remain combined, they have never been chemically united; even "as iron is not (chemically united, or) mixed with clay." They have had conflicting interests, and, from the nature of the case, they always will have. Nothing can exceed the accuracy of the brief description the prophet gives of church and state union in the Roman empire, since its institution. Nothing in fact could be more perfect.

Coincidence Fifth. First Territorial Form.-The first territorial form of the fourth empire, was to be that of a unit. The Roman empire was a unit territorially, down to the days of Theodosius, in the year 395; and after his death it began to be broken up by the northern migrations.

Coincidence Sixth.-The second territorial form of the fourth empire, was to be a broken one, and one part was to be divided into ten kingdoms. The Roman empire, or at-least that portion of it which was in Europe, was broken to pieces by the inroads of the Germans, Goths, Vandals, and Huns; and ten kingdoms, in less than two hundred years, made their appearance. The Eastern empire existed up to this time; but, after Justinian, it declined, till all its light was extinguished. These ten Roman kingdoms, though not exactly simultaneous in origin, were just enough so to accord with the symbol which represented them and the empire. It is observable, that the toes of the feet do not project from the foot in a right line across the foot, and that the foot is longer on one side than on the other. And so, a large part of the original empire represented by the feet, still existed, after some of the smaller toe kingdoms began to project; and so, also, some of these ten kingdoms sprung

up a very little in advance of others, yet all in the

same era.

Coincidence Seventh.-These fragments of the fourth kingdom, were again to confederate. This has not yet taken place, and we can not, therefore, claim a certair coincidence here. The signs of the times, however, indicate, so it is thought by those who know best the state of eastern Europe, that Russia will effect a subserviency of Europe to its power. The exiled Hungarian affirmed upon this subject, the following bold, yet not improbable things. "I predict (and the eternal God hears my prediction), that there can be no freedom for Europe, and that the Cossacks from the shores of the Don, will water their steeds in the Rhine, unless liberty be restored to Hungary." Indeed, we can not entertain a doubt of the supremacy of Russia over all Europe, for such is clearly to be understood from the book of Revelation and Ezekiel.

The conclusion we draw from these most extensive and complete coincidences of the Roman empire with the fourth kingdom is, that the Roman empire was meant by the prophecy; indeed, it is infallibly certain; for a full and perfect coincidence of prophecy and events, is, infallibly, a clear fulfillment.

Newton says, "All ancient writers, both Jewish and Christian, agree with Jerome, in explaining the fourth kingdom to be the Roman." Mede says, "The Roman empire, to be the fourth kingdom of Daniel, was believed by the church of Israel, both before and in our Saviour's time; received by the disciples of the apostles, and the whole Christian church, for the first three hundred years, without any known contradictions. And I

confess, having so good ground in scripture, it is with. me, tantum non est articulus fidei, little less than an article of faith."

SECTION V.

THE FIFTH KINGDOM, OR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

"Westward the course of empire takes its way,

The first four acts already passed,

The fifth shall close the drama with the day:
Time's noblest empire is its last "

Vision.-"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces."

Interpretation.-"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

It is but right for us to observe, that our discoveries in interpreting scripture, have compelled us to affirm that this fifth kingdom which the vision presents, and which Daniel interprets, is no other, and can be no other, than the restoration of Israel to nationality, or, in other words, it is the United States of America. Our arguments to prove it, shall be as fair and candid as they have been on the preceding kingdoms. As we shall be candid and honest, we insist that the same correctness of courtesy shall be shown to our arguments, that are shown, or ought to be shown, to every investigator, and especially to one treading a new path for truth. The difficulties

under which we shall labor here, we know are great. but we are confident they do not arise from the subject, nor from the trouble of logically demonstrating our position; but they lie altogether in the preconceived opinions of men upon the subject, and the firm and settled error of those opinions, and the determined hostility to any argument that would overthrow or unsettle them. Some persons have never fully formed an opinion on the subject; while others have satisfied themselves that some one has made a great mistake in explaining prophecy somehow, and are consequently distrustful of the ability of any man to throw any new light upon the subject. Others, and of the smaller class, are ever ready fairly to examine all honorable argument, and to decide justly. As the decisions of this class will ultimately prevail, we appeal to them to see that justice is done us; if we are wrong, we crave no mercy; if we are logically true, we claim a candid support. Is not this fair? Let the prejudiced remember, that perhaps their opinions are not infallible, and that, after all, they may be just a little wrong, if no more. For the captious, we have not a word; not the first favor have we to ask of them, except that they will be kind enough to take exceptions to some things, and to all things, we propose.

Two classes of opinions about the signification of the fifth kingdom, have gained considerable ascendency in the world. One class of expositors hold, that the stone is a political power, and another that it is purely a spiritual power, and that it is no other than Christianity. The former suppose that it represents Jesus Christ in his kingdom, suddenly appearing to break the political powers of the earth to pieces, and the latter suppose it to

represent the gradual consuming of wicked governments by the prevalence of piety. We hold, that neither system of exposition is exactly correct, and that the truth lies between them. We do not propose to answer the arguments in favor of either theory, directly. We shall explain the fifth kingdom by the exact description given, and let the arguments in favor of our scheme be a sufficient proof of the erroneousness of the other theories. We shall proceed to particularize, with severe discrimination, each point in the description of the stone kingdom, and, having minutely developed all that is said, we shall look then for a corresponding kingdom in history. Understand us: we will admit no loose or vague opinion upon any point here; and every point in the coincidence must match with the prophecy, as regularly as each letter upon a newspaper matches with the types of the form upon which the impression was made.

The following are all the points which are given to identify the fifth kingdom:

1. The time of its rise. 2. The character and mode of its origin. 3. Its character and its work of demolition, and the manner of it. 4. Its change of character. 5. Its perpetuity. 6. Its character as a theocratic republic and royalty.

First. The Time of its Rise.-The time of its rise is expressed and implied in the positive words of the vision, and in those of the interpretation, and in the time when the destruction of the image was to take place.

To render the matter plain, we shall quote the text carefully. "This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and thighs of