power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."

It is with these and similar scriptures before our eyes, that we would, if writing or suggesting a history, enter upon the origin, character, office and duration of the Turkish empire; but as we are not attempting a history, it will suffice to glance at two or three very remarkable circumstances connected with this occupation of the promised land during the time, times, and a half-the forty-and-two prophetic months-the twelve hundred and sixty years, to which the duration of the Mohammedan power is clearly limited; and at the end of which the commencement at least of Israel's restoration is no less clearly predicted.

One of the first things that strikes the mind, on entering upon the wonderful history of the Mobammedan imposture, is that the false prophet himself and all his Arabian band, were descendants of Abraham; and not only so, but they retained and do to this day retain the distinctive rite of the Abrahamic covenant, in which Ishmael, their progenitor, no less than Isaac was included, although to the former no portion of the inheritance of right belonged: Sarah, when she saw Ishmael mocking, spake, as the sequel shews, by inspiration "Cast out this bond woman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son; and God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman: in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the

bond woman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed." (Gen. xxi. 10-13.) The Arab therefore, though a lineal descendant of Abraham, has no part in the inheritance, any more than has the Edomite, though lineally descended both from Abraham and Isaac but it is a sublime marvel to see, in this our own day, and for more than twelve hundred years past, that while as Gentiles the Moslem powers tread the holy city Jerusalem underfoot, still as an Abrahamic family they are set to guard the land of Israel from the abomination of an idolatrous rule.

Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles: between two and three hundred years elapsed from the destruction of the Temple and desolation of the holy city before it was delivered from the iron grasp of pagan Rome. Adrian had, indeed, attempted to blot out the very name, building on its ruins a new city which he called Ælia Capitolina; but the counsel of the Lord shall stand, JERUSALEM is yet to be a praise in the whole earth, and despite the successive hordes of banditti who for eighteen centuries have endeavoured to efface the distinguishing marks of "the city of the Great King" it is " Jerusalem" still. But at the very period of its restoration to its ancient name, and its rescue out of pagan hands, a Nehushtan was set up from which it is not yet wholly delivered: new abominations were introduced, still remaining to be purged away. A pretended discovery of the cross on which our Lord suffered, led to the marking of a particular spot as that of His sepulture; and a Church was built, and rites instituted, as far removed from the spirit of Christianity as they are from the ancient worship on Mount Moriah. Incipient idolatry fixed its root on the hallowed spot

whence Melchizedec brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abraham, and where, from generation to generation, the Lord had delighted to manifest Himself, as the wakeful Watchman of Israel. An abomination of desolation must stand, in some form or other, in the Holy Place, until He turns again the Captivity of Jacob: and no sooner were the rabble of pagan gods driven forth from its insulted ruins, than up starts a modern successor to claim the reverential homage that was soon to ripen into the foulest idolatry.

The city also was further defiled by the presence of the arch-heretic Arius; and the cordial reception granted to him was a foul blot on its inhabitants. The extremes of credulous superstition and heretical unbelief met in the treading down of Jerusalem when Arius was honoured within sight of the Church of the Sepulchre.

The next vicissitude took place under the conquering heel of Persia: and Baal, as the fire-god, for a while triumphed again, where he had oft struggled to lead Israel into sin, and at one time had fatally succeeded. Little more than twenty years, however, formed the limit of this domination; and in 647 he of the fierce countenance commenced his sovereignty over Jerusalem, which then fell into the hands of the Saracens. They held it until 1099, when Rome, given over to a far more flagitious system of idolatry than that of the pagan emperors, once more clutched the prey, but retained it not long; for God strengthened the arm of the Mohammedan infidel to overpower that of the Papal idolator, and the dark stern Mussulman once more, and finally, became the undisputed lord of that soil, of old so incomparably

rich and fertile, now so barren, dry and desolate; again to burst out into teeming abundance and yield its fruit to God's people Israel, "for they are at hand to come."

The, "time, times and a half," commencing from the flight of Mohammed, the Hegira, are very nearly accomplished; and what a thrilling epoch approaches? We cannot lift the veil, but we know of a surety that the Lord Himself will withdraw it ere long. Prophecy has been in a course of yearly, daily fulfilment, since the Arabian conqueror seized upon the fastnesses of Judea, regarding not the God of his fathers Ishmael and Abraham, nor any other whom the pagans worship as a god, but making a divinity of his sword, putting his trust in strong holds, and leaving his successors to honour him with a most strange devotion unlike any other religious system in the world. It was his pride to trace up his pedigree through the chief tribe of Arab blood to the son of Hagar; and wonderful, most wonderful it is that so wild and so hostile a kinsman should be set as a fierce watch-dog to guard the inheritance of bis younger brother Isaac! Yet far more wonderful to us it appears that not only Christian Gentiles, but the Jews themselves overlook this fact; and we may take down volume after volume of circumstantial history, we may wade through sheet after sheet of political disquisition, on the subject of the Turkish power, in all its former outgoings of irresistible strength, all its present contractions into tottering weakness, without meeting one allusion to the great end and object of its mysterious mission. Works on prophecy mark it down; but history and philosophy and civil polity, heroically independent of

God's word, grope on in wilful darkness, while the page of inspiration lies unopened within their reach, and its glorious light shines not for them, or for their unhappy readers; we call them unhappy, because it is a very grievous loss to have the key of God's revealed purposes withheld when they come to explore the record of such fulfilment of those purposes as have already taken place, affording a valuable clue to what is yet to come.

Why should not history promote the glory of God among all who peruse it? What do we mean by "profane" history? We would gladly alter the epithet to that of "uninspired," as properly distinguishing it from what holy men have written when moved by the Holy Spirit; but alas ! profanity in the fullest extent of the word too generally characterises such works; and Christian parents are not afraid to put into their children's hands the writings of Hume, nor Christian teachers ashamed to commend those of Gibbon. God is virtually dethroned by the annalists of this world's story, and His providential government is completely thrust out of sight, while, on the well-written page, 'nations and empires rise and fall, flourish and decay.'

In the prophetic word, many commentators have agreed that the Turkish empire is typified by the great river Euphrates, which, as the time of Israel's restoration draws nigh, is to be dried up, that the way of the kings of the East may be prepared. Another school of interpreters object to this plan of exposition, and many eyes are turned to the Ottoman Empire for a settlement of the point in dispute. That it now lies like an impassable river between the Jews and their own land, is unquestionable.