actually in existence in St. John's time, was the emperorship of the Romans; upon whose final fall or extinction, a seventh head would arise.

After the division of the empire into the East and West, it was still considered in law as but one empire; and when Augustulus was deposed in the year 469 the emperorship was still preserved in the East; and this principle of the unity of the empire was not broken when in the year 800 Charlemagne revived the Western emperorship. This unity of the empire is established by its symbol, the Wild Beast which St. John saw rise up out of the sea of wars and tumults, having seven heads and ten horns-like unto a leopard,' which was the Macedonian cognisance; and his feet were as the feet of a bear,' the Medo-Persian sign; and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion,' the badge of the Babylonian empire. These symbolise the Eastern empire; as the ten crowned horns represent the Western empire, after its division into as many kingdoms, by the ten Gothic nations.

On the death of the emperor Theodosius the empire was permanently divided into the East and the West; but still it preserved its theoretical unity, as if it were only one empire; and it was represented hereditarily in its Eastern division, until its extinction by the Turks in the year 1453. Charle

magne revived the Western emperorship; and this line having been transferred to Germany, it subsisted under the style of the holy Roman empire till the year 1806, when it finally fell by the abdication of the emperor Francis, who released the Electors from their duties to their legal chief. ended the sixth head of the Beast.

Here

No sooner had the sixth head fallen by abdication, than the elder Buonaparte assumed the title and authority of the emperorship, and the head of the confederation of the Rhine; and soon after he declared himself king of Rome; and thus he became the seventh head of the Beast; one of whose attributes was shortness of life. Although the seventh head was deprived of the crown of France in 1814; yet he was still saluted emperor; and he was still as much the seventh head of the secular Beast when he reigned in his little island of Elba, as when in all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war he set out at the head of 600,000 men on his fatal expedition to Moscow. But he was 'to be as it were wounded to

death;' and he was accordingly politically slain by the sword of Protestant England, in the ever memorable battle of Waterloo; after which Napoleon ceased to be the seventh head; he was no longer saluted emperor, but general Buonaparte. The seventh head only existed about twelve years, which is certainly short lived when compared with the duration of the sixth headship.

The six heads fell; but the seventh was slain by the sword; nevertheless his deadly wound was to be healed; 'and the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.' The eighth was to be another, yet not another, but one of the seven coming by hereditary descent from the seventh; so that he shall not be actually an eighth head, but only the seventh revived and continued. Accordingly in the year 1848, the frenzy of revolutionary madness convulsed France; and agitated and still continues to agitate all continental Europe; and out of the earthquake produced by it, arose the revival of the French emperorship, or the septimo-octavo head of the secular Roman Beast. This was accomplished under the legitimate principle of the hereditary descent of the crown; for the present emperor styled himself Napoleon III.; and thus fulfilled the prophecy, that 'he is the eighth, and is of the seven;' yet, alas! the sure word of prophecy destines him when he has fulfilled his mission to go into perdition.

The next sign of the times is the war which at present is confined to the allies and the Russians; but the Holy Spirit has forewarned us, that three spirits were to issue at this time, which from their parentage we must consider of evil omen; 'and I saw three unclean spirits come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet, like frogs; for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God the Almighty. Men with clear eyesight have long seen these three unclean spirits of evil 'like frogs' working in joint opperation for a common object of evil. 1, The principle of infidelity exhibited and embodied in the form of practically unbelieving political expediency, which springs directly from Satan; 2, The principle of democratic anarchy which is

deeply impregnated with sensuality and infidelity, may be said to spring from the Wild Beast, or the corrupt mass of the secular Roman empire, whilst it lay as it were politically dead after the extinction of its seventh head at Waterloo; and, 3, By the active and restless principle of Popish propagandism, which indisputably springs from the False Prophet, who, a year ago in conjunction with his hierarchy, has become the Antichrist.

The Jesuits, who are the agents of Satan, and one of the Frogs or unclean spirits, were busily at work both on the side of Russia and of the Septimo-octavo head of the beast, in kicking up a dispute about the 'holy places' at Jerusalem, which eventuated in the present war, having been busily engaged in their diabolical traffic in all the countries of the ancient Roman empire, and in none more successfully than in this kingdom of Great Britian. They are now busily

plying their diabolical craft in every court in Europe; and yet no attention is paid to the signs of the times. Statesmen flatter themselves that it is their own talents and state-craft which guides the course of the world; whereas it has pleased the Lord of Hosts, to deliver over the nations, our own among others, to the diabolical machinations of these expert and infamous agents of Satan. The Jesuits think that they will re-instate the Pope in all his glory; but whom God intends to destroy, He previously deprives of their discretionary judgment; and in the present eventful period, their active spirit of prosylitism is likely to lead to disastrous consequences, The Concordat with Austria is likely to produce a revolution in that priest-ridden and most immoral country; and if it does, it will most likely extend to the other kingdoms 'in the obedience of Rome.'

The present war may, without any metaphor, be said to have commenced at Jerusalem; and after taking a pyrouette round the Black Sea, it seems in a fair way to be concluded at the same spot. The distance as the crow flies from Trebizond on the Black Sea, to Jerusalem on the Mediterranean, is only six hundred and sixty miles. The ten tribes of Israel occupy the country called Kurdistan and all the left bank of the Tigris; but particularly about the lake Van and the ancient Sardis now called Sart. And before the conclusion of this war, 'the king of the north' whosoever he may

be, will come against the king of the south in the Holy Land, 'like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and many ships.' But tidings out of the

East and out of the North shall trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.'

As Noah preached righteousness to the sinners of his day, so the signs of the times are making an impression on the voluptuous heart of the Grand Turk. It is said that he has begun to read the Bible, to ascertain whether or not there is any thing in the Christian religion, that could induce Miss Nightingale to make her noble sacrifice of ease and luxurious comfort, to assume the cross voluntarily of self denial for the benefit of her sick and wounded countrymen. May he read to good purpose; and may she be blessed as, the happy instrument in God's hand, in drying up the waters of the mystic Euphrates; for if the Sultan be converted, Christianity will percolate downwards and soon leaven the whole mass, which in European Turkey is not very numerous; there being only two millions of Musselsmen to twelve millions of idolatrous Christians. Therefore as the Flood destroyed the irreclaimable antediluvians; so the sword seems destined to exterminate the irreclaimable apostates of the present time; the bloodshed of which is described by a hyperbolè by St. John, to be 'even unto the horses bridles.'

But Mr. Faber is of opinion, that another agency besides the sword, will be employed in this terrible judgment upon the nations. Nor, says he, 'will the armaments of the secular empire alone perish. With them will be associated that author of all spiritual and temporal evil, the False Roman Prophet. This is distinctly specified by St. John; and the same catastrophe is harmoniously predicted by Daniel. There is considerable reason to believe, that the final destruction of the irreclaimable Antichristian powers will be effected by volcanic agency; and from some prophecies, particularly that contained in the last chapter of Zechariah, no person can be blamed for expecting a literal though only temporary manifestation of our Lord on the summit of the Mount of Olives.' And we may venture to

add that St. Peter says that Jehovah 'shall send Jesus Christ, whom the heavens must receive until the times of the accomplishment of all the things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.' Acts iii. 20, 21. The prophecies are now nearly all accomplished; blessed be the name of the Lord.

But there are other signs of the times equally unequivocal, although not so noisy and obtrusive; the silent practical working of the Anglican church in the direction of drawing all nations unto the mountain of the Lord's house, which shall be in these days established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. Hear what Mr. Tuttle says, who is an American author, and has lately visited all the Eastern churches, and who gives the following cheering account of the Angelican communion:

'I have come from the Christians of the East, brethren, with a warmer love, higher regard, and greater confidence and hopes than I bore thither. The Great Shepherd has not thus long watched over them without an object. Their day

way

of release seems at hand. Shall we reciprocate with them the right hand of fellowship? Shall the American and the English church soon be in visible communion with the Eastern brethren? There are no such obstacles in the as may not be surmounted by the divine blessing. And what a communion that would be? Look at the English and her daughter the American church, spreading with cheering rapidity through the islands of the Pacific-through the vast regions of India,-through our own [American] wide territories,-through various sections of Africa; and represented at least in so many cities of the world. There is scarcely a place of prominence where you may not attend the services of this communion. The traveller knows not whether to be most surprised at this spiritual privilege, or at sound of his native English, which is pervading every section of the globe, and almost startles him like the unexpected meeting of an old friend in a distant and foreign land.'

Of the church in England Mr. Tuttle speaks; 'Where but from the late visitings of the Holy Ghost, have come the fresh life and devotedness that is fulfilling the promise of having spiritual incense offered in every place to Christ's