Again he says:—­

     “This hemisphere was laid away for no one race.”

If Providence has been thus conspicuously present in our history, we may look for some mention of this government in that Book which records the workings of Providence among mankind.  On what conditions have other nations found a place in the prophetic record?  First, if they have acted any prominent part in the world’s history; and secondly, and above-all, if they have had jurisdiction over, or maintained any relations with, the people of God.  And both these conditions are fulfilled in our government.  No nation has ever attracted more attention or excited more profound wonder, or given promise of greater eminence or influence.  And certainly here, if anywhere on the globe, are to be found a strong array of Christians, such as are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world.

With these probabilities in our favor, let us now take a brief survey of those symbols found in the word of God, which represent earthly governments.  These are found chiefly, if not entirely, in the books of Daniel and Revelation.  In Dan 2, a symbol is introduced in the form of a great image.  In Dan 7, we find a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a great and terrible nondescript, which, after passing through a new and remarkable phase, goes into the lake of fire.  In Dan. 8, we have a ram, a he goat, and a horn, little at first, but waxing exceeding great.  In Revelation 9, we have locusts like unto horses.  In Rev. 12, we have a great red dragon.  In Rev. 13, we have a blasphemous leopard beast, and a beast with two horns like a lamb.  In Rev. 17, we have a scarlet-colored beast, upon which a woman sits holding in her hand a golden cup full of filthiness and abomination.

What governments and what powers are represented by all these?  Do any of them symbolize our own?  Some of these certainly represent earthly kingdoms; for so the prophecies themselves expressly inform us; and in the application of nearly all of them there is quite a uniform agreement among expositors.  The four-parts of the great image of Dan. 2 represent four kingdoms, Babylon, or Chaldea, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.  The lion of the seventh chapter also represents Babylon; the bear, Medo-Persia; the leopard, Grecia; and the great and-terrible beast, Rome.  The horn, with human eyes and mouth, which appears in the second phase of this beast, represents the papacy, and covers its history down to the time when it was temporarily overthrown by the French in 1798.  In Dan. 8, likewise, the ram represents Medo-Persia, the he goat, Grecia, and the little horn, Rome.  All these have a very clear and definite application to the governments named; none of them thus far can have any reference to the United States.

The symbols brought to view in Rev. 9, all are agreed in applying to the Saracens and Turks.  The dragon of Rev. 12, is the acknowledged symbol of Pagan Rome.  The leopard beast of Rev. 13 can be shown to be identical with the eleventh horn of the fourth beast of Dan. 7, and hence to symbolize the papacy.  The scarlet beast and woman of Rev. 17, as evidently apply also to Rome under papal rule, the symbols having especial reference to the distinction between the civil power and the ecclesiastical, the one being represented by the beast, the other by the woman seated thereon.