coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Rev. xvii. 3—6.) "I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev. xviii. 1, 2.) "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great mill-stone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (Verse 21.)

These predictions, taken in connexion with the general scope of the book, clearly refer to the great antichristian heresy introduced and maintained by the Roman Popedom. Efforts have, indeed, been made to apply these passages to Pagan Rome, and to other Heathen states: but these have signally failed. In addition to the arguments which have been generally used to rebut such allegations, it may be conclusively observed, that the charge against this Babylon is not idolatry, or cruel persecution, merely. This might have been alleged against other Heathen nations, as against Pagan Rome. The great allegation here is whoredom, fornication: the state arraigned is the Mother of Harlots. Now, in the spiritual sense in which these terms are used in the prophetic scriptures, they simply mean apostasy. Moab and Ammon, Tyre, Egypt, and Damascus, were threatened and doomed to ruin by the Old Testament prophets; but they were not charged with spiritual whoredom; and for this obvious reason,-they were not by peculiar religious privilege called into a special covenant-relation to Jehovah. These did not, therefore, avow their devotedness, and pledge their fealty, to Him, as their spiritual Lord. But Judah and Israel, who were espoused unto the Lord, and afterward relapsed into idolatry, are charged in the scriptures with spiritual adultery in the strongest terms. It is so here. The language quoted amounts clearly to a charge of the most vile and aggravated apostasy.

The question to be settled, then, does not so much respect the means and extent to which Papal Rome has exposed herself to the imputation of this character, and its consequent malediction; but is rather,—What was there so peculiar in ancient Babylon, that it, above every other Heathen nation, was made a standing type of the great New Testament apostasy? I will endeavour to answer this inquiry, and thus afford a brief comparison of the Old and the New Testament Babylon.

1. The apostasy at Shinar began with a profession of advancing religion, and was carried out by a most careful attention to all the rites, sacred things, and consecrated practices of that dispensation.

The first clause of this statement has been sufficiently established in the Preliminary Dissertation: the second and third are manifest from the whole

scope of this religion. Let the reader consider how exact and comprehensive the attention to primitive history and early religion must have been, when its results were so permanently impressed on the faith and practice of Assyria and Babylon for twenty centuries. Sacred places, persons, and things,— Paradise, with the tree of life, and all their accompanying emblems,—the cherubic figures, in endless variety,-were all carefully treasured up as the means of spreading before the public eye the elements of religion.

Was not this eminently the case with the Papal apostasy? Here is the same attention to external things, the same veneration for ancient emblems, the same visible and tangible religious matériel.

2. The apostasy at ancient Babylon was established by the union in one person of the religious and political government of the country, with a claim to extend its power throughout the world.

This was unquestionably the fact. It stands attested by every page of Assyrian and Chaldæan history. The palace-temples, or temple-palaces,—the ordinances of government,-and the cool and familiar manner in which projects for the invasion of peaceful and unoffending nations were put forth, and executed,-all show that this claim to politico-religious universal dominion was not an accident sometimes occurring, but a ruling characteristic of this government.

It is so at Rome. Earthly government and religious supremacy centre in one mind: although Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world," the Papacy unites both. And if this political rule is not felt throughout the whole world, it is well known that the hinderance does not arise from the limitation of pontiff pretension, but from what is called "the heresy and disobedience of unfaithful states."

3. The grand element in the apostasy at Babylon was the claim to divinity which was set up by the king, as the promised incarnate Seed.

This fact is fully attested, so far as the claim to divinity is concerned. The manner in which the claim to identity with the Divine Son was put forth, is not so fully explained. In the case of one king of Babylon, it was undoubtedly unqualified and absolute. Probably, in other instances, it was a claim to be the vicegerent, or earthly representative, of this Divine person.

We have this, too, at Rome. According to Papal language, God upon earth sits enthroned at the Vatican. Divine powers are professedly exercised, and Divine acts are there ostensibly performed.

Our limits compel us to great brevity. But we may ask with confidence,— Do the extensive range of history, the world-wide geography of earth, afford another such parallel? Other nations have followed Babylon: other churches have, in the most unaccountable manner, imitated Rome: but these two powers stand out as the bold and daring originators of parallel apostasies, which, in their respective times, have perverted truth, propagated error, and cursed the world with persecution and bloodshed, beyond any other evil known to mankind. Here they stand, type and antitype, as pencilled out by the revelation of God,-alike in sin,-to be alike in ruin.

CHAPTER VI.

THE HISTORY OF THE MEDES.

LINEAGE and Country of the Medes-Ecbatana, the Capital-Revolt of the Medes against Assyria-They recover their Independence-A Season of Anarchy-Public Spirit and judicial Efforts of DEJOCES-He is raised to the Sovereignty of Media-Establishes a regular Government and greatly improves the Country-PHRAORTES, a martial Prince, subdues Persia, and extends the Median Power over other neighbouring Nations— Invades Assyria, is defeated and slain-Ecbatana stormed and spoiled by the Assyrian King-CYAXARES invades Assyria-Defeats the imperial Army-And besieges Nineveh-The Scythian Invasion-The Medes defeated-The Scythians over-run Asia-Their Massacre and Expulsion-The Lydian War-It is suspended, and Nineveh besieged a second Time, and taken-The Lydian War renewed-Terminated by the Eclipse of Thales-ASTYAGES reigns-Prosecutes various Wars-Belshazzar slain-The Kingdom of Babylon reverts to Astyages-Media conquered, and the Kingdom subverted by Cyrus. NOTES. The Time of Anarchy, and the Accession of Dejoces-The Period of Scythian Domination over Asia-Chronology of the Eclipse of Thales— Who was the "Darius the Mede" of the Book of Daniel ?-The Fulfilment of sacred Prophecy in the History of Media.

THE Medes, who were descended from Madai, the third son of Japhet, occupied an important territory on the south coast of the Caspian Sea. It extended to Persia and Assyria on the south, and was bounded by Parthia and Hyrcania on the east, and Armenia on the west.

This country was generally mountainous, and a great part of it cold and barren. Its chief city was Ecbatana, which is said to have been erected by Dejoces. The walls of this capital are greatly celebrated by ancient writers, and are minutely described by Herodotus. They were seven in number, all of a circular form, and gradually rising above each other by the height of the battlements of each wall. The situation of the ground, sloping by an easy ascent, was very favourable to the design of building them, and perhaps first suggested it. The royal palace and treasury were within the innermost circle of the seven. The Book of Judith states that the walls of this metropolis were seventy

cubits high, and fifty cubits broad; that the towers on the gates were a hundred cubits in height, the breadth in the foundation sixty cubits, and that the walls were built of hewn and polished stone, each stone being six cubits in length, and three in breadth. Of this noble city not a vestige now remains, to mark the site on which it stood.*

The Medes were, in the remotest antiquity, celebrated as a brave and hardy race, possessing all the requisites for making excellent soldiers. Their government was originally monarchical; and they seem to have had kings of their own in the earliest times. According to Lactantius, one Hydaspes reigned long before the Medes were conquered by the Assyrians: and Diodorus says, that Pharnus, king of the Medes, was, with his seven sons, defeated and taken prisoner by Ninus in the beginning of the Assyrian empire.

At the period when this volume resumes the history of these nations, the Medes were subject to the Assyrians, and their country formed a most important province of that vast empire. But in this state of subjection, there can be no doubt that they continued to be governed by their own kings; either hereditary descendants of their former rulers, or persons raised to this dignity by the imperial sovereigns at Nineveh.

It is impossible now to ascertain the line of succession of these sovereigns, or to mark out even their names, and the respective periods of their rule. It is known, however, that, during the time they were labouring under all the disadvantages of foreign domination, Media continued to hold a most important position, and to rank as one of the most martial and powerful provinces of the empire. In a preceding portion of this volume,† reasons have been given for believing that the influence and power of this province were so great, that, at the termination of the reign of the feeble Assyrian monarch, Thonos Concoleros, a Median prince obtained possession of the imperial throne. The infusion of new life and vigour which was thus communicated * "Ancient Universal History," vol. iv. p. 3. + Chapter iii. note F,

P. 241.

to the government of Assyria, doubtless contributed to the successive conquests obtained during that and the following reigns. This was in fact the most glorious period of Assyrian history.

But it is apparent that the elevation of a Median prince to the throne of Nineveh did not satisfy the aspirations of the Median people, or sufficiently gratify the ambition of its chiefs. We accordingly find that, on the humiliation of Sennacherib, after the miraculous ruin of his great army between Palestine and Egypt, efforts were made to obtain the independence of Media. From the manner in which Herodotus states the case, it appears that the Medes were the first of all the nations of Upper Asia who asserted their national liberty, and revolted against the Assyrian power. This revolt, according to that historian, did not take place under the direction of the sovereign or satrap of the country, but by a general effort of the people; which proving successful, the Assyrian governor was expelled, and the paramount supremacy of that power was destroyed. For we are told, that, having secured their liberty, no national government was established, but the six several tribes of which the nation was composed lived apart, and according to their individual pleasure. The consequence of this was universal disorder. Injustice and rapine prevailed, whilst no effectual authority existed, sufficient to restore order, and conduct a government.

This great want was, however, soon supplied. DEJOCES, a Median, although living in a private station, was so distinguished for his wisdom and integrity, that, in this period of anarchy, many persons resorted to him for the settlement of their disputes, and the adjustment of their differences. He discharged this office with so much equity and intelligence, that at length his decisions were generally recognised, and his judgment appealed to, even by persons from the other Median tribes.

These public services were continued with so much zeal and talent, and received with such popular favour, that at length the whole people acknowledged him as their