Empire, under Napoleon, is to have power over all nations, including, of course, Russia. Napoleon may indeed use the co-operation of Russia, as a subsidiary ally, to invade and revolutionize either India, Persia, Turkey, Austria, or Germany, but he will virtually be the arbiter of the destinies of those nations during his three and a half years' universal reign, and " he shall do according to his own will, and prosper until the indignation be accomplished." (Dan. xi. 36.)

It is said to be the policy of the Czar to strive to unite under his sceptre the whole Sclavonic and Teutonic races, comprising all the countries north of the Danube and east of the Rhine He might therefore enter into an understanding with Napoleon to partition between themselves the European world, taking the Rhine and Danube as the line of division, and thus allotting to Napoleon the countries west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, and accomplishing the Napoleonic idea of "the conversion of the Mediterranean into a French lake." Such a project having been originated by Napoleon I., might be favourably viewed and agreed to by Napoleon III., as the testamentary executor of the ideas of his uncle; for according to the historian, "At Tilsit, in 1807, the two mighty potentates -Alexander I. and Napoleon I.-deeming themselves invincible when they had united their arms together, had conceived the project of dividing the world between them." But their rivalry about the possession of Constantinople frustrated this scheme, and led to Bonaparte's fatal reverse at Moscow.

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The expositor Beale thus remarks upon such a probable league between Russia and France for the future division of the world, and upon their designs against England: May it not have been even now, in like manner as formerly at Tilsit, secretly and tacitly arranged by the present Czar and Napoleon III., that, whilst the Russian Autocrat will be permitted gradually and stealthily to advance his lines towards India, and eventually to vomit his Scythian hordes upon the British empire there, the Emperor of the French will be acquiring his Syrian and Italian sceptres? Is not our peace with Russia of the most doubtful character, and our alliance with France altogether a compulsory one? England, pressed as she now is, and as she gradually will be more and more between these two gigantic dynasties, is like the victim in that celebrated torture-chamber, the walls of which were daily contracted by machinery, until the prisoner within was crushed in its embraces."

If such a league really is made between the Russian Autocrat and Napoleon III., it is very likely that in the end Russia may find herself, after the costliest campaigns and invading expeditions in prosecution of their combined ambitious schemes, out-manœuvred by the superior statecraft of the Tuilleries, and Napoleon proving to be the recipient of the lion's share of the spoils.

A French and Russian alliance against England was suggested in a semi-official pamphlet, at Paris, in April, 1860, called "La Coalition," which showed that England was precluded by its disagreements with other Powers from forming any firm alliances, and that the only coalition practicable was a coalition of peoples under the protection of France. It also said :"There are three or four Powers in Europe who, if they would combine, might hold all the British fleets in check. Let France ally herself with Russia and Denmark, and England would be shut out of the Northern and Black Seas. Let her call on Spain and Portugal to join this alliance, and the Atlantic and Mediterranean will no longer exist for the English. Their isle of Malta and their Gibraltar will soon be but the dreams of disappointed ambition-the ruins of a proud dominion. Let Russia take Constantinople, and France establish herself in Alexandria, while generously opening the Indies by way of the Isthmus of Suez to all Europe; let Austria retire gradually from Italy and strengthen herself on the Danube. Then England will be conquered, and the balance of power adjusted in Europe."

1

Nor is America uninterested in the coming combination of the Latin nations under Napoleon. He can never be expected permanently to relinquish Mexico, for it is merely a base of operations for the acquisition of much more Transatlantic territory. Any attempt on the part of the United States to drive him from Mexican soil can only draw upon them 300ner than otherwise those ruinous calamities which must shortly befall every Protestant community, in order to establish everywhere the threeand-a-half years' Napoleonic and Romish dominion. Without the addition of a disastrous struggle with so powerful and wily a monarch, they are already confronted by quite sufficient difficulties in the complications and heavy burdens bequeathed by the late war-the unabated strife of political parties and the portentous growth of Fenianism, the most threatening organization of modern times, and which, by knitting all the Irish into a compact coalition, bids fair to give thei predominating power in the United States, and in the end to bring it under the supremacy of Napoleon, to whose service the sons of Erin will arlently devote themselves, when his European projects shall be seen to correspond with their aspirations regarding Ireland.

THIRD WONDER

(During two years and four to six weeks after the Covenant). THE PAINFUL TRAVAIL OF THE SUN-CLOTHED WOMAN-IN OTHER WORDS, A GREAT AGITATION THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH MILITANT; AND THE RAISING OF THE MIDNIGHT CRY, BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH GO YE OUT TO MEET HIM.

This is announced by the Apostle John himself to be a great wonder, for he says in the twelfth of Revelation:

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman - clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. 5. And she brought forth a manchild, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and the child was caught up unto God and to His throne. 6. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."

Most of the Fathers and of profound modern expositors agree that the sun-clothed woman represents the Church Militant just previous to and in the times of the Last Antichrist: she is clothed with the Sun of Righteousness, and crowned with twelve stars, denoting the twelve apostles, and with the moon, signifying the superseded Jewish ordinances, under her feet. "In the symbolical language of the ancient prophets, the birth of the manchild denotes the setting apart of a community from the general mass, with which it was previously commingled; while the gestation and labour-throes, which precede the birth, refer to the difficulties, trials, and troubles of whatsover description they may be, which precede the setting apart of the community in question."

The Manchild undeniably represents a special body of Christians who are to be selected out of, and separated from, the general body of Christians and caught up to heaven, while the greater part of Christians in general are to be left behind on the earth, and very soon afterwards to flee into a wilderness for 1260 literal days, that is to say, for three-and-a-half years during the Last Antichrist's persecution. Hence the Manchild i

manifestly the body or company of wise, waiting, and watchful Christians who are to be caught up to heaven to meet Christ at the first act or stage of His coming' to raise the deceased saints and to take them up to God's throne together with living watchful Christians at some period shortly before the final threeand-a-half years' persecution.

On various conclusive grounds there is the strongest reason to believe that the exact period of this removal and ascension to heaven of watchful Christians at the first act in Christ's advent will be about two years and from four to six weeks after the date of the Covenant."

Thus, as the birth and ascension of the Manchild signifies the ascension of a body of prepared Christians to meet Christ at His coming, therefore the painful travail of the Woman (the Church Militant) previous to the Manchild's birth and ascension, must denote a season of widespread and painful commotion, trial, and agitation throughout the Christian Church preparatory to the ascension of Christians at Christ's Advent.

And this season of painful difficulty and perturbation within the Church Militant, will evidently be the above-mentioned

11 Thess. iv. 16, 17, Rev. xiv. 1--5, Matt. xxv. 1-10.

In the typical yearday fulfilment of the twelfth of Revelation, the Ascension of the Manchild is manifestly the Ascension of Christ, in A.D. 29-33, about 500 years before the 1260 years of the Papal Antichrist began ; therefore, in the counterpart literal-day fulfilment, the Ascension of the Manchild will be the Ascension of the Body of Wise Virgins about 500 days before the 1260 days of the Personal Antichrist, which begin in the midst of the Covenant seven years. Therefore, the Ascension of the Wise Virgins will take place about 500 days, that is, about one year and four and a half or five months before the midst of the Covenant-seven-years; in other words, about two years and from four to six weeks after the beginning of the Covenant-seven-years. Thus, the Ascension of the Wise Virgins will be, in round numbers, about five years before the End. (See diagram 4.)

This is also shown by the yearday seventh seal, seventh trumpet, and seventh vial, all commencing with a Coming of Christ about five years before the End-(Rev. vii. 1-9. viii. 1, xi. 15-18, xvi. 15-17)—we are now living just at the close of the yearday sixth seal, sixth trumpet, and sixth vial. It is also shown by the types of Moses being mysteriously removed to heaven five years before the dividing of the Promised Land and the reign of the Judges (Deut. xxxiv., Numb. xiv. 30-33, Josh. xiv. 7, 10; and by the type of Joseph manifesting himself to his brethren, and removing them to Goshen, about five years before the end of the sevenyears' famine (Gen. xlv. 6). These points are further explained under the Head of the Ninth Wonder; and much more fully in the fourth chapter of the author's Louis Napoleon treatise. 4

mterval of a little more than two years between the making of the Covenant and the Ascension. For the confirmation of the Covenant between Napoleon and the Jews will be like the ringing of an alarum bell or the blowing of a bugle blast, to warn all Christians who have ears to hear, that positively within about three years afterwards the greatest, persecution and tribulation that ever has been; or that ever shall be, will be commencing, and flooding all Christendom with bloodshed, carnage, and massacre; and that sometime during that preliminary pause Christ is coming to take away those who are looking for Him.

Hence a considerable number of persons will be stirred up to proclaim boldly these tremendously thrilling truths, and the violent opposition, scorn, and incredulity which in many cases they will have to encounter, together with the powerful emotions of anxious expectation and of amazement in the minds of many who hear them, will produce a state of agitation throughout the Church adequately corresponding with the expressive symbol of the travail of the sun-clad Woman.

A SIMILAR PREDICTION of an intense and unparalleled excitement that is to prevail throughout the Christian Church in anticipation of Christ's Advent, and just previous to it, is found in the parable of the Ten Virgins in the twenty-fifth of Matthew. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps have gone out. 9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut. 11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." The period to which this parable applies, is determined by its