the infamous dissolute reign of Antichrist. This seems to be also pointed at in the following words of Christ: “And because iniquity has abounded, the charity of man shall grow cold,” Matt. xxiv. 12. In fine, this general apostacy, with respect to both faith and morality, was likewise fully insinuated by our Saviour when he said: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on the earth?” Luke xviii. 8.

The second circumstance, which will announce the coming of Antichrist, is obscurely expressed thus by St. Paul in the above cited text: “And now you know what withholdeth, that he, (the man of sin, or Antichrist,) be revealed in his time. Only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way, and then that wicked one, (Antichrist,) shall be revealed," v. 6, 7, 8. The generality of the holy fathers have explained this text of the destruction of the Roman empire, which was to take place before Antichrist should be revealed. The same interpretation has also been transmitted through all the Christian ages by a uniform tradition; the ground of which can be no other but the explication St. Paul himself had given to the Thessalonians by word of mouth, as he tells them in this place: " Remember you not, (says he,) that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" v. 5. According to the sense here exposed, the Roman empire, which held when St. John wrote, was therefore the thing that withheld, and was to be taken away, before Antichrist should appear.

"Who holds," says Tertullian, "but the Roman empire? the division of which into ten kingdoms will bring on Antichrist and then, according to the apostle, that wicked one shall be revealed." De Resurrect. Carnis cap. 24. St. Jerome, relating the above words of the apostle, " only that he who now holdeth, doth hold, until he be taken out of the way," writes thus: "The apostle by this expression, He who now holdeth, indicates the Roman empire: he says it in obscure terms, because if he had spoken openly, he would imprudently have raised the rage of the persecutors against the Christians, and against the Church which was then beginning to rise." In Jerem. c. 25. Again, the same learned doctor of the Church, in another place explaining the same passage, says: "Only that the Roman empire which holds now all nations under its power be taken away, and then Antichrist will come." Epist. 151. ad Algas. qu. 11. St. John Chrysostom, interpreting the same text, speaks thus: It may be asked, what St. Paul means

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when he says 'you know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed; and then, why the apostle speaks so obscurely. He has in view the Roman empire; and therefore it is with good reason he speaks in obscure enigmatical terms, for fear of irritating the Romans. The apostle says then: only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way; that is, when the Roman empire shall be removed from the face of the earth, then Antichrist will come." In 2 Thess. Hom. 4. Lactantius, speaking of the last period of the world, says: "At that time devastation will overspread the whole earth, destroying every thing: the cause of which desolation will be, that the Roman name (I shudder to say it, but I must because it is to be) will be taken away from the earth, and the empire will return into Asia; the East will domineer again, and the West be subdued." Lib. 7. c. 15. St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes: "The devil will raise up a famous man, who will seize upon the dominion of the Roman empire. That man or Antichrist will appear, when the Roman empire is come to its period." Catech. 15. St. Augustine, other fathers, and the scripture-expositors of latter ages, have explained St. Paul's text in the same sense. From hence then it appears that St. Paul has disclosed this particular circumstance viz, that the Roman empire was to be dissolved before Antichrist appeared, and that its dissolution would be a sign of the approach of that impious man.

We have already seen in the history of the third age, that the great body of the Roman empire became divided in two : the western, which had Rome for its capital; and the eastern, of which Constantinople was constituted capital. We have likewise seen, that the western empire was torn in pieces by different swarms of northern invaders, Goths, Vandals, Huns, Alans, &c. who parcelled out its provinces among themselves, and even burned Rome itself. Upon the destruction of the western part, it is plain it could not be said that the whole Roman empire was extinguished, since the large eastern part still subsisted. Besides, it must be remembered, we related how the western Roman empire was revived and raised up anew, though not to its former grandeur, by Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor of it in the year 800. It has continued to exist ever since that epoch, and is swayed at present by the august house of Austria, and has its seat in Germany. Nevertheless, upon the above-mentioned 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,

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some of the Christians apprehended that, in conformity to the above prophecy of St. Paul, the time of Antichrist would soon succeed. This seemed to be the sentiment of St. Jerome, who lived at that period. He that held," says he, "is taken out of the way, and yet we do not understand that Antichrist must be coming." Ep. xi. ad Eger. This opinion, though false for the reasons just 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 suppressed. What wonder then, that the time of Antichrist was supposed, from the expression of St. Paul, to be approaching? And in effect we soon after see the birth of a man, viz. Mahomet, who, though not himself Antichrist, yet laid the foundations of a great power, which we conceive will form hereafter the Antichristian empire. The reason for this opinion will appear in the sequel. 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. 571, and began his conquests about the year 622. From that date the Mahometan power advanced with great rapidity and success, and grew to a prodigious height of dominion under the Saracens; as we have shown in the account of the fourth seal. Afterwards, the chief part of that vast empire fell by conquest into the hands of the Turks, where it remains at this day. These warriors, actuated by an insatiate thirst of power, enlarged their conquests upon the eastern Roman empire, which at last they entirely subdued, and took the imperial city of Constantinople in 1453, where the conquering sultan, Mahomet II., fixed the seat of his own monarchy. Thus was taken out of the way or extinguished one part of that empire; the existence of which withholds or hinders the coming of Antichrist. And in this manner did the Turkish power increase, and as we apprehend, will continue its progress, to pave the way to universal dominion under a ruler or emperor, who will in the end become Antichrist.

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The fourth seal, as we have seen, gave us the origin of the Mahometan monarchy, of which it was there said: 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 possession a considerable 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 saw the divine justice fall upon the schismatic Greeks by the hands of the Turks, who thereupon greatly enlarged their empire. The great empire of Turkey, thus enlarged, having prepared the way for the coming of this impious prince, we shall now look out for his birth and origin; for which we must have recourse to the book of Daniel. This prophet in the seventh chapter tells us, he saw in a vision four beasts rise up out of the sea, which have been generally understood to represent four great empires that should succeed one another, namely, the Chaldean, Persian, Greek, and the Roman. The fourth beast, which denotes the ancient Roman empire, Daniel thus describes, ver. 7. “I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo! a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceedingly strong; it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the rest with its feet: and it was unlike to the other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns." An angel explains to the prophet the meaning of this mysterious terrible beast in the following manner, ver. 23. The fourth beast will be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." Further, ver. 24. And the ten horns of the same kingdom will be ten kings." This fourth kingdom, or Roman empire, was then to surpass in power and dominion all the preceding kingdoms. And effectually, it conquered the dominions of the three above-named empires, and even subdued the greatest part of the then known world. The ten horns of the beast are said by the angel to be ten kings, that is, ten proconsuls or governors placed by the emperors over the ten provinces, into which the whole Roman state might be supposed to be divided. These proconsuls or governors might well be termed kings, as their power was very great, and the provinces under their command equal to large kingdoms.

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Daniel proceeds, ver. 8. "I considered the horns, and behold, another little horn sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first horns were plucked up at the presence thereof." Which the angel explains to him thus, ver. 24.

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

"And another (king) shall rise up after them, and he shall be mightier than the former,* and he shall bring down three kings." The little horn here, which the angel explains to be a king, will be that king who will become Antichrist. And such is the opinion of St. Jerom, and several other holy fathers and interpreters. This little horn, or this petty king, who at last will be Antichrist, must therefore spring out of the midst of the ten horns, or will be born and rise up from without the midst of the ten provinces that composed the ancient Roman empire, that is, will rise up in a country, out of the boundary of the Roman empire, but answering to the middle of it. This circumstance, joined with the other before mentioned, of his becoming emperor of the Turks, serves to point out to us the place of his birth. Whoever will take the pains to view the map of the ancient Roman empire, will see that the country formerly called Taurica Chersonesus, now Crim Tartary, on the north side of Pont Euxin or Black sea, corresponds very nearly to the middle of that empire, while at the same time it lies without its limits. And this latter circumstance is necessary, as the little horn ought to be independent on the other ten horns, which could not be if it was placed within the sphere of their power. In the country then of Crim Tartary, we conceive the Antichristian prince will be born, heir to that petty kingdom, and will succeed to it as kan or king of Crim and little Tartary. On another hand, we learn from Prince Cantemir, in his history of the Ottoman empire, that the Mahometan family upon the throne of Crim Tartary is descended, by a younger branch, from the same stock as the Ottoman family that sits upon the throne of Constantinople, and the Turks have often declared that if the Ottoman family fail, that of Crim Tartary is to succeed to their empire. We suppose therefore that the present Ottoman race, which now sways the Turkish sceptre, will somehow or other be removed or extinguished; upon which the Antichristian prince, king of Crim Tartary, will claim his right, and mount the imperial throne of Turkey. This simple course of events shows therefore the completion of Daniel's prophecy; a king of so small a country as Crim and little Tartary, may well be reputed the little horn that sprang out of the midst of the ten horns; and this petty king's succeeding to the Turkish empire, explains how the little horn grew mightier than the other horns.

Before we explain the rest of the above prophecy, it may not be amiss to add something more concerning the origin of

* The Chaldaic," and he shall be unlike to the former."