28th verse,"When YE see these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh"-(see Note I)-it is evident that these signs of Christ's coming shall be understood by some. It is also evident, from what is said in the 35th verse of the 21st chapter of St Luke, and what is said in the 38th and following verses of the 24th chapter of St Matthew," For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be,”—that men in general will not understand the signs of his coming. People will be engaged in their ordinary occupations-see 40th verse, "Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left; two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left." Therefore the darkening of the sun and moon, and falling of the stars, appear not to be literal, but symbolical, as they could not be following their ordinary occupations in the dark. (Note K.)

So we find it says in Joel, and in Acts ii. 19, 20,—“ And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." And in Rev. vi. 12, this time is also mentioned, and the time when it shall take place specified,—“ And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo! there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.”

We know that the language of the Revelation is symbolical; and it affords a key to the symbols used in other parts of Scripture. We find in Rev. 8th chapter, that the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third

part of the stars; and it is generally agreed, by the most able expositors, that this smiting of the third part of the sun, moon, and stars, took place previous to the conquests of the Saracens and Turks, as the fifth and sixth trumpets, in the 9th chapter of Revelations, seem clearly to describe their conquests. It also seems plain, from the general tenor of the Revelation, that this darkening of the third part of the sun, moon, and stars, spoken of in the 8th chapter, refers to the effects of disasters and invasions, with which the ruling powers of the Roman empire were afflicted. See what is said by Robert Fleming, in his Discourse concerning the Rise and Fall of the Papacy, written in 1701, one hundred and thirty-seven years ago, in which he says, "The fourth trumpet brings yet further desolations on Rome, by darkening its splendour and glory, represented by the eclipsing of the sun for a third part of it, and the moon and the stars also in like manner, by which we are to understand, no doubt, the decay of the imperial power."

He says also, speaking of the fourth vial, "The fourth vial now comes to be considered, and as this is poured out upon the sun of the Papal kingdom, so the effect of it, is men's being scorched or burned with fire." Again he says, speaking of this fourth vial, "That the sun, and other luminaries of heaven, are emblems of princes and kingdoms, as we took notice of before, therefore the pouring out of this vial upon the sun, must denote the humiliation of some eminent potentates of the Romish interest; whose influence and countenance cherish and support the Papal cause" (Note L.) "There is ground to hope, that about the beginning of another century, things may again alter for the better, for I cannot but hope that some new mortification of the chief supporters of Antichrist will then happen, and perhaps the French monarchy may begin to be considerably humbled about that time; that whereas the present French king" (Louis the Fourteenth, then in the height of his power and glory) "takes the sun for his emblem, and this for his motto' Nec pluribus

impar,' he may at length, or rather his successors, and the monarchy itself, at least before the year 1794, be forced to acknowledge, that, in respect to neighbouring potentates, he is even singulis impar."

The French revolution has proved, that this interpretation of Fleming's, given ninety-three years before, was so far correct. Now let us observe, that he comes to this conclusion by interpreting the sun to mean the government of France. It is also important that we should remark, that he likewise predicted the time when this should take place, by calculating the 1260 days (that is, years of 360 days) to commence in 552, and terminate in 1793-94. He says, a few lines after the foregoing extract, "I find the Pope got a new foundation of exaltation, when Justinian, upon the conquest of Italy, left it in a great measure to the Pope's management, being willing to eclipse his own authority to advance that of this haughty prelate; now this being in the year 552, this, by the addition of 1260 years, reaches down to the year 1811, which, according to the prophetical account, is the year 1794." Events appear to have proved that Fleming was correct, in the main, with regard to this calculation: if the hours and minutes, as well as days, are nicely calculated, of the difference between the sidereal and the prophetic year, it will make the 1260 years, reckoned from 552, terminate about 1793.

But there are also other strong reasons for concluding, that the 1260 years did then end, that is, at the time of the French Revolution (see Note M), and also that the sun was a symbol of the government of France. We are told in Daniel, 2d and 7th chapters, that there are to be four great empires; and it is evident that the Roman empire is the fourth, and that it lasts, in its divided state, till the stone, cut out without hands, strikes the image upon its feet, as it is said in the 2d chapter, "Until the time comes for giving the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all

dominions shall serve and obey him ;" as it says in the 7th chapter. Now the fourth empire was that which ruled over the kings of the earth, at the time of the birth of our Lord; for it was decreed by Cæsar Augustus, the Roman emperor, that all the world should be taxed, see 2d chapter of St Luke: therefore it, viz. the Roman empire, does exist, and will exist till the time comes that the saints possess the kingdom, for it is now in its divided state, and remains in its divided state till it is destroyed.

The sun, then, if it represents a government, will, of course, represent the principal government in the divided Roman empire, the moon will represent the second, and the stars the minor governments. The French nation, then, as they call themselves "La Grande Nation," was the great power, the chief kingdom, in the divided Roman or Papal empire. At the time of the French revolution, Spain was the second, or moon, and the others were the minor powers, or stars. But at the time of the French revolution, when the 1260 years of Papal prevalency came to an end, when the great tribulation, that is, the persecution of the church, by Rome Pagan and Papal, was concluded, by the commencement of the taking away of her dominion, and the gradual destruction of her inquisitorial power, the sun, that is, the government of France, was darkened, as Burke on the French revolution expressed it, "The glory of Europe was extinguished for ever."

And since that time we have seen the government of Spain also darkened, and the minor governments of Europe were overthrown, and fell like a shower of falling stars. But in Joel, and in Acts ii. 20, we are told that the "sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come." We have then not only seen the sun turned into darkness, but also Spain, the moon, turned into blood for these many years past, and it still remains in this predicament. As again repeated in Revelations vi. 12 and 13, “And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo! there was a great earthquake,

and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind." It appears, then, that we have seen the fulfilment of the signs mentioned in this 24th chapter of Matthew and 29th verse, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, aud the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken," so that we have now to expect the fulfilment of the events predicted in the 30th and 31st verses.

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from the one end of heaven to the other.”

And with regard to the signs of his coming here mentioned, and his coming, our Lord goes on to say in the 32d and following verses, "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh, so likewise when ye shall see all these things know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Let us observe in this 33d verse he says to his Church, so likewise “ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto You" (that is to you who see all these things), "this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." If we then have seen all these signs of his coming, to us is this addressed, " Verily I say UNTO YOU, THIS generation shall not 36 But of that day and pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven hour knoweth no man, and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Note N.)

no, not the angels of

heaven, but my Father

only.

37 But as the days of

Our Lord then goes on to say, that the day