ascends the imperial seat and becomes the ally instead of the antagonist of Satan, who, finding her a convenient instrument, ceases any longer to afflict her, whilst he persecutes, “the remnant of Her seed

WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND HAVE

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST." This part is thus described, "and to the woman (the Christian church) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly INTO THE WILDERNESS into her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the face of the serpent." The Pope appears to have been placed in his seat about 533 by the edict of Justinian, and till the expiration of the 1260 years, or time, times, and half a time: Satan left her in quiet enjoyment of her apostacy. 1793, the infidels of France, the agents of Satan were again let loose upon her, and she still feebly holds the sceptre which she had previously wielded with almost unlimited power.

In

The prophet has distinguished the woman from the remnant of her righteous seed, and we have now to contemplate her as she is represented sitting in that wilderness where no spiritual fruit can grow to perfection; elevated above the reach of persecution by the powers of the Eastern and Western Empires, the two wings of the great Roman Eagle. "And there came one of the seven angels," says St. John, "having the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the Spirit INTO THE

WILDERNESS: AND I SAW A WOMAN sit upon a scarletcoloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple"-the clothing of the Pope; "and scarlet color," the clothing of the cardinals, “and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls," ornaments common to both, "having a cup in her hands full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication," the idolatrous rites of the Romish church. "AND UPON HER FOREHEAD was a name writtenMYSTERY, 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 the woman which thou sawest," says the angel, is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth." Rev. xvii.

In the 12th chap. we have a description of the woman with her crown of twelve stars upon her head. In the 17th chap. we have the same woman, represented as sitting in the wilderness-seated on the throne of Empire, clad in imperial purple, drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus, her own righteous offspring, the “remnant of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." And on her head, in the place of her once glorious crown: "she has on her forehead a name written-Mystery, Babylon the Greatthe Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." Ye who are " straying towards Rome," look upon this picture, and then upon that! Ye who sigh after something "deep and MYSTERIOUS," which "ROME" only has. Look at the brand of her Apostacy, her name of "Mystery," which a Newman can read upon her forehead, and sigh to place it on his own.

The apostolical descent has served but small purpose, when the church in whom the "sacred line," is not denied to be unbroken, has lost her crown of twelve stars for want of Apostolic practice, and is seen "drunken with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus." The Roman Catholic Church is so marked by the spirit of prophecy, that it is impossible for her to escape conviction. The Church is seen being elevated by the two wings of a great Eagle into her seat IN THE "WILDERNESS," to be preserved 1260 years. At the end of this period Satan is again allowed to persecute her-and in the mean time he had used her as an instrument to persecute her righteous seed-next we have her described as seated upon many waters, (i. e.) peoples and multitudes, nations, and tongues. Then she is seated upon a beast having seven heads and ten horns," the symbols of the Western Empire. "The seven heads," says the angel, are seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth." Thus we have "The seven-hilled city," marked as the place of her abode, and that there should be no possible mistake, the angel describes the Woman as identified with Rome, by saying "the woman which thou sawest is that great city which REIGNETH over the kings of the earth." In St. John's time, Rome was most emphatically" that great city," for at that time none other reigned over the kings of the earth.

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May God in his mercy open the eyes of our deluded countrymen of the Oxford School, to see these great truths, that they may attend to the voice which St. John heard from heaven, "saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Rev. xviii. 4.

As Christians, let us all cease to regard forms and ceremonies, which can in themselves have no saving efficacy. And uniting against all apostacy, recognise at the same time, as brethren in Christ, all who bear the true impress of Apostolical descent by "keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus Christ," under whatsoever name they are called.

In the hopes that this letter may tend to correct error and forward the cause of true religion, it is sent for insertion in your valuable Magazine. If you consider it worthy of notice, you will oblige by giving it space.

I am,

Yours faithfully,

E. H.

[WE cannot say that we wholly concur in the view here taken; we consider Popery to be NO CHURCH AT ALL, but a nefarious system of political roguery and deception, so framed as to wear the semblance of religion, in order to hold that power over men's minds without which the thraldom of their bodies is insecure. We hope something farther may be elicited from competent hands, by the insertion of our friend's letter. We know his learning, his piety, his zeal, and usefulness in the cause of truth; and if in any thing we differ, it is only where all will shortly be made clear by the Lord's fulfilment of his own prophetic word.-ED.]

THE FACTORIES.

WE are sometimes asked, what particular grievances do the poor Factory-children labour under now. A notion prevails that some efficient protection is afforded them by acts recently passed. We recommend to such querists a perusal of the following Police Report, extracted from the columns of a provincial paper bearing date March 19, 1842.

We would direct their attention to the following points as set forth in this report :

1st. The complete subjection of every child to the tyrannical caprice and cruelty of every hireling overlooker.

2nd. The utter uselessness of mere arbitrary rules, however benevolently framed, of which the aforesaid overlookers may plead ignorance, or with impunity transgress them.

3rd. The mockery of such a fine as five shillings, for so wantonly, and an act of punishment for such an offence as no human being would ever dream of numbering among any class of offences: which fine would probably not have been imposed but for the peculiarly humane feelings of the Magistrate, whose remarks, so far as they go, are strikingly just. But those same feelings operated for the guilty equally as for the innocent, and induced such a commutation of the penalty as would, in the case of a private individual have amounted to compounding.