beheld
another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb."(737) Both the appearance of this beast and the manner of its rise
indicate that the nation which it represents is unlike those presented
under the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the world
were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when the
"four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea."(738) In Revelation
17, an angel explained that waters represent "peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues."(739) Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds
of heaven striving upon the great sea, represent the terrible scenes of
conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.

But the beast with lamb-like horns was seen "coming up out of the earth."
Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus
represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied, and grow up
gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and
struggling nationalities of the Old World,--that turbulent sea of "peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." It must be sought in the
Western Continent.

What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise
of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The
application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one,
meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the
United States of America. Again and again the thought, almost the exact
words, of the sacred writer have been unconsciously employed by the orator
and the historian in describing the rise and growth of this nation. The
beast was seen "coming up out of the earth;" and according to the
translators, the word here rendered "coming up" literally signifies "to
grow or spring up as a plant." And, as we have seen, the nation must arise
in territory previously unoccupied. A prominent writer, describing the
rise of the United States, speaks of "_the mystery of her coming forth
from vacancy_,"(740) and says, "Like a _silent seed_ we grew into empire."
A European journal in 1850 spoke of the United States as a wonderful
empire, which was "emerging," and "_amid the silence of the earth_ daily
adding to its power and pride."(741) Edward Everett, in an oration on the
Pilgrim founders of this nation, said: "Did they look for a retired spot,
inoffensive for its obscurity, and safe in