has pointed out the mistakes of Bishop Newton, and others, with respect to the first beast of the Apocalypse; so Mr. Smith has most decidedly the advantage of Mr. Faber, in several very important points of interpretation. Mr. Faber's opinion, that Charlemagne, and his dynasty, constitute the septimo-octave head of the beast, we apprehend to be liable to many objections, (some of which are well stated by Mr. S. in a long note,) and to be altogether unsupported. In the seventh section, the 18th chapter of Rev. is explained as foretelling the judgments executed upon the Papal hierarchy, at the period when the Antichristian beast first rose to view. These judgments are the same, according to Mr. S., as the events predicted under the fifth vial; Rev. xvi, 10, 11. In a note under this discussion, an explanation of the 14th chapter of Rev. is given, and a comparison of this with the 16th chapter is exhibited. Mr. S., interprets these two chapters as describing the same series of events; namely, the events which are peculiarly interesting to the Church in the period which intervenes between the Reformation and the Millennium, pp. 84-95. The first chapter of the Dissertation before us is concluded by a description of St. Paul's man of sin, and by an attempt to reconcile the domination of Antichrist, toward the close of the 1260 years, with the fact, that the Papal hierarchy was to wear out the saints of the Most High during the whole of that period. The man of sin is here supposed to be the Papal apostasy till the rise of Antichrist, and afterwards to be the dominant Atheistical power in conjunction with Popery. Some concluding observations are made, on the origin and nature of Antichrist. Infidelity was never systematically propagated, till it was espoused, and taught in concert, by the Atheistical philosophers of the Popish countries. The English freethinkers and skeptics had no unity of plan, or efficiency of operation; but the zeal and activity of the Infidel propagandists, on the European continent,soon brought to view the Antichrist of the last times. pp. 95-99. In his second chapter Mr. S., proposes to show, that the last days have arrived, and that the prophecies concerning Antichrist are now fulfilling. He adopts the chronological calculations of Mr. Faber; gives a brief description of the French revolution, its nature, and origin; and, in a short section devoted to the purpose, discusses the claims of Dr. Robison and the Abbe Barruel to our confidence. After exhibiting an outline of the Atheism, anarchy, and licentiousness of France under the reign of terror, he proceeds to argue, that the re-establishment of Popery by Bonaparte is not inconsistent with the fact, that Atheism is now the characteristic of the French empire. He contends, indeed, that just such a union as now exists between Atheism and Popery, is predicted in the Scriptures; and that the beast and the false prophet will co-exist, till they perish together at Armageddon. As to the present state of irreligion in France, Mr. Walsh in his Review for April last, gives the following testimony, which confirms, in a great degree, the views of Mr. Smith. "In the interior of the country, the peasantry go to church with some regularity; but are, in every other respect, insensible to the obligations of their religion, and to the authority of their teachers. In the provincial cities, and particularly in the seaport towns, the cause of Infidelity has many more proselytes than that of the Gospel; and the clergy are held in open derision. The state of public morals generally is but little, if at all, improved. There is more hypocrisy than heretofore, and a very small increase of Christianity. I am, indeed, firmly persuaded, that the system of Bonaparte has, by its demóralizing effects, more than counterbalanced all the benefits, which the efforts of the clergy and the authorization of public worship, tended to produce. The people of France are, perhaps, at this moment, more inveterately corrupt, more incurably irreligious, than they were in the year 1800." pp. 332, 333. The same able and eloquent writer thus expresses his opinion of the views of the French government, with respect to religion. "Judging from the language now held by Bonaparte, on the subject of the Catholic religion, and from the tenor of several open attacks upon Christianity, that have recently issued from the Parisian press, I should not be surprised if an attempt were speedily made, either to new model the Christian religion, or to erect, under the Imperial auspices, some other religious banner than that of the cross." pp. 342, 343. Indeed, we might well conclude, that religion is nearly extinct in France, and consequently that irreligion is predominant, from the important fact stated by Mr. Walsh, p. 346; viz. "That during his residence there, the impoverishment of the villages and agricultural districts was such, as to render it impossible for the peasantry to pay a price of tuition, sufficient for the decent maintenance of teachers for their children.” He adds, that, as he is well informed, these evils are greatly increased since the period of which he is speaking, 1806, and are now still more visible in their consequences.' It is hardly necessary to say, that religion cannot flourish in a country where common schools are not generally established. We have introduced the foregoing extracts, as it is a most important feature in the scheme of Mr. S. as well as of Mr. Faber, that the French empire is to be really under the domina tion of Infidelity and Atheism, during the whole existence of Antichrist. Mr. S. has a section on Antichristian influence in the United States, in which he introduces much old, and some new, evidence to establish the point, that there has been a great and systematic effort to propagate Infidelity in the United States, and this effort has been made principally under French agency. Nor does he think the danger by any means past. This chapter is concluded by an examination of the present views of the French government, and a developement of several causes co-operating with Antichrist. On the former of these topics, copious use is made of Mr. Walsh's Letter on the Genius and Disposition of the French Government; on the latter, the author proceeds, by an induction of particulars, to establish the proposition, that "irreligion, fanaticism, and Infidelity, are nearly allied.' pp 101-166. The third chapter opens with a view of the trials which the Church may expect under the domination of Antichrist. That these trials are great, is evident from all the prophecies concerning the subject. Mr. S. is of opinion, that the witnesses are not yet slain. He discusses at considerable length the opinion of Mr. Faber on this subject. If the scheme of Mr. S., respecting the origin of the modern Roman beast, is correct, it follows that the witnesses cannot have been slain, unless within the last quarter of a century. The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit is to kill them. Rev. xi, 7. We cannot but consider all that Mr. Faber has said on this subject, as singularly crude and fanciful. His calling the life of the witnesses a political life, and their death a political death, we apprehend to be entirely unsupported by any just analogy; much less by the excellent definition of life and death, repeatedly quoted by him from Mede. coalition, and Mr. Faber's interpretation of this prophecy, receive a pretty ample discussion. We have not room for an analysis of these remarks. The perusal of them gave us great pleasure; and we recommend them to the examination of our readers. Mr. S. holds, that Gog is Antichrist on his last expedition into Palestine, the same expedition in which he will utterly perish; that his object in marching a second time into Palestine, is the molestation or destruction of the Jews and the ten tribes, who have been previously restored to their ancient country; that he will bring a vast confederacy of vassal kings, from Europe, Asia, and Africa; that he will be resisted by a great maritime power, which had been instrumental in restoring the Jews; and that his destruction will be awful to an unparalleled degree. He holds, also, that Ezekiel's Gog and Magog are a different power from the apocalyptic Gog and Magog; that the former are Antichrist making his great effort against the Church, at the commencement of the Millennium; and the latter are the bands of apostates confederated against the same holy cause, at the close of the same period. Both these combinations are actuated by the same spirit, though they differ as to time and circumstances. The death of the witnesses is, doubtless, their ceasing to be witnesses; and this is produced by the tyranny and persecution exerted against them, by the great Antichristian power described as the ten horned beast healed of his deadly wound. The witnesses, according to Mr. S., The last section of this chapare the faithful ministers of the ter is occupied by the examinaGospel, so often thus denominat- tion of several additional propheed in Scripture; and the number cies concerning the overthrow two he supposes to have been of Antichrist. From the address used because that number is ne- of the most High to Gog, Ezek. cessary to a scriptural testimony. xxxviii, 17, it appears, that this In the next two sections, the great enemy of the Church had prophecy of Ezekiel with res-been the subject of many prophepect to Gog and his formidable cies before the days of Ezekiel. VOL. IV. New Series. 11 Mr. S. collects, and comments upon, some of the most prominent passages in the prophets of the Old Testament, on this subject. One of the most remarkable of these, is the third chapter of Joel. Several very importsant particulars relative to the restoration of the Jews, the bold attempts and sudden destruction of their confederate enemy, and the introduction of the Millennium, are here described with wonderful precision. Other passages supposed by Mr. S. to apply to the same events, are Is. lxiii, 1-6; Zech. xiv, 1-15; Zeph. iii, 8-20; and Is. xxvii, 1, and lxvi, 15-24. The remarks on these portions of Scripture are judicious, and convincing; except that we doubt as to the application of Is. lxiii, 1—6. The candid reader who will turn to his Bible, and peruse the passages above quoted, must be convinced, we think, without the aid of any commentator, that the prophets maintain a most admirable consistency, in cases where they are manifestly predicting the same event, and as manifestly not copying from each other. The person who is not satisfied of this, from internal evidence alone, may despair of getting satisfaction on any point from any internal evidence whatever. pp. 167-260. The last chapter of the work before us contains a Treatise on the seven Apocalyptic Vials, in a regular explanation of Rev. xvi. The scheme of Mr. S. is, we believe, new, so far as the fulfilment of the five first vials is concerned; with respect to the two last he agrees with Mr. Faber. Perhaps it will seem strange to some of our readers, that ex positors should disagree with respect to those prophecies which have been fulfilled, and should yet harmonize in the interpretation of those which remain to be fulfilled. One would naturally suppose the reverse to be the fact. Mr. S. seems to have taken it for granted that the beast in Rev. xvi, is the Papal hierarchy. But is he warranted in doing this? There appear to us many indications, that the beast in this passage is the Antichrist. May it not be found after all, that the vials have not begun to be poured out? As they are the seven last plagues, where is the absurdity of supposing, that they are seven judgments in quick succession, the tendency and the ultimate consequence of which are the utter destruction of Antichrist? But we have not time to pursue this discussion; and have started these questions, only that the minds of reflecting readers may be directed to this subject. Mr. Smith's interpretation of the seven vials is briefly this: The whole seven form a series of Divine judgments on the Papal apostasy. The first was poured out when the exposure of Papal abominations was made by Luther and his associates; by the second the prophet foretels the wars in Italy, during the reign of Charles V.; by the third, the subsequent wars and other calamities on the Papal nations generally, for about two centuries; by the fourth, the acts of European civil governments adverse to the Papal hierarchy, after the middle of the last century; by the fifth, the overthrow of the Papal beast by the rise of the Antichristian beast at the French Revolution; by the sixth, which is yet future, the subversion of the Turkish empire, preparatory to the restoration of the Jews; and by the seventh, the destruction of Antichrist in the Holy Land. pp. 261–350. In shewing from history the fulfilment of prophecy, Mr. S. has made copious use of Robertson's Charles V., and has occasionally referred to other authorities. The materials derived from history might have been somewhat more condensed without impairing the effect. The volume is closed by a suggestion of some duties, which are calculated to withstand the Infidelity of our times. This conclusion occupies thirty pages, and is composed of sensible, judicious, and serious reflections. Though the topics are generally obvious, they are not, on that account, the less important. On the whole, we have been much pleased, and we hope somewhat profited, by the perusal of the work before us. Certain we are, that the work has a strong tendency to profit all anxious observers of the signs of the times. Mr. S. implicitly disclaims all inordinate attachment to any scheme merely because it is new, while he freely dissents from every scheme which is supported only by the fact that it is old, if it is encompassed by great and apparently irremoveable difficulties. He possesses one of the best qualifications of a good expositor; namely a disposition to explain one portion of Scripture by another, and to hear, with the utmost reverence and submission, the interpretation which God himself has given of his own word. in Some writers on the prophecies have rendered themselves utterly unworthy of credit, by falling upon a fanciful exposition of a single chapter, for instance, or a small passage one of the inspired books, and by wresting many other passages to support their hasty theory. Mr. S. appears to have weighed his arguments patiently; to have read all the books within his reach, which would be likely to yield him assistance, that is, the most popular disquisitions on the prophecies, the most common expositors, and such histories as are of ready access; to have stated objections fairly; and generally, at least, to have answered them satisfactorily. His style is sometimes careless, and always at a great remove from being labored; generally perspicuous, and of such a character as to excite very little attention; in several passages, spirited and forcible. All classes of Christians, but particularly the clergy, are deeply interested in the subjects discussed in these pages, and will find themselves abundantly compensated for the time, which a perusal will cost them. From what little attention we have been able to bestow upon the study of the prophecies, we are of opinion, that much remains to be done in order to a just and full understanding of these highly important parts of the Bible. It will probably be found, that a critical and laborious examination of the original, is the most promising of all the means which can be used for extending the knowledge of the Christian world, with respect to the future designs of God in rela tion to his Church. If such an |