Persian, the Macedonian, and the May we not then conclude, that the French empire will be restrained from extending its dominion over the Christian world, or from exercising its power in such a manner, as essentially to injure the church? It was under the Roman em pire, that the period began, which the author proposes to elucidate. This began, as he very clearly shews, in the year 606 of the Christian era, and consequently will end in the year 1866. The prophecies relating to this period he luminously explains, and applies to their appropriate events, with a strict adherence to the principles, which he at first laid down. For the verification of their accomplishment he resorts to authentic history,and particular, ly to Gibbon's History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. His historian could not have been more judiciously chosen: Gibbon's abilities are unquestionable, and his sentiments with regard to christianity secure him from all suspicion of a design to establish its credit. Having explained the prophecies of Daniel, he proceeds to those of John in the Revelations, which, he says, are immediately connected with that part of Dan iel's prophecies, which relates to the twelve hundred and sixty years, and are only more minute and comprehensive predictions of the same events,which, Daniel had foretold. "The apocalypse is a history of the Christian church militant, from the days of John, to the end of time. That part of the history, which relates to the twelve hundred and sixty years, is detailed as a war between the Lamb and the Dragon, or between Christ and Satan, which war terminates triumphantly with the total overthrow of the Dragon and his adherents, and the millennial reign of Christ." vided into three successive periods, "This book," he observes, "is dithe seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials. The seventh seal comprehends all the trumpets, for the seventh trumpet is the last of and the seventh trumpet all the vials; the great woes; and the seven vials are the last of the plagues" "Under the seals and the four first trumpets, the history of the Roman Constantine, to the beginning of the empire, before and after the days of and circumstantially related. In the seventh century, is chronologically beginning of the seventh century, a new era commences. John henceforth describes a series of troubles and persecutions, which the church twelve hundred and sixty years. The was to undergo, during the space of events of that space are comprehended under the three last trumpets, and the third of these contains the seven vi als, which are the seven last plagues." sixty years is the duration of the great "This period of twelve hundred and apostacy in its dominant state, or the reign of the two little horns of the beast, one in the East, and the other in the West, or Mohammedism and Popery. These two apostate horns arose together in the same year, and will continue to depress the church to the time of the end." "Toward the close of the twelve reformation, it is predicted, that the hundred and sixty years, and after the king, who magnified himself above every God, or the long expected Antichrist, will be revealed in all his horrors-that great Antichrist, whose badge is the open denial of the Faavowal of atheism and infidelity." ther and the Son, or an unreserved As this part of the prophelates to the present times, and is cy, in the author's opinion, renow fulfilling before our eyes, his observations upon it merit our most serious attention. Daniel in the 11th chapter of his book, speaks of "a king," i. e. accord ing to the language of prophecy, a kingdom, state, or power," who should do according to his will, should exalt and magnify himself above every god, and speak mar. vellous things against the God of gods, should not regard the God of his fathers, nor him who is the desire of women;" i. e. the Messiah so called, because it was the desire of the Jewish women that the Messiah might descend from them; yet when he should be established in power, he would honor Mahuzzim, or tutelary gods, together with a god, whom his fathers knew not; and he would honor them with gold and silver and precious stones. Unto the upholders of these gods, he would multiply glory, and divide the land for a price." "No person," says our author, "can compare the character of this king with the vices of the last times, detailed by Paul, Peter and Jude, and not be convinced, that they are closely connected together. Like the Antichrist of St. John, he was to be a professed Atheist; and as such to speak marvellous things against the God of gods, to disregard the God of his immediate predecessors, to pay as little respect to that illustrious character, who was the desire of women, and, in short, to pay no regard to any God. Like the scoffers of the last days he was to be heady and high minded, to magnify himself above all; to blaspheme the name of God, deny the Lord that bought him, and mock at a future judgment. This king was not to be revealed, till after the period of the reformation, and near the close of the twelve hundred and sixty years." And shall we, while recent events are fresh in our memory, find any difficulty in pointing out the nation prefigured by this infidel king? Have we not all beheld a mighty people, after the period of the reformation, and during the last days of open blasphemy, rising up as one man, and religious, disregarding the dignity of throwing off every restraint civil and their sovereign, and the High Majesty of heaven; trampling on the rights of nations and individuals, with liberty, humanity and philanthropy ever in their mouths; and rending asunder all the endearments of social life, as if human nature could only be perfected by being previously brutalized? When we consider the character of the infidel king, and the period at which Daniel predicted his manifestation, we can scarcely hesitate to pronounce him to be revolutionary France.” The author proceeds to enumerate several remarkable circumstances of coincidence between the prophecy and the event to which he applies it. the reformation, so has the power of "As the king was to rise up after infidel France risen at the same period. As the king was to magnify himself above every God, whether true or false, so has the atheistical republic, soaring with a bold flight of impiety above her heathen and papal precursors, maintained an avowed denial of the very existence of the Deity. "Yet, in the midst of undisguised atheism, the king was not without a god of his own. He was to worship, as soon as he was established in power, a certain god at the head of a host of mahuzzim or tutelary gods. This was to be a strange or foreign god. The Romans were, probably, the only nation, who expressly deified Liberty, till the worship of it was borrowed from them by the infidels of France. Liberty, it is conceived, is the foreign god so peculiarly venerated by the infidel king. One of the tenets of modern philosophy is, that tutelary gods, not only reason, equality, the constitution, &c. but even dead men may be canonized, consecrated and worshipped. In harmony with this doctrine, the republic formally enrol. led in the list of its Mahuzzim, Vol. taire, Rousseau, Mirabeau, Marat, &c." "The king was to cause the upholders of his tutelary gods to rule over many. The avowed principle of France have been to extend the empire of the champions of her Mahuz zim, and to cause the whole world to bow down before the shrine of that imaginary deity, which they misname Liberty." "The king was to honor his Mahuzzim with gold and silver and precious stones. This part of the prophecy has been accomplished by infidel France both indirectly and directly, both abroad and at home." "The king was likewise to divide the land for a price. He was to take it from its former possessors, and divide it among his adherents the champions of his Mahuzzim, on the consideration of being paid by them a certain price for it. Successful in vaders rarely sell the lands which they have seized, though they often divide them among their victorious troops. But this kingdom or power was not merely to divide the land; it was to divide it for a price. Exactly such has been the conduct of the atheistical republic. The French revolution has differed from all others, not only in producing a change in government, but likewise in effecting a complete change of landed property. With a view to preclude for ever the possibility of a counter revolution, the lands of the crown, the church and the nobility were declared to be the sole property of the nation, and then sold at a moderate price to the partizans of anarchy and atheism." The author supposes, it may here be objected, "that the French people have thrown aside their atheistical hatted to christianity, and have once more avowed themselves papists." To this he answers, that this religious establishment " is a mere political puppet, little regarded by the people or their rulers." That "judging from the political appearance of Europe, the concurring prophecies of Daniel and John relative to the duration of the great apostacy, would not have received their complete accomplishment, had not Antichrist or atheism become the avowed supporter of it." "And unless Antichrist, at some period or other of his existence had actually leagued himself with the par pacy, the prophecies, which relate to the great events that are to take place at the termination of the twelve hundred and sixty years, could not have been fully and exactly accomplished." This king, or state, the author pronounces to be "a motley monster, compounded of atheism and popery, doing according to his will, exalting himself, tyrannizing over his weaker neighbors, and scourging the members of that apostacy, which he professes to venerate and uphold. In this state, or in a state similar to this, it is supposed, he will continue to the end of the twelve hundred and sixty years, and till the com. mencement of the restoration of the Jews,* when he shall come to his end and none shall help him." The last chapter of this work contains a brief recapitulation of the leading points which have been discussed, and closes with the following serious and impressive observations: "On the whole, it is reasonable to conclude, that the time is not very far distant, when the symbolical heaven and earth shall pass away, and when • Since the work under review was published, the same author has presented to the public in two volumes, the Prophecies, relative to the con"A general and connected View of version, restoration and future glory of the house of Judah and Israel; the progress and final overthrow of the Antichristian confederacy in the land of Palestine; and the ultimate general diffusion of christianity."-This work, from so able a writer, and on a subject so interesting, we hope will receive an American edition, [Ed'ra. the personal word shall begin to tread the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. Never were there more awful times than these of the third woe-trumpet. All civilized government has been in a state of commotion; and the powers of Europe have been shaken to their very centre. The end, however, is not yet. The calamities of the harvest, are but the harbingers of those which shall take place under the last vial, during the period of the vintage. Men have not yet ceased to blaspheme the name of the Lord soon, therefore, shall the spirits of devils go forth from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, to delude them to their destruction. Few, pehaps, indeed, of the present generation will behold the division of the Latin city into three parts, the formation of the antichristian confederacy, their invasion of Palestine, their opposition to the maritime power which shall begin the restoration of the Jews, their temporary capture of ferulem, their ultimate destruction at Armageddon but if I be not greatly mistaken in the date which I have as signed to the twelve hundred and sixty years, many of our children will be eye-witnesses of these events. For ourselves, we have only to labor through the grace of God, and the assistance of his Holy Spirit, that we may be prepared to meet the Lord at his coming. Death, whenever it shall arrest our progress, will assuredly be the end of the world to each of us. We pervert the study of prophecy, if we make it only a mere curious spec. ulation. We ought rather so to read the oracles of God, as to profit by them in all holiness of life and con versation. Neither a hearty reprobation of the cruelties and corruptions of Popery; nor an abhorrence of the impious imposture of Mohammedism; nor a detestation of the diabolical principles of Antichrist, are alone sufficient to prepare us for the kingdom of heaven. We must beware, lest we have a name that we live and are dead. We must be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, lest our works be not found perfect before God. It will be but small comfort to each of us as in. dividuals, that our country is presery ed amidst the wreck of nations, to fulfil the future high purposes of the Almighty, if we through our own negligence fall short of the promised reward. In fine, our eternal interests will be but little benefitted by the study of prophecy, unless we pursue it in the manner which the apostle himself hath proposed to us. Bless. ed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.'" From these extracts the reader will be able to form some opinion of the work under review. Although we are not prepared to give our unqualified assent to the correctness of Mr. Faber's reasonings and conclusions, in all cases; although his mind may have been, in some instances, too forcibly impressed with the dazzling events of the French revolution; yet we hesitate not to say, it is the most valuable and seasonable commentary that we have seen on the prophecies relative to the period of the great apostacy. It does much credit to the learning, ingenuity and piety of its author; and we recommend it to the scrious and attentive perusal of all, who wish in these eventful times to gain a clearer knowledge of the prophetic scriptures, or to confirm their faith in the sacred canon. “Great and awful purposes are, doubtless,tending towards their accomplishment by the present circumstances of the world Firm ly believing that all the changes and revolutions which have taken place, or which may hereafter come to pass, will be made subservient to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, let it be our care, in this highly distinguished nation, to preserve the Christian faith pure and undefiled; to become not only nominal ly, but really, the disciples of Christ; and to labor by all the means in our power, to promote the interests of his religion in our own country, and in the world at large. Thus shall we be prepar ed for all events; for trials and persecutions, if such should be or dained; or, as we rather hope, for witnessing and sharing in the increasing triumphs of our Lord. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. UNITED STATES. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MASSACHUSETTS MISSIONARY SOCIETY. The NINTH ANNUAL MEETING of the Massachusetts Missionary Socie. ty was holden at Boston, on the 24th, 25th, and 26th days of May last. The meeting was numerously attended both by ministers and other members of the Society, who appeared to be animated with unabating zeal for the promotion of the great objects of the institution. After a solemn address to the throne of divine grace by the President, the following report of the Trustees was read by the Secretary. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS MISSIONARY SOCIETY. BRETHREN, The Board of Trustees, charged with the management of the impor. tant concerns of this Society, for the last year, respectfully submit the following report of their doings, and of the general state of the missionary interest. At the commencement of the last Missionary year, six Missionaries were appointed by this Board: the Rev Lathrop Thomson, for six months in the new settlements west of Lake Champlain; Mr. Joseph Merrill, for six months, in the Genesee country; Mr. Algernon S. Bailey, for six months, in the District of Maine; Mr. Samuel Sewall, for six months, in the northern parts of New-Hampshire; the Rev. Curtis Coe, for six months, in the State of Rhode Island, and the Rev. Jacob Cram, for four months, among the western Indians. Mr. Thomson accepted his appointment, entered upon his mission. and with several interruptions, completed it in the course of the year His journal has not been received; but the following extracts from a letter, addressed by him to the Secretary, may afford satisfaction and encouragement. "I closed my six months tour of missionary labor. on the 13th of this month, (March) at Lake Champlain. I have mostly spent my time in the counties of Washington, Essex, and Clinton. Laboured one hundred and eighty-two days, or twenty-six weeks. Preached one hundred and eightyeight times; made forty-five family visits; attended thirty conferences; visited five schools; formed one church of ten members, and assisted in forming two more, one of twelve members, the other of twenty-six; admitted twelve persons into church covenant, and propounded twelve more for admission; baptized six adults, and twenty-four children; administered the Lord's supper to three churches; saw several bold sinners bow to the Cross of Christ, and witnessed in three or four different places the solemn shaking of dry bones. People appear to have a grateful sense of the benevolence of Missionary Societies, and the compassion of their pat rons." Mr. Merrill accepted his appointment, and performed the duties of his mission, as it is believed, with a very good degree of fidelity, zeal and suc cess. Mr. Bailey accepted his appointment; but no communications from |