the hands of the Turks, where it remains at this day. These warriors, actuated by an infatiate thirst of power, enlarged their conquefts upon the eastern Roman empire, which at laft they entirely fubdued, and took the imperial city of Conftantinople in 1453, where the conquering fultan, Mahomet II. fixed the feat of his own monarchy. Thus was taken out of the way or extinguished one part of that empire, the exiftence of which withholds or hinders the coming of Antichrift. And in this manner did the Turkish power increase, and as we apprehend, will continue its progress, to pave the way to univerfal dominion under a ruler or emperor, who will in the end become Antichrift.

The fourth feal, as we have feen, gave us the origin of the Mahometan monarchy, of which it was there faid: "Power was given to him, (its rulers) over the four parts of the earth," Apoc. VI. 8. In the Greek indeed we read, "over the fourth part of the earth." If the text of the vulgate be followed, it is clear that the Mahometan dominion will extend over the four parts of the earth; and this will be further confirmed hereafter. The accomplishment of this prophecy is advancing, but not yet adequately fulfilled. The Turks have already in their poffeffion a confiderable part of Afia, a great extent of country in Africa, and a spacious territory in Europe. On the pouring out of the fourth vial, we faw the divine juftice fall upon the fchifmatic Greeks by the hands of the Turks, who thereupon greatly enlarged their empire. Now, as the people of Ruffia have been long involved in the fame fchifm and continue obftinate in it, muft we fuppofe they will be exempted from all share in the fourth vial, while their brethren, the Greeks of the Conftantinopolitan ftate, have been fentenced to drink fo deeply of it? God forbid we should fume to judge, or to foreftal the divine determina

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to its former grandeur, by Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor of it in the year 800. It has continued to exist ever fince that epoch, and is fwayed at present by the auguft house of Auftria, and has its feat in Germany.

Nevertheless upon the abovementioned ruin of the western state with Rome its imperial head, which had been looked upon as the mighty centre and metropolis of the whole world, fome of the Christians apprehended that, in conformity to the above prophecy of St. Paul, the time of Antichrift would foon fucceed. This feemed to be the fentiment of St. Jerom, who lived at that period. "He that held," fays he, "is taken out of the way, and yet we do not understand that Antichrift must be coming." Ep. xi. ad Ager. This opinion, though falfe for the reasons juft now mentioned, yet was not totally devoid of foundation. For Rome, the principal head and ancient centre of all dominion, was then no more, and the most notable part of the empire, namely, the western, was fuppreffed. What wonder then, that the time of Antichrift was fuppofed, from the expreffion of St. Paul, to be approaching? And in effect, we foon after fee the birth of a man, viz. Mahomet, who though not himself Antichrift, yet laid the foundations of a great power, which we conceive will form hereafter the Antichriftian empire. The reafon for this opinion will appear in the fequel. The ruin of ancient Rome was ultimately completed by Totila, king of the Goths, in the year 546; and not long after Mahomet was born, viz. in 571, and began his conquefts about the year 622. From that date the Mahometan power advanced with great rapidity and fuccefs, and grew to a prodigious height of dominion under the Saracens ; as we have fhewn in the account of the fourth feal. Afterwards, the chief part of that vast empire fell by conqueft into

the hands of the Turks, where it remains at this day. These warriors, actuated by an infatiate thirst of power, enlarged their conquefts upon the eaftern Roman empire, which at laft they entirely fubdued, and took the imperial city of Conftantinople in 1453, where the conquering fultan, Mahomet II. fixed the feat of his own monarchy. Thus was taken out of the way or extinguished one part of that empire, the exiftence of which withholds or hinders the coming of Antichrift. And in this manner did the Turkish power increase, and as we apprehend, will continue its progrefs, to pave the way to univerfal dominion under a ruler or emperor, who will in the end become Antichrift.

The fourth feal, as we have feen, gave us the origin of the Mahometan monarchy, of which it was there faid: "Power was given to him, (its rulers) over the four parts of the earth," Apoc. VI. 8. In the Greek indeed we read, "over the fourth part of the earth." If the text of the vulgate be followed, it is clear that the Mahometan dominion will extend over the four parts of the earth; and this will be further confirmed hereafter. The accomplishment of this prophecy is advancing, but not yet adequately fulfilled. The Turks have already in their poffeffion a confiderable part of Asia, a great extent of country in Africa, and a spacious territory in Europe. On the pouring out of the fourth vial, we faw the divine juftice fall upon the fchifmatic Greeks by the hands of the Turks, who thereupon greatly enlarged their empire. Now, as the people of Ruffia have been long involved in the fame fchifm and continue obftinate in it, muft we fuppofe they will be exempted from all fhare in the fourth vial, while their brethren, the Greeks of the Conftantinopolitan ftate, have been fentenced to drink fo deeply of it? God forbid we should prefume to judge, or to foreftal the divine determina

tions! we only fay, it may poffibly happen by virtue of the fourth vial, that the Ruffians may be fubdued by the Turks, and reduced into a flavery fimilar to that under which the Greeks have groaned fo long. If this fhould come to pafs, a road will be opened to the infidels into all the northern countries that lie near the Baltic fea and the ocean. But whatever fuppofition be made with refpect to the ftate of Ruffia, the pouring out of the fifth vial appears to threaten, that the northern countries just now mentioned will one day fall under the dominion of the Turks. When this is done, the door lies open to America, that new world, where hitherto thofe infidels have never carried their ftandard. By the conqueft of the north part of Europe, they will become mafters of fome of the chief maritime ftates, which will furnish them with navies to carry their victorious arms into America. And thus will be facilitated to them the reduction of those colonies, whofe mother-countries they will have previously conquered in Europe. After this manner the Mahometan power may rife by gradual fteps, and fwell to a prodigious bulk, till the coming of that Antichriftian prince, who will put the laft hand to it by extending it in fome fhape over the whole earth, and will employ his exorbitant power to annoy mankind, and in particular to wage war against the Chriftian religion.

The great empire of Turkey, thus enlarged, having prepared the way for the coming of this impious prince, we fhall now look out for his birth and origin; for which we must have recourfe to the book of Daniel.. This prophet in the feventh chapter tells us, he faw in a vision four beafts rife up out of the fea, which have been generally understood to reprefent four great empires that should fucceed one another, namely, the Chaldean, Perfian, Greek, and the Roman. The fourth beaft, which denotes

ver. 23.

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*

the ancient Roman empire, Daniel thus defcribes, ver. 7. "I beheld in the vifion of the night, and lo! a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding ftrong; it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the reft with its feet: and it was unlike to the other beafts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns." An angel explains to the prophet the meaning of this myfterious terrible beast in the following manner, "The fourth beaft will be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which fhall be greater than all the kingdoms, and fhall devour the whole earth, and fhall tread it down, and break it in pieces." Further, ver. 24. "And the ten horns of the fame kingdom will be ten kings." This fourth kingdom, or Roman empire, was then to furpafs in power and dominion all the preceding kingdoms. And effectually, it conquered the dominions of the three above-named empires, and even fubdued the greatest part of the then known world. The ten horns of the beaft are faid by the angel to be ten kings, that is, ten proconfuls or governors placed by the emperors over the ten provinces, into which the whole Roman ftate might be fuppofed to be divided. Thefe proconfuls or governors might well be termed kings, as their power was very great, and the provinces under their command equal to large kingdoms.

"And another

Daniel proceeds, v. 8. "I confidered the horns, and behold, another little horn fprung out of the midft of them: and three of the firft horns were plucked up at the prefence thereof. Which the angel explains to him thus, v. 24. (king) fhall rife up after them, mightier than the formert, and he shall bring down three kings." The little horn here, which the angel

and he fhall be

*The Chaldaic text, in which language this prophecy was written, has, unlike to all the kingdoms."