them. The Etrurian tombs speak of an era of civilization and power succeeded by barbarism. The mounds of Nineveh speak of a similar revolution. The day of Greek glory sank at last in unbroken night. At the fall of the Roman empire, barbarism overspread Europe; and now the cycle appears to have come round to the nations of modern Europe. Since the middle of last century there has been a marked and fearfully rapid decline in all the States of continental Europe. The entire region south of the Alps, including the once powerful kingdoms of Italy and Spain, is sunk in slavery and barbarism. France alone retains its civilization; but how long is it likely to retain it, with its strength undermined by revolution, and its liberties completely prostrated? Niebuhr has given expression in his works to his decided opinion, that the dark ages are returning. And are we not at this moment witnessing an attempted repetition of the Gothic invasion of the fourth century, in the barbarian north, which is pressing with ever-growing weight upon the feeble barrier of the East?

"Nations melt

From power's high pinnacle, when they have felt

The sunshine for a while, and downward go

Like lauwine loosen'd from the mountain's belt."

But why is this? It would almost seem, when we look at these examples and facts, as if there were some malignant influence sporting with the world's progress,- -some adverse power fighting against man, baulking all his efforts at self-advancement, and compelling him, Sysiphus-like, to roll the stone eternally. Has the Creator set limits to the life of kingdoms, as to that of man? Certain it is, they have seldom survived their twelfth century. The most part have died at or about their

twelve hundred and sixtieth year. Is this t and-ten" of nations, beyond which they cann

The common explanation of the death of power begets wealth, wealth luxury, and l and ruin. But we are unable to accept this account of the matter. It appears a mere fact, not a solution of it. It is evidently the dence that nations should live happily in the ment of all good things; and that every hum have all that is good for him, of what the eart the labour of man can create. Then, why shoul the other accessories of power, have so uniform and dissolving effect upon society? This the leaves unexplained. There is no necessary con the enjoyment of abundance and the corrupti The Creator surely has not ordained laws whic sarily result in the death of society.

The real solution, we think, it is not difficul religions, one excepted, which have hitherto ap world, have been unable to hold the balance be tellect and the conscience beyond a certain stage fore, all kingdoms which have arisen hitherto hav to exist beyond a certain term. So long as a childhood, a false religion affords room enough play of its intellect. Its religion being regardeauthoritative, the conscience of the nation is con So long as conscience is upheld, law has authorit and social virtue is maintained, and the nation go ing power, amassing wealth, and increasing know whenever it attains a certain stage of enlightencertain power of independent thinking, it begins the claims of that religion which formerly awed

an era of scepticism ensues.

With the destruction of conscience and the rise of scepticism, law loses its authority, individual honour and social virtue decline, and slavery or anarchy complete the ruin of the state. This is the course which the nations of the world have hitherto run. They have uniformly begun to decline, not when they attained a certain amount of power or of wealth, but when they attained such an amount of intellectual development as set free the national conscience from the restraints of religion, or what professed to be so. No false religion can carry a nation beyond a certain point; because no such religion can stand before a certain stage of light and inquiry, which is sure to be reached; and when that stage is reached,-in other words, whenever the intellect dissolves the bonds of conscience,—the basis of all authority and order is razed, and from that moment national decline begins. Hence, in all nations an era of scepticism has been contemporaneous with an era of decay.

Let us take the ancient Romans as an example. In the youth of their nation their gods were revered; and in the existence of a national conscience, a basis was found for law and virtue; and while these lasted the empire flourished. But by and by the genius of its great thinkers leavened the nation; an era of scepticism ensued; that scepticism inaugurated an age of feeble laws and strong passions; and the declension which set in issued at length in downright barbarism.

Papal Rome has run the very same course. The feeble intellect of the European nations accepted Romanism as a religion, just as the Romans before them had accepted of paganism. But the Reformation introduced a period of growing enlightenment and independent thinking; and by the end of the eighteenth century, Romanism had shared the fate

N

which paganism had done before it. The ma generally had lost faith in it as a religion; atheism of the French school; an era of feeble passions again returned; the selfish and iso came into play; and at this moment the tinental Europe are rapidly sinking into bar the history of the race under the reign of gions exhibits but alternating fits of supersti cism, with their corresponding eras of civili barism. And it necessarily must be so; be ligions not being compatible with the indefin man's knowledge, they do not secure the conti authority of conscience; and without conscien gress, and even existence, is impossible.

Is there, then, no immortality in reserve for they continue to die? and must the history of time coming be just what it has been in al series of rapidly alternating epochs of partial destructive barbarism? No. He who is the f is the author of the Bible; and we may be sur beautiful meetness and harmony between the and the doctrine of the other. Christianity alo ciety to fulfil its terrestrial destiny, because it al being true, it admits of the utmost advanceme understanding. In its case the centrifugal for lect can never overcome the centripetal pov science. It has nothing to fear from the adv It keeps pace with the human mind, howeve gress. Nay, more; the more the human mi the more apparent becomes the truth of Chris consequence, the greater becomes the authorit Under the reign of Christianity, then, there is

onward progress of society where conscience dissolves, and leaves man and nations devoid of virtue; there is no point where conviction compels man to become a sceptic, and scepticism pulls him down into barbarism. As the atmosphere which surrounds our planet supplies the vital element alike to the full-grown man and to the infant, so Christianity supplies the breath of life to society in all its stages,-in its full-grown manhood, as well as in its immature infancy. There is more meaning than the world has yet understood in the statement that the Gospel has brought "life and immortality to light.” Its Divine Founder introduced upon the stage that system which is the life of nations. The world does not furnish an instance of a nation that has continued to be Christian, that has perished. We believe the thing to be impossible. While great Rome has gone down, and Venice sits in widowed glory on the Adriatic, the poor Waldenses are still a people. The world tried but could not extinguish them. Christianity is synonymous with life: it gives immortality to nations here, and to the individual hereafter. Hence Daniel, when unfolding the state of the world in the last age, gives us to understand that, when once thoroughly Christianized, society will no longer be overwhelmed by those periodic lapses into barbarism which in every former age has set limits to the progress of States. "And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Unlike every preceding era, immortality will then be the chief characteristic of nations.

But must it not strike every one, in connection with this subject, that in proportion as Romanism developes itself, the nations under its sway sink the deeper into barbarism? This fact Romanist writers now see and bewail. What stronger condemnation of their system could they pronounce? For surely