| 612 used, and it should be called by another name, and governed by different laws, it could not be said that there were none of the fragments left to be perpetuated. Indeed, would we not use a proper term to say that is was remodeled over, or transformed into another city? The Babylonian empire was remodeled, or transformed into the Medo-Persian. In like manner the Medo-Persian was transformed into the Macedonian, and the Macedonian into the Roman. But there is something different in the fate of the Roman than the predeeding [preceding]. When the imperial power was weakened by the barbarious [barbarous] nations, within its dominions, ten kingdoms, sprung up: some by inheritance others by conquest. Thus one kingdom was transformed into another from the Babylonian down to the various kingdoms of Europe. Hence, when we take all things into consideration, we discover that it may be said with a degree of propriety that when the stone cut out without hands commences to roll, and increases its velocity, it well beat fine or do away the iron, the brazen, the silver and the golden empires; or more properly their descendants; for indeed, there has been a great amalgamation of all these empires. Thus when the stone smites the mighty image upon his feet nations will begin to tremble, and kingdoms and empires shall come to nought [naught] or fall to ruin beneath its universal prevalence-and it will roll forth till the knowledge of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, and untill [until] all the works of men, that are opposed to the principles of righteousness, are done away, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of Christ.
Again, the fact that this stone was not to smite the image upon his head, first but upon the toes is evidence in favor of the work of God commencing in the western part of the earth from Asia. These empires represented by the image commenced in Asia, and have reached to Europe, and may we not say in a measure to America: for indeed, the European emigrants to America are principa ly [principally] descendants of the ten kingdoms of Europe. Many of the theological writers of both Europe and America, admit this. Surely this kingdom represented by the stone perfectly harmonizes with the predictions of the prophets concerning the ensign that was to be reared upon this land, that we have before mentioned. Thus according to the dream the stone is to roll and strike the feet of the image, and retrace the route of the succession of the empires, that is, from the feet to the head, or in other words commence where any part of the toes can be found, say America; and from this to Europe, where the remains of the ten kingdoms are; and from thence to Asia, and so on till the image is destroyed. We would here remark, that it is not our intention to be understood that this destruction is to be accomplished by the physical force of the people of God, but by the preaching of the gospel, and the judgements [judgments] and power of God.
Now it was not possible for the stone to strike the toes of the image until several hundred years after Christ, because as we have before said, they were not in existence at his day. And if we admit that it commenced rolling in fulfillment of the prediction at that day, we are under the necessity of admitting also that it has not made the first step towards accomplishing that which Daniel said it should. It is said that this kingdom of God shall overthrow the kingdoms of the world; but when we take a retrospective view of the Christian church since the resurrection of Christ, its progress exhibits to the unbiased mind something to the contrary. It is true that during the first three of four centuries there were faithful Christians, and no doubt there have been many honest men and women, who have worshiped [worshipped] God according to the best of their knowledge in all centuries; but their religious rites were much restricted by the vulture fangs of popery. The Mother Church retained her ecclesiastical power, and instead of the "beating fine the kingdoms of the earth," she has been the support of many of the political powers. Indeed, in many instances church and state have been united; but according to Daniel there was to be no union of the ecclesiastical, and political powers in this way; but the whole world to be subjected to one ecclesiastical form of government-and that will be God's government.
The Protestant churches have in this respect, done the same that the Mother Church did. It has been and is now the policy of political powers to increase the union of church and state; and what weapon is more powerful than the
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