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in a measure absorbed all the other orders of monks. They became immensely rich, and vicious. They found their way into the courts of princes, where they acquired vast influence. They augmented the number of superstitious rites; and did much toward enlarging, as well as confirming the power and authority of the Pope. Thus the period found by measuring back 1260 years from the time of the French revolution, was a period of note in the establishment of the Papal system. The vial of wrath executed upon the Papal system and nations, in our day, may be viewed as an event corresponding with it.

These remarks are not to insinuate that the 1260 years are already finally expired. They probably are not; and will not be, till the battle of the great day. But these remarks are made in favor of the opinion, that the 1260 years have several fulfilments. Or, they mark the distances between several grades in the perverse exaltation of the bishop of Rome, and corresponding degrees in his destruction; till in his total perdition, in the battle of that great day, the 1260 years (from some most notable period in his rise) will finally terminate. And, at present, I cannot but think it highly probable, that this notable period (1260 years previous to the battle of that great day,) was A. D. 666. If the Pope were not, at that time, a temporal prince, he was completely a Papal Beast of two horns, on account of the vast influence, he exercised, in temporal as well as spiritual concerns, over the princes of the empire. His characteristic was "diverse" from other powers; (Dan. vii, 24.) Theirs was temporal; his spiritual. But the saints were given into the hands of the Pope long before the king of France gave him the civil dominion of the exarchate of Ravenna, A. D. 756. This was far from being the act of giving the saints into his hands; and far from being the tenure, by which he held them. It was a mere circumstance, or some addition only to his temporal aggrandizement.

Should the foregoing remarks relative to the Code of Justinian, and its being 1260 years before the filling of the Papal kingdom with darkness under the French

revolution, prove correct; one point seems herein to be decided; viz. the prophetic year, and the civil year, under the Gospel, are the same. Or no deduction is to be made from our civil reckoning, (in finding the periods of predicted events,) on account of the fact, that the Jews allowed but 360 days to a year. For the period from the time of the Code of Justinian, till its recent corresponding event, above noted, was 1260 of our civil years.*

* It has been a question with some, how prophetic years are to be reckoned? Whether 365 days and about a third are to be allowed to each year? or whether but 360 days are to be allowed? Our mode of reckoning time differs from that of the ancient Jews. Our reckoning nearly accords with that of the Romans. It has not been without difficulty that men have ascertained what number of days belong to a natural year. Julius Cesar, just before the commencement of the Christian era, reformed the Roman calendar. He allowed 365 days, and six hours to constitute a year. These six odd hours in four years made one day. This day he ordered to be added, on each fourth year, to the end of February. And it is called leap year. This reckoning has been found to include in its year about eleven minutes too much. These odd minutes, in 30 years, amount to one day. This excess had run our reckonig forward of the true time, since the commencement of the Christian era, about eleven days. These eleven days were in the 18th century, thrown out of account, by the adoption of what was called the new stile. Time was dated back eleven days, to meet the true time. It is found that the sun passes through all the signs of the zodiac, or the earth completes her revolution round the sun, in 365 days, 5 hours, and about 49 minutes.

But the Jews had not attained to this accuracy of computation. They allowed 360 days to a year. Hence the prophetic numbers are expressed on this scale. The "forty and two months" of the depressed state of the witnesses, are called one thousand two hundred and threescore days; which is on the scale of the Jewish reckoning, allowing 30 days to each month; and 360 to a year. The same term is also representedly noted, as three years and a half; which is on the scale of allowing 360 days to a year. Hence it has been a question with some, why is not a deduction to be made from our true year of the Christian era, in finding the time of the close of the noted 1260 years, in proportion to the excess of days in our year, compared with the year of the ancient Jews, used in prophetic sumbers? This would bring the termination of that period nearly 30 years sooner, than according to our true reckoning.

Reply. The natural and true year must be the year designed in prophetic time. This is founded in the nature of things.

I am much inclined to think, that the way will not be found fully prepared for the Millennium, till the close of the year 2000. There were 2000 years before the calling of Abraham: And 2000 from that time to the coming Christ. It seems analagous with these facts, that the close of 2000 years, under the Gospel, will introduce the Millennium.

Solomon dedicated his temple at Jerusalem, (a lively type of the introduction of the millennial Church) on the opening of the fourth millenniary from the creation. (See index to the great Bible upon this.) Just at the close of the third millenniary, the temple was in forwardness and preparation. And on the opening of the fourth, it was finished and dedicated. Let analogy then, number another three thousand years, from the time of that dedication, and it brings to the close of the year of our Lord 2000, for the dedication of the millennial tem

The whole of the natural year is what the Jews designed to express by their year; whatever incorrectness attended their mode of computing the year by days. They found they were incorrect, and that the natural year overrun their 360 days. And they adopted a remedy; which was to intercalate, on every third year, the odd time, by which the natural year was found to exceed the year in their reckoning. The last month of their year they called Adar. At the close of this, on every third year, they allowed their intercalated time, and called it Veadar, or second Adar. So that in reality their year, like ours, contained the whole of the natural year. For during their interca lated time, their prophetic time, as well as the introduction of their new year, was suspended, till the natural year was fulfilled. A year in prophecy then, is a natural year, by whatever different numbers of days different nations have calculated it. By a year the Holy Spirit could not have meant, a term, as much shorter than a natural year, as the time of 360 days in short of 365 days and a third. The Jews meant no such thing. And the calculation would be unnatural and absurd. This mode of reckoning would have run the close of the year, in a continual variation of about five days and a third, through all the seasons of the year, nearly thirty times, since the commencement of the Christian era. The 1260 years then, in the prophecies, are 1260 natural years, or according to our reckoning of time. a year of years, we find, in this noted number of 1260, is 360 years, (taken from the Jews mode of reckoning,) and not 365 years and a third, according to the true reckoning of the natural

year.

But

ple. Just at the close of this latter term, or during the last 75 years, (as before noted from Daniel last chapter,) this temple may be found in a state of pecul. iar and rapid preparation. This will be a blessed mitigation of the terrors of the scenes preceding the Millennium; expressed by "those days being shortened." The millennial day will have dawned, in the gathering of the scattered remnants of the natural seed of Abraham; and the gospelizing of the fulness of the gentile nations, (who will survive the battle of the great day) during these 75 years after the battle of the great day. But the millennial sun will not rise, till the close of Daniel's 75 years, added to the noted 1260. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to this period.

Whether these remarks will prove correct, or not, time will decide. But it is agreed by all evangelical people, that we are drawing near to the close of the wicked ages of the world; and that the Millennium cannot be far distant. The prophecies relative to the last days, and the signs of the times, clearly conspire to evince the truth of this remark.

Have we not then, reason to believe, that the rise of the terrible Antichristian Empire, the last head of the Roman Beast, which ascends from the bottomless pit, must at the present time, be clearly discernible upon the stage of the world? The affirmitive seems unavoida ble, both from a view of the prophecies of that event, and chronological observation.

And what have the eyes of the present generation beheld? We have seen a mighty terrible Power, bursting suddenly into existence; evidently ascending from the bottomless pit; and possessing the very characteristics, noted in prophecy, as descriptive of the origin, and first stages of that Antichristian Empire.

SECTION II.

Enormities of the French Revolution.

WE have recently seen a most powerful Papal nation, whose monarch was styled the eldest son of the Church; a nation of more than twenty seven millions of people,

breaking every restraint; beheading their king; proclaiming war against all kings; and decreeing fraternity with all in every nation, who are in rebellion against their governments.

Revolutionary France, by national authority, not only denied the Christian Religion, but the existence of God. A piece was written by Anarcharsis Cloots, a member of their national convention, and the reporter of their committee, and was accepted by the convention, and printed and circulated by their order, in which are the following sentiments; "Man when free, wants no other divinity, than himself. Reason dethrones both the kings of the earth, and the King of heaven. No monarchy above, if we wish to preserve our republic below. Volumes have been written to determine whether a republic of Atheists could exist. I maintain that every other republic is a chimera. If you admit the existence of a heavenly sovereign, you introduce the wooden horse within your walls; what you adore by day, will be your destruction by night."* This Infidel Power virtually abolished the Christian Sabbath; substituting in its stead their decades, or the celebration of every tenth day for political or idolatrous purposes. They virtu ally abolished the covenant of marriage, by rendering the support of it optional with the parties. As a fruit of which national order, 1800 divorces took place in Paris in the year 1793. They decreed that the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes is no crime.t They fixed the inscription in their burying-ground, "Death is an eternal sleep." The Bible was burnt in a public square, by the hands of the common hangman. They shut up their houses of public worship, and made only the expression of a desire that they might be opened, a great if not a capital crime. "The sacramental vessels were mounted upon an ass, and paraded through the streets; to insult him, who died, that men might live." They assumed the characteristic of disregarding the God of their fathers, by rejecting the Pope, and all

* Barrucl's Memoirs, vol. ii, p. 245. †Kett, vol. ii, p. 253. Dan. xi, 37.

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