitation as to the answer to these questions?

But we have further light from the scriptures. In the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation of John, we have described a vision, in which a beast was discovered rising out of the sea, "having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." This beast evidently denotes the temporal Roman empire. Its seven heads are supposed to mean the seven hills on which the city of Rome was built, and the seven forms of government which existed in Rome in the progress of its history. The ten horns mean the same as they do in the prophecy of Daniel, the ten kingdoms into which the empire was finally divided. After all this, and in immediate sequence, the Apostle saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns, like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and all that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by the sword and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

In this passage we have a clear prediction of a power that would arise from the earth, which means the Roman empire in its quiescent or nominally Christian state, and which would arise after the ten horns, or after the ten kingdoms had become extant. This power would also co-exist with the secular ten-horned beast, so as to perform wonders in its presence, and to aid in its ambitious projects. This latter, or ecclesiastical power, would also have two horns like a lamb. That is to say, its power, or instruments, would be divided into two branches, which would appear harmless, or would assume a name and professed employment, which would look harmless as a lamb. This symbol denotes the two orders of popish clergy, the regular and the secular, or the monks, and the parochial clergy. These orders, in their name and profession, were harmless as a lamb, and yet they spake and acted as a dragon. They are wolves in sheeps' clothing.

This last beast exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and they that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. The first beast was the secular Roman empire. The second, or two-horned beast, therefore, must be some ecclesiastical power rising up in the Roman empire, in agreement with it, and exercising all its power for the accomplishment of its own purposes. For example, if the two-horned power should be a persecuting power, as it is afterwards declared to be, it would use the power of the first, or ten-horned beast, to execute its vengeance, delivering over its victims to the secular power. But not only does the second beast use the power of the first, but it causeth the inhabitants of the earth to worship the first beast. In other words, there is a league between these two powers, existing within the bounds of the Roman empire. They help each other. The second beast, by its power over the consciences of men, causes them to serve the first, and thus is a co-adjutor to secular ambition and tyranny, the enemy of civil as well as religious liberty, the opposer of all means and measures to enlighten the human mind. The dominion of these beasts, therefore, would produce an universal gloom and darkness. Let the reader look to the history of the crusades, and to the history of popery in the reigns of Pepin and Charlemagne of France, for an explanation of the above prophecy. How did popery cause the inhabitants of the earth to worship the secular power, in the crusades? But the two-horned or second beast, we are informed, doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven in the sight of men. According to Faber, heaven, in the symbolical language of prophecy, means the church, and the earth means the temporal or secular dominion. To cause fire to pass from one to the other, may denote the sending forth from the church of bulls and edicts, and sentences of excommunication against those who should in any manner re