'2r N«» 'fe r^%' % -^AO^ f, V*^' y/i//c^ ^^^^^^^p^-yO ^-^^^nri^^^ BORN IN BETHLEHEM, N. J., MARCH 30, 1814. DIED IN BROOKLYN, N. Y. , MAY 20, 1881. THE END OF THE AGES; with Forecasts of the approaching Political, Social and Religious Reconstruction of AMERICA AND THE WORLD. BY / : / V William Fishbough. MDCCCXCIX. CONTINENTAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 25 Park Place, New York. THE LIBRARY j OF CONGRESS WASHIMGTON 29310 Copyright iJ Mrs. John A. Walker. sW.OCOP|fcoi*fec:;iV£0. Afaioiaie "^^ .^ cf CmTz^ cw^\o r^ ^ " By measure hath he measured the times, and by number hath he numbered the times; and he doth not move nor stir them until the said measure be fulfilled. " 11. Esdras IV. 37. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." St. John. Rev. XXI. PREFACE. The present volume is a record of thoughts and discoveries that have been accumulating during a period of more than thirty years. It is believed that the proper time for its pub- lication has arrived, and that its philosophizings, monitions and warnings as well as its hopeful pictures of the near future will now be received as they could not have been during any an- terior and less ripened condition of the minds of the world. The author has no apology to make for the apparently pre- tentious title page which he has chosen. The book is intended to be all that the title implies; and whether, in this respect, it is a success or a failure, can only be judged after a careful and candid perusal. Many things new to all readers and some things not a little startling, will be found in these pages; but the accompanying rational and mathematical proofs of the po- sitions taken, will, it is hoped, be sufficient to shield the author from every suspicion of aiming at mere sensation. The volume is placed before a scrutinizing and candid public with much hope, little fear, and with an unbounded desire for the outworking of the great and beneficent uses for America AND THE WORLD, an exposition of which will be found in its pages. The Author. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC; ITS GROWTH OF A HUNDRED YEARS, AND WHAT OF ITS FUTURE? Survey of the past — Our logbook and dead reckoning one hundred years ago, and now — Wonderful growth — Caution against self-complacency — Warn- ings of History — Lessons of the Hebrew Republic — The Grecian Democ- racies — The Republics of Rome, Switzerland, Italy, South America — We are floating down the same stream — Approaching crisis— Whither are we drifting ? — Looking out for judgment — Objects of this work — Guides of our inquiries — Evolution as indefinitely held by scientists — Evolution in definite gradations — Evolution in musical octaves — The science of universal correspondences — The numbers 7, 12, and 3 furnish the golden key to unlock mysteries, ...----- Pages 1-13 CHAPTER II. A NE\yLY DISCOVERED LAW OF CYCLES IN HISTORY; AND OUR POSITION IN TIME THENCE DETERMINED. CYCLES OF HISTORY NO. I. — THE CYCLE OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC. Discovery of the Law of cycles in history — Many years' fruitless search — Arbitrary divisions of time eschewed, and natural ones alone regarded; Discovery of twelve year waves; their demonstration — I. Revohitionary and C/ifl^^zV period, 1776-1788; Articles of Confederation; Their failure; Convention in 1787 — II. The Organizing ^&x\oA, 1788-1800; Constitution of U. S. Government organized under it. Washington President; Old Federal party — III. The 7>j-//«^ period, 1800-1812; Localization of gov- ernment at Washington; Intrigues of the Mother country — IV. The Median period, 1812-1824; War with England; A higher status acquired; Opposition to Slavery, Era of good feeling in politics; Visit of LaFayette — V. Period of Ideas and Aspirations, 1824-1836; Political and religious segregations; Free Schools; Railroads; Inventions; Speculations — VI. Period of i^rmte^if, 1 836-1 848 — Magnetic Telegraph; War with Mexico VI THE END OF THE AGES. in the interest of slavery; circle of civilization round the globe completed — VII. Period of Ripeness, 1S48-1860 — Wheat and tares; Free soil party; Failure of compromise between Liberty and Slavery; Repeal of Missouri compromise — Troubles in Kansas — Republican party organized; Author's prediction of quasi national death in i860; Election of President Lincoln — Secession and Rebellion, ------- 14—23 CHAPTER III. CYCLES IN HISTORY NO. II. — FIRST COLONIAL CYCLE, l6o8-l6g2. Discovery of the Cycles of Colonial History — Period I., 1608-1620; Settlement on the James River in 1607-8 — Three times seven times twelve years to 1776 — II., — 1620-1632: Landing of the Mayflower in 1620; Sojourn in Holland the previous 12 years — III., 1632-1644: Charter of Maryland to Lord Baltimore in 1632 — Large emigration and colonization at various points; Governmental order; First confederation of New England colonies — IV., 1644-1656: Charter of Rhode Island — Religious liberty; The Cromwellian Commonwealth; Restrictive acts of Parliament; Repub- licanization — V., 1656-1668: Religious denominations; "Colonies al- ready hardened into republics" — VI., 1668-1680: England's right to tax colonies denied — VII., Characteristics of an End; General extinction of Colonial charters; English Revolution, ----- 24-33 CHAPTER IV. CYCLES OF HISTORY NO. III. — SECOND COLONIAL. CYCLE, 1692-I776. Struggles for empire in America — Effects on the Colonies — Period I., 1692- 1704: New Charter to Massachusetts; Extension of territory but with curtailed privileges; New beginning — Causes of alienation — Controversy about salaries of governors — Forebodings of Colonial revolt — II., 1704- 1716: First American Newspaper — Oueen Anne's War — Educating the colonies to self-reliance — III., 1716-1728: Government of Maryland restored to Lord Baltimore — New Orleans settled by French — Designs of French in the West — IV., 1728-1740: Completion of the number of Colonies that subsequently fought in the Revolution — Birth of the leading spirits of that struggle — V., 1740-1752: Cordon of French forts in the West; War between England and France, and Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle; "Ohio company" formed — VI., 1 752-1 764: New complications; The "French and Indian War" — Expulsion of the French from all America except Louisiana, in 1763 — British Supremacy — Fruitage — VII., 1764- 1776: Seeds of revolution in oppressive acts of Parliament; Discontent and fermentation — British troops fire on Boston citizens; Cargoes of tea destroyed — Battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill — -Reflections and summing up of evidence — "Eureka!" ----- 34-41 THE END OF THE AGES. VU CHAPTER V. CYCLE OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA, ITS GRADED SUB-CYCLES, AND WHEN CLOSED. Another long and discouraging search — New unit of 252 years — First Period, 1-252: The chaotic and propagating Period — Declining Roman Empire and irruption of Barbarians — Significant Confederation of Frank tribes — Second Period, 252-504: The period of forms and transformations; Con- version of Constantine; Clovis, victorious and converted, becomes the first French monarch; whole French nation converted — This ends the period — Third Period, 504-756: Power and dominion acquired; Pope of Rome declared universal Bishop; His temporal power established by Pepin,. King of France in 756 — Fourth Period, 756-1008: Events character- istic of the period; The church and the world; The dark age; Light from a non-Christian quarter — Abderaman, the Moor, founds a kingdom in Spain, also in 756 — Arts and sciences cultivated by the Moors and dis- seminated through Europe during subsequent centuries; Empire of Char- lemagne; Feudalism — Checks on the power of kings; Origin of baronial castles; Equilibration; Quasi republic of co-equal barons; Modern Europ- ism rises from old Romanism; Panic concerning the end of the world — Fifth Period, 1008-1260: Tendencies to rise; Ambition of Popes; The crusades; The good incidentally accomplished thereby; Local schools formed; Revival of learning; Chivalry; Elevation of the common people; Popular combinations; Origin of civic Republics; Levantine commerce; Magna Charta; English House of Commons established in 1258; Corre- spondence to other fifths; Papal power the bond of the Christian world — Sixth Period, 1260-1512: Decline of papal power over kings; Philip the Fair rebukes Boniface VIII. — Origin of the "great schism;" Ecclesias- tical arts and adornments; Cathedrals; The church sinks into a moral stu- por; Academies, colleges and universities; Libraries; Art of Printing; Civil and social conditions improve; A "tiers etat;" The Hanseatic League; Improvements in navigation; The magnetic needle and the stars as guides; Dreams of Columbus; His Discovery of America; Significant ending of the Sixth Period — Seventh Period, 1512-1764: A crisis necessitating a change; Vices and crimes of the popes and corruption of the Roman Church; Threat of Louis XII.; Reform Councils called at Pisa in 1511 and in Rome in 1512; These fruitless; Sale of indulgences; Luther aroused and the religious revolution inaugurated; The philosophy of this great change; Why the year 1764 was the fitting period of the close — Disclosures of Swedenborg — Era of Science; Priestly; Herschel; Mesmer; Gall and Spurzheim; Hutton; Werner; La Place; Hahnemann; Daguerre; Morse; Kerchoff and Bunsen — Spectroscope, ----- 42-73 Viii THE END OF THE AGES. CHAPTER VI. DISCOVERY OF AN ANTERIOR CYCLE IN THE MODERN SERIES 1524-I608. A suggestive error which led to an important truth; True order of the Series; The Republic of 1776-1860, a. Fourth instead of a Thit'd — Luther's Decla- ration of Independence from Rome in 1524 commences the First modern ■cycle — First Period, 1524-1536: Luther in swinging loose from Rome, is followed by several German Princes — New structure of religious and political society commenced; Peasants' War; Anabaptist prophets; Diets assembled by Emperor Charles V., to consider case of Reformers; End of 12 years finds the Pope, Paul III., on the defensive; Overthrow of Papal power in England — Second Period, 1536-1548: Council of Trent — War against Reformers with unfavorable results to latter — "Articles of the In- terim;" Question in the hands of the Secular Power — Pope concedes that reforms are needed — Third Period, 1548-1560: "Articles of the Interim" unsatisfactory to both parties — Council of Trent revived — Ambitious de- signs of the Emperor: Battle of Inspruck; Emperor defeated and com- pelled to accede to conditions securing religious liberty in Germany — Em- peror abdicates, leaving his son Philip king of Spain and the Netherlands, as Philip 11. — Philip devolves the government of Netherlands on his sister, with Granvalla her minister — Fourth Period, 1560-1572: Character- istics of a Fourth— Spanish Inquisition in Holland — Its cruelties provoke resistance; Granvalla replaced by Alva; Thousands sacrificed and rebellion provoked — William I. of Orange — Church of England crystallized; Dis- sentients, taking the name of Puritans, organize in 1566, the middle of the cycle — Fifth Period, 1572-1584: Massacre of the night of St. Bartholo- mew; Fleet of 150 privateers, always successful against Spanish — William I. sovereign commander over four provinces; Other Netherland provinces unite — The Holland Republic proclaimed; William assassinated in 1584 — Sixth Period, 1584-1596: Prince Maurice, William's successor, an accom- plished general; Takes Breda by surprise and delivers four provinces — Constantly victorious till Spanish power was broken — Aid from England; Defeat of the "Invincible Armada."— Seventh Period, 1596-1608: Ripening seeds; Prosperity of Holland and decline of Spanish power — Suspension of arms and negotiations opened in 1607 — Peace of 12 years declared in 1609 — Spain expels Morescoes, - - - - 74-8? CHAPTER VII. Review of Methods and Summary of Results — Characteristics of the plan pur- sued; No human contrivance; An intelligent and divine plan; The Logos or word of God — Human history as well as all things in nature, a garment of God, --------- 88-92 THE END OF THE AGES. IX CHAPTER VIII. TRUE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY INCIDENTALLY DISCLOSED. History a jumble as now studied — Law of cycles confirmed by other facts — Periodical movements in universal nature — From millionths of seconds to millions of years — Teaching history by chronological and cyclic charts — 93-96 CHAPTER IX. CORROBORATIVE FACTS IN ANTERIOR HISTORY. History anterior to Christ; The three times fourteen generations of Matt. I. 17; The number 42 a remarkable number; Its occurrence in Egyptian theology; 42 journeys of the Israelities; 42 phrenological faculties — These in pairs making 84; Square of 42 equals 1764 — The third of that 588, the number of years from Babylonish captivity to Christ — Curious divisors, quotients and numerical correlations, . . . 97-103 CHAPTER X. THE SUMMIT OF THE AGES AND SURVEY THENCE OF CATHOLIC AND PROT- ESTANT CHRISTENDOM. Dominant Ideas; Religion supreme — Catholicism the supreme standard in the past — It has been preeminently the Church; Protestantism a transitional movement, rooted in, and rising out of the Catholic Cycle; Its sects so many roots of a new Tree; Protestant changes since 1764; Catholicism standing still; Seeking universal dominion; Reaching after worldly power; This consistent with her principles; Her movements to be watched; Her wonderful persistence explained; Swedenborg on Last Judgment; Her end or radical change in the near future; Another hint of this from the law of numbers — The number of recognized popes to 1764; The number of popes since 1764; Her day of grace 120 years, like that of the ante- diluvians; Spiritual republicanization will save her; Tendencies opposed to her present policy all powerful; Yet she defies them ; Exalts faith over reason; Ecumenical Council of 1870; Declaration of Papal infallibility: Same day, France declares war against Germany — Withdrawal of troops from Rome; Napoleon III. a prisoner; Overthrow of Pope's temporal power; A terrible rebuke — Reflections; Peter and his "rock;" Truth mightier; Church's usefulness in the past; Obstructing truth, she becomes a power of evil; Then "come out from her my p6ople" — The fairer struc- ture, and true Holy Catholic Church of the future; The upshot of the chapter, ---------- 104-125 X THE END OF THE AGES. ' CHAPTER XI. COINCIDENT CLOSING OF OUR NATIONAL CYCLE, AND OF THE CYCLE OF THE WORLD, DEMONSTRATED BY FACTS AND PERIODIC NUMBERS. Our latitude and longitude; Whither drifting? Other predictions from the law of cycles; Acquiescence in the results of war, in 1872; Next Clymacteric period in 1884; Modified by conjunction of the Cycle of the world; A new aspect of the subject; The Race a Unit, and has its grand cycle; "Westward the tide of empire;" The circle now complete; The East and West united; Japanese embassadors in i860 and 1872; Root and fruit of the Tree of Humanity; Infancy in Eastern Asia- — Maturity in America; Periodicity of the world's cycle, and wonderfully confirmatory numbers; Seeds of a new and universal civilization; Reform must come first; The approximal time of the great change; Prophetic symbolism of the old Pyramid, - - - - - - - - - - 126-139 CHAPTER XII. BIBLE PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE TIME OF THE END. Prophetic numbers in Daniel and the Apocalypse; The "abomination of desola- tion;" The "daily sacrifice;" The "holy place;" The Temple — (withmean- ings) — The "princes of the Gentiles" and worldly rule contrasted with the "Kingdom not of this world;" When was the "abomination of desolation" set up? — Pope Pelagius II. claims supreme dignity; Gregory the Great, and Boniface III. renew the claim — The tyrant Phocas confirms; "Anti- christ, the man of sin;" Invisible government of the church not extinct; The two witnesses; Even the secularized papacy overruled for good; Be- ginning and close of the numbers and periods; Approximate agreement with the old pyramid index, ------- 140-149 CHAPTER XIII. OUR NATIONAL IDEA. Ideas of primeval and despotic nations defined; Their progress traced; Ideas on which the American Republic was founded; National Independence, and Equal Rights of Man; These all worked up and actualized; At present, without a distinctive Idea; A national body without a national soul; Hence a state of political decay, tending to anarchy or despotism; No hope from existing political parties; Wanted, a new Idea — Onward! Onward! 150-159 CHAPTER XIV. CAN AMERICA GO ONWARD IN HER PRESENT COURSE WITHOUT FINAL AND CERTAIN DISRUPTION? Success of our Government in the past; Its structure admirable in some re- spects, defective in others; Folly of unqualified suffrage; Corruptions THE END OF THE AGES. XI thence arising; Bribery by official patronage; Bar-room cliques and primary elections; Legislation bought and sold; All departments demoralized; Decline of respect towards law-makers and laws; Thence corruptions in social life; Fashionable Christianity; Have we any statesmen? Defects in our educational system; Our political body diseased; Can we go on in this way? The answer formed in the public conscience; Black Friday and financial depression; Discontent of workingmen; Trades Unions and strikes; Forebodings of change; The "good ne%v" times, rather than the "good old" times — "Wanted, a new political Idea," - - 160—170 CHAPTER XV. LABOR THROES THAT PRECEDE THE NEW POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BIRTH. The New Idea eternally IS, and must be discovered, not contrived; The as- cended Spirit of the Old; Slavery destroyed, and the spirit of Liberty in- spiring all; Laboring population becoming restive; Trades Unions; Their mistakes and inconsistencies; Injustices to non-society men; Injury to them- selves; War with capital; Threats of violence; Hostility against what they . would like to be and do themselves; Kesponsibilities of the wealthy; Poverty and suffering widespread; Prayers of the poor will be heard; Riotous passions; French Revolution; July riots of 1877; Communism and its menaces; Terrible possibilities of destruction; Such a coup imminent; The iron-heeled despot conditionally invoked ; Yet, ' ' Wanted — A New National Idea,'' .-.-..-... 1 71-185 CHAPTER XVI. IS POLITICAL AND SOCIAL REFORM POSSIBLE WITHOUT ORGANIC CHANGE? Existing evils not merely functional, but organic; Our primary movements in politics; Nominations necessary to elections; Caucuses and primary elections; Nominations generally controlled by selfish tricksters; No remedy for this under present system; Bad nominations practically more than half disfranchise good citizens; Ultimate rootlets of government in the rum shop; Foulness and disease thence to the whole body; The national ship in the trough of the sea; Citizens' Associations ineffective as means of reform and why? — The question heading the chapter, answered. No! — How of social evils? — Effects of preaching virtue; Organic instrumentalities neces- sary; Some reformers and their theories; Plausible, but will not work; Hope of finding our way out, ----... 186-195 CHAPTER XVII. IS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC THE HIGHEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT THAT IS POSSIBLE ? The Sphynx riddle; The question to be candidly met; The force that under lies all progress; God is "knowable" in degrees; Natural gradations Xll THE END OF THE AGES. of society to be traced: I., Savagism — Fetichism — How originated; Its true side; Its superstitious side; II., Barbarism — Polytheism or Manitouism; Tribal relations; How originated; III., Despotism — Sovereignism — How originated; A God simply of power; hence a government of power; IV., The Crude or Demi-Republic — Jehovism — A God of Justice and Mercy; Government after this type; V., The Ascending or Progressive Re- public — Paternism; (Christ's Teachings; God the Universal Father; Union with him — Many members of one Body; Christ preached to spirits in prison; Church also descended into hells of the dark ages; It works from bottom to top of whole scale of humanity; Bottom depths reached in middle of cycle; Gradual emergence thence; Gradations up- ward; Return of Husbandman to his Vineyard; Second coming of Christ — "Paternism" complemented by Fraternism — Infidelity organizes nothing; It merely disintegrates; Foundation of the Fifth order, '"The Ascending or Progressive Republic; VI. The Universal and Harmonic Republic; VII., The Spiritual Commune — Communism possible only at the bottom and top ends of the scale — Types of the Commune in the past and present, -_-...-. 196-215 CHAPTER XVIII. traces of the path that leads onward. Previous proofs that we cannot go onward without change; Certainty that there is a way out; This must h& found, not contrived; Next stage a Fifth in the Scale of Seven; Functions and correspondences of Fifths — Complementary relations in the scale; Argument thence; Present 84 year subcycle answer- ing to period from 1008 to 1260; Urban Republics and cooperative guilds; Hints from these; Our present 84 year subcycle a fifth m\h^ cycle of modern history — Strength of the argument; Traces of the path begin to appear, ---.-..-.- 216-225 CHAPTER XIX. analysis of social elements as preliminary to the question of reconstruction. The Body Politic a Man; Its primary ingredients and tissues; Seven correlative degrees present now and always; These degrees described and illustrated in their serial order; They constitute the sum total of human qualities; Their gradations relative, and each susceptible of infinite improvement, We have them representatively in our individual selves; Shakespeare's "Seven Ages;" No absolute equality; Superior and subordinate autono- mies; Room relatively for kings and princes in every class, - 226-237 THE END OF THE AGES. Xlll CHAPTER XX. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE TRUE BODY POLmC. Knowledge of it necessary to diagnosis and remedy; Nature persistently inter- rogated; The. grand divisions of the political organs and functions de- scribed; Raw Material; Mechanics and Manufactures; Distribution or com- merce; Money and its laws of distribution and circulation; Exaltation, re- finement and beautification of all things; Wisdom and its offices in the Body Politic; Spirituality; God in the Constitution, - - 238-254 CHAPTET XXI. CLASSIFICATION OF ORGANIZABLE AND CORRELATIVE GUILDS. Working forces of these several departments; These almost self-defined; Enu- merated in serial order; Their offices; Progress and interchangeability of positions — Each in the position for which nature fits him, - 255-260 CHAPTER XXII. THIS SYSTEM TESTED AND CONFIRMED BY FARTHER HARMONIOUS CORRELA- TIONS, AND CORRESPONDENCES IN NATURE AND HISTORY. Previous classifications all inclusive; Social machinery proved; Additional and special correspondences — With the nutritive system; Mouth and teeth of the Grand Man to be specially cared for; The gross divisions of the anatomy, from feet upward; The political feet to be tenderly cared for — Correspond- ence with the senses; With the mental faculties; With the animal kingdom beneath man; Absolute harmony of the Series; Mutual necessities of its parts; Many members and one Body, as in the Christian Church; The Community responsible for crime; Crime would soon cease under such an organization, --------- 261-268 CHAPTER XXIII. THE CONSTITUENCY OF THE TRUE POLITICAL GOVERNMENT, AND HOW IT MAY BE ORGANIZED. Harmony of interests secured; No hope in existing parties; Proposed new basis of Representation — Declaration for the new departure; Sources of Interest Representation, and how available; Proposed new Primary movements; Guilds represented at nominating Conventions; How the machinery would work and with what results; An objection answered; The rights of women; No present change in organic laws needed, 269-281 XIV THE END OF THE AGES. CHAPTER XXIV. BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PRESENT POLITICAL SITUATION AND THE TERRIBLE WARNINGS IT CONTAINS. Disorders enumerated; Present institutions powerless to correct them; Two pictures of the future; No time to be lost, - - - - 282-286 CHAPTER XXV. THE NEW NATIONAL IDEA DEFINED, AND THE NEW DECLARATION. We have found it; NEW declaration; What think ye? — Objections answered; The times demand moral heroes, - - ■- - - - 287-295 CHAPTER XXVI. How shall we begin the work of reorganization ? — Chaos the mother of form — Organizing law of the universe the same everywhere; The egg; All organi- zation has here its representative processes; Stages of embryotic formation traced; Ripened minds of the age constitute the new society ovum; How organic form may be gestated from these; Propaganda and campaign or- ganized; Contrast of new and old platforms; superior dignity and moral force of the New; Success certain at least after a few experimental defeats; Then onward to victory! .--.... 296-306 CHAPTER XXVII. what may be and will be DONE UNDER THE NEW POLITICAL ORGANIZA- TION. Farther characteristics of a Government thus organized; Farther action will suggest itself; What legislation may do; True laws are, and are not man-made ; Registration by classes; Autonomies and chartered rights; Police surveillance; Boards of statistics; Overstocking and understock- ing; Financial problems easily solved; Graduated taxation; Study of correspondences; Antagonisms supplanted by sympathies; Religious fraternity; Crime and poverty ceased, and prisons and poorhouses closed — Retrospect of the path of argument; The two paths of the future, and whither leading; The new Age, and fifth stage of civilization; Visions of Glory — Then forward! ----- 307-319 THE END OF THE AGES, XV CHAPTER XXVIII. PRESENT PERPLEXITY OF ALL NATIONS AND THE ONLY WAY OUT OF IT. All nations disturbed and anxious; Causes of the same — Discontent of masses — Repression fails — World's great year closed; Harvest time of old In- stitutions; Reconstruction needed; Remedies found in natural laws; Indifferent whether Kings or Presidents bear rule, when JN'ature rules all; No disloyalty in the plans ; Bad men disturbers; Moral sentiment in the ascendant, if organized; The "healing of the nations;" The "New Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," - . . . 320-325 CHAPTER XXIX. WHAT NATION SHALL LEAD? — AND THE GRAND PROCESSION THAT WILL FOLLOW IN THE ROAD TO THE UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC. Hint from the Centennial Exhibition; Correlation of Races and Nations — Anglo-Saxon Race with its ingredients; Elements of universality; Hence its power to permeate; Extensive geographical dominions; Seeds of new Republics and civilizations; Lost tribes of Israel; American Branch of Anglo-Saxon Race; The Race sublimated and farther universalized; Now hand in hand with England, America must furnish the Central Idea j Must sound the trumpet of the Jubilee; Mission oi France, Germany and Italy — Triune specialties and future tripartite Republic; Russia and her mission; Japan and her mission; These seven great nations the active forces; Aux- iliary and subordinate nations; Negative nationalities; America to sound the march; Why others must follow; The Universal Republic of Nations; The world's Star of Hope, ------- 326-341 CHAPTER XXX. BASIC OUTLINES OF THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION. — PART I. Religion a necessity of society; A Universal Religion necessary to Universal Union; Search for its principles; Supposed Universal Council of Chris- tians, Buddhists, Mohammedans, etc.; Jargon of discussion; On the point of disruption; The "Gray-haired Scribe" called to the platform; His prayer; His discourse; i. Concerning the existing forms of religion; 2. Specialties and careers of religious systems; A higher and better one than all of them now needed; 3. Resources of written revelation; 4. All parts of the scheme mutually consistent; Appeals to the Book of Nature; 5. How to read it — Correspondences; Lessons — I. Law of gravitation, physical and moral — II. Heat and Light — Love and Wisdom; These teach the broadest outlines of the Universal religion ; The speaker takes his seat but is urged and consents to go on, - - - - 342-356 XVI THE END OF THE AGES. CHAPTER XXXI. BASIC OUTLINES OF THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION. — PART II. SPECIAL DOCTRINES AND MORAL LESSONS. III. Moral responsibility taught by planetary laws; IV. Lessons of subor- dinate centers and orbits — Principalities, powers etc. ; Parents and chil- dren; V. Lessons of diversities of degrees, and progress; VI. Lessons of comets; VII. Extra orbital motions; VIII. Eclipses, Lenses, Re- flectors — Priests, Pastors and Teachers; IX. Consequences of non-recog- nition of a common center of gravity; Atheism uncenters and disinte- grates; Universal non-religion would be universal social chaos, 357-370 CHAPTER XXXII. Basic OUTLINES OF THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION — PART III. SOME HIGHER MYSTERIES DISCLOSED. The speaker urged to still continue his discourse; X. Concernhig the Eternal Creative, Generative and Regenerative Logos, Word or Wisdom; Nebular theory; Sevenfold order of Creation; XL Divine embodivients in mat- ter in the process of creation; Eternal Dualism; Origin of Evil; Ground of Correspondences; A pause, and canvass of t?he audience; The speaker urged still to continue; XII. Divine Incarnation or the Logos made flesh; Characteristics and titles of the Divine. Man; XIII. Concerning Vicariates Atonement; True and false views of this doctrine; XIV. Salvation, and in what does it consist ? Prejudice aroused, and small parties secede from the council; Criticisms and the gray-haired Scribe's answer; He con- tinues; XV. Prayer; XVI. Individual and social worship; XVII. The Universal Hierarchy — Conclusion of the gray-haired Scribe's discourse; Conclusion of the book, ---.... 371-392 CHAPTER I. THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC; ITS GROWTH OF A HUNDRED YEARS, AND WHAT OF ITS FUTURE ? Survey of the past — Our logbook and dead reckoning one hundred years ago, and now — Wonderful growth — Caution against self-complacency — Warn- ings of History — Lessons of the Hebrew Republic — The Grecian Democ- racies — The Republics of Rome, Switzerland, Italy, South America — We are floating down the same stream — Approaching crisis — Whither are we drifting ? — Looking out for judgment — Objects of this work — Guides of our inquiries — Evolution as indefinitely held by scientists — Evolution in definite gradations — Evolution in musical octaves — The science of universal correspondences — The numbers 7, 12, and 3 furnish the golden key to unlock mysteries. npHE design of the present work, as will be seen, quite trans- -*- cends the special concerns of the American nation and people. Nevertheless it is to you, my countrymen, that I make my first and loudest appeal. I will first ask you to accompany me in a brief survey of the past of our Republic, and of some of the significant aspects of the present, so that we may intelli- gently consider the preparatives for that crisis of change in the near future of which the laws of nature and all present signs and tendencies seem to forewarn us. As manners on the sea of national life, let us consult our log book, work up our dead reckoning, observe the position of the stars, and keep up all due vigilance to avoid the breakers that may lie in our course. If the past has had its triumphs, the present is pregnant with both opportunities and perils; and it 1 2 THE END OF THE AGES. is for US to extract from all the lessons of wisdom that which will guide us safely onward. One hundred years ago we were a population of barely three millions, struggling through poverty, and blood, and fire, to grasp the prize of national independence. Now we number more than sixty millions, with a territory three thousand miles wide; with a soil and climate consisting of all desirable varie- ties; with mineral resources well nigh boundless; with navi- gable rivers hundreds and even thousands of miles long; w^ith a net-work of railroads and telegraph wires covering the whole surface of the land; with populous cities strung along all the great trunk lines of travel; with a commerce whitening every sea; with educational institutions among the best in the world, and accessible to all classes of our people; with a genius for invention and discovery that stands unrivaled; with a develop- ment in the arts and sciences equal if not superior to anything presented by the nations of the old world; and with ideas and institutions which arrest the attention and secure the profound respect of the philosophers and men of science in all the nations of the earth. How proud was America on her late centennial year in witnessing the representatives of the arts and sciences, and the stages of progress in civilization, attained by each and all the nations of the earth, collected upon her shores, and in perceiving that she herself, although so young was fully equal to the best of them! And how it opened to the patriotic sons and daughters of our Republic, the visions of glory strewed along the path of our future progress for the hundred years to come ! But let us not be too self-complacent. Rapid progress, if not wisely directed, may be attended with violentcollisions and an over-weening pride is usually the mother of humiliation. Thus Nebuchadnezzar, walking in his palace, mused with him- THE END OF THE AGES. 3 self: "Is not this great Babylon that I have built, for the house of the Kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty ?" But it is recorded that while these words were yet in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from Heaven, saying: "The kingdom is departed from thee;" and the sequel was that the presumptuous monarch was driven from the habitations of men, and made a companion for the beasts of the field. Nations, as well as individuals, have their birth, infancy, de- velopment, maturity, and reach their final crises of change by a succession of gradations prescribed by natural law; and it depends upon the answer to the question how much of the divine elements of immortal life a nation has in its institutions and laws, and the practices of its rulers and people, whether that change shall bring humiliation, mortification, or even death, or whether it shall be a transition to a new and higher standard of national life, with a new and higher role to play in the great drama of history and civilization. But it is from the history of Republics that our special warn- ings are to be derived. There have been several of these and from each we inherit a lesson. The most ancient of these — that of the Hebrews under the Judges — continued in existence more than three centuries during which "every man did that which was right in his own eyes," being amenable only to the high courts in which differences between man and man were adjudicated according to the law of Moses; and thus, so long as social order prevailed, they enjoyed an amount of popular liberty equal to any of which our people can boast. But in the latter years of that political regime, disorders so multiplied, and the rights and interests of individuals and families became subject to such frequent and violent infringement, that the people clamored for a King; and the crude Republic instead 4 THE END OF THE AGES. of taking a stand upon a higher system of political and social regulations, sank back into the form of a monarchy. The Democracies that were established in several of the Grecian states, in like manner degenerated into turbulent factions, destructive alike to public order and popular liberty, and were at length forced to succumb to the arm of power. The Roman Republic, so called, with its patricians and plebeians, its Consuls and Tribunes of the people, after a bril- liant career of some four hundred and eighty years, developing a large amount of personal virtue and public justice consider- ing the barbarism of the times, finally fell a victim to the ambition of rival political aspirants and conflicting popular factions, and was succeeded by an age of iron despotism. The Republic of Switzerland, originating in the 13th century, presents a different case. Entrenched in its mountain fastnesses, it has endured to the present day. Its population is homogeneous and loyal, but extremely conservative and immobile; and if the Swiss Republic gives promise of perma- nency for centuries to come, that promise is to be read more in the character of its people and the physical conditions of the country, than in the intrinsic nature and tendencies of Repub- lican Institutions, taken by themselves. From the smoke and carnage of Inquisitorial persecution arose the Republic of Holland late in the sixteenth century. Though not free from oligarchic and feudal elements, it became the asylum for the persecuted and oppressed of all lands; was the conservator of all the popular freedom that her own people desired; was prosperous and happy in her civil and economic affairs, and was, in some sense, the nidus in which our own in- fant Republic was incubated; but after filling an honorable career in the development of free ideas and institutions, she, too, went back to monarchy. THE END OF THE AGES. 5 The little Republics which sprang up in Italy during the middle ages, and which were for the most part confined each to a city and a few square miles of surrounding territory, are not without their lessons, but they present no great landmarks worthy of much regard in shaping our own course. The ex- isting petty Republics of Central and South America are little more than loose, disorderly compacts, the prey of factions and ambitious demagogues, of no dignity, and subject to frequent and violent revolutions; and the principal lesson they afford us is, that no Republican Government, even, is desirable except that which rests upon the virtue and intelligence of its people. I see my own Government floating down the same stream which has borne nearly all the old Republics to the catastrophe of their dissolution. I see more than this : I see that at every ad vance on the downward course of time, the signs of some mysteri- ous and nearly approaching crisis increase in number, variety and significance. 1 confess it is with a trembling hand that I write the inquiry: "Whither are we drifting ? And what fate does the Future hold in her dark bosom for my own beloved land ?" This anxious query does not concern the ^//5/d!«/ future. There, all is bright. God made this country for Liberty, Fraternity and impartial Justice. Our mountains, and broad valleys, and interminable prairies will tolerate nothing short of these save, it may be, for a brief and transitional period. Usurpers and despots can not long breath the air of America and live, and anarchy can not be the permanent fate of a people so intelli- gent and virtuous. It is not the forecasting of probabilities in the generations to come, that gives us anxiety; but what of the events and changes that are nigh, even at our doors ? We are now in political and social conditions which every one must admit to be abnormal and not in accordance with the order of Heaven. It is self evident that these conditions can- 6 THE END OF THE AGES. not persist forever, or even for any considerable number of years longer, for the whole infinite power of God, and all the divine harmonies of the surrounding universe, are arrayed against them. The change is only a question of time: and there is already in the minds of multitudes of the most thoughtful people, a certain foreboding of the climax of troubles — a certain "looking out for judgment" which may not be post- poned much longer. To show, with something like the clearness of a scientific demonstration, what is the present position of our own nation and its institutions in the scale of natural evolutions — thence incidentally also the position of all other nations; to forecast the next step in the order of onward movements, with some of the startling changes it will necessarily bring; to point a sug- gestive finger to the path by which the next higher degree in the scale of political and social evolutions may be attained without passing through the most direful convulsions and dis- orders; and to unfold the great central truths which, if duly regarded, will guide the nations of the earth into harmony and peace — shall be the great object of our endeavor in the present volume. GUIDES AND METHODS OF THE INQUIRY. The laws of nature as disclosed by science and philosophy, with such new statements of the same as we may be impelled to submit; the signs of the times, and the political, social and religious necessities of our own nation and of the world, shall constitute our chief guides in the course of inquiry which lies before us. Among the natural indices to which we shall have special recourse for guidance, the law or doctrine of "Evolution," so called, with certain seemingly necessary modifications of the THE END OF THE AGES. 7 Statements in which it has been put forth to the world, will be held conspicuous as furnishing an important thread of the argument to be pursued. Imperfectly as this doctrine has been understood, and crude as has been the form in which it has most generally been entertained, it has already been success- fully used in the proxim'ate solution of many recondite problems in science and philosophy; and when reduced to a more correct and complete form of statement, its philosophic importance will, in our view, be vastly augmented. It will then constitute a most important and reliable guide to an understanding of the law of progressive development as applicable to all planes of existence, including the planes of national and social life, and of human history generally. It is in respect to these latter planes of existence more especially, that we now propose to invoke its light; and that this light may not be mixed with any flecks of darkness, we here submit the following corrected, extended and definitive statement. 1. The doctrine of Evolution does not necessarily assume, as some have supposed, that the higher forms and gradations of being are the results exclusively or even mainly, of upwardly moving forces resident in primeval forms. Rather on the other hand may it be afifirmed that these higher gradations re- sult from the constant influx of upwardly attracting potencies into these lower and germinal forms, thus gradually lifting them up, so to speak, to higher and still higher degrees and finally bringing them to the maturity of the ultimate form proph- esied in the original type. 2. Evolution, under the action of positive iorcts from above., upon negative and germinal conditions beneath, runs in discrete degrees, each degree distinct in itself, and yet inseparably con- nected with others in the general series or scale to which it belongs. 8 THE END OF THE AGES. 3. These discrete degrees, or separate and distinct grada- tions, are, \Vl principle, the same in all planes of existence, and their order of sequence is precisely the same. 4. The grouping of these gradations or degrees, rising from beginnings to completeness or maturities in all planes of ex- istence, are also the same, and both the degrees themselves and their harmonic and complementary groupings must consist of the same number; so that if we understand the serial evolutions in any given plane, genus, species or form of existence, we may find in that plane, with its component degrees or serial parts, a type and correspondence of all other planes and their com- ponent parts. It becomes a question, then, of the highest philosophical importance, ''''What is the number and order of sequence of the gradations or degrees in each plane of evolutions 2 for upon the answer to that question will rest definitely the chief branch of a new and exceedingly important science, which we have termed, ''^The science of icniversal Correspondences,'' and to which constant appeals will be made in these pages. Many years ago the present author composed and published a volume* in which an attempt was made to show, that the number of degrees in each and every complete scale of evolu- tion, is seven: that the order of their sequence is the same as the order of the seven notes of the diatonic scale in music, and the seven colors of the rainbow, with their harmonics and complementary relations; and that the whole system of crea- tion, constructed on this plan, presents ^ grand series of octaves any one of which, being ascertained, would, in a general way, serve as a type and exponent of all the others, whether upon a higher or lower scale. *The Macrocosm and Microcosm; or the Universe without and the Uni verse within. (This book is now out of print.) THE END OF THE AGES. 9 The conception and demonstration of this grand law brolce suddenly upon the writer's mind so long ago as the year 1848, in a manner and under circumstances which need not here be described. But since then, scientific men have independently discovered and demonstrated so much of this law as relates to the correspondence of colors and musical sounds, found respect- ively in the structure of the rainbow or prismatic spectrum, and in that of the musical scale. So far as we know, the first exposition of this truth that was given to the world through the current journals of science was published by Prof. W. F. Barrett, in the London Quarterly Journal of Science iov ]dLVim.vy^ 1870. The writer illustrates his subject by a diagram, in which the colors of the rainbow, and the notes of the diatonic scale, with the lengths of the waves in the vibrations in each, are set opposite each other, and expressed by numbers. The lengths of the waves of light are expressed in millionths of a millimeter, and the lengths of the waves of sound in the tenor octave, are expressed in numbers of inches; and then both are reduced to a common scale of representative numbers of which the first is 100, — running thus: MILLIONTHS OF MILLIMETERS 685 616 560 i i 513 473 I I 410 362 342^^ I I I Orange Yellow Green Indigo Ultra Violet Actinic 465^ _l_ 75 67 60 S3 50 39 35 31 27^ 26 -o- .^ o -o- IJl i9- 75 67 60 53 50 lO THE END OF THE AGES. Of course the rapidity of vibrations increases in precisely the ratio in which the length of the waves decreases. Thus, if in the music scale, the lowest C of the seven octave piano gives 32 vibrations to the second, (which is the fact), the octave C next above will give 64 in a second, and the next octave above that will give 128; and so on throughout. And so also of the ratio of increase in intermediate gradations. The scales thus being placed in juxtaposition, with the series of indicative numbers in each, it is seen that the progressions and propor- tions are substantially the same in both, as well as the numeri- cal steps of the series. On the basis of these facts. Professor Barrett and scientists generally have concluded that the laiv is the same in both scales. And this is farther and still more absolutely proved by facts which these scientists seem to have overlooked — namely, that in both scales, \.\\^ first, third and fifth, are harmonics. That is, in the color scale, the red, yellow and blue are harmonic colors; and in the music scale, the C, E andG, are harmonic sounds. Moreover, in the color scale, the first and fourth, the second and fifth, and the third and sixth, are complementary colors, so called; and this remark appears to apply equally to the first and fourth, the second and fifth and the third and sixth notes of the music scale. After pointing out the correspondences in the series and progressions in the two scales, Prof. Barrett adds, in a foot note, this striking remark: "This," says he, "appears to be a fundamental law of the universe, viz; That an original impulse of any kind finally resolves itself into periodic motion. Does this not throw light upon the periodic motion of the planets as well as the vibratory motion of atoms ? Possibly in some such way we may hereafter learn to understand the musical role of nature." THE END OF THE AGES. II Just SO, and this is precisely the problem we shall endeavor to solve. If Prof. Barrett had desired to strengthen his argument for the identity of law as present both in the music and color scales, he might have done so by applying the calculus of probabilities as to the same arrangement of gradations with the same order of succession, occurring, or failing to occur, by chance, in both scales. Any arithmetician may make this calculation, by successive multiplications of numbers from i to 7; that is, by multiplying i by 2, and the product of that by 3, and the product of that by 4, and thence onward, in like manner to 7, — when it will appear that, if mere chance were concerned, and not a laiv, the chances that these two scales would not present a strictly corresponding arrangement of gradations throughout, and in every particular, would be as 5039 to I. And then if a third seven fold scale of strictly corresponding gradations and progressions should present it- self anywhere in nature, the calculation would have to be carried forward in like manner from the 7 multiplications to 14, when it would appear that the chances against chance, and in favor of law, would be as 86,938,041,200 to i. And then furthermore, if a fourth, a fifth, a tenth, a fiftieth seven fold series of like arrangements should present itself anywhere in nature, as will be shown is the case, the probabilities of a common law would be increased to infinitude, and even the possibilities of chance would be virtually annihilated. Assuming, therefore, as in view of all these considerations we have a right to assume, that there is a law in the case, and that the law extends beyond the mere scales of color and musical sounds, and has the extreme probability in its faror of being a universal law — we shall proceed without hesitation to apply it in the investigations that are before us — promising the 12 THE END OF THE AGES. reader, that whatever cumulative evidences of the same may still seem desirable, will incidentally and abundantly appear in the course of the following pages. Ere we proceed, however, it seems proper, for a clearer ap- prehension of this law, with its included principles, to submit the following additional and condensed statements: 1. The diatonic scale, as all know, consists of seven notes; the eighth or octave note being simply the Jirst repeated on a higher scale, and as a close in order to satisfy the ear. 2. This same scale, reduced to semi-tonic intervals consists of twelve notes, forming what is called the c/womatic scale. 3. The diatonic scale, as already seen, conspicuously in- cludes a major and minor harmonic triad — the w^y'^r consisting of the. first, third diwd fifth notes, and the jfiinor consisting of the second, fourth and sixth, with a seventh or central note serving, as it were, to pivot them all together. In point of fact there are, besides these two harmonic triads, also two others, not generally recognized, which may be called ordinal \.x\2^A?, — the first consisting of the yfri-/, second zxid. third notes, and the second consisting of the fourth, fifth and sixth — these two triads being joined together by an overlapping interval between the third and fourth notes. Omitting some other principles, which are too recondite for statement in this connection, we have here the conspicuous numbers, 7, 12 and 3. These numbers with their multiples and combinations seem to furnish us the golden key to unlock the mysteries of the harmonics and proportions existing in the structure and movements of the universe, of which fact abund- ant exemplifications will occur as we proceed.* *The numbers 2, 5 and 10 with their multiples and compounds have also an important meaning in the system of nature, but we shall not find it necessary to bring them into any very great prominence in the course of the investiga- tions that are before us. THE END OF THE AGES. I3 Our first important application of this law, here immediately following will be to the Cycles of History, and will show us dis- tinctly the stage of the historical evolutions to which we have now attained, and enable us to predict something of the general nature of the events and changes which lie in the immediate future. CHAPTER II. A NEWLY DISCOVERED LAW OF CYCLES IN HISTORY; AND OUR POSITION IN TIME THENCE DETERMINED. CYCLES OF HISTORY NO. i. THE CYCLE OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC. Discovery of the Law of cycles in history — Many year's fruitless search — Ar- bitrary divisions of time eschewed, and natural ones alone regarded; J discovery of twelve year waves; their demonstration — L Revolutionary and C^a(7i?V period, 1776-1788; Articles of Confederation; Their failure; Convention in 1787 — IL The Organizing period, 1788-1800; Constitution of U. S. Government organized under it. Washington President; Old Federal party — IIL The 7Vi/»«^ period, 1S00-1812; Localization of gov- ernment at Washington; Intrigues of the Mother country — IV. The Me- dian period, 1812-1824; War with England; A higher status acquired; Op- position to Slavery; Era of good feeling in politics; Visit of LaFayette — V. Period of Ideas and Aspirations, 1824-1836; Political and religious segregations; Free Schools; Railroads; Inventions; Speculations — VI. Period of Fruitage, 1836-1848 — Magnetic Telegraph; War with Mexico in the interest of slavery; circle of civilization round the globe completed — VII. Yex\oAoi Ripeness, 1848-1860 — Wheat and tares; Free soil party; F"ailure of compromise between Liberty and Slavery; Repeal of Missouri compromise — Troubles in Kansas — Republican party organized; Author's prediction of qtiasi national death in i860; election of President Lincoln — Secession and Rebellion. "\ T 7HILE engaged in writing my volume, The Macrocosm and * '' Microcosm^ etc., in the year 1852, I became convinced by the overpowering evidence of the universality of this law of seriation and correspondence, that it must apply in some way, also to human history. In other words I perceived the extreme probability, that history proceeds in regular cycles in which. THE END OF THE AGES. 15 from first to last, there is a sevenfold series of differential parts or stages exactly answering to the seven distinctive degrees in the music and color scales, and to all other corre- sponding scales, the nature of which had thus far been ascer- tained. As to the manner of the application of this law to his- tory, however, I could, as yet, form no definite conception. During several of the ensuing years, my most diligent inqui- ries were directed to the solution of this new problem, but without avail. Hypothesis after hypothesis was started, but only to be exploded. I could not make my supposititious periods join together in a naturally diversified and grad- ational series, nor could I make supposed endings and begin- nings join together at the proper transitional points. All merely arbitrary divisions of time had, of course, to be es- chewed, and natural ones alone, demonstrated by the order of actual facts distinctively characteristic of what the several suc- cessive periods in the series of seven, might be supposed to present, had to be sought and regarded. But after beginning almost to despair of ever finding the long sought rule of the historical series, I found myself, one day, casually looking over an old table of the chronology of the American Republic, when I thought I saw the appearance of something like a regular succession of waves or steps, so to speak, in the de- velopment of our own national history. Farther and more careful consideration revealed the fact, that these waves or steps ran in periods of twelve years; and this fact, on mature verification, proved to be the first slender thread by which I subsequently found myself enabled to gradually draw up until within grasp, so much of the grand law of cycles or periodicity in history as relates not only to our own nation and other modern developments of civilization, but to the whole Chris- tian era. l6 THE EXl) OF THE AGES. In order that we may by this rule determine with some de- gree of definiteness our own latitude and longitude upon the sea of time, and ascertain, in a general way, what must nat- urally be our next steps, we will here briefly sketch the his- tory of the discovery and confirmation of this new and highly important law, beginning with the demonstration of the twelve year periods of our own history as the first indices of the more comprehensive facts, and of their serial order of ar- rangement. I. THE REVOLUTIONARY AND CHAOTIC PERIOD. The first twelve year period commenced on the year 1776, when our national independence was declared, and ended on the year 1788, when the constitution of the United States was ratified by the several states; and it may be called the Rev- olutionary and Chaotic Period. It was characterized by the darkness and uncertainty of the revolutionary struggle, and by the disorders of the national government under that loose compact between the states known as the "Articles of Con- federation," which were drawn up in 1777 and intended mainly to hold the states together in alliance against foreign enemies. Seeing the imminent danger of the utter dissolu- tion of the bonds which connected the States, owing to im- perfections in the terms of the original confederation, and the impossibility of enforcing the provision of the articles, a con- vention was called in 1787 to revise the Articles of Con- federation; but finding it impossible to do this in an effective manner, the convention proceeded to draw up the Constitution of the United States. This, on the following year, was adopted by the number of states requisite to carry it into effect, and thus it became the organic law of the nation, con- taining provisions for its own enforcement throughout all the THE END OF THE AGES. 17 sections of the Union; and its adoption formed the fitting climax of the first twelve year period. 2. THE ORGANIZING PERIOD. The Second tvieXve year period extended from 1788, when the constitution wasadopted by the States, to 1800, when the national government become permanently localized at Washington, and the people voted that it should pass out of the hands of the Old Federal party, into those of the National Republicans, sub- sequently called Democrats. It may be called distinctively the Organizing Period. It was during this period that under President Washington and his Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton, the different Departments of the Government were organized with all the essential parts of its machinery, as it has continued with little modification to this day — a work, by the way, which none other than the Federal Party could have accomplished at that time. During the last four years of this period John Adams was President. ^ 3. THE TESTING PERIOD. The Third twelve years, from 1800 to 181 2, during eight of which the Government was under the Presidency of Jefferson, and four under that of Madison, was the period oi practical test of the Governmental machinery previously organized. But the harmony of its proceedings suffered interference from the in- trigues and unfriendliness of the Mother Country, to which we shall have occasion to refer hereafter, and which led to the declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812. 4. THE MEDIAN PERIOD. The Fourth twelve year period, from 1812 to 1824, Madison being President four years and Monroe eight, was a period of 2 l8 THE END OF THE AGES. far greater significance in the piiilosophy of national and so- cial development than space will allow us to fully explain at present. It may suffice here to call it the median and equil- ibrating period, as all fourths being in the middle of the scale of seven, partake of that characteristic. It has sometimes been called "the era of good feeling in politics," and so far witnessed the extinction of all political parties that Monroe was reelected to the Presidency in 1820, with scarcely a dis- senting voice. It witnessed the removal of all fears of ever being re-absorbed by the Mother Country and losing our na- tional independence, and also witnessed the rise of our country to a national and social status higher than before, and more distinctively its own. It witnessed the first faint inception of a movement to secure the equal rights of men without dis- tinction of color, and the commencement of agitations to se- cure these rights which, increasing in violence as time rolled on, finally culminated in a civil war between the northern and southern states. The close of the period was fittingly signalized by the visit to our shores of General LaFayette, the companion in arms of Washington during the Revolution, and a marked revival of the patriotic sentiments of our people of which that event was the occasion. 5. PERIOD OF IDEAS AND ASPIRATIONS. The Fifth twelve year period, from 1824 to 1836, may be called the Period of Ideas and Aspirations. It would seem that during this period the thoughts of men, which had previously run almost entirely in the channels of authority and preced- ent, broke loose from restraint to an extent unexampled in any previous period, and pursued independent directions. These directions were widely divergent, running into both truths and fanaticisms, useful practicalities and subversive ex- THE END OF THE AGES. I9 travagances; and dissentions and disruptions prevailed to a remarkable extent, in the social and religious world, as well as in the political. The period commenced with marked diversifications in the political sentiments of the country, which placed in the field in 1824, no less than four candidates for the Presidency, throwing the election into the House of Representatives, which made choice of John Quincy Adams. It was, perhaps, natural in such a period of individual and social segregation that political ambition and intrigue should prevail to an un- wonted extent. President Jackson, first elected in 1828, com- menced his administration on the succeeding year by inaugu- rating the rule in politics, '■''To the victors belong the spoils T and thenceforth elections became, to a great extent, mere scram- bles for offices and their emoluments, making patriotism a sec- ondary thought, and laying the foundations of all the corrup- tions which down to this moment have disgraced our politics. In financial matters, our people ran wild with speculations, laying the foundation of the great revulsion which occurred in 1837. But this new elasticity of thought was productive of some of the noblest results in other directions; and to it that period owed, in a great measure, the origination of the Free School System, the Temperance Reform; the extension and confirmation of the sentiment in favor of the emancipation of the colored race; a vast number of inventions of labor-saving machinery; the introduction of the Railroad System, and the settlement of vast areas of land previously unoccupied. These two tendencies, good and bad, upward and downward, were sufficiently characteristic of the period, as a period of Ideas and Aspirations^ and served to distinguish it from the periods which preceded and followed. 20 THE END OF THE AGES. 6. PERIOD OF FRUITAGE. The Sixth twelve year period commenced with the election of Martin Van Buren in 1836 and ended in 1848, This was the period of fruitage, the previous period, being relatively that of blossoiimig, and it brought the fruitage both of the wheat and the tares of our political harvest field. Cunning, and intrigue, and time-serving were now inaugurated as the policy of the party in power; the corruption of the ballot box became ineradicable, and political ambition twined itself around the institution of slavery as a column of support, whilst unscrupulously lending support to it in return. Slavery, pampered by politicians and denounced by th*e abolitionists, became rampant and furious, and demanded the annexation of the then Mexican territory of Texas for the extension of its area and the increase of its political power. This project, being accomplished, led to a war with Mexico, which ter- minated in 1848 with the acquisition of New Mexico, Arizona and California, and the extension of our territory to the Pacific Coast. Our national domain was thus rounded out and brought to its mature proportions, while the political and social ideas of our nation, conceived on the plane of the Dec- laration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, also received their mature development about the same time. It was during this twelve year period, viz: in 1844, that the first Magnetic Telegraph line, which connected Washington and Baltimore,* was established, — an invention which when de- veloped to its full working capacities, was destined to bring *Morse invented his process about the commencement of this period, and patented it in 1S37, but it was not until 1844 that it was made a practical affair. THE END OF THE AGES. 2 1 all parts of the earth into almost instantaneous communica- tion. It is a curious thought that about the time Morse was engaged in the invention of telegraphy, developments were taking place in the psychological world which, in the belief of several millions of intelligent persons, have been effectual as farther unfolded in establishing quasi telegraphic communi- cation between this mundane sphere and the invisible realms beyond. It is a farther coincident fact, that with the settle- ment of California, which commenced in 1848, the circle of civilization was, in a sense, completed round the whole globe, render- ing the period a significant one to the whole world as well as to America. But concerning the more perfect connection of this circle of civilization in i860, more will be said in a subsequent chapter. It will also be remembered that the year 1848 was a period of political convulsions which shook all the thrones and dynasties of Europe; and that it was on this year also that sensible demonstrations alleged to be from the spiritual world, began to challenge universal investigation. How wonderful was this period ! and how wonderful were its distinctive developments as characteristic oi just what it ought to be, as a sixth period, according to the natural law, which, in its application to the different gradations of the series will here- after become more and more distinctly apparent! 7. PERIOD OF RIPENESS. The Seventh twelve year period extended from 1848 to i860. It was the period of ripeness, — of the gathering in of the fruits of our political harvest field, and of the separation of the wheat from the tares. The past had witnessed repeated attempts to compromise two social ideas which are essentially antagonistic — Freedom and Slavery. This period was ushered in with the 22 THE END OF THE AGES. organization in 1848 of tiie '^Free Soil Farty^'" whose dis- tinctive principle was opposition to the admission into the Union of any more slave states. On its platform Martin Van Buren accepted a nomination for the Presidency, and thus, by dividing the Democratic vote, caused the defeat of Gen. Cass, and the election of the Whig candidate, Gen. Taylor. The slave power became alarmed and assumed an attitude still more belligerent and dictatorial than it had dared to assume in the past. By the urgency of its demands and the boldness of its menaces, it succeeded in procuring the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law and other compromise measures, by act of Congress. But the laws of nature proved stronger than the acts of Congress, and the compromise not only failed to accomplish its purpose, but all attempts to carry it into effect only tended to exasperate the people of the free states, and to increase the opposition to the institution of slavery. The Missouri compromise was abrogated in 1854, by act of Congress, for the express purpose of opening Kansas and Ne- braska to slavery; and the Republican Fart}\ based upon op- position to the extension of slavery, was organized on the same year. So powerful did this party immediately become, that in 1856, two years after its organization, it nearly suc- ceeded in electing its candidate for the Presidency. Kansas became the battle ground between Freedom and Slavery, and although the whole power of President Buchanan's administra- tion was thrown into the scale of the latter, the battle ended in making Kansas a free, instead of a slave State. It was in 1858 and 1859 that the writer discovered, and arrived at a clear apprehension of the import of this serial succession of twelve year periods in the history of the Ameri- can Republic. It was perceived that each one of these periods stood by itself, distinctly marked with characteristics which be- THE END OF THE AGES. 23 longed appropriately only to itself, and to neither of the others. It was noticed that the first period was actually a first in its very nature; that the second was a second^ the third a thu'd^ and so on to the completion of the series of seven. It was noticed that the order of succession and gradation in these periods was the same, and obeyed the same law, as was exemplified in every other seven fold series which, in my pre- viously published book and otherwise, had been made the sub- ject of analysis and investigation. So perfect seemed this correspondence, and so confident was I that the same law was here present that governed all other scales of seven, that I ventured the prediction, and freely proclaimed it among my friends and daily associates, -that the year i860 would wittiess a change in our nation which would in some sense answer to a national death. When asked what specific event I supposed would take place, I answered that I could not tell, but only felt assured that something would occur on that year which would answer to a national death; and of this prediction I requested them to make a note. The event that did occur was the virtual death of the Union by the secession of South Carolina, followed early in the en- suing year by the secession of several other states, all being prompted to this step by the election to the Presidency of the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, on a platform of op- position to the farther extension of slavery. Civil war followed secession; and we might have gone on to state other predictions, extending still farther into the future, founded upon the basis of this same law; but of these we will speak hereafter when the basic position from which they were made shall have been still farther fortified and the sig- nificance of all these and other facts, not only in respect to our own nation but the world, shall distinctly appear. CHAPTER III. CYCLES IN HISTORY NO. II. First Colonial Cycle, 1608-1692. Discovery of the Cycles of Colonial History — Period I., 1608-1620: Settlement on the James River in 1607-8 — Three times seven times twelve years to 1776 — II., — 1520-1632; Landing of the Mayflower in 1620; Sojourn in Hol- land the previous 12 years — III., 1632-1644: Charter of Maryland to Lord Baltimore in 1632 — Large emigration and colonization at various points; Governmental order; First confederation of New England colonies — IV., 1644-1656: Charter of Rhode Island — Religious liberty; The Cromwellian Commonwealth; Restrictive acts of Parliament; Republicanization — V., 1656-1668: Religious denominations; "Colonies already hardened into re- publics" — -VL, 1668-1680: England's right to tax colonies denied — VII., Characteristics of an £nd; General extinction of Colonial charters; English Revolution. AFTER noticing these seven distinct twelve year waves in our national progress, these seven stratifications in our political geology, these seven days in the creation of our social world, these seven notes in the scale of our ascending move- ments, these seven parts of our political tree — (answering to roots, stem, branches ; leaves, blossoms, fruit and seed) — I could not suppress a desire to know how this law of evolution ap- plied to our Colonial History, as it seemed pretty certain that the law must also apply there, though, perhaps, in a less dis- tinct and definite way, owing to the chaotic nature of the times and facts. If it were necessary to show to the reader, that there is nothing in this theory that is woven out of the fancies supplied by my own imagination, it would be suffi- THE END OF THE AGES. 25 cient to say, that the imagination was actually tested to its full capacity in the endeavor to trace the law in these anterior Y>QV\ods, hnt it utterly failed. In the endeavor to find a salient point in history from which measurements of subsequent periods might be taken according to our law, I went back to the discovery of America by Columbus; to the voyages of the Cabots; the voyage of Americus Vespucius, of John Ponce de- Leon, of Cartier, of Sir Walter Raleigh, and others, but found that by using either of these periods as a point of departure, the whole system was thrown into chaos and confusion. The periods would not come out right, and would not work right in any of these supposed intermediate stages. After spend- ing many months in the fruitless search for the thread of an- terior developments that would pass harmoniously into the seven fold line of periodicity which had been already analyzed and determined, I was about to give it up in despair when the thought occurred to me that I had been on a wild goose chase after a thing which, after all, might lie directly under my nose. ''The proper mode of search for the truth of which I am in quest" thought I, is to inquire, "What is the period of the first successful settlement, by people of our own national an- cestry, and within the territory which subsequently became the United States ?" Imagination having thus failed in the construction of this theory, we will now see what t\\% facts can accomplish. I now recalled the fact that a ship load of English emigrants took up their abode on the James River, Virginia, in the year 1607. But of itself, this incipient settlement of 1607 was unsuccessful. It had none of the elements of success un- til they were supplied by arrivals on the followi?ig ye3.r. It lacked farmers, artizans and men of industrious habits, and consisted of no families and /lo women. Out of the one hun- dred and five persons who arrived in 1607 only about forty were 26 THE END OF THE AGES. living at the commencement of the subsequent year, and these, greatly disheartened, were with difficulty persuaded by Capt. Smith to abandon a resolution they had formed to sail in a little pinnace to the West Indies. FIRST PERIOD 1608-1620. But early in that same year, 1608, Captain Newport sailed into the James River with provisions and more colonists among which were two women; and the settlement was thus provided with the elements of possible success. I now noticed the startling arithmetical fact, that from 1608 to 1776, the period of the Declaration of Independence, there were just three of these periods of seven times twelve or eighty- four years ! How does that happen ? Are we on the track of our long sought discovery, or does this come by chance ? The latter could scarcely be the case, as there are hundreds of chances against it to one in its favor. But let us look at the case a little farther. How about the twelve year periods for instance ? SECOND PERIOD, 1620-1632. In the year 1620, twelve years after the first successful set- tlement in Virginia, the Mayflower landed her colony of "Pilgrim Fathers" on Plymouth Rock. It is another coinci- dence that it was in 1608 that, seeking refuge from persecu- tion this same party had fled from England to Holland, where at Leyden, they resided during twelve years in the enjoyment of religious freedom. But at the end of this time, feeling that they were exiles from their homes, and being unacquainted with the language and customs of the Dutch people, they turned their faces toward America, concerning which they had heard many charming stories, and where they hoped to THE END OF THE AGES. 27 be free from all annoyance in the belief and practice of their religious faith. Another event occurred about the year 1620 (1619), but of a less admirable though scarcely less significant character. A Dutch ship sailed into the James River with a cargo of Negroes on board, which were sold to the colonists; and from that year slavery became established. THIRD PERIOD, 1632-1644. Twelve years after the landing of the Pilgrims, Lord Balti- more, who had previously made an ineffectual attempt to plant a colony in America, secured a charter for Maryland; but as he died about the same time, the charter was issued to his son and heir, Cecil. This was in 1632 (twelve years from 1620); but the first company of emigrants did not sail until December, 1633, and they arrived in March of the following year. They were mostly Roman Catholics, fleeing also from persecution, and seeking religious liberty. The colony, under Leonard Calvert, the brother of the proprietor and governor, was founded upon the most liberal principles, both political and religious, and having paid the Indians for the land they oc- cupied, they were free from the hostility of the surrounding tribes and exempt from the want and suffering by which other early settlements were afflicted. The twelve year period that ensued was characterized by large emigrations to New England; also the crystallization of the crude elements of all the then established colonies into something like governmental order, and the first confedera- tion of the New England colonies (in 1643). FOURTH PERIOD, 1644-1656. The commencement of this period was fittingly characterized by the independent charter of Rhode Island and Providence 28 THE END OF THE AGES. Plantations, procured by Roger Williams, on the basis of tol- eration atid freedom of all religious beliefs. The dodecade (or twelve year period) that ensued was distinguished by the republicanization of the Mother Country and the influence of the same upon the colonies in generating and fixing new ideas of liberty and republican government. The Puritans, under the lead of Oliver Cromwell, rebelled against the arbitrary rule of King Charles, and on the first year of the period, fought a battle against the royal troops at Marston Moor, in which Cromwell was victorious. In 1645 '^^'^^ fought the battle of Naseby, in which Cromwell was again victorious, and King Charles was taken prisoner; in consequence of which event Parliament became supreme. In 1649, King Charles was executed. In 165 1, Cromwell's victory at Worcester made him practically the ruler over the three kingdoms of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland; and in 1653, Cromwell was de- clared Lord Protector. On the other hand, the colonists were, during this period, in- cited to assume grounds more nearly approximating to republi- canism, by acts hostile to their interests, on the part of the parent government. It was this period that witnessed the initiament, by Parliament, of oppressive navigation laws in re- spect to the colonies, which, being renewed from time to time, and provoking protests and discussions, gradually educated the colonists to a knowledge and appreciation of their rights, and finally forced them to assert them in a Declaration of In- dependence. Equilibration in governments, republicanization, is a distinc- tive characteristic of a fourth degree, being the middle of the scale of seven, and this characteristic here appears with suffi- cient distinctness. THE END OF THE AGES. 29 FIFTH PERIOD, 1656-1668. In addition to the characteristics already noted as dis- tinguishing the several periods mentioned, it is deemed worthy of remark, that in the establishment of the first settlement, in 1608, was witnessed the advent of English Episcopalianism; in the second, in 1620, that of Puritanism; in the third, in 1632, that of Roman Catholicism; in the commencement of the fourth period, Roger Williams in establishing religious toleration in Rhode Island, at the same time inaugurated the sect of Baptists. So now the commencement of the Fifth Period, in 1656, was distinguished by the first appearance of the Quakers in Massachusetts — an event which not only had a marked in- fluence upon the immediate history of the times, but was fruit- ful of moral results in subsequent periods. Their persecutions, banishments, martyrdoms and triumphs so reacted against the rigors of Puritanism as to beget a more liberal and charitable public sentiment, and paved the way for the general exercise of a larger freedom of thought. The political and social evolutions of this period are marked by no very striking peculiarities, but such as appear are suffi- ciently in correspondence with characteristics which belong to fifth degrees in all scales of seven, — aspiratory, reaching upward to an eighth note or degree, which is the first in the octave above. The spirit of independence in the colonies experienced a marked development, stimu- lated as it was by the increased burdens imposed by the Navigation Law, which, as amended by act of Parlia- ment in 1663, enjoined the colonies to purchase im- ported merchandise o?ily of England. Partly on account of the dissatisfaction which this act excited among the Colonies, and the spirit of opposition to its enforcement which was developed, 30 THE END OF THE AGES. the Crown, in 1664, appointed commissioners to visit the colo- nies, clothed with judicial powers to settle all matters in dis- pute. The authority of these commissioners was resisted, es- pecially by Massachusetts, and the commissioners returned to England and reported that '■'■the Colonies had already hardened into Republics. ' ' In the Mother Country the Cromwellian Republic came to an end, and in 1660 the monarchy was restored in the person of Charles II., furnishing thus an exemplification on a small scale, of what naturally happens to Republics which have not the virtue, the intelligence and the power to pass upward from their first crude to a second and higher degree of development. SIXTH PERIOD, 1668-1680. This period is distinguished by no strikingly characteristic event, either at its opening or closing year; and yet the develop- ments of the intermediate years are in correspondence with what the serial law assigns to a sixth degree — fruitage — ma- turity. It was during this period that England's policy of exaction from the Colonies was in a certain degree matured as was also that of the Colonies to resist unjust exactions. In 1672 the Navigation Act was made still more onerous. In 1677 Massachusetts denied England's right to tax the Colonies or to make laws, or perform any act of sovereignty toward them. In 1679, the last year of the dodecade, Randolph was sent to enforce the Navigation Law in New England but was vigorously opposed, and finding it impossible to carry out his instructions, returned to England. SEVENTH PERIOD, 1680-1692. This period has in a remarkable degree the distinctive characteristics of an end. This will be seen by a cursory THE END OF THE AGES. 3I review of the events and changes that occurred during the dodecade. There was a crisis both in the affairs of the Colonies and in the affairs of the Mother Country, such as in each case involved the necessity of a 716110 beginning^ or as we say in common parlance, "the turning over of a new leaf." In respect to the Colonies, this crisis involved the actual or practical extinction of their charters, and the absorption of the local government into the Crown of England. To the parent government, the period brought revolution and the change of a dynasty, accompanied with vitally important mod- ifications in the whole spirit and methods of government. The facts, in brief detail, are as follows: In 1684, the charter of Massachusetts was annulled by Charles II., for non-compliance with the Navigation Act. James II. succeeding to the throne on the death of Charles, which happened on the following year, also declared the Massachusetts charter for- feited. He determined that there should be no free govern- ments within his dominions. Accordingly, soon after his accession to the throne, he ordered writs to be issued against the charters of Connecticut and Rhode Island; and in 1686, the middle year of this period, he appointed Sir Edmund Andros Governor-General of all New England, who commenced his administration by the exercise of despotic power. In 1688, New York and New Jersey were added to Andros' jurisdiction ; and for more than two years there was a general suppression of charter governments throughout the Colonies. But the arbitrary and tyrannical conduct of King James at home, provoked the revolution of 1688, by which he was com- pelled to abdicate, and William of Orange, and his wife Mary, ascended the throne soon after. A great change was thus inaugurated in the spirit of English politics. The assumption that kings have a divine right to rule without responsibility to 32 THE END OF THE AGES. their subjects, and to enforce their whims and caprices regard- less of the rights and interests of the people, was rendered no longer possible in the government of England. The English constitution assumed nearly its present form and spirit. The popular will, expressed by Parliament, became potential, and the monarch was shorn of all power except that which was conferred upon him by the laws. The Colonies warmly espoused the cause of the Revolution, and no sooner had the people of Boston heard of the accession of William and Mary to the throne, than they seized and im- prisoned Andros and about fifty of his political associates and sent them back to England under a charge of maladministra- tion of public affairs, and reestablished their Republican Gov- ernment. It deserves a passing notice that it was during this period, viz. in 1682, that Pennsylvania, subsequently and not inappro- priately designated as the "Keystone of the arch of the Union of States," was settled by William Penn and his Quaker followers. Thus Quakerism, which we have seen struggling with Puritan persecutions at the commencement of the Fifth Period, became firmly established. It was at the close of this Period, especially in 1692, that the wonderful psychological phenomena, or rather series of phenomena, occurred, known as the Salem Witchcraft — coinci- dent with similar and still more striking occurrences which happened in France and Sweden about the same time. These phenomena falling exactly within this period, are not without significance as having their parallels at several closing periods of cycles both before and after. If, then, the twelve year Period initiated by the first successful Colonization on the James River in 1608, was 2i first period in the cycle, it seems almost equally clear that the THE END OF THE AGES. ;^$ period from 1680 to 1692, which witnessed the general extinction of Colonial Charters, and also brought about the English Revolution, was a last or ^/lal period of a series. Here, then, we have the first colonial cycle complete, consisting of 7 X 12 = 84 years. But our proofs of the cyclic law are cumulative as we proceed, and we are as yet far short of the point at which we propose to rest our case. CHAPTER IV. CYCLES OF HISTORY NO. III. Second Colonial Cycle, 1692-1776. Struggles for empire in America — Effects on the Colonies — Period I., i6q2- 1704: New Charter to Massachusetts; Extension of territory but with curtailed privileges; New beginning — Causes of alienation — Controversy about salaries of governors — Forebodings of Colonial revolt — II., 1704- 1716: First American Newspaper — Queen Anne's War — Educating the colonies to self-reliance — III., 1716-1728: Government of Maryland restored to Lord Baltimore — New Orleans settled by French — -Designs of French in the West — IV., 1728-1740: Completion of the number of Colonies that subsequently fought in the Revolution — Birth of the leading spirits of that struggle — V., 1740-1752: Cordon of French forts in the West; War between England and France, and Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle; "Ohio company" formed — VI., 1752-1764: New complications; The "French and Indian War" — Expulsion of the French from all America except Louisiana, in 1763 — British Supremacy — Fruitage — VII., 1764- 1776: Seeds of revolution in oppressive acts of Parliament; Discontent and fermentation — British troops fire on Boston citizens; Cargoes of tea destroyed — Battles of Lexington and Bunker' Hill — Reflections and summing up of evidence — " Eureka! " 'T^HIS second Colonial Cycle was characterized by the ^ struggles of European monarchs for empire in America, and by frequent and prolonged wars between England and France. Between these contestant powers, the Colonies were a third party and for their own protection against the harrassing raids of the French and their Indian allies, they were kept under arms a large portion of the time. While the effect of this was, of course, disastrous to the commercial and financial interests of the Colonies, it served to impress upon them a deeper sense of their own importance and self-dependence, THE END OF THE AGES. 35 and to educate them for the final struggle by which they became a united and independent Nation. The vicissitudes of the wars between foreign powers, of which they were, for the most part, at once the theater and object, contributed in some degree to disarrange and chastify, so to speak, the different evolutions or stages of progress in which we have heretofore witnessed the distinctive characteristics of twelve year periods, as forming a connected series of seven. A close analysis of events, however, discloses the fact that the law of the series applies here as well as to the two cycles previously examined; but it will be sufficient for us to exhibit only a few general and salient points. FIRST PERIOD, 1692-1704. This Period commences with the issue of a new charter to Massachusetts, in which its territory is extended to the St. Lawrence on the north, to Nova Scotia on the east, including Maine, and west to the "South Sea," whatever thatmaymean, excepting New Hampshire and New York. It also included Plymouth, which till then had been a separate Colony, and Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. But with this vast extension of its territory the political liberties of the people were greatly restricted, and consisted almost wholly in the privilege of electing their representatives. The King reserved to himself the right of appointing Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and the Secretary of the Colony; and of repealing the laws within three years after their passage. The Governor also had the power to reject any law that might be displeasing to him; to appoint all military and judicial officers, and, at his pleasure, to adjourn, or even dissolve the Legislative Assembly. And so if it may be said that Massachusetts, with the provinces 36 THE END OF THE AGES. now included in lier vastly extended territory, entered on a new beginning^ it may with equal truth be said that that beginning so far as political liberty was concerned was at the bottojH. Changes in the governmental affairs of the Colonies outside of the Massachusetts territory, though not so great and of a different character, were yet such as to bear out this idea of a new beginning, and to characterize this period as the first of some new series. But the government of England failed to estimate correctly the spirit of the people upon whom these onerous restrictions were imposed, and instead of uniting the Colonies more closely to the crown, as was intended, these very measures, by irritat- ing and alienating the people still farther, were really among the principal causes which, by persistence and farther aggravation, led to the final separation of the Colonies from the Mother Country. And thus, in the very beginning of this cycle, were the seeds planted which at its close produced the fruits of revolution. Before the close of this twelve year period, viz., in 1703, the recoil of the public sentiment against these usurpations took occasion to manifest itself in the matter of the salaries of the Governors. The Massachusetts Legislature virtually said to the king, "You have appointed your Governor over us to do your own work, and not ours, it is therefore your business, and not ours, to pay him for his services;" and thus arose a contro- versy with the parent government which lasted formany years. It was in this initial period, moreover, that expression was given by the parent government, of the first foreboding of a final revolt and separation of the Colonies, and for the purpose of forefending such an event, a bill was, in 1701, introduced into the House of Commons, to unite all chartered governments to the crown. This bill, however, was defeated. THE END OF THE AGES. 37 SECOND PERIOD, 1704-1716. The commencement of this period may, perhaps, be con- sidered as sufificiently signalized by the establishment of the first American Newspaper, the Boston Newsletter — an event which, though at first seeming of little importance, was really an initiament of one of the most important instrumentalities of modern education and social and national progress. This period also covered almost the whole duration of "Queen Anne's War," as it was termed, between Great Britain and France, which commenced in 1702 and ended with the peace of Utrecht in 17 13. In this war the French, operating from Canada, with their Indian allies, were a perpetual menace to the colonies, and offensive and defensive hostilities were carried on which, though disastrous to the industry and finances of the colonies, served to educate them in the arts of war, to increase their sense of self-dependence, and to show their importance to Great Britain as a cooperative power against the French. THIRD PERIOD, 1716-1728. This Period has no developments which very distinctively segregate it from the others, owing perhaps, to the combined influences acting upon it from without, both from the French and the English. It, however, witnessed a continuation of the contests between Massachusetts and the parent government on the question of the governor's salary, with a renewal of which controversy the Period opens in 1716. On the same year, also, the government of Maryland, which had been ab- sorbed by the crown, was restored to Lord Baltimore. In 1717 New Orleans was settled by the French. In 1721 the French conceived a design of monopolizing trade with the 38 THE END OF THE AGES. Indians, and projected a cordon of forts through the West to connect Canada with Louisiana. Thus French influence be- came established, and the colonies became a more distinct factor in the settlement of disputes between them and the English. FOURTH PERIOD, 1728-1740. This Period, being the middle of the scale of seven, ought to present something characteristic of its equilibrating position. The great interior, spiritual and divine forces of development were partially concealed under the coverings of mixed sur- face developments during some of the intermediate periods of this cycle, but here a providential intimation of them, and of their ultimate outworkings, becomes intelligible in the comple- tion of the number of Colonies which subsequently fought in the Revolution, and in the birth of most of the leading spirits that took part in that struggle. Thus in 1733, Georgia was settled, which afterwards counted as the thirteenth State. George Washington was born in 1732; John Adams in 1735; Patrick Henry in 1736; John Hancock and Thomas Paine in 1737. And so the births of nearly all the signers of the Dec- laration of I^idepeiidence^ and the leaders of the armies of the Revolution, either fall within this period, or only a little be- fore or a little after it, being about equally divided as to their anterior or posterior dates. Here, then, is the Revolution in the first distinguishable and slumbering form of its foetal state. FIFTH PERIOD, 1740-1752. This is a Period of still more definite conflicting ideas and aspirations between France, England and the Colonies. It commences with the defeat of the Chickasaws in the West by the French, and the accomplishment of their long cherished THE END OF THE AGES. 39 design of establishing a cordon of forts tlirough that region, connecting Canada with Louisiana — aspiring through that means to ultimately unite all North America with the crown of France. In 1744 another war was proclaimed between Eng- land and France, which ended with the treaty of Aix-la-Chap- elle in 1748. In 1750 the "Ohio Company" was formed, re- ceiving a grant by the British Parliament, of six hundred thousand acres of land about the Ohio River. This company immediately caused their lands to be surveyed, and com- menced trading with the neighboring Indians. SIXTH PERIOD, 1752-1764. The events both of the opening and the close of this period are of a striking character. The French protested against the occupancy by the Ohio Company of lands which they claimed as their own, and seeing that their remonstrances were unheeded, they seized some of the English traders and imprisoned them in one of their forts. The traders com- plained to the Governor of Virginia that their chartered rights had been invaded and Washington, now only twenty-two years old, and appearing for the first time in history, is des- patched by the Governor with a letter to the French Com- mandant, warning the intruders to quit English territory. The refusal to heed this warning led to other complications, and finally, in 1756, to another formal declaration of war by England against France. This war, known as the Frejich mid India?i War, ended in 1763 with the expulsion of the French from all American territory except Louisiana; with the occu- pation by the English of all Canada, and with the termination of all controversies with that nation concerning American possessions from that time forth. Here, then, we have in a striking degree the characteristics of a sixth development — 40 THE END OF THE AGES. fruitage — maturity — the fruitage or final result of all contests between the British and French for the possession of the Northern portion of America and, it may be said, the completion of the education and development of the Colonies to take a decisive and independent step of their own. SEVENTH PERIOD, 1764-1776. Here we have the gradual evanishing of the old cycle or octave of historical developments, and its emergment into a new one — the cycle of our independent republican history already reviewed and illustrated. On the very year 1764 and just twelve years before the Declaration of Independence, the British Parliament commenced that course of oppressive legislation in reference to American import duties and taxes which rendered resistance and a final breach between the two countries inevitable. In 1765, the act known as the "Stamp Act" was passed, and a colonial congress to discuss grievances was held at New York. In 1767, new taxes were imposed by Parliament. In 1768, Massachusetts requested the cooperation of other Colonies in resisting these impositions, and a conven- tion was holden in Boston. On the same year, two regiments of British soldiers were stationed in Boston to overawe the citizens and assist the Custom House officers in the collection of revenue. In 1769 a non-importation agreement was entered into by all the Colonies. In 1770, which was the middle year of the period^ British troops fired upon some citizens who had in- sulted them and killed four of them — this being the first blood spilt in the controversy. In 1773 cargoes of tea were de- stroyed in Boston harbor, by the citizens, to prevent it being sold to the people. In 1774 the port of Boston was closed by act of Parliament; and a Continental Congress was holden in Philadelphia. In 1775, the battles of Lexington and Bunker THE END OF THE AGES. 41 Hill were fought, and on the fourth of July, 1776, X.\\^ Declara- tion of Independence was proclaimed^ and the new Cycle was inaugu- rated. Here, then, we have, from the first successful English settlement in America in 1608, to the ostensible dissolution of the American Union in i860, three cotnplete cycles, each con- sisting of seven dodecades or twelve year periods. In each, the do- decades rise from one to seven in the same order of natural progress, in which the characteristics of (^i?g"/«;//«^j-, middles^ and endings are specially conspicuous, and those characteristics which are necessary to the intermediates of these, are scarcely less manifest. Period number one of each of these cycles is in characteristic correspondence to period number one of all the others; number two, to number two, and so of all the other numbers; and the whole is in correspondence with the order of the series as found in all other departments of nature. Here the system stands before you, reader, not as a theory in- vented by man., but as a grand, complex, harmonious and in- tensely beautiful Fact whxch. God alone could have originated; and can you wonder at the enthusiasm of the writer which im- pelled him to shout "Eureka!" at the top of his voice on find- ing himself the humble discoverer of so grand and magnificent a Truth ? But though the series of Cycles here exhibited seemed un- questionably correct and self-demonstrative, I found after- wards that it was incomplete., even as respects the history of modern civilization. But before making this discovery and instituting a search for the missing member, the inquiry took a larger scope, attended with a still grander discovery, the ex- position of which will be next in order. A missing cycle of 84 years will be pointed out afterwards, when its position and distinctive characteristics can be better understood. CHAPTER V. CYCLE OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA, ITS GRADED SUB-CYCLES, AND WHEN CLOSED. Another long and discouraging search — New unit of 252 years — First Period, 1-252: The chaotic and propagating Period — Declining Roman Empire and irruption of Barbarians — Significant Confederation of Frank tribes — Second Period, 252-504: The period of forms and transformations; Con- version of Constantine; Clovis, victorious and converted, becomes the first French monarch; whole French nation converted — This ends the period — Third Period, 504-756: Power and dominion acquired; Pope of Rome declared universal Bishop; His temporal power established by Pepin, King of France in 756 — Fourth Period, 756-1008: Events character- istic of the period; The church and the world; The dark age; Light from a non-Christian quarter — Abderaman, the Moor, founds a kingdom in Spain, also in 756 — Arts and sciences cultivated by the Moors and dis- seminated through Europe during subsequent centuries; Empire of Char- lemagne; Feudalism — Checks on the power of kings; Origin of baronial castles; Equilibration; Quasi republic of co-equal barons; Modern Europ- ism rises from old Romanism; Panic concerning the end of the world — Fifth Period, 1008-1260: Tendencies to rise; Ambition of Popes; The crusades; The good incidentally accomplished thereby; Local schools formed; Revival of learning; Chivalry; Elevation of the common people; Popular combinations; Origin of civic Republics; Levantine commerce; Afagna Chartaj English House of Commons established in 125S; Corre- spondence to other fifths; Papal power the bond of the Christian world — Sixth Period, 1260-1512: Decline of papal power over kings; Philip the Fair rebukes Boniface VIII. — Origin of the "great schism;" Ecclesias- tical arts and adornments; Cathedrals; The church sinks into a moral stu- por; Academies, colleges and universities; Libraries; Art of Printing; Civil and social conditions improve; A " tiers etai;" The Hanseatic League; Improvements in navigation; The magnetic needle and the stars as guides; Dreams of Columbus; His Discovery of America; Significant ending of the Sixth Period — Seventh Period, 1512-1764: A crisis necessitating a change; Vices and crimes of the popes and corruption of the Roman Church; Threat of Louis XII. ; Reform Councils called at Pisa in 1511 and THE END OF THE AGES. 43 in Rome in 1512; These fruitless; Sale of indulgences; Luther aroused and the religious revolution inaugurated; The philosophy of this great change; Why the year 1764 was the fitting period of the close — Disclosures of Swedenborg — Era of Science; Priestly; Herschel; Mesmer; Gall and Spurz- heim,; Hutton; Werner; LaPlace; Hahnemann; Daguerre; Morse; Ker- choff and Bunsen — Spectroscope. A FTER thus tracing out these smaller cycles, and proving ^ * their existence by an array of evidence which seemed im- pregnable, the question naturally arose, [How does this law of cycles apply to the whole Christian Era ? If we can discover and clearly demonstrate its application in this extended iield of in- quiry, and ascertain to what point in the included grand seven fold series of historical evolutions we have now arrived, we shall, indeed, be within reach of logical and prophetic results of unspeakable importance. Here, then, was forced upon our attention a vastly more comprehensive and interesting prob- lem; but again the line of inquiry seemed covered with im- penetrable darkness. Hypothesis after hypothesis again was started, but only to be exploded. My supposititious periods again refused to work with each other without chaos, con- fusion and the utter absence of a natural order of series of anything like coequal numbers of years. Unfortunately (and yet fortunately on account of incidental results) I set out with the preconceived thought that this Grand Cycle must necessa- rily end with the year i860. But I found that 7 would not divide into this number without a remainder, that 12 would divide into it with a quotient of 155, and 3 with a quotient of 620 years; but that neither of these numbers would work into the actual facts of history in any serial order of natural division. I tried other numbers than i860 which I supposed might pos- sibly be terminal, but with no better results; and after thus groping about for more than three years and almost abandon- ing the quest in despair, it suddenly occurred to me, as if it 44 THE END OF THE AGES. were the thought of a higher intelligence dropped into my mind, to take the numbers I already had, 7, 12 and 3, and work on them, and let the terminal period take care of itself. Now 7 periods of 12 years, of course make 84 years; and the 3 cycles of 84 years each, which we have already ascertained make 252 years. (Thus 7 X 12 x 3=252). According to the law by which the first three and the second three co-ordinate and consecu- tive members of any given series form a complex unit; rep- resented by the double triangle, or six pointed star, I now considered my three ascertained cycles of 84 years making 252 years, as forming a one in the septave of the Grand Cycle which I was seeking to discover. Now 252 multiplied by 7, gives 1764; and the series of periods each of 252 years dura- tion, would stand thus; 1-252-504-756-1008-1260-1512-1764. How will this arrangement work with the facts of historical periodicity ? I first inquire, what is there in the year 1764 to distinguish it as the etid of one age and the begi?!/iuig of another ? and 1 soon found that which excited my surprise and deepest interest. But we will leave that part of the subject for a brief elucidation hereafter, and proceed to ascertain whether our intermediate periods of 252 years each are periods m fact 3.?, well as in theory. The question as to the exact year on which Christ was born, concerning which there is confessedly some little doubt, may here be neglected as of little consequence. The period fixed in the received chronology cannot be more than three or four years out of the way at the farthest; and it must be considered that in the revolutions of cycles there may be slight circum- stantial retardations and accelerations which will sometimes throw critical events a little out of the exact point of time at which they ought to occur, while by the average duration of a number of successive periods, the law of periodicity will stand THE END OF THE AGES. 45 perfectly affirmed. We will take our era, then, as it has been universally received since the sixth century, and we will stai-t from the year i as being the point de facto and thus providen- tially, as it were, fixed for the beginning. Considering Christianity, then, as the moral or spiritual force which underlies the evolutions of the Era now to be brought under a rapid and very general review — for such it was in point oi fact, whatever questions materialists may entertain respect- ing its truthfulness — we will note the successive steps of its grand march down the course of time, with the ecclesiastical, political and social phases distinguishing each. FIRST PERIOD, I-252. The period commencing with the year i, and ending with Che year 252, may be appropriately termed the relatively chaotic period of the Christian Era. It was the period of propaga- tion, of the planting of churches; of struggles, trials and per- secutions; of apologies, and religious controversies with the heathens; and of independent action of local churches, bishop- rics, and ecclesiastical organizations. The church was not yet a compactly organized Unit, as it afterwards became. The Roman Empire with its Pagan ecclesiasticism, which, at the commencement of the era, was at the zenith of its power and glory, and which was to be the subject of conquest and appro- priation by the moral power of the new doctrine, soon after the commencement of this Period began to take the down- ward steps of old age and decrepitude. While this retrograde change in old Rome was going on, new enemies were being prepared for her from without, which in a subsequent age were to become converts and allies of the Christian Church; and all this by the operation of those laws which govern un- 46 THE END OF THE AGES. foldings and interactions in the great Body of Humanity as a Whole. The closing part of this period and beginning of the next, was fittingly characterized by a confederation of seven tribes of Franks for the purpose of mutual protection against their enemies, and to carry on perpetual warfare against the Roman Empire. These people, inhabiting the country of the lower Rhine, first make their appearance in history about the year 241. The Confederation referred to was initiated about the year 250, and probably attained to organic completeness about the year 252; as it appears they made their first incur- sion into Gaul in the year 255. This compact of tribes was the gerjn of the French nation which, in after times, as we shall yet see, sustained such an important complementary relation to the Roman Church, and in other respects was for centuries a most important element in the politics of Europe. SECOND PERIOD, 252-504. If the first period was relatively a chaotic period, this is a period of Forms and transformations, or the destruction of old forms and the establishment of new. The simple original Christian faith was, during this period, elaborated into a variety of definite, doctrinal forms, both heretical and ortho- dox according as judged by this or that standard of thought subsequently adopted. These diversities of views led to pro- longed and sometimes bitter disputes between different teach- ers', and thence to ecclesiastical Councils by which the great leading catholic doctrines were defined and set forth in es- sentially the same fundamental forms in which they have con- tinued to be received in the Church through all subsequent times. An event of great importance both to the Church and to the THE END OF THE AGES. 47 political government occurred in the conversion of the Em- peror Constantine about the year 318, who soon after that date published laws and edicts favorable to the new religion, which gave it an undisturbed footing throughout the Roman Empire. Events in the outer world from the beginning to the end of this period, had a tendency consistent with that of develop- ments occurring in the Church. Constantine decided to remove the seat of Empire to Byzantium, which he rebuilt and called Constantinople, after his own name, leaving the western part of the Empire a prey to turbulent factions and to ambitious aspirants for imperial honors; and after being weakened by the assaults of its foes without, and the demoralization of its worse foes within, the Western Empire was finally overthrown by Odoacer, who marched with his hosts into Italy in 476. The confederation of Franks which, as we have seen, was formed at the close of the last period, had become crystallized, and prepared for its intended work by about the year 252; and three years afterwards it made its first incursion into Gaul. Thenceforward, as opportunities favored, this newly formed power continued to make occasional and formidable raids into the dominions of the Romans, until by a victory of Clovis, their leader, over the Roman general Syagrius at Sois- sonsin486, they succeeded in driving the Romans entirely out of Gaul, which this general had continued to hold for ten years after his imperial master, Romulus Augustulus, had been de- throned. In 496 Clovis gained a victory over the Allemanni at Tolbiac, near Cologne, immediately after which he was baptized into the Christian faith and anointed by St. Reme- gius. He then placed a crown on his own head at Rheims, and by this act became the founder of the Frefich Monarchy. In the example of embracing Christianity he was followed soon after by almost the whole French nation. These events, the 48 THE END OF THE AGES. significance of which will become more apparent as we pro- ceed, fittingly mark the close of a Period, the commencement ai'l intermediate stages of which, as we have seen, were characterized by occurrences befitting a second period in a series, in which forms and transformations rise out of primal and relative chaos. THIRD PERIOD, 504-756. This is a Period distinguished by the more definite acquisi- tion of power and dominioji by the ecclesiastical and political forms which, in their secular modifications, were to rule the Grand Cycle. It commenced with the inauguration of the French Monarchy, and thus with the establishment of a politi- cal power which, during subsequent ages, and so long as it re- mained intact, served as a patron and support, and in two or three instances, as we shall see, as a restraint to the Popedom. It would almost seem that there was something prophetic of this perpetual liason between the two powers, in the title, ^''Most Christian Majesty and eldest son of the Church^'" which the Pope conferred upon Clovis immediately after his baptism and anointing, which title was ever afterwards borne by the kings of France. Thenceforward the aggrandizement of the See of Rome was progressive without interruption, not only from the support and comfort derived from the French Monarchy, but from other causes. In the latter part of the sixth century we find Popes Pelagius II. and Gregory the Great disputing the eccle- siastical supremacy with the Bishop of Constantinople, and claiming to be the true universal Bishop. In 602 Phocas, the tyrant Emperor of Constantinople, in compliance with the re- quest of the Roman Pontiff, formally declared him Universal Bishop. THE END OF THE AGES. 49 Though the Byzantine Emperor had long ceased to have any control in Western Europe, Belisarius, a general of Justinian, reconquered Rome and the adjacent provinces in 537, which were subsequently put under the government of an Exarch or Viceroy, having his seat at Ravenna. This Exarchate was conquered by Astolphus, king of the Lombards in 752; from him it was taken in 755 by Pepin, King of France, who do- nated it to the Pope of Rome on the same year and confirmed the gift in 756, the very year which ends our Third Period and begins a Fourth. This donation of Pepin to Pope Stephen III., was the origin of the temporal power of the Popedom., which contin- ued through subsequent centuries with slight interruptions, until the wars between France and Germany in 1870 compelled Napoleon III. to withdraw his troops from Rome. FOURTH PERIOD, 756-IO08. If any of our readers should be disposed to regard our divi- sions of time as arbitrary or artificial, they are invited to con- sider the marked events with which this period begins, and the peculiar characteristics which distinguish it throughout. The union of the temporal with the spiritual power — of the sceptre with the cross and keys — of the Church with the world — what event could have foreshadowed more striking de- velopments in the course of subsequent time ? And if a union of these two extremes was ever to come, what more appropri- ate place for it to occur than right here, in the middle of the scale between these two extremes, or in the Fourth Period of the scale of seven ? After this, of course, we may expect spiritual matters to become temporalized, and temporal mat- ters to become ecclesiasticised if not spiritualized, until the distinctive characteristics of both are measurably lost. It is a matter of no surprise that the point of the lowest ebb in the tide of human affairs, both temporal and spiritual, should 4 50 THE END OF THE AGES. soon be reached under this confounding of antagonizing forces; and hence the period now to be briefly traced is one that should be eminently characterized as the "dark age." The spirituality of the Church now becomes, in a great de- gree, immersed and lost in the spirit of this world, and practi- cal religion degenerates into the mummery of external forms, ceremonies and obedience to the dicta of the ecclesiastical rulers. The arts, sciences and literature of old Rome, neg- lected and despised, became buried and lost in the debris of the ruined empire, and ignorance covered the earth like a pall. But as if for the purpose of arresting this teadency at some future stage of its downward course, another event, important in its outgoings to the future centuries, occurred on the very year which begins our present period, and coincident with the assumption of the sceptre by the Pope. It was on that year that Abderaman, called also Almansor, the Moor, founded an independent kingdom in Spain. From the year 712, a por- tion of Spain increasing in extent, had been in possession of the Moors, which was governed by emirs subordinate to the viceroy of Africa; but civil wars prevailing among the Moham- medans, transferring the Galifat of Bagdad to another family, gave to Abderaman the opportunity of renouncing his allegi- ance to his former masters, and setting up his independent kingdom in 756. He established his residence at Cordova, which he made the seat of the arts, sciences and all branches of learning which were so zealously cultivated by the Moham- medans of the East of that age. From this Moorish seminary, teachers were furnished who, during the ensuing centuries, blessed Christian Europe with their acquisitions in the arts and sciences, and to their influence, in a high degree, Christen- dom owed the revival of learning which took place in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries. THE END OF THE AGES. 51 Cha7-leviagne^ the son and successor of Pepin, was crowned and anointed Emperor by the Pope in the year 800. This event was considered as the ideal revival of the Roman Em- pire, but it proved to be, in many respects, a totally different affair, both in form and spirit. By the subsequent conquest of the Saxons, the Empire of Charlemagne was made to em- brace Germany, as it had previously been extended over the greater part of Italy. One of the chief features in the political and social con- ditions of the Empire of Charlemagne, which distinguished it from the Empire of Rome, consisted in the institution of Feu- dalism. The germs of this institution, if such it may be called, appeared immediately after the incursions of the north- ern tribes into the provinces of the Roman Empire. The military commanders by whose aid the conquests of these provinces had been made, were rewarded by their kings by apportionments of land to be occupied by themselves and their retainers, on condition that in war they would each furnish the king a certain quota of troops to serve for a given period of time. During the Period now under review, these little powers within the great or kingly power, crystallized and came to that degree of perfection which furnished a marked characteristic of the civilization of that age and the ages fol- lowing. These petty chieftains, under the several titles of Dukes, Barons, Governors of provinces. Counts, Marquises, etc., each exercising regal powers in his own particular domin- ions, would make laws, establish courts of judicature, coin money in his own name, and levy war against his private en- emies. The king had little more control over them than to summon them to military service in case of war, to judge them in his courts by their assembled peers, and to confiscate their estates in case of rebellion. Consequently, when agreed 52 THE END OF THE AGES. among themselves, they could make or unmake kings, and thus were often an important check upon the use or abuse of royal power. Their frequent contentions with each other, carried on according to an acknowledged right of private war- fare, necessitated contrivances for self defence, and hence originated during this period, almost all those old baronial castles the ruins of which still appear in Germany and some parts of France. The equilibrating phenomenon which occurs in the fourth or middle degree of all scales of seven, here appears in this quasi Republic of coequal barons or feudal lords as contrasted with the king; and though the masses of the people were enslaved, and ignorance, violence and rapacity prevailed everywhere, a common aspiration grew out of these very conditions which, though faint at first, and scarcely discernable, was destined by its increased unfolding as time rolled on, to work out some of the most important results for Europe and humanity. Charlemagne himself, after attaining to imperial dignity, was actuated by a laudable desire to improve the intellectual condition of his subjects, and to this end he invited to his court learned men from different countries, and commanded the bishops to establish local schools for the instruction of the young. These efforts, however, were of little avail as the time for their success had not yet arrived. But- from the Empire of Charlemagne, and the perfected feudalism of the times, we wit- ness the spectacle of modern Europisni begifining to rise up out of the shell of old Romanism, much as the animal kingdom at a fourth and corresponding period of the great geological Cycle, rose, through the amphibious forms of tadpole, frog, and salamander, from the tenantry of the ccean to become denizens of the earth and upper air. The end of this Period was characterized by a great panic THE END OF THE AGES. 53 which prevailed throughout Christian Europe, caused by the apprehension that the world would be destroyed at the end of the thousand years, in fulfilment of a prediction recorded by St. John in the Apocalypse. Under the terror of this delusion, many transferred their property to the churches and monas- teries, and devoted themselves as slaves to the priests; and on the appearance of an eclipse of the sun or moon, multitudes of people would hide themselves in caves and other dark and sequestered places. FIFTH PERIOD, IO08-I260. Fifths in all scales of seven, in whatever department of na- ture, have the general characteristic of an aspiratory or uplifting tendency, as though seeking some desirable and as yet un- attained point of dignity which has just been brought into dis- tant view. Thus the fifth note in the musical scale according to harmonic law, seeks the eighth, which is the first of a new octave; and the blossom, which is the fifth development of the plant, has for its objective point the development of the inci- pient form of the new plant as contained in the ripened seed. We shall find this aspiratory and uprising tendency exempli- fied in a marked degree, in this fifth Period of our grand his- torical Cycle. In this view, we are borne out by a remark of Russell, who says: "The utmost point of decline society seems to have attained, was about the beginning of the eleventh cen- tury; when disorders of the feudal government, together with the corruptions of taste and manners consequent upon these, were arrived at their greatest excess; and accordingly from that era we can trace a succession of causes and events which, with different degrees of influence, contributed to abolish anarchy and barbarism, and introduce order and politeness." (Hist. Mod. Europe, Vol. I., Letter XVIII.) 54 THE END OF THE AGES. The Ecclesiasticism, which in the previous ages had been content to remain subordinate to the civil power, now be- comes ambitious and aspires to supremacy. Mosheim in his Church History, Century XL, Part 11. , Chap. II., §2, says: "The power and majesty of the Roman Pontiffs attained their greatest height during this century; yet it was by gradual ad- vances, and with great difficulties. * * * With incessant efforts they strove to be acknowledged as not only the sov- ereign legislators of the church, superior to all councils, and the divinely constituted distributors of all the offices, and dis- pensers of all the property belonging to the church, but also — what was the extreme of arrogance — to be acknowledged as lords of the whole world, and the judges of kings, or kings over all kings." These ambitious aspirations were carried to their extreme point of practical realization by Hildebrand, a man of extraordinary firmness and ability who, under the title of Gregory VII., occupied the papal chair from 1073 to 1085. The Pope's bull of excommunication against an emperor was now considered sufficient to absolve his subjects from their allegiance to him, and caused them to avoid his presence as one tainted with an infectious disease, as was exemplified in several instances; and in 1176 we find this papal supremacy still illustrated in the phenomenon of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa holding the stirrup of Pope Alexander III., as he mounted his horse. So much for the aspirations and uprisi?tgs in that direction. The superstition and fanaticism of this age gave birth to that wonderful phenomenon known as the Crtisades, commencing in 1096, and continuing, intermittently in seven successive spasms, till 1249. The object of these wars was to recover Jerusalem and the Sepulcher of Christ from the possession of the Saracens. Reverence and rage, love and hate, devotion THE END OF THE AGES. 55 and brutal passion — all the elements of human nature in its then low and undeveloped state — were summoned to put forth their utmost efforts for the achievement of that great end. The undisciplined hordes of Europe were precipitated upon the shores of Palestine. Millions of lives were lost in the struggle from first to last; and though victory crowned the Christian army, it was, in itself, neither important nor en- during. But this unseemly ebullition in the heart of the ages was productive of great good in another way. It brought the im- pure elements of human society to the surface, whence they could be removed. As the atmosphere, after a protracted and sultry calm, during which it has gathered noxious miasms, con- centrates its forces in the tornado, and discharges its poisons in exploding thunder, so was the stagnation of a dark and morally sultry age broken by that social tornado called the Crusades; and after all was over, the minds of men came out clearer and brighter, with new ideas and aspirations, and with new points of departure. Even the early part of this period witnessed a slight awak- ing of the human intellect. Local schools began to be formed during the first half of the eleventh century, but as yet they were neither numerous nor attended with any marked success. In the following century they increased in number and im- proved in quality, and began to be a sensible influence for the common good. The old works of Roman literature, that for centuries had been buried in the cloisters, began to be brought forth and studied. The arts and sciences, cultivated by the Moors of Spain, became more frequently the subjects of inquiry and study; and thus the age came to be distinguished by after historians, as ^Hhe age of the revival of lea^-ning.'" One of the beneficial institutions growing up in the eleventh 56 THE END OF THE AGES. century, the governing sentiment of which was afterward greatly stimulated by the experiences of the crusades, was that of Chivalry or Knighthood. Its chief animus was a senti- ment of personal honor, a love of warlike adventure, especially in single combat, a lofty devotion to the female sex, and a general refinement and politeness of manners. That which is admired by all will be imitated by some; and though these sen- timents were often carried to fanatical and ridiculous excesses by the knights, the general influence of the order was to modify the asperities of manners in a rough and barbarous social state. There was also, during this Period, a decided elevation of the condition of the common people, partly as a reaction against the oppressions of their masters and partly as the ap- propriation of their share in the common results of general progressive developments. The feudal aristocracy and the bishops owned almost all the land, and the powerful barons, each having numerous retainers, despised all employment ex- cept that of war, and obeyed no laws except the laws of honor which they themselves had created. They looked upon those who were engaged in peaceful employments as ignoble and created only to obey and serve. Hence the common people, especially in the early part of this period, were constantly sub- ject to oppression and violence from the lordly classes, from which they could find no escape but in combination for mutual protection. Small cultivators of lands, whose produce was open to raids commanded by the barons, sometimes found means to purchase the protection of the counts until they ac- quired that power of self protection which accompanies accu- mulated wealth; while the artizans and mechanics banded to- gether, built high walls around their clustered habitations, which became cities; established their own forms of govern- THE END OF THE AGES. 57 ment, as little Republics, and there pursued their various trades and manufacturing employments, and grew wealthy, in- telligent and in general sufficiently powerful to protect them- selves against invaders. At subsequent times, these cities, corporations and guilds would confederate, as necessity might seem to require, for mutual protection against their enemies. ''Associations which, to the best men, appeared the only means of security against the disorders of the times, became so universal that almost everywhere, persons of the same trade or profession were closely united, and had certain laws and regulations among themselves." These little star- gleams out of the night of the ages, may prove useful indices to those who are groping in the darkness of social problems still unsolved, and which have become of special importance at this very hour. The political and social conditions of the common people improved from other causes. Commerce with the Levant arising from necessities created by the Crusades, enriched re- publican cities, and added to their power and importance. In 1215, the nobility and people of England forced King John to sign the Magjia C/iarta Liber taium, or Great Charter of Liberty, which, by restricting kingly power, secured important privileges to all classes of people. Many of the Barons, after their re- turn from the crusades, found themselves poor, and were obliged to sell to the people privileges of corporation and self-government; and in 1258, the people of England who were free-holders obtained a voice in general legislation, by the establishment of the House of Commons. This, therefore, is the blossoming ^tx\C)<\oix\\^ tree of history, and its facts sustain its appropriate character as aspiring, aris- ing, advancing. It is in manifest correspondence with the Fifth Period of the great geological cycle — -that which pro- 58 THE END OF THE AGES. duced (zrozoa^ or creatures that fly in the air. Alas, the same period produced dragons and serpents as a counter develop- ment; and here, in the human period, we may find, in the ec- clesiastical usurpations, the nidus of that "great red dragon" with seven heads and ten horns, which St. John in apocalyptic vision saw as giving trouble in after times. It is just to say however, that in this age of ambitious aspirations, baronial, kingly, and popular contentions and general dividing influ- ences, the papal power and authority was the bo7id of the Chris- tian world. SIXTH PERIOD, 1260-1512. From the first Diet of the Hanseatic League to the first germs of the Refor- mation. Still following the guidance of our universal typical series, and the correspondences of its several parts, we might expect to find in this Period the characteristics oi fruitage and com- pleteness. What are the facts ? We shall consider them in their two fold relations to the ecclesiastical and secular affairs of the world. During the previous Period and a part of the present one, the Church, in its assumed supremacy over the potentates of the earth, grew rich in all the worldly resources of the times. The Sovereign Pontiff had but to will and the magnetism of his volitions vibrated through all the nerves of obedient Christendom. But while the secular arm of the Vatican was limited in the possibilities of its growth, the whole world with- out was in line of progressive development, and a period must at length arrive when popish power over secular affairs would fall under greater restrictions. This crisis arrived in 1303, when Philip the Fair, King of France, effectually rebuked the arrogance of Boniface VIII., publicly accusing him of heresy. THE END OF THE AGES. 59 simony, dishonesty and other enormities, and proposing the calling of a council to depose the guilty pontiff from his office. In an insurrection stirred up by Philip, the Pope was captured, and was to have been tried before a council assembled at Lyons, but died before he could be removed from Rome. Two years after this, Philip caused the election of Bertrand de Got, a Frenchman, who, under the name of Clement V., trans- ferred the pontificial court to Avignon in France, where it re- mained for seventy years. This was the cause of a great schism in the Latin Church, and, during a portion of this period, two Popes reigned, one at Avignon and one at Rome. But though in consequence of these vicissitudes, the papal authority over temporal rulers suffered a decline from which it could never recover, the Church was still strong in the reverence and affections of the people of all classes, and to her shrine were brought the richest offerings of the arts, which flourished in a high degree of perfection during the latter portion of this period. Must of the grand old churches and cathedrals were built during this age, which remain the wonder and admiration of the world at the present time; and these were adorned with statuary and paintings in the best style of art. Retiring within these magnificent architectural structures, the Roman Catholic Church became absorbed in the contemplation of her statues and pictures of the saints, and while listening to the notes of her splendid organs, and the lullaby of her Gregorian chants, she sank into a moral stupor, and as a power to lead the civilization and intellectual progress of the world, she became practically dead, and has remained so to this day. Learning, having revived in the previous age, attains in this a comparatively high degree of development. Academies, colleges and universities were erected in the principal cities of Europe. In these all the liberal arts and sciences then known 6o THE END OF THE AGES. were taught, the same being distributed into several faculties, as at this day. Libraries were also collected, and men of learn- ing were excited by honors and rewards to aspire after fame and distinction. To this general intellectual unfolding, the ar^t of printing, dis- covered about the year 1440, gave an additional and most powerful impetus, by facilitating the multiplication of copies of books which had previously been produced only by the slow and laborious work of the penman. Moreover, after the fall of the Greek Empire by the capture of Constantinople in 1453, most of the learned men of that nation emigrated to different parts of Europe, and, employing themselves as teachers, every- where diffused the blessings of their acquirements in literature and the arts. The civil and social conditions of the world also advanced, during this Period, to that state of development which, under the possibilities of the old regime, may be called mature. The free corporations and guilds which originated during the pre- vious Period, now became largely developed, particularly in Italy and Germany. The political powers of the King and nobles were now counterpoised by a tiers e'tat, or third state, so called, which consisted of the common people, as represented by their own chosen deputies, in the legislative councils of the nation. A definite form was given to this liberal innovation, by Philip the Fair, King of France, in order to make himself popular with the people during his controversy with Pope Boniface VIII,, already noticed. England, generally in ad- vance of other nations in her bold strides toward freedom, had attained to something of this kind during the preceding age, in the form of her Magna Charta and her House of Commons; but now Germany, as well as France concedes these rights to the common people. At first these representatives from the THE END OF THE AGES. 6l masses were subjected to great humiliations, and were obliged to remain outside of the bar and receive and answer the prop- ositions of the king upon their knees, while the clergy were seated on the king's right hand and the nobility on his left. But the steady march of civilization gradually mitigated these remaining rigors, until at a period much nearer our own time, the tiers etat, or third state, became virtually the nation itself. That important confederacy of manufacturing and commer- cial cities called the Ha7iseatic League began to germinate about the year 1239; and in 1260 (the first year of our Sixth Period,) its members had become so numerous that \\.s first diet was held at Lubeck, the chief city of the League. Cities afterwards joined the League to the number of eighty-five, which were divided into four provinces, each having a chief city. Charters from kings and princes gave firmness to this organi- zation, and in 1364, an act of confederation was drawn up at Cologne, in which the objects of the League were more defi- nitely declared — "to protect themselves and their commerce from pillage; to guard and extend the foreign commerce of allied cities; and so far as possible, to monopolize it; to man- age the administration of justice within the limits of the con- federacy, etc." The political importance of this League now speedily increased, and by its belligerent power, and its wealth acquired by manufactures and commerce, it was ultimately enabled to control crowns and kingdoms. Princes and kings meanwhile learned the advantages of commerce to their own dominions. The magnetic needle, which had been discovered by the Arabs about the year 1150, was now brought into its higher uses, and navigation, which previously, had been mostly confined to the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, and had seldom ventured out of the sight of land, now launched boldly upon the Atlantic Ocean, discovering the 62 THE END OF THE AGES. Azores, the Cape Verdes and other islands before unknown — exploring the western coast of Africa, doubling the Cape of Good Hope and opening commerce with the East Indies. In these maritime adventures, the little obscure kingdom of Portugal took the lead; to the genius of one of its enlightened princes, Don Henry, the world owes the first adequate dis- covery of the mathematical guides afforded by the positions of the stars, and by' the tendency of the magnetic needle to point to the north. How independent of human designs or even conceptions are the forces which predetermine the course of events in the world! An Intelligence above man seems, at this point of his- tory, to have forecast the necessities of the future, and planned for their supply. On the one hand, there is an ec- clesiastical force of restriction that seeks to tether the minds of men to old forms and standards — which assume to be the only possible ones authorized and divine; on the other, there is a general tide of awakened mentality which is constantly rising higher and higher, and is surging more and more vio- lently against the adamantine walls which the church of Rome has built to confine it. Ultimately this mental tide, on whose buoyant forces the uplifting of the human race is dependent, must rise above all barriers, and must be provided with an outlet and a theater in which it may continue to freely rise and expand forevermore. To supply this exigency, dreams were sent from heaven to the mind of a Christopher Columbus, picturing an existing con- tinent upon some far off western shore of the Atlantic Ocean. With the pictured thought comes the inspiration of an un- doubting faith; and fired with the ambition of proving the reality of that which had thus been shadowed, Columbus, with the patronage of the king and queen of Spain, organizes his THE END OF THE AGES. 63 voyage of exploration, and an island near the coast of the American Continent is discovered in the year 1492. Other exploring voyages were set on foot, and, under the patronage of Henry VII. of England, the Cabots discovered the North American Continent in 1497, and Columbus, on a third voyage, discovered South America in 1498. Thence, after many years of voyages and explorations, a sufficient amount of knowledge concerning the New World had been acquired to lay it open for settlement by Europeans. We have now drawn near the end of our Sixth Period. It is claimed that its prominent characteristic phases as here pointed out, fully warrant us in des[gna.ting it a.s a. Mafurwg Period, or a Period of the Frititage of all the past — corres- ponding, in principle, to sixth degrees in all natural series of seven, according to the philosophy by which we have thus far been guided in our investigations. SEVENTH PERIOD, 1512-1764. This is the period of the harvesting both of the wheat and the tares; the separating of the wheat and chaff, the dis- integration of old forms, and the planting of the seeds of a new order of ecclesiastical, political and social affairs. A crisis had now arrived which rendered great and immediate changes unavoidable. The Roman Church, including all of its ecclesiastical orders, from Pope to mendicant friar, had be- come shamefully corrupt. History has painted some of the last Popes of the previous period, as monsters of vice, arro- gance and dishonesty. Roderic Borgia, who, under the name of Alexander VI., occupied the papal chair from 1492 to 1503, is charged with the most abominable licentiousness and crime, and for his cruelties is sometimes called the Nero of the Popes. It is said that he died by poison, drank through mis- 64 THE END OF THE AGES. take, which he and his son Caesar had mixed for others. His successor, Pius III., died at the end of twenty-six days, and was succeeded by Julian Roveria under the name of Julius II., who, it is said, obtained the pontificate by fraud and bribery. Besides other vices with which he is charged, this pontiff was characterized by great ferocity, arrogance, vanity, and a mad passion for war; and while he spent his time in camps, the dis- cipline of the church and the spirit of religion sank to even a lower depth than that which it had before attained. The monastic orders of all descriptions swarmed with ignor- ant, idle and debauched people whose lives were so infamous that the common people regarded them with contempt and abhorrence. There were still some good men, both of the sacerdotal orders and the laity, who deplored these evils and sought to reform them; but these were almost everywhere met with overpowering resistance, and received abuse and injury in return for their well meant endeavors. At length Louis XII., king of France, disgusted with these scandals and disorders, and more particularly desiring to rebuke the conduct of Pope Julius, published a threat, stamped upon the coins he issued, that he would completely overthrow the Romish power, which he designated by the name of Babylon. Mosheim adds to this statement, that "some of the cardinals of the Romish Court, relying on the authority of this king and the Emperor, summoned a council at Pisa in 15 ii to curb the madness of the Pontiff, and to deliberate on measures for the Reformation of the intolerable corruptions in religion. But Julius, relying upon the power of his allies and his own re- sources, laughed at this opposition. Yet not to neglect means for frustrating these designs, he called another Council to meet in the Lateran palace A. D. 15 12. In this body, the acts of the assembly at Pisa of the year before were spiritedly con- THE END OF THE AGES. 65 demned and annulled, and undoubtedly severe anathemas would have followed against Louis and others if death had not overtaken the audacious pontiff, A. D. 15 12." Here, then, is the plain issue defined, as it had not been de- fined before, between the corruptionists of the church and those in her bosom who were desirous of reform; and here is a plain and pointed rejection by the sovereign and supposed '■'■infallible'''' ruler of the church, of the unquestionably just de- mands of those who sought the mitigation of the disorders and wrongs which existed in her communion. The reader will please notice the year on which this event falls — 1512 — the very year of the close of the Sixth and the commencement of the Seventh Period of our chronological series, as determined by the law here claimed to govern the evolutions of the cycle. What follows ? The Lateran Council that had been cissembled by Julius, continued in session for some time after the death of that Pontiff, and Leo X., his successor, took good care that nothing should be sanctioned by the assembled prelates that might seem favorable to the views of the reform- ers. All efforts to reach the desired reforms by the ordinary methods of ecclesiastical adjustment thus proving fruitless, the tide of opposition to these abuses, now risen so high and grown so strong as to be no longer repressible, must seek other channels of outlet and the breach of its barriers must naturally occur at the weakest point — concerning which we will now say a few words. Among the artifices of priestcraft to fleece the people, was the sale of indulgences^ so called, by which the punishment of sins was remitted in consideration of contributions of money to pious uses. This practice originated in the eleventh century, when it was used by local bishops, though rather sparingly, for the purpose of raising money to meet the exigencies of the 5 66 THE END OF THE AGES. Crusades. The Popes subsequently monopolized this new source of revenue to themselves and those upon whom they might expressly confer the authority to use it. At the period of which we are now speaking, the sale of indulgences had be- come more common than in previous times, and was a fruitful source of revenue to the Pope, being often used by him for personal objects, as well as to build and adorn churches and support other ecclesiastical enterprises. The ignorant and timid were persuaded that by thus cancelling beforehand the penalties due to their sins, great advantage would be likely to accrue to their souls. Most of the better informed however regarded the practice as a swindle as odius to its perpetrators as it was debasing and demoralizing to its victims; while princes could not help seeing that it impoverished their sub- jects in proportion as it enriched the Church. It was in the matter of this traffic in indulgences, that the Roman hierarchy exposed its most vulnerable point to the direct attacks of an outraged public sentiment; and when the monk, Johann Tetzel, sent by the archbishop of Metz, under the sanction of the pope, appeared at Wittenberg to solicit the people to purchase the expiation of their sins, future as well as past, the storm cloud which had long been gathering over the whole brood of ecclesiastical corruptions, burst in the voice of a Luther, in tones of thunder which reverberated throughout Europe, loud enough to shake the Papal throne itself. The tocsin of religi- ous revolution was soon sounded throughout all Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, England, and a fire was kindled in every nation in Christendom which has not ceased to burn to this day. ***** Let us pause here, for a moment, and endeavor to catch some farther glimpses of the true philosophy of this great change. THE END OF THE AGES. 67 The Structure of the Roman Catholic Church was a legiti- mate growth of the ages through which it passed and of the various conditions acting upon its germinal principles, from without. Being a naturally accreted organism, formed out of only such materials as the early and middle ages afforded, she was, of course, the best comprehensive religious institution that was possible for the people and nations embraced within her moral jurisdiction, during the centuries and stages of human growth which legitimately came under her supreme authority. She had the credit of conserving in her secret bosom, the truths and spiritual principles brought to the world by Jesus, however these may have become obscured among the darkening mazes of her own factitious and humanly constructed creeds and formulas; and these truths and princi- ples perceived and felt by the favorably constituted and in- spired few, never ceased to be potential in the development of good and holy men and women who shone as lights in dark places, and many of whose names are now justly enrolled in the calendar of saints. But there was nothing especially in those ages of general moral depression to prevent the organism of the church from becoming an instrument also of human ambition and selfish- ness, such as is too conspicuously displayed on every page of her history during many centuries. But while her pontifical and priestly rulers continued to preserve in their consciences the reminiscence of the spiritual and supreme principles which formed the foundation stones on which the whole ecclesiastical structure rested, the church, a ujiit in herself, naturally exerted an influence to draw together and unite in the bonds of mutual obligation, all nations and all branches of human society that were embraced within her fold. In this capacity she insensibly led them forward to higher stages of moral 68 THE END OF THE AGES. culture and refinement; whereas without her common motherly influence, they would have remained in their original condition as conflicting barbarian tribes. But if as viewed in this light, she possessed those divine elements which rendered her "a power ordained of God," as is said of some other "powers that be," it is also true that the increasing, and finally superabounding human elements that became mixed up in her composition, were such as to fix upon her the stamp of mortality and limit her sphere of usefulness to the transient condition of the ages to which she was more especially adapted. The limit thus determined was in a great degree attained, when in her dead ripeness at the end of her sixth age she undertook to restrain not only the intellects but the moral sense of the most intelligent and virtuous of her people, and when by exerting the whole force of her authority to perpetuate abuses and crimes which had become rank in her sacerdotal orders, she became to that fatal extent, 21. positive power of evil. It was not Luther that made the Reformation, but rather the Reformation that made Luther. The spirit and power of it, as the spirit and power of God, had long been slumbering in the convictions and moral sense of the people, and its constantly accumulating force under as constantly accumulating provoca- tions by the corrupt church on the other side determined the absolute certainty of a final revolutionary explosion, and ren- dered its occurrence a mere matter of time. Luther oviXy gave voice to this popular spirit and tendency, which commenced its insensible development even long before he was born, and only reached its climax in his time; and even had Luther never existed, it would have found utterance through other tongues and pens, and final results would have been about the same. Of the conflicts of the warring elements of Catholicism and THE END OF THE AGES. 69 Protestantism which came in the course of this religious revo- lution, and of the events and changes in the political and social world to which these gave rise, we will not now speak partic- ularly, inasmuch as this same period in the history of Christen- dom will be traversed when we bring to view a sub-cycle of history of which we have not heretofore definitely spoken. It merely remains to be remarked, that as the Roman Catholic church was an organization of the middle ages, and suited to meet the exigencies of middle age conditions; so, as scourged and chastened by Luther and his co-reformers and successors, it was legitimately, and in divine order, perpetuated to the close of another aeon of 252 years, and, as an external institution, even to the present time, for the purpose of meeting the exi- gencies of 7niddle age conditions which still linger in some parts of the inental and social world. But those who are familiar with history scarcely need to be told, that from the close of the sixth period to the present time, the Catholic church has lacked the power to lead the progress of human society, either as to science, philosophy, morals or civilization ; or if this assertion should be disputed, the proof of its truthfulness will incidentally appear in subsequent chapters. But what is there to mark the year 1764, or about that time, as the close of the seventh period, and of this Grand Cycle, and the commencement of a new? This was the next ques- tion that occurred to the writer's mind after perceiving the wonderful verification of the law of the seven fold series in the succession of these Periods, each of 252 years, and each in its numerical order, unmistakably exhibiting the peculiar characteristics which the law would assign to it. It did not require a very lengthy inspection of the pages of history from that time to the present, to disclose the answer. In the first place, it was seen that this date falls in the midst of the career yo THE END OF THE AGES. of a great and mighty mind which God had prepared and sent into the world to make such philosophic, religious and spiritual disclosures as could only serve for the foundation of a New Age. The thirty volumes of science and philosophy, and about the same number of volumes of disclosures of inner and spirit- ual mysteries, left to the world by Emanuel Swedenborg — must ever shine like a galaxy of stars in the intellectual firmament. Now it is a startling fact, to be cited in this connection, that Swedenborg, apparently without any conception of our Law of Cycles in history, announced and described in an elabo- rate work, the last jtidgrticnt in the spiritual world as incident to the consummation of the church on earth. This occurrence, the incidents of which he professes to have personally witnessed in his conditions of spiritual illumination, is stated to have taken place during the year 1757 — only seven years before the year 1764 — and as a legitimate sequence of the same, he prophetically disclosed the approaching advent of a New Church and a New Age — figuratively — a New Heaven and a New Earth. Did room permit, it might be shown that specific develop- ments in the religious world which followed this period, were such as to corroborate this announcement; but it will not es- cape the notice of even the superficial student of the religious history of the time, that ecclesiasticism soon after that period, began to relax the rigidity of its control over the minds of men, that theology began to lay off the more gloomy features which it had borrowed from the dark ages, being compelled to succumb to the influence of science and the progress of thought; that Religion became less prescriptive and more mild, gentle and charitable, until at this day those frowning walls which formerly divided religious denominations, have dwindled down to landmarks traced, as it were, in the sand, THE END OF THE AGES. 7 1, over which the devotees of different sects may pass and repass and always find neighborly communion and sympathy. Again as to secular affairs, we have already seen that the very year 1764 witnessed the projection of that line of policy on the part of the British government towards her American Colonies, which led to revolution and the birth of the American Republic twelve years after; and the last decade of the cen- tury witnessed that revolutionary tornado in France which almost tore up Europe by the roots in its successful efforts to correct many old and festering political, ecclesiastical and social wrongs. Moreover, the year 1764 and the times following shortly after, witnessed the initiament of that magnificent line of dis- covery in science and the mechanic arts which, unfolding as it pro- ceeded, has contributed to make this nineteenth century brilliant beyond all its predecessors. It wsls on that very year that the steam engine, which before had been comparatively use- less, was brought into practical form by James Watt. And see what that blind and enslaved giant is now doing for man- kind! Chained down to the floors of our manufactories, toil- ing, sweating, panting, groaning, and doing the work of a thousand men; propelling our ships across oceans or harnessed to our railway cars, drawing immense burdens of merchandise or human passengers across continents with a rapidity ex- ceeding that of the swiftest charger. It is said that in the single kingdom of Great Britain the steam engine is doing every day an amount of work equal to that which could be ac- complished by six hundred million manpower! What a marvel! What an agent for civilization and the progress of a whole race ! Again, it was about the year 1764 that Dr. Joseph Priestly made the initial discoveries which led to the progressive un- 72 THE END OF THE AGES. folding of the whole stupendous and incalculably useful science of Chemistry as known at this day. It was about the same time that Sir William Herschel turned his attention to the im- provement of the telescope and by his brilliant success was subsequently enabled to add immensely to the sum of human knowledge respecting the stellar universe. Mesmer soon afterwards contributed Animal Magnetism, the claims of which are no longer disputed except by the learnedly ignorant: Gall and Spurheim contributed Phrenology; Hutton and Werner brought Geology; Cuvier added Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy; Count Rumford demonstrated the correlation and conservation of forces; Hahnemann enriched the medical world with Homoeopathy; Daguerre with Photography; Morse with Telegraphy; and on the year i860 Kierchoft and Bunsen brought out their magnificent discovery of the spectroscope, by means of which the very stars of heaven are chemically analyzed, and their directions and rates of motion determined. It is submitted that this sudden outburst of intellectual light is susceptible of but one interpretation ; and that is, that the night of an old cycle is past, and the morning of a new has burst upon the world, bringing its inexhaustible treasures of light and wisdom, not exclusively to any one nation or hierar- chy, but to the ivJwle 7'ace of man. NUMERICAL CURIOSITIES IN THIS SCHEME. Having this whole grand historical scheme before me, in- cluding the smaller cycles of 84, and the larger one of 1764 years, and having constructed a table or diagram to re- present each so that I could readly compare them with each other, both in their entireness and their mutually correspond- ing parts, I was struck with some curious relations of the numbers which appeared, and of which these were the factors. THE END OF THE AGES. 73 The dates dividing the grand cycle into equal periods with the sums of their added digits, stand thus: A. D. 1st Period ------- -j 252= 9 2d " 504= 9 3d ------- - ] 756= 18 4th " - - ] 1008= 9 5th ------- - ] I 1260= 9 6th " - ] 1512= 9 7th "-----/- - ' 1764= 18 It will be observed that in each of these period numbers the sum of the digits is 9 or two 9's (18). Then it may be observed, that the period of 252 years will divide into one triad of 84, that is 7 times 12 years which is our smaller cycle; then the same number can be divided into 7 triads of 12 years, or 7 times 36 years; also 12 triads of 7, or 12 times 21 years. Then the great cycle of 1764 years will divide into one triad of 588 years, which comprises 7 of our smaller cycles of 84 years. Then the same number, 1764, will divide into 84 parts of 21 years each; 7 parts of 252 years each, and 12 parts of 147 years each. Separate the digits of this last number thus: I, 4, 7, and they will point to the ist, 4th, and 7th members of our scale, or the beginnings middle^ and the end — the alpha, the iota, and the omega, which are the great essentials. Then add them together, thus i-|-4-(-7, and the sum is 12! Of course these harmonies all result from the interplay of the factors 7, 12 and 3; but as no other numbers will work together so harmoniously and so accordant with the actual facts of nature, they seem really to afford the key to the structure and methods of nature, not only in respect to history, but to all other grand and comprehensive themes of science and philosophy. CHAPTER VI. DISCOVERY OF AN ANTERIOR CYCLE IN THE MODERN SERIES 1524-1608. A suggestive error which led to an important truth; True order of the Series; The Republic of 1776-1860, a Fourth instead of a. Third — Luther's Decla- ration of Independence from Rome in 1524 commences the First modern cycle — First Period, 1524-1536: Luther in swingingloose from Rome, is followed by several German Princes — New structure of religious and politi- cal society commenced; Peasants' war; Anabaptist prophets; Diets as- sembled by Emperor Charles V., to consider case of Reformers; End of 12 years finds the Pope, Paul IIL, on the defensive; Overthrow of Papal power in England — Second Period, 1536-154S: Council of Trent — War against Reformers with unfavorable results to latter — "Articles of the In- terim;" Question in the hands of the Secular Power — Pope concedes that reforms are needed — Third Period, 1548-1560: "Articles of the Interim" unsatisfactory to both parties — Council of Trent revived — Ambitious de- signs of the Emperor; Battle of Inspruck; Emperor defeated and com- pelled to accede to conditions securing religious liberty in Germany — Em- peror abdicates, leaving his son Philip king of Spain and the Netherlands, as Philip II. — Philip devolves the government of Netherlands on his sis- ter, with Granvalla her minister — Fourth Period, 1560-1572: Character- istics of a Fourth — Spanish Inquisition in Holland — Its cruelties provoke resistance; Granvalla replaced by Alva; Thousands sacrificed and rebellion provoked — William I. of Orange — Church of England crystallized; Dis- sentients, taking the name of Puritans, organize in 1566, the middle of the cycle — Fifth Period, i 572-1 584; Massacre of the night of St. Bartholo- mew; Fleet of 150 privateers, always successful against Spanish — William I. sovereign commander over four provinces; Other Netherland provinces unite — The Holland Republic proclaimed; William assassinated 1584 — Sixth Period, 1584-1596: Prince Maurice, William's successor, an accom- plished general; Takes Breda by surprise and delivers four provinces^ Constantly victorious till Spanish power was broken — Aid from England ; Defeat of the "Invincible Armada." — Seventh Period, 1596-1608: Ripening seeds; Prosperity of Holland and decline of Spanish power — Suspension of arms and negotiations opened in 1607 — Peace of 12 years declared in 1609- — Spain expels Morescoes. THE END OF THE AGES. 75 TT TE will give the history of another discovery, the facts of * • which we prefer to present just as they occurred, in order to satisfy the skepticism of those who, after taking a mere surface glance at this system, may imagine that it is the artifi- cial creation of a speculative mind which may not, after all, have any solid foundation. Revolving these marvelous facts over in my thoughts in every possible way, and subjecting them to every imaginable test, I discovered the incompleteness in one part of my theory, to which I have alluded on a previous page. In the several cycles of eighty-four years which I have al- ready traced, from the first settlement on the James River in 1607-8, to i860, I had made the cycle of our American history as a republic, the third natural in a series of cycles. When the question as to the natural order of the series came up, I instantly saw that a Republic, such as we have, is not a Third in the order of development in human society, but must be a Fourth. The natural order is as follows: First, Savagism, or the wild, chaotic and lawless individualism of infantile human nature; Second, Barbarism, clanship or tribal compacts, gov- erned by customs which have the force of unwritten laws; Third, -Despotism or Monarchy, and the first form of nationali- ties which are held together by a central power called a King or Emperor. As the fourth color of the prismatic spectrum and the fourth note of the diatomic scale, are each and re- spectively complementary of the ^fr.?/, so the fourth develop- ment in the order of the progress of human society ought to be also complementary of the first. If the first condition, therefore, is that of crude, chaotic, lawless individualism com- monly called savagism, the fourth should be that of cultiva- ted, consociated law obeying and self-governed individualism. This condition would be that of just such a Republican Government as we have had since the Declaration of Independ- 76 THE END OF THE AGES. ence in 1776. It is the middle of the scale of seven with three other developments to come after it, but on which we will not speculate at present, leaving that thought to be more distinctly worked up in a chapter to be given hereafter. Being in the middle of the scale, it is the equilibrating, equalizing or "equal rights" development, and this also characterizes it as a Republic. Seeing the necessity, therefore, of regarding our Republic as a fourth development in the natural order of the series, I was compelled to look for a cycle anterior to the one with which we started, in order that the whole, so far as discovered, might county^;//'. Does that cycle actually exist ? If not we certainly cannot artificially jnake one to fill up the gap, and our theory will at this point be faulty. But let us see. Counting 84 years back of the year 1608, the time of the first successful settlement within our present national territory, we are brought to the year 1524. Did anything occur on that year to distinguish it as a Beginning ? What are the facts ? Luther, it is true, commenced agitating for reform in 1517, but he still maintained loyalty to the Roman Church. In 15 19, he was excommunicated by the Pope and his writings were burned; to which he replied the next year by indignantly burning the Pope's bull, and the decretals of the papal canon; but his resistance was yet only to the Pope, believing as many good Catholics did, and do still, that the supreme au- thority of the church resides in the ecclesiastical council. In 1521 he made his famous journey to Worms, "spite of devils thick as tiles on the roofs of the houses," and uttered before the Diet his memorable saying, '■'■Here I stand; I cannot alter, so help me God:" but this answer was made to a political rather than an ecclesiastical body, and Luther stood still as a re- former of the Church, and not as a rebel against the Church. THE END OF THE AGES. 77 Soon after that he commenced translating the New Testament into the German language; but this was still a measure of re- form, and not an act of hostility to the ecclesiastical establish- ment perse. But in 1^24 he dropped the cowl ^ seceded frotfi the monkish order, and severed the last link of his connection ivith the Church of Ro7ne. FIRST PERIOD, 1524-1536. With this Declaration of Ijidependence from Rome by Luther, in which he was immediately followed by several German princes, commenced the formation of a structure of religious and political society outside of Rome, and hence this date — 1524 — should be regarded as the date of the foundation of a religion based upon the right of private judgment, and the beginning of modern civilization. The same period was characterized by an extensive popular uprising of the common people in Germany, which is known in history as the Peasants' War. Notwithstanding the great mitigation of the oppressions to which, under the feudal regime, the lower classes had been sub- jected during the previous three or four centuries, some of the barons still persisted in loading the tillers of the soil with bur-, dens well nigh insupportable. In many places these peasants were still treated as slaves or serfs, and were bought and sold with the land on which they had their habitations. Partaking of the restless spirit of the age, they rose against the magis- trates and endeavored to throw off their burdens. A class of religious fanatics, known as Anabaptists, which arose about the same time, coalesced with these uprising peasants, and by their crude and ignorant prophecies, and their alleged revelations, induced the malcontents to take up arms and led them into many disorders and extravagances. This insurrection, after y8 THE END OF THE AGES. several minor conflicts, was efi'ectively suppressed by a decisive victory over its main army by the German princes at Mulhausen in 1525; the slain, on both sides, from the begin- ning to the end of the war, numbering more than one hundred thousand. It will be sufficient for our purpose to trace merely the bold outlines of the evolutions of this historical cycle, omitting all particulars and minutiae that are not absolutely necessary to render the progressive order of events intelligible. After the secession of Luther from the Roman Church in 1524, a series of Diets were assembled at the instance of the Emperor and the German princes, for the purpose of deciding on matters in the controversy between the followers of Luther and the Catholics. The decisions of these bodies were sometimes favorable and sometimes unfavorable to the Reformers; and at the end of the first twelve year Period — 1536 — we find the Pope, Paul III., thrown upon the defensive, and calling a Council to assemble at Mantua, that he might hurl its adverse decisions upon the heads of the Reformers. For some reason, however, the Council did not assemble, and the call was not renewed. This Period, also, witnessed the overthrow of the papal power in England by Henry VIII. (in 1533), and the establishment of the rudimentary forms of what subsequently crystallized as the Church of England. SECOND PERIOD, 1536-1548. During this period the contest between the two parties went on much as before, with several incidents that should be particularly noted. One of these was the convocation by Paul III., of the Council of Trent, to pass decision upOn THE END OF THE AGES. 79 matters of controversy with the Protestants. To this measure the Protestants seriously objected, as a deliberative body con- voked solely by the authority of the Pope, within his own territory and under his own direct influence, could only be con- sidered as an ex parte affair, by whose decisions they could not agree to be bound. As was to be expected, the decisions of the Council were such as the Protestants could not accept, and the Emperor, listening to the sanguinary counsels of the Pope, prepared to reduce them by force of arms. The first campaign was unfavorable to the Protestants and they were compelled by the Emperor to submit their case to the decision of a second Council to be held at Trent. But in consequence, it is said, of the prevalence of a plague in the place at the time appointed, the Council did not assemble. For the pur- pose of accommodating religious differences, and maintaining the peace, the Emperor ordered commissioners selected from both parties to draw up articles which should serve as a tem- porary rule of faith and form of worship until the Council could be assembled. These articles, drawn up in the year 1548, which was the close of the second twelve year period, are known as the Articles of the Interim. They show a bala7ice of forces between the two parties at this point of time, and a relegation of the matters in religious controversy to the hands of the Secular Power. An important point gained by Luther and his colaborators during this period, was a concession of the reigning Pope, that many things in the church needed reform; and with this view he appointed four cardinals and three other persons emi- nent for learning, to consider what reforms were necessary, and to draw up a plan for effecting them. In 1546 the great reformer, Luther, died in peace at Eisleben, the place of his nativity. 8o THE END OF THE AGES. THIRD PERIOD, 1548-1560. The articles of the Interwi which the Emperor Charles had caused to be drawn up in 1548, proved unsatisfactory to both parties, and Pope Julius III., who succeeded Paul III., con- sented, at the instance of the Emperor, to revive the Council of Trent for the purpose of settling all mooted questions. The Emperor had designs to take advantage of these religious disquietudes for the extension and confirma- tion of his power in Germany, to the detriment of the rights and resources of the Princes, while at the same time overthrowing the power of the Protestants. But while he was preparing to direct the current of events by the power of his army, Prince Maurice of Saxony led forth a well appointed army against him, and falling upon him unawares while at Inspruck, saved the Protestant cause from impending danger by compelling him to call a diet at Passau, and subse- quently one at Augsburg, for the purpose of deciding the questions which he had previously determined should belaid before the Council of Trent. The result of the Diet at Augs- burg in 1555 was the establishment of religiousliberty through- out the German Empire on the basis of which it has rested from that day to the present. One important point, however — the rights of Protestants in Catholic countries — was left un- decided and this unfortunately became the occasion of the thirty years war which desolated Germany during the forepart of the subsequent century. On the year 1556 the Emperor Charles V., who was also king of Spain under the title of Charles I., abdicated the throne, leaving his son Philip king of Spain and the Nether- lands, under the title of Philip II. On the year 1559, Philip THE END OF THE AGES. 01 II., of Spain, conferred the administration of affairs in the Netherlands upon his sister Margaret of Parma, and Gran- vella, her minister. FOURTH PERIOD, 1560-1572. It cannot be regarded as otherwise than a remarkable fact, that in each and all of our cycles of history, whether small or great, the fourth of the seven sub-periods, — which falls in the middle of the scale, and exactly where the equation between the two extremes of the scale occurs, brings into view some developments of human society, or some distinct germs of a future development, which has in it something of the nature of an equation, equilibration or republicanization of the social elements that are prominently brought into play. While the old Roman Catholic re'gwie is unquestionably monarchical, im- perial and despotic in its affinities and tendencies, the Re- formed Religion which took its distinctive organic initiament about the year 1524, is as unquestionably republican in its spirit and tendencies. In this Fourth Period of the cycle under re- view, therefore, we might expect to witness such a segrega- tion of the new and the old forms as to define and contrast more plainly the distinctive characteristics and tendencies of both. That is what actually now happened, and in a very noticeable manner, as we shall see. In 1560, Granvella received orders from his master, Philip II., to establish that terrible tribunal, the Spanish Inquisition, in Holland, where the principles of the Reformation had taken deep root, and whither multitudes of dissentients from the Roman Church had fled from other countries in quest of re- ligious liberty. The horrors and cruelties of the Inquisition, which soon followed, provoked the resistance of the Hol- 6 82 THE END OF THE AGES. landers, and proved to be the germ of the future rebellion and republicanization of that country. In 1564, Philip, at the in- stance of the Catholics, who accused Granvella of a want of rigor in carrying out the work of the Inquisition, recalled him, and sent the duke of Alva to fill his place, with orders to be more strict in his dealings with the "heretics." Blood flowed freely, and thousands were sacrificed. The Hollanders were provoked to farther resistance, and finally to formal rebellion. In 1568 William I. of Orange took the field against Alva; but his supplies soon became exhausted and his army was com- pelled to disband. But the fires of rebellion thus kindled were not to be extinguished until they had accomplished their work, as we shall see farther on. The Church of England, which, as we have seen, had been severed from that of Rome by the act of Henry VIII., be- came crystallized in its present form by act of Parliament in 1562. In its form and constitution it preserved many of the characteristics of the Roman Church, and on that account it was regarded by many persons, as not sufficiently radical in its deviations from the old ecclesiastical ?-eghne. These dis- sentients, who took the name of Puritans, separated from the established Church in 1566, and held conventicles, and estab- lished a system of ecclesiastical government of their own. In spirit and form, the English Church, which is Romanism half protestantized, so to speak, is in correspondence with, and was the progenitor of, the English political system, which may be described as Monarchy half republicanized. In spirit and form, Puritanism is in correspondence with, and is the pro- genitor of, the kind of republicanism which is exemplified in our present political government. Now let us observe the position of the date, 1566, when Puritanism first crystallized. It is exactly in the middle of the THE END OF THE AGES. 83 Fourth Period of this Cycle and hence exactly in the middle of the Cycle itself. The middle period of the next cycle beyond, witnessed as we have already seen, the birth of the first political offspring of tbe Puritan Church in the Cromwellian Republic, which, though abortive or short lived, was never- theless sufficiently significant. FIFTH PERIOD, 1572-1584. The year beginning this Period was signalized by two not- able events — one violently reactionary, and the other in the line of forward progress. The first was that teriffic slaughter of the Protestants which commenced in Paris on the night of St. Bartholomew and spread through many portions of France during several days following, and the victims of which have been variously estimated as from 30,000 to 100,000. The second was the sending forth by William I., of one hundred and fifty armed vessels which, as privateers, were always suc- cessful against the Spanish. By the first, Protestantism was well nigh exterminated from France; by the second, its perma- nent foothold was finally assured in Holland, and the prelimin- ary steps for the founding of the Holland Republic were suc- cessfully taken. In 1575, William was made sovereign and chief commander over four united Netherland provinces — Holland — Utrecht — Guelders and Overyssel — soon after this, rebellion against Span- ish rule assumed an open and definite form. In 1579, the five northern provinces, Holland, Zealand, Utrecht, Guelders and Friesland, formed the compact known as the Union of Utrecht. In 1581 they were joined by Overyssel, and on the same year they formally renounced their allegiance to the king of Spain as a '•'■tyranf and proclaimed the Republic of the United Nether- lands, afterward known as Holla^id, from the superior extent, 84 THE END OF THE AGES. population, wealth and influence of the province of that name. After much efficient service of his country against its Spanish oppressors, William was assassinated in his pal- ace on the loth of July, 1584, by a young Burgundian named Balthasar Gerard, who had insinuated himself into his confi- dence. He was rising from his table when the assassin fired a pistol containing three balls at him, inflicting a wound from which he immediately died. The murderer, on examination, confessed that he had been instigated to the deed by a Fran- ciscan monk of Tournai, and a Jesuit of Treves, being assured by them that it would secure his eternal happiness. With this tragedy closes the Fifth twelve year period of the Cycle. SIXTH PERIOD, 1584-1596. Notwithstanding the rejoicing which the news of the tragi- cal death of William is said to have caused at the Court of Spain, the event proved neither advantageous to the Spanish power nor disastrous to the Republic; for in Maurice, the son and successor of William, the Republicans had a military com- mander equal to the exigencies of their cause, and before whom their foes were gradually forced to give way. Though only seventeen years of age, and a student at Leyden when his father was assassinated, he was soon after elected prince and stadtholder, and subsequently displayed military talents which transcended all expectations. In 1586, he took Breda by sur- prise from the Spanish, and delivered Guelderland, Overyssel, Friesland and Groningen from their grasp. Commanding the forces of the Republic thereafter, both on land and sea, he was constantly victorious until the power of Spain was effectually broken. A cotemporaneous war between England and Spain, and even the casualties of the elements, causing shipwreck, aided in the THE END OF THE AGES. 85 humiliation of Spain and the outworking of her final defeat. Queen Elizabeth of England, sympathizing with the Protestant cause, sent, at several critical periods," troops, under ex- perienced commanders, to co-operate with the Dutch patriots; and in 1588, the "Invincible Armada," boastingly so-called — a formidable fleet of one hundred and thirty vessels, sent out by Philip to invade England, was thrown into confusion and de- feated in detail by the English ships of war, and its fleeing remnants, caught in a storm, were driven and miserably wrecked on the western islands of Scotland and the coast of Ireland. This period, therefore, was one which witnessed the break- ing of the Spanish power in the United Netherlands and the es- tablishment of the autonomy of the Holland Republic, though the war itself, especially on the sea, was not yet concluded. As a Sixth Period, it conforms to the law of our correspond- ential scale, in bringing, in some sense, tht fruitage of the blos- soms of aspiration characterizing the immediately preceding or Fifth Period. SEVENTH PERIOD, 1596-1608. Although there does not appear to have been any very striking event occurring in the year 1596, to distinguish it either as the end of one dodecade or the beginning of another, this Period itself, taken as a whole, is sufificiently characteristic as a Seventh. It was a period of the ripening of the seeds of a pre- vious growth, which should serve as the germs of a new cycle of developments. Holland had, by this time, become the asy- lum for the persecuted of all nations, whither they repaired in great numbers for the enjoyment of religious liberty. In the quietude of their retirement they matured their thoughts, and prepared themselves for the part they were to take in the great 86 THE END OF THE AGES. theatre of action that was soon to be opened to them for the development of new ideas, new institutions, and new eccles- iastical and political governments. Meanwhile, the population of Holland became so great that the people had to look beyond the sea for employment. Her manufactures and all branches of industry flourished exceedingly. Expert sailors multiplied; her commerce was extended upon every sea; her navy became powerful; her people became intelligent and wealthy, and in a short time the little Republic shone forth as one of the most brilliant lights of civilization upon the face of the earth. But as for Spain, what became of her ? Flaunting her gyves and racks and fagots in the face of the world, and cheered on- ward in her work of persecution by the plaudits of the Vatican, it must be admitted that her course was quite in another direction and led to a very different fate. Catholicism had lost her power to lead the nations and in her efforts to obstruct freedom of thought and independent progress met only with humiliation and defeat. How wonderfully confirmatory of our affirmed Law of the Cycle, that this great conflict between the medieval bigotry and progressive ideas should terminate at the time it did, as well as in the manner it did ! After much hard fighting, in which the Republic either held its own or acquired gains to compensate for its losses, Spain, no longer able 'to keep up the contest, agreed to open negotiations with the Republic as an independent state. A suspension of arms for this purpose accord- ingly took place in the year 1607. Conferences were im- mediately opened, and after numerous obstructions and delays, a truce of twelve years was concluded, through the mediation of England and France in 1609. This treaty secured to the United Provinces all the acquisitions they had made, together with an unlimited freedom of commerce on the same THE END OF THE AGES. 87 footing with other nations, and the full enjoyment of those civil and religious liberties for which they had so gloriously struggled. The mean between the year 1607, when hostilities ceased and negotiations commenced, and 1609, when the treaty was con- cluded, was 1608 — the very year, as we have seen, of the first successful planting, on the James River, of the germ of the American Republic; the very year of the migration from Eng- land to Holland of the company of Puritans, who, twelve years after, in 1620, landed from the Mayflower on Plymouth Rock, and the very year of the commencement of America's First Colonial Cycle ! Let us pursue Spain one step farther: Philip III., the son and successor of Philip II. (who had died in 1598), at the instigation of the Inquisition and the advice of his minister, the duke of Lerma, issued an edict in 1609, ordering that all the Morescoes or descendants of the Moors should leave the king- dom within thirty days, under the penalty of death. The reason of this barbarous decree was, that though externally conformed to the rites of Christianity, they were still Mohammedans at heart, and that if left to remain, they might corrupt the true faith. The Morescoes immediately chose them a king and prepared for resistance; but being almost en- tirely unprovided with arms they were soon compelled to sub- mit, and were all banished from the kingdom in 161 1. By this violent measure Spain, already depopulated and im- poverished by long and bloody wars, inflicted upon herself the still farther loss of nearly a million industrious inhabitants, who had up to that time largely contributed to her resources. It is scarcely necessary to say that the lapse of the twelve years truce concluded in 1609, did not find her in condition to re- assert her claims to her seven lost Dutch Provinces. CHAPTER VII. Review of Methods and Summary of Results — Characteristics of the plan pur- sued; No human contrivance; An intelligent and divine plan; The Lo- gos or word of God — Human history as well as all things in nature, a garment of God. ^1 TE have presented these results of the general inquiry in re- ^ ■ gard to the Zaw of Cycles in History, a little out of the de- tailed order in which they stand in the series of actual historical occurrences. This has been done in following the order of suc- cession in which the different parts of the grand scheme were disclosed to the writer's mind, and for the purpose of showing still more distinctly the absence of all human contrivance in the construction of a mere theory. Most minds, in dividing history into regular periods, would have used the decennial and centennial methods, such as many historians actually have em- ployed, with a result showing a mere jumble of events in which no regular and discrete stages of historical evolution are visible. Others would have presented for divisions, the mere histories of dynasties, factions, and administrations, in which it is not pretended that there is any law of regular periodicity, or in- deed any other indications of a distinct and supernal //««. In either case, the mere contriver of a plan would have been likely to commence at the beginning, not the middle nor the end, say of the Christian Era or some other salient epoch, and trace events in the order of their continuity to some critical point of THE END OF THE AGES. 89 modern time that would seem to conform to the ideal of a cycle. That, indeed, seemed to us the only method that prom- ised any desirable results, when we began our researches in this direction; but how we were balked at our first step has been already stated. And not only did our first conceptions of what might be, or ought to be, utterly fail us as a guide, but the initial discovery, which, as we have seen, led progressively to all the others, was one which seemingly thrust itself upon our attention at the time, not having been looked for as of the nature that it was, nor as lying at all in the direction in v/hich it was found. Instead, moreover, of looming up from the portions of the grand field of historical research where some index to the cyclic order of history was being sought, it ap- peared at the very end of history, and included a year or two yet to come. When the seven dodecades or twelve year periods of the history of the American Republic from 1776 to i860, stood out before the mind in such bold relief as not to be mistaken, at the same time exemplifying the law of processional and structural order which we had previously shown was every- where prevalent in nature, it became a matter of intense in- terest to test this rule in its farther application. And so to briefly recapitulate, going backward in time, we found two dis- tinct and complete cycles of the colonial history of America anterior to 1776, with the seven sub-periods of each, all in that perfect order of succession which conformed to pre-established law of the series. Then after much fruitless search in other directions for the discovery of the greater cycle, we considered these two cycles each of seven times twelve years, together with the one com- mencing at 1776 and ending at i860, as a triad dind thus as forming one; and thence, by multiplying the sujn of this triad, 9° THE END OF THE AGES. which is 252 years, by 7, we obtained our longer cycle of 1764 years from the beginning of the Christian era, with its seven divisions as set forth in previous pages, tested and proved by the actual facts of history in the order of their occurrence. But it was not until after this that we discovered that the third member of this hypothetical triad of cycles was in its nature, evidently not a third, but a fourth member of a series of seven; for in a societary series, third stages are monarchical and not republican. The only thing that might be considered as bearing the aspect of contrivance in this scheme, was the error of this false triad, which however, up to a certain point, served as the basis of correct reasoning and then gave way for the substitution of the true triad, embracing as its first term a cycle of 84 years anterior to the settlement on the James River, and commencing with the Declaration of Independence from Rome by Luther in 1524. And this makes the period of the history of our Republic from 1776 to i860, at which latter point the union of states was disturbed by secession, a Fourth cycle in a natural series of seven; agreeing with what has already been shown, that the fourth stage in the development of human society is naturally that of the Republic, such only being in analogy and correspondence with fourth stages in the development of every other natural series. Moreover it is evident that the first of these 84 year cycles is not a first in artificial arrangement, but dL first in its very nature. Here, then, we have the grand scheme of historical evolu- tions before us, embracing the greater cycle which closed in 1764, and four smaller cycles of the history of modern civiliza- tion, beginning with the Declaration of Independence from Rome by Luther, and ending with secession from the American Union in i860. These latter may be summarily exhibited to the eye as follows: THE END OF THE AGES. 9I 1 - • - - - • - - -- - - from 1524 to 1608 2 - - - - --.- -, -" 160.8 to 1692 3---------- i6q2 to 1776 4 ------- - - " 1776 to i860 Each of these must be considered as embracing' its seven twelve year divisions as illustrated by the facts of their re- spective developments before shown. Besides exhibiting several subordinate considerations in the cycle law, we have one more grand cycle — the cycle of the World — yet to ascertain, and which will appear in its proper place in a later chapter of this volume. Who can contemplate the wonderful order and regularity in the succession of these several serial periods without being im- pressed with the appearence of an Intelligent Plafi governmg the whole! Does not History, viewed in this light, appear as a growth as regular as the growth of a Tree or a Man, or any other living object whatsoever, and as governed by the same law, differing in the sensible forms of its application only as its subjects differ ? And what, O what ! is the pervading Power, Force, Life, and Wisdom, which impels humanity and all things in this same correspondential line of development ? Let us seek our answer in an old Book which even at this late day is too little understood: "In the beginning was the logos (Xoyos. inadequately translated 'Word') and the logos was with God and God was the logos .... All things were made by him [the logosj, and without him was not anything made that was made." (John I. 1-3). And I looked and lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." (Rev. V. 6.) And in Rev. XIX. 13, this same representative of the 92 THE END OF THE AGES. ^'•Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth," is called 6 Adyos Tov 6i.ov or "the logos of God." What more rational explanation of the septinary nature of all complete systems of things in the natural or even in the spiritual world, could be given than that which refers their origin and progressive development to this seven fold arch- etype in the Divine Mind called the '■'Logos,'' by which, as the indwelling, formative, generative and regenerative Life of things, "all things were made that were made" ? As it is not distinctively a theological work that we are now writing, we leave the reader to consider for himself the significance of the fact that this allegorical "Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth," was the only one that was found worthy to open the seven seals of the book of the future, and by such opening prophetically foreshadowing the successive evolutions of history to the end of the Grand Cycle, avum or aion, comprehended within the scope of that mystic "book." I confess to a sense of overpowering sublimity almost bor- dering on awe, when I contemplate the magnificence of a scheme which exhibits human history and all things in nature as the very garment of the indwelling Deity! CHAPTER VIII. TRUE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY INCIDENTALLY DISCLOSED. History a jumble as now studied — Law of cycles' confirmed by other facts — Periodical movements in universal nature — From millionths of seconds to millions of years — Teaching history by chronological and cyclic charts. THOUGH the main object of our inquiries and calculations has been to ascertain our present latitude and longitude upon the sea of time, and in a general way to take our bearings for the future, we have incidentally attained a result respect- ing the philosophy of History, the importance of which is be- yond estimation. The ordinary mode of studying history is that of loading the memory with a confused succession of events, with no intelligible law governing their development, and hence with no index to their meaning, if indeed they have a meaning. The theory which seems tacitly to prevail is, that the development of nations and other human institutions is in straight or confusedly zigzag lines, ever reaching out aim- lessly into the darkness of the unknown and untried, and lead- ing into conditions which have no actual parallel in the past, or in the cotemporary institutions and experiences of other nations and climes. We read the description of some great battle in a former age, with feelings much akin to those with which the sporting man would watch the progress of a bull bait or a cock fight — to see which will be the winning party. We 94 THE END OF THE AGES. read of the assassination of a monarch, the change of a dy- nasty, the revolution of an empire, the vicissitudes of hierachies, laws, customs, and the development of arts and sciences, and we often rise from the perusal with the question on our minds, "Well, what of it all ? What has it to do with us? and how much wiser and better are we made by knowing that these events and changes took place at the particular periods and in the particular countries to which they are assigned?" We would not, of course, intimate that these lessons, even thus confusedly read, are totally barren. They do, indeed, re- veal human passions, interests, prejudices, and caprices, and show how these act under given circumstances; but the great scientific value of these events, and how their meaning applies from age to age, and to different peoples, nationalities and social developments, is still involved in comparative obscurity, and is ever the subject of conflicting theories. The discovery of some coinmon law by which all historical evolutions are governed in order, harmony and correspond- ences, has long been a desideratum, a supply of which, it is hoped, will now be found in the pages of this work. Nothing can be simpler or more self-evident than a law by which his- tory proceeds in definitely periodical pulsations, and in regular series of these, forming cycles, circles or rings, small and great, each corresponding to the other in whole and in parts, and each, on its own specific plane, being the outworking of the interiorly vitalizing and moving Divine Idea or creative Logos as applied to that plane. The basic facts of, now well known, science, followed out in their irreversible principles and analogies, bear us out in this thought triumphantly, and that, too, through the widest conceivable range of their application. In the pulsations of the human heart, seventy in a minute, there is periodicity, and thence, as the first manifestation of life. THE END OF THE AGES. 95 comes periodicity in the organic and functional operations of the system from infancy to old age and death. In the undu- lations of the luminiferous ether, four hundred and fifty-seven millions of millions in a second which are required to produce the red or lowest ray of the spectrum, there is periodicity, which diminishes to half of even that almost infinitesimal point of time in the vibrations that produce the ultra violet or octave ray. The pulsations of the air, producing musical sounds, are periodical — thirty-two in a second for the lowest C of the fin- ger-board of the piano-forte, thence reduplicating for the same given period for every octave above, and diminishing one-half for every octave below. The first octave below, sixteen pulsations in a second,nearlypassesout of the compass of the human ear, and is /t'// rather than heard — an organ pipe tuned to that pitch, shak- ing by its vibrations the whole building in which it is played. In the realms of inaudible music still below, we have eight pulsations to a second; as the next descending octave; thence four, thence two, thence one; and after a while, as we still farther descend, we may have one pulsation in a minute — an hour — a day — and thence, merging into the "music of the spheres" of which the inspired Pythagoras discoursed, we have one pulsation a year as marking the periodical swing of our earth in its orbit — one pulsation in eighty-fotir y&a.v?, SiS marking the orbitual revolution of the planet Uranus — one pulsation in eighteen million two hundred thousand years, which period, according to the math- ematical calculations of the Russian astronomer Maedler, is re- quired for our solar and siderial system with its whole family of innumerable suns and planets, to revolve once around the great central sun, Alcyone of the Pleiades. And so from infinite to infinitesimal time, we find the law of periodicity holds in reference to all the regular and divinely or- dered movements of creation; and every period of seriated g6 THE END OF THE AGES. movements, and there can be no period without these, must of necessity involve all the notes, degrees, triads and comple- mentary relations that are manifest in the musical scale and the colors of the rainbow. How can it be otherwise, even in the showings of deductive and a priori reasoning? Anything short of this would be unworthy of an Infinite, Omnipresent and All Wise Deity. Anything short of this would involve dis- order, disharmony and imperfection in the very plan of crea- tion and divine government. On what method of counter reasoning then, can anyone refuse to accept this very law of periodicity and cycles in its application to human history^ after considering all the inductive as well as deductive proofs of the same, which have been spread out through the preceding pages? But accepting this theory as the true one, a simple tabula- tion of the cycles in a series of chronological charts (such as those from which the author sometimes delivers lectures), and these charts hung up in the school room, may be made the means of imparting in a given length of time, a more correct and more easily remembered knowledge of the great anatomy of human history, of its great salient and ruling facts, and of its true spirit and philosophy, than can be imparted in seven times the same length of time by the ordinary methods of teaching. This remark is made on the basis of tests which we have to some extent actually applied.* * In due time we hope to be able to place our chronological and cyclic charts before the public. CHAPTER IX. CORROBORATIVE FACTS IN ANTERIOR HISTORY. History anterior to Christ; The three times fourteen generations of Matt. I. 17; The number 42 a remarkable number; Its occurrence in Egyptian theology; 42 journeys of the Israelities; 42 phrenological faculties — These in pairs making 84; Square of 42 equals 1764 — The third of[that 588, the number of years from Babylonish captivity to Christ — Curious divisors, quotients and numerical correlations. 'THROUGH we have some marvelous facts concerning the -^ Grand Cycle of the World, reserved for statement in their proper place, and which will be found to connect with an old and still surviving empire of the East to which no distinct allusion is contained in the Bible, we can at present say but little of the application of this law of periodicity and cycles to that portion of the history of the world which is traversed by the Jewish Scriptures. It is indeed, not absolutely necessary to the specific purpose now in view, to inquire "How do these principles apply to the Mosaic, Noachian and antediluvian economies ? and yet there is a little cluster of curious facts that may be found to throw light upon at least one division of this question, while affording still farther corroboration, if that were necessary, of the scheme that has been set forth in preceding pages. In the first chapter of Matthew, 17th verse, the writer, after having traced the genealogy of Jesus Christ, remarks: "So all 7 98 THE END OF THE AGES. the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen genera- tions, and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." Now here are three times fourteen, or three times twice seven generations, making forty-two generations in all. This number 42 (which is just one half of the cycle number 84,) is a product of 7 multiplied by 6; or of 12 multiplied by 3^. As composed of the latter factors, it probably, in longer or shorter proportional periods, involves the elements of the prophet Daniel's time, times and a dividing times, or three "times" and a half. This number 42 is a remarkable number. We first meet with it in the mystical religious teachings of the ancient Egyptians. It was taught in the "Book of the Dead," that in passing from this life to the Elysian fields every soul had to appear before the 42 Judges of the amenti or hades, whose office it was to inquire into its character and condition in reference to 42 species of sins or perversions of the moral nature, and 42 virtues that were necessary to be possessed. The path of the soul's progress toward the Elysian fields, paradise or heaven, was supposed to lead through three zones. The first of these comprised the earthly life; the second was the mid-region, where the soul was whirled around by con- flicting currents of wind, and sometimes driven back to earth again in order to expiate sins committed while in the body; and the third consisted of an atmosphere more calm and serene. I am not aware of any distinct statment on record which represents these 42 judges as being divided into three groups of 14 each, presiding over these three several stages of the soul's journey. But the Greeks, who seem to have derived their religious teachings mainly from the Egyptians, simplified THE END OF THE AGES. 99 this judicial power of the hades (answering to the Egyptian amenti and the Latin infernus) and assigned the whole to a triad of judges — Minos, ^cus and Rhadamanthus,- — which might be considered as the equivalent of three personifications of the Egyptian 42 judges divided \vy\.o three groups of fourteen each. It is said that Moses was brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians. It is scarcely possible, therefore, to suppose that he was not perfectly familiar with this doctrine of the soul's moral journey to the Elysian fields or the promised land. It is to be remembered also that all the Christian fathers — indeed Christian teachers of all ages, with few exceptions — have considered the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness to the promised land, as typical of the moral jour- ney of the soul from the Egyptian darkness and bondage of the world, to the state of peace, light and heavenly felicity. Now let it be observed that the one whole journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land was broken up into just forty-tzvo smaller journeys. These are enumerated in the XXXIII. Chapter of Numbers, where it is said that "Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys, by the cojiimandtfient of the Lord" (vs. 2) ; as though, from some occult or mystical meaning which they contained, it was a matter of special importance that these 42 journeys, in the order in which they occurred, should be put on record. Curious enough, if the modern doctrine of Phrenology may be credited, we may deduce from it the probable meaning of these forty-two journeys, both in their Egyptian and Israel- itish modes of presentation, which in principle are seemingly the same; and in which we shall find a natural basis on which the whole may be supposed to rest. The faculties now generally recognized as belonging to the Phrenological catalogue, are 41 lOO THE END OF THE AGES. in number. If we add to these one highly important faculty, which man most certainly does possess, but the functional action of which cannot be located in any distinct portion of the brain to the exclusion of others, simply because it is a universal faculty — viz., that which conceives of the Infinite and Eternal — we have '^wsX. forty-tivo. But these exist in pairs each with a right and left, positive and negative, active and pas- sive, masculine and feminine, love and wisdom side, and counting them in pairs they amount to eighty-four in all, or seven times twelve, the number of an important cycle of time which we have already abundantly illustrated. If the cycles of human history are real, they must have a basis in human nature, as well as in the aggregate world with- out, and the regular recurrence of the astronomical cycles which govern all mundane things. Here we find that basis in Phrenology, as it may also be found in other divisions of psy- chological science. Now the forty-two journeys of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land may be supposed to represent the metem- psychosis, resurrections, regenerations, spiritual generations, successively of each and all of the forty-two faculties, and thus the preparation of the man for the enjoyment of the celestial life typified by the promised land — the same as the passing before the forty-two judges, or rather judgmenls, was represented in the mystical teaching of the Egyptians as necessary to prepare the soul to pass into the Elysian fields. How the exact number forty-tivo was hit upon in those early days, we may not be able to determine, but it was probably the subject of revelation, as it is now a discovery of science. It is now to be remarked that collective humanity in the form of a tribe or nation, or of an association of tribes or nations under an ecclesiastical regime, is still only a 7nan in principle. THE END OF THE AGES. - lOI Consociation does not add any new element of human nature, but only intensifies, diversifies and averages the action of those elements that are found, in different modes of combination in each individual man. The very same principles and laws, therefore, which govern the journey of the soul through the three zones and forty-two judgments of the am enti to the Ely- sian fields, and the three times fourteen or forty-two trans- migrations in the one long journey from Egypt to the prom- ised land, must be supposed to govern the allegorical journeys of a nation or hierarchy from its first estate to its death and emergement into a higher degree of civilization and spirit- uality. So when the evangelist, as before quoted, tells us that "all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; all the generations from David to the Babylonish captivity were fourteen generations, and all the generations from the Babylonish captivity to Christ were fourteen genera- tions," he is only repeatingon a broader plane and with a more extended application the anagogical history of the forty-two journeys from Egypt to the promised land, the pilgrim in the latter instance being the expanded Man, that is, the Nation. Applying these allegorized principles to time and consider- ing each journey a definite duration, we must endeavor to dis- cover some ratio between the cycle of an individual soul, and the greater cycle of multitudes of individuals, and successive generations of these, bound together and fraternizing under one grand spiritual Dispensation. It is admitted that this ratio might not always be a fixed one, differing, it might be, ac- cording to the amplitude of the developments designed to be wrought out under the Dispensation; but considering that identical human elements in each would under the larger cycle comprise combinations which might, in a sense, be termed complete, the hypothesis that the larger cycle may be the I02 THE END OF THE AGES. square of the smaller seems not an unnatural one. But the mind of the inquirer is scarcely prepared for its surprise on finding that the square of 42 is 1764 — precisely the longer cycle of the Christian Era as illustrated in previous pages! (42x42=1764-) Now dividing this period into three ti?nes fourteen generations of the same ratio of duration, we get 588 years for each, the culminating epochs being 588, 1176 and 1764. Moreover, it will be seen that this period of 588 years comprises 12 jubilees of 49 years each, and 7 of our American cycles of 84 years. Seeing that these hypothetical three times fourteen or forty- two generations of 588 years each coincide in so remarkable a manner with the cycle of the Christian era, let us next inquire if th.& facts of history are such as to prove that this same division of time was intended in the passage quoted. Matt. I. 17, to be applied to the Jeivish Era. Now opening the Bible at the fifty-second chapter of Jeremiah, 30th verse, and con- sulting the marginal date at the same time, we find the sur- prising fact that it was exactly 588 years before Christ that Nebuchadnezzar finished the work of carrying the children of Israel away as captives to Babylon ! This period of 588 years therefore appears to be actually the length of the last of the three fourteen generations, from the Babylonish captivity to Christ, as comprising one-third of the square of 42. So striking and unexpected a coincidence can scarcely be sup- posed to have come by chance. And yet we are almost equally surprised to find that we can carry out the rule in its applica- tion to anterior Jewish history no farther, at least without re- vising the Usherian chronology of the Bible. The correctness of this chronology in its application to the more ancient periods of Jewish history has been disputed; but whether its rectification according to the true course of events would help THE END OF THE AGES. IO3 US out of the difficulty, we are unable to say, and have no time at present to pursue the inquiry. As our deductions from the square of 42 are confessedly somewhat hypothetical, we deem it improper at present to offer them as anything more than corroborations of the main points in this doctrine of cycles, and as opening a line of thought in this direction which may be profitably pursued much farther by those who have leisure, ability and inclination for the work. CHAPTER X. THE SUMMIT OF THE AGES AND SURVEY THENCE OF CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT CHRISTENDOM. Dominant Ideas; Religion supreme — Catholicism the supreme standard in the past— It has been preeminently the Church; Protestantism a transitional movement, rooted in, and rising out of the Catholic Cycle; Its sects so many roots of a new Tree; Protestant changes since 1764; Catholicism standing still; Seeking universal dominion; Reaching after worldly power; This consistent with her principles; Her movements to be watched; Her wonderful persistence explained; Swedenborg on Last Judgment; Her end or radical change in the near i\x\.w:&\ Another hint of this from the law of numbers — The number of recognized popes to 1764; The number of popes since 1764; Her day of grace 120 years, like that of the ante- diluvians; Spiritual republicanization will save her; Tendencies opposed to her present policy all powerful; Yet she defies them; Exalts faith over reason; Ecumenical Council of 1870; Declaration of Papal infallibility: Same day, France declares war against Germany — Withdrawal of troops from Rome; Napoleon III. a prisoner; Overthrow of Pope's temporal power; A terrible rebuke — Reflections; Peter and his "rock;" Truth mightier; Church's usefulness in the past; Obstructing truth, she becomes a power of evil; Then "come out from her my people" — The fairer struc- ture, and true Holy Catholic Church of the future; The upshot of the chapter. WE Stand now upon the summit of the ages, with some knowl- edge of the laws of periodicity in the successive waves by which the tide of human affairs has risen to its present height. These waves have been recognized as the pulsations of the heart of Deity who dwells in all things, and unceasingly works in the seven-fold harmonies of His Divine Logos, for THE END OF THE AGES. I05 the highest possible good of His sentient universe. From this lofty culmination of the ages, and with all the elements of reasoning which continued practical use, through the preceding pages, has familiarized to our minds and commended to our confidence, we are now, in the present and following chapters, to consider some of the problems of our own day and take our bearing for the future. The lessons which came up from the great Past as here ex- hibited in comprehensive aspects, tend to impress more vividly upon our minds the self-evident truth, that human society in all its static and progressive conditions is proximately gov- erned, under God and his angels, by the dominant sentiments and ideas of its organized and leading minds, thence radiating among its masses. It is equally self-evident, and equally forcibly illustrated by these historical exemplifications, that of all the leading sentiments and ideas of humanity, those which come under the head of Religion stand supreme. No philoso- phy of merely material forces, however clearly presented or cogently argued, can either show that such forces, taken by themselves, have had anything more than a subordinate in- fluence in controlling the conditions and progress of the world, nor can they blot out the great fact that humanity has, from age to age, looked up to its common and acknowledged standards of religious faith and practice as the supreme law of conscience, of life, and of individual, social and political action. Nor can it be successfully denied, that, taking the ages of the Christian era in the concrete, the leading standard of faith and practice for all parts of Christendom except its oriental nations and those European nations which largely partake of oriental ingredients, has been furnished by that hierarchy known as the Roman Catholic Church. Though I do not acknowledge, and never have acknowledged, any allegiance to Io6 THE END OF THE AGES. that hierarchy, especially so far as its assumed power to bind my conscience is concerned, 1 am forced to make this conces- sion, in all candor. Nor have I any serious objection to the claims of those who insist that the Roman Catholic Church is, or rather was, par excellence, the Church. I will go farther and on the other hand unhesitatingly declare it as my opinion that Protestantism presents nothing which has any legitimate claims to be considered as the Church — the one and seamless garment of Christ. If its various sects may be considered as churches in the sense of religious congregations, they are not sufficiently "in the unity of the Spirit and the bonds of peace" to answer the idea of the Church in its aggregated unity. And yet Prot- estantism, or the Reformed Religion, has had its legitimate place in the line of human progress; and that place has been, as we have already seen, a highly important one inasmuch as the highest forms of existing civilization have been gener- ated under its influence. Protestantism, in fact, is simply a transitional movement. It is a conatus or endeavor towards the great religious Unity on a far higher plane, which, in the Divine government of the world, still lies in the great beyond. The seven seons of 252 years each, discussed in previous pages, all belong to what is known as the Catholic Church; and with these its cycle of de- velopment appears to be co?nplete. The seventh ccon or age is like the seventh note of the musical scale, and merges by the me- dian overlapping of its natural ascending interval into an eighth, which is the first and key note of a new and higher octave. Or to place the correspondence in another depart- ment of nature, while its vital principle will remain exactly the same, the seventh age is the seed, the ultimate development of the old hierarchical Tree, which contains the germ or embrio of a 71CW Tree. It is known that the new plant or tree, for a THE END OF THE AGES. I07 time after its germination, feeds entirely upon the substance of the old seed. Protestantism is really the germ, the foetus, the ante-natal state of the new form of Religion. It is not that which is to be, but the first blind and spontaneous endeavor towards that which is to be. Hence it has derived its nourish- ment from the Old Mother Church. It has taken its form, spirit and doctrines from the literature and traditions includ- ing the Bible itself, which were borne down to it through the channels of the Catholic Church. In the portion of this seventh note in the ecclesiastical gamut, then, whose natural ascending interval overlaps one-half of an eighth, which is the key note of a new octave, do we find the obscure promise and potency of a new development, but not the new development itself in its own specific form. This matured seed of the old religious Tree, planted in a soil warmed by the fervent aspirations of humanity for something higher, nobler and purer than the old Church in her senility could give, sprouted Lutherism, English Episcopalianism, Calvinism, Armenianism, Quakerism, Methodism, Universal- ism, etc., each of which contains germs of truth but neither of which contains a whole truth, unmixed with error. These are the radicles of the new plant, which, while still receiving their nourishment in a measure through the common umbilicus which connects them with the old seed, are sent down into the soil from which, on more mature development, they may, with the added influence of the upper air and sunlight of science, philosophy and the spiritual inspirations of the day, derive the means of independent and sanitary existence. The common plumule has scarcely yet appeared above the ground in such definite shape as to declare its species. The natural birth-time of the new plant, however, was at the natural death-time of the old, which according to the law Io8 THE END OF THE AGES, of the cycle heretofore explained and exemplified, fell upon the year 1764. It is a remarkable coincident fact, that just about that time the Protestant Religion, considered in its mere abstract capacity as Protestantism, lost its power to lead civili- zation and human society — just as Roman Catholicism had lost its power to do the same at the commencement of the Protestant period in 1524. The light of modern material science, the spiritualism of Swedenborg, the Universalism of Murray, and the Unitarianism of Priestly, then began to struggle into being, afterwards to take a leading part in the development of ideas and institutions. Notwithstanding its basic axiom as to the right of private judgment, and the free- dom of human thought within the limits of certain theological dogmas, it was not Protestantism so much as the boldness of emancipated secular and religious thought that produced the American Revolution. Partaking still of the old Mother Church from whose placental folds she had yet scarcely freed herself, Protestantism frowned upon every new form of scrip- tural exegesis, fulminated anathemas upon every departure from her recognized creeds, quoted scripture against the revelations of the earth's strata, denounced as damnable heresies the disclosures of Gall, Spurzheim and Mesmer; poured out streams of indignation upon the revealments of modern hierophants and prophets, and fulminated its execra- tions against the audacious postulates of Darwin, Tyndal, and Huxley; but with all this, Protestant divines, or the more in- telligent and sensible of them, have been gradually relaxing the rigor of their creeds and moving slowly along with the tide of scientific thought. They are wisely imitating an oft quoted example of Mohammed, and when finding that the mountain will not come to them, they go to the mountain. Thus the whole aspects of Protestant Orthodoxy have so THE END OF THE AGES. IO9 changed during the last half century that a Rip Van Winkle of the church falling asleep fifty years ago, and awakening at this present day, would think that the whole Protestant world had suddenly and strangely fallen under the allurements of the old Serpent. The creeds born in the dim intellectual twilight of the sixteenth century, on which Protestantism was built, are now partially hidden under a gauzy veil of mysticism or kept out of sight altogether, lest their frightful features should cause a stampede among the flock. The old brimstone fires of a literal hell have gone out for want of fuel to feed them, and the horned and cloven-footed devil of the past centuries has taken rank with the mythical "Rawheadand Bloodybones, " concealed in the cellar or the haymow, with whom our grand- sires were wont to frighten unruly children. The reason why the Universalist denomination no longer increases in ratio of population is because its doctrines and spirit have been ab- sorbed into the Orthodox Churches, and the Ballous and Whittemores and Thomases of this day find but little in the old theology to battle and refute. The progress of change is still onward, and more rapid in its movements than ever, and under the increasing light of science and modern inspiration, who shall say how many of the old landmarks of Protestant Orthodoxy shall be found standing at the end of the next quarter of a century ? THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. But the Catholic Church: what has she been doing all this while ? Standing immovable as she enjoined Galileo to be- lieve that the earth stood, and commanding the sun, moon and stars of science to revolve round her as their only legitimate center. True, she has had a hard time of it so far as the great, promiscuous world of thought has been concerned, but within no THE END OF THE AGES. the sphere of her own faithful ones, she has been generally successful. She has been a strong tower of defence against political, social and intellectual innovations; and when no longer able to keep these at bay, but forced by a power stronger than herself to receive them into her own bosom, she has used all the devices of ingenuity to turn them to the advantage of her own spiritual and temporal power. Her tacit motto has been, "Let all things, including science, art, and the political governments of this world, be used for the glorification of the church and the extension of her power and dominion. To this end let there be no institutions for the education of the people which are not placed under the control of the Catholic priest- hood, and let there be no religious toleration except such as the uncontrollable powers of the outside world may render a dire and unavoidable necessity." The following paragraph quoted from a recent issue of The Tablet^ an accredited Roman Catholic journal published in the city of New York, partially illustrates the position of the Church in regard to these matters. When a nation is wholly Catholic, it is the most imperative of duties to keep them so, and to forbid the machinations of those who would try, by acting on the pride and weakness of the human heart, to seduce them from their allegiance to the faith which is to save their souls, and to introduce the curse of religious division. Is she a nation afflicted with rank sectarianism and religious division, then the same motive leads her to insist on the unbelief which leaves faith at the mercy of a supposed right of private judgment, to be consistent with itself, and to observe complete religious liberty; for she knows that then all men of "good will" will be won by the same beauty and consistency of the creed, the august solemnity of the worship of the Savior, and the sublimity of her moral teaching." Insist upon religious liberty whenever and wherever // al- ready exists beyond the power of the church to control or restraifi it [/), but "forbid" it, and "use every means" to prevent it whenever THE END OF THE AGES. Ill and wherever the Catholic power holds the national govern- ment — that seems to be the doctrine of this paragraph. Of its desire to regain control over the governments of Christen- dom, we believe the Catholic power makes no secret; and a few years ago the Paulite Fathers of New York city went so far as to calculate the precise year when this thing would be brought to pass in reference to the American nation. That, together with the course which the Catholic Church has taken and is now pursuing in respect to the public schools, has a meaning in which American freemen may be excused for tak- ing a little interest. Now in all these claims and aspirations the Roman Church is entirely consistent with her principles, held in all sincerity both by priesthood and laity. If her pontifical Head is really the vicegerent of Christ on earth, and if the preparation of souls, by the priesthood and by the formulas of the Church for an entrance of heaven in the next world, is really the infinitely important work that it is claimed to be, why must it not follow that all earthly concerns, whether governmental, social, or ed- ucational, should be held in strict subordination to the supe- rior authority of the Pope and his council of cardinals and bishops, and to the forms and ceremonies prescribed by the church as the indispensable means of salvation? If there be anything wrong in all this, that wrong must be sought not ne- cessarily in the perversity of the sacerdotal officials who now uphold and rule a church which they inherit from the past ages, who derive their very life-blood from her as their mother, and who, in general, are as sincere in their convictions as any other class of men in the world; but the difficulty must be sought in the fundamental principles of the church itself, and in the anachronism which it presents with the present age. With all her time-honored organic laws; canons and dogmas 112 THE END OF THE AGES. which claim and receive the allegiance of her followers, and with all her assumptions of supreme authority in support of which, in the event of any great and threatening crisis, mil- lions would be willing to take up arms and battle to the death, the Roman hierarchy is with us yet. Among the institutions of the earth, she towers up in such overshadowing height as to attract universal attention. With her vast machinery of mon- asteries, convents, ecclesiastical schools and finance, all op- erating with clock-like regularity, and with her vast power of dogmatic authority by which she sways the minds and hearts of ignorant and superstitious masses, she is still working, in- dustriously as ever, for universal dominion. No secular gov- ernment can afford to ignore her presence, and no nation, not already under her yoke, can abstain from watching her move- ments with a jealous eye. How is this wonderful persistence of the old ecclesiasticism to be explained? We have seen that her time was up, and her natural cycle closed in 1764. Swedenborg, indeed, the great- est of modern seers as well as the greatest philosopher of his age, would probably have placed it seven years sooner, viz., in 1757, the year on which he claimed to have witnessed the "last judgment" in the spiritual world, and the utter overthrow of "Babylon" in that world which, till that time, had by permis- sion, if not design, served as the counterpart and inspirer of the "Babylon" or Roman Church in this world. Naturally it might be supposed that the effect of this re-adjustment of the channels of spiritual influx to the Church on earth, would not sensibly take effect in this world until after the lapse of a few years, which might bring the end of the authorized visible church at the period we have mentioned. We have already seen that, in point of fact, mankind began about that period to think more freely on religious as well as secular subjects. THE END OF THE AGES. II3 just as Swedenborg predicted they would. As a consequence of this increased freedom of thought, potentialized by the dawning inspirations of a new age, the initial developments in science soon began to appear, and which, in their farther progress, have illumined the last century as with sunlight, thus measurably unfolding the intellectual and moral elements of a new, universal, and hence real Catholic Church. It is the im- mense vis inertialoi the Roman Church, her ponderous monastic and other institutions, her vast worldly property, and her tower- ing Luciferian pride which it may almost be said "exalts its throne above the stars of God, and aspires to sit on the mount of the congregation on the sides of the north," that gave her the impetus to carry her down to this day with but little outward change, notwithstanding the adverse tendency of all the higher inspirations of the age. Besides it was a divine mercy to her that the change rendered inevitable by the course of the uni- versal progress of the outside world, should not come upon her too suddenly, but that she should have due warning and time to readjust herself to the changed conditions of the age. But that her end as a visible power, or at least the end of her old despotic regime, falls on these times, or in the nearly approaching future, is hinted in still another way, as we shall presently see. ANOTHER HINT FROM THE LAW OF NUMBERS. We will head this subdivision of our chapter with the follow- ing remarkable texts, which, in fact, might also appropriately stand at the head of several of our preceding chapters: Thou hast ordered all things in measure and number and weight. Wisdom XI. 20. By measure hath he measured the times and by number hath he numbered the times; and he doth not move nor stir them until the said measure be ful- filled. 2 Esdras IV. 37. 8 114 THE END OF THE AGES. In the light of these quotations, we now call attention to another little cluster of curious facts connected with the law of ryhthuiic 07' niaiieral order ^ and embraced in the subject under consideration. First, however, in order that the point of ar- gument may be clearly apprehended for whatever of force it may be adjudged to possess, we will again remind the reader that th.e numbers 7, 12, and 3, are exponents of structural as well as cyclic harmony and completeness. Now, we have con- sidered the cyclic development of the Catholic Church accord- ing to the law of numbers and the verifications of historical facts, and shown that its completeness was in 1764. Let us now consider \\q.x structural development according to the same law, or at least order of numbers. A curious coincidence, to say the least, with this law of numeral order, occurs in the number of Popes, from the first to the last that are recognized by the Catholic Church. We say "recognized" by that Church, without starting any question as to the grounds of such recognition in any specific case, be- cause the recognition itself is the potent factor in constituting the theory, and hence that important part of the working men- tal force of the Church which consists in its theory. For example, there are grave doubts, especially in the minds of non-Catholics, even as to whether St. Peter ever was in Rome, to say nothing of the assumption that he was bishop or Pope of Rome during the twenty-five years which tradition allots to him ; but since this assumed fact has become practically ac- tualized by its admission among the materials of Catholic thought and speculation; we must consider it, at least as the ideal property of the Church, and thus an element in its spirit- ual constitution as actual as if the fact itself were proved be- yond doubt. In this view, then, let it be observed that the number of THE END OF THE AGES. II5 Popes, from St. Peter to Leo XIII., according to the best authorized lists, appears to be 260, though it is fair to say that of the strict accuracy of this statement there appears to be some doubt, owing to commotions existing at different periods, and especially in the 14th century, during which several Popes were elected concerning whose legitimacy there are now disputes among ecclesiastical writers. Now the fact to which we would call special attention is, that the list which seems to be best authorized and is generally acknowledged, recognizes 260 in all, and makes Clement XIII., who was seated on the papal throne in the critical year 1764, the two hundred and fifty-second pope — this number 252, as it will be remembered, being one of our chief and most significant cyclic numbers. In connection with this fact, let us again direct our atten- tion to the period of 588 years. We noted in a previous chap- ter that this period is exactly one-third of the greater cycle of 1764 years, the divisions running 588, 1176, 1764. We also showed the significance of these three divisions, consisting of 588 years each, in connection with the three times fourteen generations of Matt. I. 17; and noted the fact that in this period, 588, is comprised just seven of the sub-cycles of mod- ern history of 84 years each. Therefore, besides these three times 588 years being comprised in the larger cycle, and thus forming a trinity^ or a 07ie, with three divisions, a single one of these periods, comprising a septave of the smaller cycles of 84 years, must also be counted as One and complete. Now notice the following singular and confirmatory com- bination of numbers: From the beginning to 588 there were 3X7X3 - =63 Popes From 58S to 11 76 there were 3X7X5 - =105 Popes From 1 1 76 to 1764 there were 7X12 - =84 Popes Total 252 Il6 THE END OF THE AGES. That is to say, during the first of these periods, there were 21 Popes, or three times seven, less than 84; and during the second there were 21, or three times seven more than 84; and during the third there were precisely 84 — the mean number thus being 84 for each period. 84+84+84=252. Did all these numbers, together with the remarkable factors of the mifius and ////j- in the first and second periods, come by chance ? Or do they obey the law of numerical harmonics and proportions? If the former, then, indeed, is the coincidence a very remarkable one and the like of it would not probably occur once again in a million similar cases. If the latter, then is there not here a very strong indication, to say the least, of the structural completeness of a scientific Triad in the num- ber 252 or 3 times 84 Popes at the year 1764, even as there was also a cyclic completeness of the Church at that period? I see not how these facts can fail to have weight with candid minds, especially when taken in connection with numerous corroborative considerations, some of which have already been incidentally presented and others of which will follow hereafter. And now mark again; following Pope Clement XIII., who was seated upon the pontifical throne in 1764, there have been seven full papal reigns^ and that of the present incumbent, Leo XIII., is the eighth. The order of succession of those who completed their several reigns is, Clement XIV. ; Pius VI. ; Pius VII. ; Leo XII. ; Pius VIII. ; Gregory XIV. and Pius IX. Does this number seven naturally give hint of a supplementary completeness, or the completeness of the day of grace given to the Catholic Church after her normal time was really up, with the judgment mentioned by the Seer Swedenborg, as just ante- THE END OF THE AGES. II7 dating the year 1764? Admitting this view of the case, it would seem that this '■'■day of grace'' covering the period of these supplementary popes, has its parallel in the terminal part of the history of the antediluvians, when it was said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'' This period of ten times twelve years was the period of the preparation of the symbolic Ark which was to serve as the connecting link between the old and the new age, atwu, or cycle, and it was also the period allowed the antediluvians to either repent and prepare themselves for the new age, or to fill up the measure of their iniquities, and become ripe for destruction. Supposing this same period of one hundred and twenty years to be now repeated, and for a similar purpose, it will close and the flood or cataclysm of destruction will either co7n7ne7ice about the year 1884 or will be completed ^OMt that time.- REPUBLICANIZATION AND MENTAL FREEDOM WILL EXTEND THE church's TENURE OF LIFE. But this calamitous closing up of the career of the Catholic Church may be avoided on the simple condition that she will now be wise, and profit by the hint which seems to be contained in her structural Triad consisting of three times 84 or in all 252 popes up to the period indicated as the close of an old grand cycle, and the commencement of a new. The continuity of the Church beyond her third series of seven times twelve popes, that is beyond the year 1764, may be regarded as prohational for 2l fourth series — passing which, in safety, the whole grand series of seven times eighty-four popes from first to last might possibly be assured. Now we have already shown by numerous examples, that Il8 THE END OF THE AGES. fourth Stages in all seven fold series of developments (being in the middle of the scale of seven), are the equilibrating stages, and when applying to human society, they are characterized by equality, freedom and republicanism, in some distinctive form or representation. Especially was this fact exemplified in the lapse of the three times seven times twelve years, or three times eighty-four, that occurred between the years 1524, when the modern era commenced by Luther's Declaration of In- dependence of Rome, and the year 1776, which, by another ''Declaration of Independence," witnessed at once the en- trance upon 3. fourth stage of social development, and the birth of the American Republic, recognizing the /;'i?we and reverence, mingled with the fears which originate in his own timid nature. These experiences become more dis- tinct as the inner sensibilities become more developed by re- peated experience, until he as firmly knows of the existence of this invisible and intelligent power as he knows of the exist- ence of the winds and the sunshine. Hence it is the natural desire of this man to form an alliance with that power, to se- cure its favor, to avoid its disapprobation, and to follow its leadings. Here, then, is the first and rudimental conception of a God, and so far as it goes, it is as correct as any other human con- ception. Here then, with the germ and infancy of the human race, we have the germ of all true theology and of the force of all true progress, whatever may be the successive stages of evolu- tion of the same throughout the cycles of the earth's subse- quent history, and even throughout the ascending spheres of the heavens above. But these primeval minds do not rest here. The impression- ist who received the first distinct stamp of overbrooding divinity upon his inner being, and who was, in that, the first to be elevated above the grade of the intellectual brute — or if not he, some one whom he has indoctrinated in the same thought — is not content with that truth as a supersensible and spiritual ideal, and so he begins to exercise his imagination as to what material form may have been chosen by it as its visible clothing. Some day while musing in solitude upon this ques- tion, his eye, perhaps, casually falls upon the form of a huge serpent lurking by the side of his path. The awe with which he is thrilled is, to his crude perceptions, so similar to that with which the sense of the overbrooding invisible presence .THE END OF THE AGES. 20I had previously inspired him, that he does not distinguish the difference. He thinks he has found his God in the form of that serpent; that serpent therefore, or something else of like awe-inspiring nature that his mind may have fallen upon, be- comes his fetich; and thus the theology of this grade of humanity is called Fetichism. And herein, on the other hand, do we find also the germ of all superstition and idolatry, with its restrictive influence upon human progress, which has had its multifarious developments at different times, and which in its more specious forms is as rife at the present day as it has been at any previous age of the world. II. BARBARISM RELIGION, POLYTHEISM OR MANITOUISM. The development of this second grade most probably oc- curred in the following manner: Breathed upon by invisible in fiuences, numbers of persons in the first and germinal stage of humanitary evolution, may be supposed to have become more or less sensible of this overbrooding power, and these would speak of their experiences to each other. Gradually it would become evident that some of these impressionists, seers or prophets were siipe?'ior to others, and finally one would appear who, being unquestionably superior to all the rest, would, by the force of his character and the common consent of the rest, take the lead as the greatfetich man, or medicine man. Then his followers, gathering around him, and he, by common consent, acting as their prophet, priest, chief and father, the whole would assume the form of a Tribe, governed by common cus- toms, usages and laws of personal honor; and thus the first and lowest principles of Social Order would be inaugurated. While this process would be going on in one locality, nearly the same thing would be occurring among the people across the 202 THE END OF THE AGES.. big river, on the other side of the high mountain, and in dis- tant locations set off by other geographical boundaries, unti' many distinct tribes would be formed. Each one of these tribes, and many subordinate individuals, would have ex- periences giving the idea of spiritual powers differing in grade and character from each other, and these being all recognized, constituted the foundations of a theology which has been known as Polytheism, or among the North American Indians, as Manitouism, or Spiritism, with a great Manitou or Spirit as leading the whole. It is this tribal relation, with its religion, that we here designate as Barbarism. III. DESPOTISM RELIGION, SOVEREIGNISM. This third grade of social evolution was brought about in this wise: These diverse tribes, by trenching frequently upon each other's territories and hunting grounds, and from other causes of mutual jealousy and antagonism, would often become embroiled in wars with each other, until by force of numbers or skill and prowess in battle, one tribe would stand forth as the unquestionable superior of the others. The chieftain of this tribe, still uniting in himself the several offices of prophet, priest and king, now arose to the conception of a supreme Divinity, who presided over the destinies of all the tribes and taught that it was the command of this Being that they should be united as one people, rendering common worship to himi and common allegiance to this chieftain whom he had ap- pointed to rule over them. No very distinct conception was as yet entertained concern- ing any moral attributes as belonging to the Deity. He was regarded as simply a Sovereign whose commands must be obeyed under severe penalties, and whose favor was to be pro- cured by religious rites and ceremonies. Believing that he held THE END OF THE AGES. 203 his office by the will of the nation's God, the king at first, as a patriarch or father of a great national family, ruled the people unselfishly; and it was only after becoming proud and puffed up by successes and worldly greatness, that he assumed to himself honors as the earthly viceregent of God, and be- came rapacious and tyrannical. This third stage of humanitary and social evolutions, there- fore, inaugurates the first form of political society which answers to the idea of a JVatioti; and while we call it a despotism from its being subject to the will of one man, we call its re- ligion Sovereignisni from its main conception of Deity as a being simply of arbitrary /c«'^^.* IV. THE CRUDE OR DEMI-REPUBLIC— RELIGION, JEHOVISM. When, in course of time, the old monarchies of the East had degenerated into temporal and spiritual tyrannies, and had put forth many perverting and degrading notions concerning the supernal Power which rules the world, Abraham was called forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to be the progenitor of a new nation, led by new and still higher conceptions of the Divinity. As there is a natural overlapping of intervals between the third and fourth notes of the musical scale, so there was an over- lapping between this newly projected religious and political system, and the highest form of the old regime, represented in Egypt. Thus, the descendants of Abraham were consigned * The reader will please note, that we are here dealing only with the exoteric and popular development of the religious idea. The wonders of that secret lore which came professedly by inspiration into the minds of Magi and prophets, from the Eden period downward through thousands of years, and the monu- mental records of some of which remain to the present day, cannot be properly noticed within our present limits, or consistently with our main theme. 204 THE END OF THE AGES. to a long- pupilage in Egypt, from which they were ultimately led forth by one who had been "brought up in all the wisdom and learning of the Egyptians," and who, receiving a still su- perior wisdom by influx from above, taught that Jehovah Adonai was not only a mere Sovereign, but also a God possess- ing distinct ^^(^/'(^/attributes — -a God of justice, judgment, mercy and truth — a defender of the poor and innocent and a dis- penser of equity between the tribes and people. Under the ideal of individual and social life presented in the character and commands of such a God, the Israelitish people, on taking up their abode in Palestine, immediately resolved themselves into the form of a crude Republic^ in which they continued, ac- cording to the Usherian chronology, about four hundred years.* After the lapse of this period, internal disorders, mainly attributable to retrogression in the religious idea, had multiplied, and in the absence of that intelligence and public aspiration which could supply the conditions of progress to a still higher degree of religious and social life, the nation, much to the regret of good old Samuel, fell back again to Monarchy, and in later ages into vassalage to foreign powers. And so, although the Mosaic idea concerning God and his attributes, and the system of laws based upon the same, con- tained the moral elejueiits of a Crude Republic, the nation's history presents some practical deviations from this ideal, owing to the ignorance of the times, and to unfavorable surrounding conditions; while it must be admitted that in periods when this ideal was left to its full sway, it generated conditions of public justice and human equity which are scarcely exceeded in any of the analogous Crude Republics of this day. *From the Exodus from Egypt, 1491 B. C, to the death of Samuel, 1061 B. C, 430 years. THE END OF THE AGES. 205 V. THE ASCENDING OR PROGRESSIVE REPUBLIC RELIGION, PA- TERNISM. Near the end of the Jewish polity and ecclesiasticism, came a new teacher, who proclaimed doctrines concerning God and the consequent mutual relations of mankind, vastly higher than any which had been previously entertained, even if they were mystically involved in the old symbols and doctrines which have not received full embodiment in any form of civilization, even to this day. With him, God was indeed still the mys- terious overbrooding power; the intelligent, directing spirit; the Sovereign; the Judge and God of Justice, Mercy and Truth; but in addition to all those he was the Universal Father, kind and loving even to the unthankful and to the evil. It was said, by this teacher, to be God's will that all should come unto him, be conformed to his spiritual likeness, be at o?ie with him — that each should be a temple in which God's Spirit might dwell, and thus be complete, fully rounded, whole, or sound, which condition is expressed by the word "saved" or "salvation." The children of such a Being were called "breth- ren," as it was fitting that the offspring of one and the same common Father should be called, and not only was the exer- cise of mutual justice and brotherly love inculcated as the car- dinal rule of social ethics, but even love to enemies was enforced and the higher were told that they must be ministers and ser- vants of the lower. It was also an assertion of this exalted teacher, that he was in the Father and the Father in him, and thus that he and the Father were one; that on the other hand, he was spiritually in his true and faithful disciples, and they in him, and hence that he and they also were one, so that all together might be one with the Father; that they were therefore all members of a 2o6 THE END OF THE AGES. mystic body of which he was the head and that all were mem- bers one of another in such sense that not one of them could suffer without the whole suffering with him; hence that each in his specific office should cooperate with all others for the common and reciprocal good of the whole, and at the same time for the good of the whole outside world — the latter to be ultimately evangelized also and united to the great Body or Commonwealth. The followers of this new religion were called "Christians," from the name of their master, Jesus Christ. This name, however, was not assumed from any coiiunand of the Master, but was adopted first at Antioch, some eight or nine years after his death. Hence also, still subsequently, came the name Christianity as designating the new doctrine. This name has been retained to this day; but if it had been designed to designate simply the distinctive principle of this new doctrine, the word '■^Patemism" would have been more expressive from its representation of God as the Universal Fathe7'. Now had the moral forces of this new faith been restricted to and concentrated upon an isolated nation or community, and been fully received and practised by the same, it would naturally have soon generated the form of a republic of a very high order. But from its expansive nature it could not be so restricted; and besides such was not its design. As we are told that Christ, after his physical crucifixion, descended into hell to preach to the spirits in prison, so his system of teach- ing, with its accompanying spirit and power, was destined to descend into the earthly hells of the savagisms, barbarisms, despotisms and effete hierarchies of the whole western world, that it might work like leaven in them all, and even from the very bottom to the top of the whole scale of humanity. To the simple it appealed in its simplicity, to the wise in its wisdom, THE END OF THE AGES. 207 and to all with only such of its truths as they could understand and appropriate. It embraced in its great Catholic heart and intellect, whatever was true in any and all the previous forms of religious conception, from F'etichism upward. In passing through all the gradations of humanity, not even excepting the lowest, which it encountered in its onward flow through the dark ages, it presented all phases of truth, from simplest to most complex. Of course it had also to submit to be clothed with many superstitious creations of the darkened human imagination — just as the indefinite but true conception of the overbrooding power, during the infantile and immediately en- suing ages of the world, was clothed in the form of a serpent and with other gross idolatrous imagery. This was not the fault of Christianity, but of the darkness of the psychic atmos- pheres of mankind which absorbed and deflected its light, and often threw around it shadows of hideous and repulsive forms. It was about the middle of the cycle of 1764 years, discussed in preceding pages, when the barbarous nations of Europe had all been converted \.o formal 2.ndi noviinal christiajiity, with the spirit of the old heathenism still, for the most part, remaining — that the lowest depths of darkness and perversion were reached. Thence the intrinsic light of Christianity, no longer subject to accumulations of outside obscuring influences, began gradually to consume the darkness, and the interior potency of Christ's doctrines and principles began slowly, and at first al- most imperceptibly, to assume control over the current of moral and intellectual progress and to act more positively for the elevation and blessing of mankind. Then ensued also, as the ages flowed on, a succession of more pure and lofty concep- tions of Christian theology and ethics, corresponding some- what in their gradations of progress, to the transitions of the old world from Fetichism to Polytheism (now taking the form 2o8 THE END OF THE AGES. of saint worship), and from that to Sovereignism (accompanied with the ideal of the viceregency of the pope); and from that to Jehovism or the worship of a God of distinct moral at- tributes, as held by the latter day reformers. But in its passage upward from the bottom of the scale of human conceptions, Christian theology and ethics, down to the period of 1764 (the end of the cycle, as before shown), had not attained to a gradation above the Jehovism of the Jews, even as inadequately understood by that people; and the spirit that animated the churches was more in consonance with the literal teachings of the Old Testament than of the New. It was taught in the creeds (and is held by many even to this day), that God is, indeed a being of justice and mercy, but that his "justice" is so mingled with retaliative vengeance as to require the endless, inconceivable and profitless torture of millions of his creatures; and that his "mercy" consists in his willingness to accept the vicarious sacrifice of his innocent son in substitution for the punishment of the guilty, in order that the latter may be saved. And by exercising "faith" in this last great doctrine — a cardinal one in their system — they sup- pose that they have received the atonement\ whereas they have not received the atonement, or at-one-m.twt^ at all unless they are at one with Christ, and with the Father, and thence with each other, and live a life accordingly. But the comparative freedom and elasticity of thought that began to be manifested after the year 1764, has wrought vast changes in the whole tone and spirit of Christian theology, while at the same time pouring upon the world great floods of the light of Science as'before shown. As a result of all this, it may safely be asserted, that since the days of the apostles, there never was a time when Christ and his teachings were so well understood as at present- — by the feiu if not the many. THE END OF THE AGES. 209 The Master is beginning to appear again in the same light in which he appeared of old, in Palestine. The husbandman who departed and journeyed into a far country and through many dark ages, is returning again to his vineyard to receive the fruits thereof. And if, instead of looking for the visible coming of Christ in the literal clouds of heaven with the coin- cident fall of the literal stars, the opening of the literal graves, and the literal burning up of the world, etc. — all impossibili- ties in the literal sense — if, I say, instead of looking for these things, — Christian theologians would seek truth behind mere symbols and see in the current and most wonderful de- velopments of this age, the clear signs of his coming, "with all his holy angels" — nay, the commencement of that coming it- self; if they would understand that the Kingdom of God comes "not with outward observation" but is '•'"within-" if they would learn the true and really plain Christian philosophy of spiritual Unio?i with Christ, and through him with the Father, and with each other as mutually sympathizing members of the same grand Body; and if they would preach these things dili- gently and faithfully until the whole religious community be- came thoroughly pervaded with the sentiment — they would then do their share of the work, not merely of the only real personal salvation of men, but of laying the foundation of a new order of political and social life, and of a higher form of Government than has ever yet been known on earth. The uni- versal church thus rising up from the dark fogs of ignorance and barbarism into which she had descended to bring up her children, would be herself again; the religion of universal pa- ternism would for the first time crystallize into universal Fraternism, and even the kingdoms of this world would be- come the kingdom of Christ as was prophesied of old. * * Rev. xi. 15. 14 2IO THE END OF THE AGES. But we do not intend to convey the thought, that this vast change in the conditions of mankind can be wrought by any of the old forms of ecclesiasticism, either Catholic or Protestant. They have evidently finished their cycle, have become worn out and effete, and have lost their power to lead the world to higher stages of civilization. Lacking as they do both the ideals and the impelling moral force of such advancement, they may be expected to pass away. What we are now to look for, and to welcome to our hearts with joy, is a New Church — the New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse, the promised Comforter and "Spirit of Truth" which will lead into all truth (John xvi. 7-13), and whose advent, as that of a "new heaven" will be accompanied with that of a "new earth" wherein dwelleth righteousness. But we do not entertain the impracticable theory that all or even the majority of mankind, will necessarily have to be made Christians in any sense before this new order of political so- ciety can be instituted. It is, however, abundantly demon- strated from the history of the past, as well as from the very nature of things, that the organizing principle and the formal type of the organization itself in any stage of political or social evolution, must be furnished by the domi7iant religious life and phil- osophy of the tif?ie. Infidelity organizes nothing. It never has organized anything beyond a temporary association for ag- gression, for self-defence, or for the pursuit of selfish profits or pleasures. Its great work, on the other hand, is to disinte- grate, to divide, and to egotize. There never was an atheistic nation, and never can be. So if at this age a new great or- ganization of human society is required, we must necessarily depend upon the highest religious sentiment and philosophy, whether that has taken form in few or many minds, to furnish the type, the spirit and the working life of it. THE END OF THE AGES. 211 We have indeed before seen that Roman Catholicism after the year 1524, and Protestantism after 1764, lost power to lead civilization. We have also seen that this was because, at those periods respectively, they had worked out their mission as leaders of civilization. We have seen also that the period succeeding 1764, up to this time and a little beyond, is a period of transition and of preparation. And now that Christianity is emerging from the darkness of the ages through which she was obliged to pass in order to bring up the rear guards of humanity to the standard of these times; now that her teachings are appearing again in something like the pris- tine purity in which they originally fell from the lips of the Master and his apostles; now that she is receiving new illus- trations by demonstrations and outpouring of the spirit from heaven and is clothed with the powerful accessories of modern science — she is already beginning to furnish, and as she puts on the form of the new Church, she will furnish still more per- fectly, not only to an isolated community or nation, but to all Christendom, the type, the spirit, and the working life of a new political and social state, vastly higher than any which has existed in the past. Of the details of a system that would practically carry out these suggestions we hope to speak in subsequent pages; but this we will now say by way of anticipation — That it must be a Body Politic embracing all the principles of the body individ- ual; that it must have many members, of different offices, all held together by naturally indissoluble bonds, and all cooperat- ing for the good of the body and of its members in particular; and it must be so constructed that the interest of one will be the interest of all; and that the interest of the Body as a whole, will be the interest of each one of its members. This will be the Fifth gradation in the evolutions of human 212 THE END OF THE AGES. society, which we have nominally designated as "-The Ascend- ing or Progressive Republic.'' But our scale is not yet complete. There ought, according to the law of the Sevenfold Series, to be yet two more grada- tions. But these, at present, can be of little interest to the reader except as prophetic shadows of the future, and we shall sketch them but briefly as the conception of them arises from the consideration of the law in the case. The Sixth Stage looms up before us in the future, as the Universal and Harmonic Republic, or the organization of all nations together as one Grand Nation, on the same harmonic plan — with local autonomies, from the grand whole to specific nations, and thence down to provinces and the smallest municipalities and townships — all bound together by cords of sympathy radiating from a common ideal center, intervolv- ing and interacting with each other in a manner corresponding to the intermovements and reciprocations of the innumerable bodies, great and small, of the astronomical system. Then there will be an international Congress to adjust all local controversies. Then the nations shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and learn war no more; and then mankind will know and love each other universally. The Seventh Stage will be the Spiritual Commune. Let not the reader shrink from this much abused word. Yes, Communism is not only engermed in the possibilities of human nature, but is contained in the arcana of an eternal law. Our conception of the true Commune, however, differs very widely from that of the intemperate agitators who are now disturbing society with their crude and subversive doc- trines. Our thought is, that never on earth can the true com- mune embrace any other than the most advanced classes of THE END OF THE AGES. 213 mankind. In its essential nature, it is the marriage of Love and Wisdom; of Heaven and Earth; of God and Humanity. Considered in this light it will practically exemplify such passages in the New Testament as these: '■'■All things are yours; whether Paul or Appollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come — all are yours, and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's." "He that overcome'th shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he will be my son" etc. This will be the annihilation of all evil selfishness, and at the same time the immense expansion of selfhood by clothing it with all other selfhoods, and all other things BSparts of itself; while all other selfhoods in turn will have the same resources of the same riches. Each man in that condition will own the whole earth, and even the sun, moon and stars, as fully as he could have owned them if they had been made for him alone and without reference to any other being whatsoever; while no one could afford to have his fellow being impoverished, because that to the same extent would be an impoverishment of himself. For such are the harmonies of the God who is over all, through all and in all. And this will be the spiritual Sabbath, the Christian "Salvation" in its completeness, and the mystical "nirvana" of the Buddhists, concerning the nature of which there have been so many specu- lations; and this when more completely realized in the heavens will be the grand harvest home of the intelligent universe. We have thus completed our survey of the stages of pro- gressive transformations through which human society has passed from its inception to the present time, and of the futttre stages through which, in accordance with the law of the series, it would seem it has yet to pass to its final earthly culmination. The order of these successive steps is evidently the same as that which occurs in the seven notes of the musical scale, in 2X4 THE END OF THE AGES. the seven colors of the rainbow, the seven periods of geological formation, the seven degrees in the evolution of vegetable and animal forms, the seven epochs in the cycles of human his- tory, and the sevenfold series found in every other composite and complete system throughout the wide universe, — with com- plementary relations between the first and fourth, second and fifth, and third and sixth, the same as in the series of prismatic colors. The evidence of its general truthfulness, therefore, is indefinitely cumulative according asv/e extend the observation of its types and correspondences. Among the truths which seem to be made clear in the light of this general survey is one which may serve as a useful lesson to the would-be reformers just now referred to. It is that communism, truly so called, is possible only at the beginning and ending of this scale of degrees in human social conditions. Savagis?n in its lowest type, is evidently a species of Conu7iunism, because among such wild men, each one owns all things he can lay his hands upon, and even owns his fellow being if he is hungry and has nothing more convenient with which he can satisfy his appetite, whilst on the other hand, if his neighbor is more hungry or more strong than he, the appro- priation to use may as justly take the inverse course. In the seventh degree, of course, the extreme opposite of all this is the case, and the common possession is for the good of ail as well as of each individual. An effort therefore, to establish communism in any moral gradation of society lower than the fourth^ must necessarily run into wild, chaotic anarchy or quasi savagism, because its moral gravitation would necessarily be towards the bottom; an effort to establish it in any degree above the fourth and below the seventh, must necessarily fail of complete success for want of maturity of elements, and its results, at least, would be like THE END OF THE AGES. 215 windfallen fruit, ripened in the sun — withered, worm-eaten and unhealthy. There are however, certain common as well as individual interests in all grades of social organization, and these are what have given rise to the word ' 'communitj^" as used in common parlance, and are among the occult forces which impel society in its progressive course of involuntary and un- conscious effort to make all interest common in the finishing up of the great divine scheme of evolution. It is true that types and prophecies of the Spiritual Com- mune have for a long time existed in the world — first, in the loose form of the early Christian Church, which was a Commune (Acts iv. 32); then in the forms of Monasticism, both Bud- dhistic and Christian; and latterly in the forms of Shakerism and kindred social organizations; but these are only types at best, falling far short of the reality of that which is represented by them. They are but little islands in the boundless ocean of human society, and though green and fragrant each in its dif- ferent way, they are not commendable for any other purpose than to develop partial and one-sided phases of human nature. We have then obtained — we hope satisfactorily to the reader — the answer to the question which forms the caption of this chapter. That answer is, that the present government of the American Republic is not the highest form of government that is possible, but that there are in the nature of things, at least two vastly higher forms of government beyond it which are at- tainable, and which in the progressive evolutions of the human race under the divine laws will yet certainly be realized. And to such aspirations and prayers and persistent and indefatig- able labors as may tend to the progressive realization of these ulterior stages of growth all intelligent and philanthropic minds of the age are most earnestly invited by the innumerable angels who are now bending in sympathy over our suffering earth. CHAPTER XVIII. TRACES OF THE PATH THAT LEADS ONWARD. Previous proofs that we cannot go onward without change; Certainty that there is a way out; This must he. fou7id, not contrived; Next stage a Fifth in the Scale of Seven; Functions and correspondences of Fifths — Complementary relations in the scale; Argument thence; Present 84 year subcycle answer- ing to period from T008 to 1260; Urban Republics and cooperative guilds; Hints from these; Our present 84 year subcycle a Jifthmthe cycle of mode^'n history — Strength of the argument; Traces of the path begin to appear. AMONG the discoveries made in our last chapter, the one that now most immediately concerns us is, that in the arcana of the divine laws there are types and prophecies of higher forms of government than that of the specific Republi- can system by which the Anglo-American nation is now ruled. The importance of this thought is intensified by the conclusion to which we were forced at a still earlier stage of our inquiries — that it is impossible for the American nation to go forward in its destined progress, and to fulfill its grand mission as a leader of the human race in civilization, freedom and social justice, without some essential modification in the structure and functional workings of our system. As the very thought of a retrograde step towards the formal re-establishment of despotism and political servility, will be intolerable to the great majority of our people, we are forced to cast about us to find some traces of the path that leads onward to a new and higher gradation in the scale of Dolitical and social life — even THE END OF THE AGES. 21 7 a higher than any which has yet been clearly exemplified in the history of the human race. That there is a way out of all our present difficulties, may be considered just so certain as that God is wise and true. But the only way is God's way, the sure and only indications of which may be found by consulting the divine laws eternally established in the nature, of things. Mere human contrivances and artificial expedients will be of no avail in working out for us any higher conditions than those now existing; and if mil- lions of such expedients were projected before the world, they would all necessarily fail. We have already declared in sub- stance, and now repeat, that the only true plan of procedure, and the only one that can ever be attended by any permanent results for good, is that which eternally IS, and needs only to be discovered^ and put in practice. Humbly, then, do we in- terrogate Nature and the God of Nature, for the disclosure of this important secret, which, when properly exposited, we pre- dict will stand forth in such clear light of self-evidence that almost any ordinary intellect may understand and appreciate it as to its main aspects and. bearings. Let it be particularly noted, then, that the stage of prog- ress to which we aspire as the next beyond and superior to the present, is a Fifth in the scale of septinary gradations into which nature arranges all her complete systems in correspond- ence with each other. By observing the characteristics and correlations of fifths in other and corresponding scales of seven, and applying their analogies, we may therefore obtain some important clews to certain leading characteristics of the new order of things which we are now seeking. Now the fifth note in the. musical scale — the dominant note, as it is called — has a natural gravitation to the. eighth, which is the first of the new scale above. That is to say, if the three 2l8 THE END OF THE AGES. notes of the major harmonic triad — the first, third and fifth of the scale — -be sounded in succession, the ear is not quite satis- fied unless the eighth is sounded as a close; and it is this fact that has caused the scale to be called an octave instead of a sep- tave, as it more properly is. Now as the fifth gradation in the scale of social evolutions is to that scale what the fifth note is to the scale of music, so that fifth also must gravitate to an eighth; that is to say, it must he aspiraio/y, have a tendency to rise or progress, and ally itself more and more to what, from analogy or revelation, may be conceived to be the first and rudimental form of the divine spiritual government in the world beyond. The fifth color in the prismatic scale, has the same relations and correspondences, and teaches the same lesson, but in a way too recondite to be made clear at present without occupy- ing too much space. In the sevenfold scale of animal forms, commencing in the protoplastic monad called amoeba, and ending in man, the fifth general division, or sub-kingdom, has for its central type the winged Saurians and birds, also flying insects — animals which soar above the earth into the quasi spiritual regions of the atmosphere and towards the source of sunlight. The cor- respondence of this to the aspiratory, ideal, spiritual and hence progressive characteristics of a fifth degree in the evolutions of human society, is too plain to need special illustration. In the evolutions of plant life, the fifth degree in the scale is the flower. In the vegetable kingdom as a whole, it is flowering plants. And in the fifth or what may called the flowering degree of society, humanity, as to its dominant classes, must exhale the perfume of its loves and aspirations into the ambient social atmosphere, and to the heavens above for the impartial benefit of all. THE END OF THE AGES. 219 And SO of the correspondence of fifths in all other seven- fold scales, many of which we have pointed out in a former work,* and several of which will be incidentally brought into view hereafter. But there is another point in the sevenfold scale from which some of the leading characteristics of this fifth stage of human progress may be still farther argued. All the textbooks in the natural philosophy tell us that between the first and fourth, the second and fifth and the third and sixth colors in the pris- matic spectrum — that is to ?ay, between the red and green, the orange and blue, and the yellow and indigo, — there are '•'■compleuientary" relations — meaning by that, the relations be- tween the two extremes of either one of the sub-series included within either of these opposite ordinal numbers. These '■ '• complementa^-y relations, as they are called, are demonstrated in a variety of ways, well known to men of science, and the proofs need not be repeated in this place. The same relations exist between the first and fourth, second and fifth, and third and sixth notes in the diatonic scale of music, as any delicate musical ear may demonstrate to itself by sounding in succes- sion the notes included in either of those sub-series, and notic- ing that the ear is not quite satisfied with the sounding of three of the notes without sounding the fozirth as a close. Now the same complementary relations exist with more or less conspicuousness, in all natural scales of seven. With the illustration of this fact many pages might be filled; but for the sake of avoiding the appearance of prolixity, they are here omitted, and we proceed directly to the one illustration with which we are particularly concerned. In the sevenfold series of societary gradations constituting the scale of nature, we found the first to be that of wild, * The Macrocosm and Microcosm, etc. 220 THE END OF THE AGES. unorganized individualism; while the fourth degree, or the crude Republic, we found to be that of cultivated, organized and law-governed individualism — for individualism it distinc- tively is in both cases. The second degree we found to be distinctively characterized as the /'r//5'.x\di Manufactures; III., Distribution; IV., Finance; V., Education (in the largest sense); VI., The University^ meaning the universality of learning, the Philosophy or ripe Wisdom; VII., Spirituality. Let us observe, now, what are included in these interests, and how they are correlated with each other. I. THE INTEREST OF RAW MATERIAL. Such material is included in the products of the forests in the way of timber and game; of the mines and quarries in the way of metals, building stone and useful minerals; of the waters in the way offish; and of the fields in the way of cereal grains, flesh meat, wool, cotton and other crude agricultural productions, etc. It is in such raw materials that mankind have the elements of food, clothing and shelter, and without them as supplying those primal physical wants, existence on earth would be impossible. II. MECHANICS AND MANUFACTURES. These are next in order, and are necessary to bring the raw productions of the forests, the mines, the fields, etc., into forms of use. The timber of the forests and the stones of the quarry need the skilled fingers of the carpenter, stone cutter and mason to fashion them into houses, barns and stables; the metals of the mines need the smelter, the refiner, the founder, 240 THE END OF THE AGES. the smith and the machinist, to convert them into nails, bars, bolts, screws, tools, household utensils, farming implements and machinery; the wool, flax and cotton need the spinner, weaver, dyer, fuller and tailor to convert them into garments; and the raw hides stripped from the carcasses of slaughtered animals need the tanner and the boot and shoemaker to con- vert them into clothing for the feet. Without these branches of mechanical and manufacturing industry, besides numerous others incidental to these, the raw materials received from the hands of nature and from the cultivated fields would lie use- less, and only the few human beings who could find shelter in the caves of the earth, and food in the wild acorns, nuts and berries, and the flesh of animals, and clothing in skins of beasts slain in the chase, could even exist, much less develop into in- telligent, social beings. HI. DISTRIBUTION. But a large portion of these manufactured articles would be utterly useless without some contrivances to distribute them to persons and communities who need them. This brings into requisition, as next in order, the carrying business in all its forms and branches — the wagoning, the railroading, the boat- ing, the shipping, together with the storing and warehousing business — comprising in fact, the commercial and mercantile business in all its ramifications. Through these agencies and instrumentalities, articles of use and of taste are conveyed and distributed to all parts of the country, and indeed all parts of the world where they are needed. This completes the trine of interests that relate to the mere physical man as he exists in political society. Other names may be used as designating particular phases which these interests may sometimes assume, as the interests of defense against THE END OF THE AGES. 241 enemies, against tlie depredations of thieves, the ravages of fire, pestilential miasm, or the interests of this, that or the other district or section involved in a road or a canal, or the improvement of a natural water course, etc., but they are all subordinate to and included in the foregoing general classifi- cations, which cover the whole ground of man's merely physi- cal nature. IV. FINANCE. Occupying as it does, the middle of the scale, this interest is subsidiary to all below and all above it, as we will be pre- pared more clearly to understand when we come to define its nature and to trace its correspondences. The raw productions of the earth, wrought into forms of use by mechanical and manufacturing labor, are now supposed to be distributed in the form of food, clothing and the means of shelter and bodily comfort, to those needing them. If the supply of these commodities is more than sufficient to meet the ordinary physical necessities of the people, the superabun- dance constitutes material wealth, which may be used as a means of leisure, luxury and pleasure, or employed as capital to open new mines, to cultivate new fields, or to build new workshops, manufactories, ships, railroads, etc., with a view to the enhancement of wealth and its powers; or it may be used for educating, refining, beautifying, and spiritualizing pur- poses. The mode by which wealth diffuses its power in the com- munity, the conventional form which it assumes for the con- venience of exchange and circulation, and its general functional operations as a great interest of the Body Politic, may be illustrated by the following, selected from among many other examples: A farmer raises five hundred bushels of wheat. 16 242 THE END OF THE AGES. After garnering it, he finds that he is unable to use a tenth part of it in his own family before-the time to gather the crop of the ensuing year. But he wants boots and shoes and clothing for himself and family; his buildings need repairing or new ones need to be constructed; his horses need to be shod; his plow shares need to be sharpened- or replaced by new ones; and his agricultural implements generally need overhauling preparatory to commencing the labors of another year, and these necessi- ties compel him to make drafts upon the labor and skill of the shoemaker, the carpenter, and perhaps upon persons of a dozen other different trades and professions who have raised no wheat and still need breadstuffs. Now it would be incon- venient and mutually unsatisfactory to both parties to give and receive wheat, and only wheat, in barter for the productive industry of these parties who are not themselves farmers; and so in order to avoid all unnecessar}' inconveniences of such an exchange of commodities, one man says to the farmer, "I will take all the wheat you have produced, or can produce here- after, and for it I will give you a representative of its value in a form which will admit of division into small or large portions; and with these divided portions of it, according to the value which each represents, you can pay for your boots and shoes, your tailoring, your blacksmithing, your tea, your coffee, sugar or whatever else you may need for yourself, your family or your business, according to the market price which each article bears; and when in the course of circulation from hand to hand, any part of this representative of value comes back again to me, I will take it in payment for wheat. Now this representative of values, in the form of bank notes, or coins stamped with the insignia of the government's sanction, is called money; and this simple process of thought reveals clear- ly what money is. It is not value in and of itself considered THE END OF THE AGES. 243 simply in its material aspects, but it is the exchangeable representative of values. To say that a flattened, circular piece of silver weighing 420 grains, is intrinsically worth a bushel of wheat, or even one-half that, would be to utter what is plainly and notoriously false, for there is no economical use to which that piece of silver may be applied that would make it much if any more valuable than the same weight of iron. Al- most the only value of that piece of silver is derived from the power to cancel /rtij-/ ^ » c'^ /- .^ "^o^ %. 'S* v^\» %^^ '^^<^' 5'^"-. 0°*..^:^.% ./.'j^.v ..o^c^.% .-j.*'.'^ 'Mm^..