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notice, to avoid the accusation of historical inaccuracy with reference to the Herod family.

Aristobulous, the son of Herod the great, by Mariamne, a descendant of the Asmoneans, left two sons and a daughter, viz. Agrippa, Herod, and Herodius, so famous for her incestuous marriage with Antipas, in the life time of his brother Philip.

Agrippa, otherwise named Herod, who was imprisoned by Tiberius for something he had said agaiust him, was released from prison by Caligula, who made him king of Judea. It was this Prince who put St James to death, and imprisoned Peter, as mentioned in xii. of Acts. He died at Cesarea, in the way mentioned in the Acts, as well as by Josephus. He left a son named Agrippa, who is mentioned below.

Herod, the second son of Aristobulous, was king of Chalcis, and after the death of his brother, obtained permission of the emperor to keep the ornaments belonging to the high priest, and to nominate whom he pleased to that office. He had a son named Aristobulous, to whom Nero gave Armenia the lesser, and who married Salome, the famous dancer, daughter to Herodius.

Agrippa, son of Herod Agrippa, king of Judea, and grandson to Aristobulous and Mariamne; he was at first king of Chalcis, and afterward tetrarch of Galilee, in the room of his uncle Philip. It was before him, his sister Berenice, and Felix, who had married Drusilla, Agrippa's second daughter, that St. Paul pleaded his cause, as mentioned Acts xxvi.

Herodius, the daughter of Mariamne and Aristobu

lous, is the person of whom we have already spoken, who married successively the two brothers, Philip and Antipas, her uncles, and who occasioned the death of John the Baptist. By her first husband, she had Salome, the dancer, who was married to Philip, tetrarch of the Trachonitis, and son of Herod the great. Salome having had no children by him, she was married to Aristobulous, her cousin-german, son of Herod, king of Chalcis, and brother to Agrippa and Herodius: she had by this husband several children.

This is nearly all that is necessary to be known relative to the race of the Herods, in order to distinguish the particular persons of this family mentioned in the New Testament. See Dr. Clark.

But to return. The last sign which I shall notice of the coming of the Messiah, is, that while some shepherds were guarding their flocks, in the country not far from Bethlehem, there appeared, in the night season, just in the heaven above them, a company of celestial beings; their glory, it is probable, was as if a sun had suddenly burst upon the gloom of night and shot his bright light all around them. But the glorious sight was not sooner seen, than music, such as earth cannot afford, swelled its loud and thrilling sounds upon the charmed skies, but mixed with the overwhelming song, was distinctly heard the gladdening news, that in the city of David, Christ the Lord was born, and laid in the manger of a stable. But to their song, around the dreadful throne of God in-Heaven, was heard the deep unutterable response of "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to

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men." This song the angels sung, then vanished from their sight; but the shepherd's hastened to see if the thing was true, and found him lying in the predicted manger, wrapped in swadling bands, A. M. 4000.

At this time there was a universal peace; for we have the fact of history, that Cæsar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, had shut the temple of Janus, as a token that then there was a universal peace.

Earth and her powers stood still, and kings with awful eye,
Sit as if they knew their sovereign Lord was by.-MILTON

FOURTH DIVISION.

Having now passed through some of the signs which went before the flood, and before the advent of Christ, I shall, therefore, next attempt to show the signs of our own times, which indicate the Millennium not very remote ; but must be preceded by an effect of the power of the great God, such as man has not witnessed since the world began.

Roll onward earth, and sparkle in thine orb,
Till the six number'd days are quite absorb'd-
Till the great week of time, six thousand years,
Shall waft us from this soil of groans and tears.
Then multiply ye signs of millennial days,
Till earth's in glory rob'd and songs of praise.

It is hoped that the reader is now, in a measure, prepared to view the subject in a more propitious light, having seen that God does afford signs and forerunners that men should be admonished of the things which he intends to accomplish on the earth. Which signs we now shall bring forward, as being more intimately connected with the present age, and past ages of the Christian Church.

-The great success which has marked the progress of the gospel, from its author to the present day, is a sign which may be seen of all people; though its way has been opposed by kings and emperors, and the great ones of the earth; though the depravity of the whole race of men, has lifted up a standard against it, yet has it through seas of blood, oceans of flame, forests

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of swords, gulfs and dungeons, a world of deceit and wickedness, urged its gentle way: though enemies more to be dreaded than these, and of a subtlier kind, have assailed the blessed Gospel, yet have they not prevailed. Though a Voltaire has said that he was weary of hearing that twelve men had propagated the Gospel, yet he presumptuously and arrogantly boasted, that he would show to the world that he could destroy the whole alone. But his death was marked with dreadful horrors; his pitiful cryings and cowardly behaviour at that extremity, showed him but poorly qualified to conquer the Son of God, or to put to flight the least of his disciples. Though with him a host of infidels, in every age, have assailed the Gospel with all the powers of their pandæmonian compact, and have poured upon it a flood of scorn and contempt, yet the Gospel shines in all its glory of simplicity and truth.

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Although a Constantine thought to add to its strength by his feeble prop of law, because he knew not its nature, yet it stood on its own foundation, gloriously independent.

I would here remark, that the manner of Constantine's conversion to Christianity, does not carry with it any convincing proof, that he was regenerated by the grace of God, at that time.

The manner of his conversion was as follows: When Constantine the great was in Gaul, A. D. 312, there appeared in the sky, a little after noon day, above the sun, a splendid luminous cross, with this inscription on it: "By this conquer;" in consequence of which,

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