kingdoms, described in the vision of the four wild beasts, and which was to last for a time, times, and an half.

4. The appearing of the Mahometan little horn out of or behind one of the four Grecian kingdoms into which Alexander's conquests were divided, described in the vision of the Ram and He-goat.

5. The great, universal, and overwhelming declension of religion, which the existence of these two apostacies indicated, and which is likewise noticed in the "Great Vision" of Daniel.

6. The reformation, spoken of in the same chapter as a "little help.”

7. The appearance of the chief actor in the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose principles, policy, and success are so particularly described likewise in the same chapter.

8. The present signs of the Times, which are, the Mahometan little horn "breaking without hand;" the sudden and prodigious increase of travelling, or many running to and fro;" and the unexampled "increase of knowledge."

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These are the leading Old Testament prophecies, expanded more or less in the Revelation, which have been fulfilled, or are now fulfilling. Those which remain to be accomplished, and which the above Signs of the Times, in connection with the various

chronological Periods, proclaim to be so very near at hand, and which in fact are only those that now remain to be fulfilled on the roll of prophecy,

are

1. The persecution of the Church, and the remarkable wickedness of the wicked.

2. The complete extinction of the Mahometan power.

3. The destruction of the Papacy, or the end of the 1260 years.

4. The restoration of the Jews to their own land.

5. The conquests and career of the kings of the South and North, spoken of by Daniel to happen at the Time of the End.

6. The time of unprecedented trouble that is to be consequent upon that event.

7. The first Resurrection.

8. The reign of Christ on the Throne of David, and the establishment of his kingdom upon earth.

For the particular consideration of all these predictions, the reader is referred to "the Dissertation," where they are each and separately enlarged upon. The more special use that we have now to make of them, is to explain the principles that may be deduced from them, for the interpretation of the greatly enlarged history of the Christian Dispensation, which is here

given; as an attention to such principles must assuredly tend to throw much light upon the subject, and be the means of preventing many mistakes.

In the first place, it will be perceived, from a careful consideration of the nature of events that have answered to the predictions, that they have on all occasions had a respect to profane history, or to the affairs of this world, only as they especially bore upon those of the Church, and as they were connected with the history of Redemption. Thus, for instance, no account whatever is taken of any of the great events of ancient history, but those which are connected with the destinies of the Jewish church and people. There is nothing in prophecy of the history of the Medes and Persians before the time of Cyrus, in whose reign they first came in contact with the affairs of the Jews by the conquest of Babylon ;nothing respecting the polished Grecian States of Athens, or Sparta, or Corinth, with numerous others, which make so distinguished a figure in classical literature before the time of Alexander the Great, when the interests of the Jews became involved in his conquests, and Greece became the ruling power of the world. And after Alexander's death, when his great empire was divided into four kingdoms, no account is taken but of those two to which the land

of Palestine was alternately subjected, called the kings of the North and South, or the kings of Syria and Egypt. In like manner, neither is there any account taken of the still more important wars, and the illustrious men concerned in them, connected with the long period of Roman history, fruitful as it is with incidents of such deep interest, especially in the Carthaginian war during the career of Hannibal, until it touches the affairs of the Jews in the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes; and even then, whilst any other of the successors of Alexander remained, but very slightly.

And in the more brief predictions, which in the Old Testament are given of the historical events connected with the Christian dispensation, the same principle is closely followed, and only such secular events are noticed as are intimately connected with the Church; and of course this principle is strictly adhered to in the more enlarged prophecies of the same events in the Apocalypse.

A second controlling principle, which should ever be kept in mind in the interpretation of prophecy deduced from the study of the Old Testament prophecies, and which is absolutely required for the purpose of enabling us to separate, with greater certainty and correctness, predicted subjects from the

extensive and boundless mass of history, is-that they have reference only to the most important eras of the world, and to the most remarkable and eminent events that have happened, and not to those of minor importance. Such, for instance, as were of the largest extent for time and space; that were most permanent in their effects; and which have been attended with the most surprising changes;-events, in fact, of a character sufficiently commanding to give rise to new orders of things, or to give new features to society; that have produced new habits of thought, and which involved innumerable millions in their weal or woe. It is, as the above enumeration fully evinces, events of such a character alone, that stand prominent on the roll of prophecy. And the very idea of such being the case, gives inexpressible grandeur to the study of the subject; for assuredly here there is nothing light, trifling, or common-place. This description of events, in fact, may be compared to those mountain tops that pierce into the clouds, inspiring feelings of awe and dread, and affording prospects as great and as magnificent as were beheld by Moses from the top of Pisgah; and like those, opening to our view the most lovely scenes; even those of a renovated world, -and scenes of which it may be truly said,

"No mockery meet us, no deception here."

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