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AN EXPLANATION
or THE
VISION OFTHt FOUR BEIISTS
DAMEL VII.
BT G£OBG£ COLLINS.
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iVN EXPLANATION 4-
r . S OP THE
VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS
DANIEL VII.
1 In thejtrst year of Bchhazzar Icing of Babylon Daniel
had a dream and visions of his head vpon his bed : then
he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and
behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great
sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one
from another.
In the first verso we are informed that Daniel had
a dream, in the first year of Bclshazzar king of
Babylon ; and, after writing the substance of the
matter, he told it to his companions. By the four
winds of the heaven, four difterent systems of
religion are represented; and the winds of hea-
ven, or the teacher of each of these four systems,
acting on the great sea of ignorance and supersti-
tion, produced four diiferent systems represented by
the four beasts, whose doings and antecedents have
exerted a material influence on the happiness or
miserj of mankind.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eaglets wings : I
beheld till the wings thereof wei^e plucked, and it was
lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet
^ as a man, and a inan's heart ivas given to it»
The first beast was like a lion, and had eagle's wings,
and in course of time the wings became plucked,
and he was caught or lifted up from the ground,
and made to stand up like a man.
This beast derives his origin from the Eoman
empire ; and covers that period of history from the
foundation of Eome to the accession of Constantine
the Grreat ; and as there are plenty of books in cir-
culation giving full information about the doings of
the Romans, I shall content myself with merely
touching such parts of their history as point di-
rectly to the text; leaving to my readers some
v/ork to do to supply the deficiency, and do some of
the thinking for themselves in order to obtain full
satisfjxction, and be well persuaded in their own
minds.
From the foundation of Rome until the year one
hundred and seventeen of the christian era, the sym-
bol will answer to the conquests and power of the
Romans ; the lion, by his superior strength and cour-
age, bore down all opposition — the eagle's wings
denoting an almost unlimited extent of conquest.
During the reign of Trajan, the noble animal put
forth one last and crowning effort, before his wings
should be plucked from him by the moderate Had-
rian. This active prince visited every province of
the empire, and saw with his own eyes the actual
state of his subjects, with a view to the improve^
3
mcnt of thoir condition ; it is said Hadrian marched
on foot and barc-hoadcd over the snows of CaUido-
nia and the sultry pkiins of Upper Egypt. Jn this
large piece of the earth's surface, the emperor found
sufficient scope to gratify his curiosity, and his de-
sire for improvement; the extensive countries be-
yond the Euphrates, the fruits of Trajan's victories,
he resigned to their native rulers. If Hadrian
could have had the advantage of telegraphs and
railroads, he might have acted dilferently, and, in-
stead of resigning these countries he might have
laid an iron road through to China, and exercised a
fatherly care over the celestials. If the Roman
em]}eror ever read the Bible, and the ninth and
tenth verses of this chapter, he would have read a
description of a chariot closely resembling our
modern locomotive — a most desirable acquisition
to a prince who was continually on the move. But
the world was too young, and had to be taught
many a bitter lesson by experience, before it could
be brought to a knowledge of its true interests. The
policy inaugurated by Augustus was fully carried
out by Hadrian, and pursued, with advantage to
the people, by the two Antonines.
It does not appear that the Polytheism of the
Romans entertained any very serious aversion to
^Christianity, and if I am not misinformed, they
allowed the statue of the Saviour a place among
their gods ; and they were the most grieved and
annoyed because the Christians ignored the numer-
ous progeny they had so industriously collected from
the Grecian mythology, whose antecedents were
bettor adapted to the wants and inclinations of a war-
like people. The apparent obscure birth and humble
parentage of the Saviour was an insuperable ob-
stacle in the way of a proud and ambitious man ;
although His life was spent in doing good, in per-
forming miracles of the most stupendous nature,
and best adapted to the wants of the distressed ;
yet His ignominious death, and the feeble impres-
sion He made, even among His own people, was
sufficient in the eyes of such people to merit their
contempt. In the tenth year of the reign of Nero,
they however suffered severely from that monster
of cruelty, who is accused by the historian of the
times of setting fire to his own capital ; and it was
to divert the fuiy of his justly indignant subjects,,
that he accused the Christians of this great
calamity.
The too frequent allusion to the personal reign
of Christ, and the destruction of the world by fire,,
might have given some colour to the charge, and
in the heat of passion, the Pagan might have be-
lieved the Christian guilty of aiding what he most
earnestly desired to see accomplished. It is certain
that many suffered ^e most severe torments ; some
were nailed to crosses ; some were sewn up in the
skins of wild beasts and exposed to the fury of
dogs; others, smeared over with combustible ma-
terials, were used as torches to illuminate the dark-
ness of the night. . . . i
But when the excitement was past, it was gener-
ally admitted, that these sufferers had been made
the victims of a cruel and cunning tyrant : anxl the
survivors wore entitled to the sympathy of the
people. And, during the reigns of most of the
succeeding emperors, Christianity made rapid pro-
gress; the blood of chose faithful martyrs furnish-
ed seed for the Church ; and, by the time of the
accession of the emperor Commodus, there was
scarcely a Koman citizen but had listened to the
story of the cross, had heard of the suffering Savi-
our, the atonement for sin, and was offered salva-
tion through His merits.
And, under these favourable circumstances, many
in humbler, and some in the higher walks of life,
embraced the Truth, and rejoiced in the Living
God instead of the heathen deities of wood and
stone : but, on the other hand, there were very
many who turned a deaf ear to the gospel, and up-
on whom the goodness of Grod failed to make any
lasting impression, and when Goodness had failed
of her object, the next and only alternative was se-
verity; when peace and plenty had failed to
awaken the gratitude and incite the love of man
to its legitimate object, and awaken his attention
to his immortal interests, an influence is reluctant-
ly brought to bear upon his fears ; he is terrified
by the calamities which surround him on every
. hand, and constrained to implore the mercy he had
spurned when in more favom'able circumstances.
From the accession of Commodus, till the accession
of Constantino, for a period of one hundred and
forty-four years, without much intermission, the
the lion, divested of his wings, exerted his strength
and exercised his worst instincts in his own de-
6
HtriK'tion. The licentious soldiery, emboldened by
tlio weakness and wickedness of succeeding em-
perors, placed on the throne men who oppressed
the people by heavy taxes, in order to indulge
themselves in luxurious idleness. The decline of
discipline and even of courage ex|30scd them to the
invasion of hords of ba»*barians which existed on
their borders ; who were not slow to avail them-
selves of such an excellent opportunity of plunder-
ing their wealthy neighbours. Yet, amidst this
scene of trouble and confusion, some heroes mako
their appearance, such as Alexander Severus, Claud-
ius, and Aurelian, who endeavour to stem the torrent
of disorder and corruption, which the weakness
and wickedness of their predecessors had caused
to flow with accelerated velocity.
A long period of civil war robbed the earth of
the husbandman ; and this, in its turn, produced
famine, and this again introduced pestilence, and
we may believe the historian that during part of
the time already mentioned, not less than the moi-
ety of the human race were destroyed.
Yet the true heroes were the followers of Jesus; .
these were busy receiving the converts that fear and
terror had attracted to the true source of comfort ;
and I am induced to believe that the true soldiers
of Jesus made rapid advances against Paganism in
these troublesome times.
Order being restored during the reign of Diocle-
tian, the Pagans had time to estimate the aggres-
sive force of truth, and became fully aroused to
their danger as a system. Galerius, one of the
. 7
associates of Diocletian, who govcrnt3d the Eastern
Provinces, was their great champion, and, in con-
nection with his associates, ho issued a series of
edicts, having for their object the extermination of
the christian name. And, during the ten years of
persecution which followed, two thousand Chris-
tians suffered mart^Tdom at the hand of Paganism ;
many meeting-houses were destroyed ; and, as there
were no images in those days on which to wreak
vengeance, the Scriptures wore burned. Yet this
by far the most formidable persecution ever ex-
perienced at the hands of Pagan Rome, has been
far excelled by Papal Rome ; in the Netherlands
alone, more than one hundred thousand of the sub-
jects of Charles the Fifth were put to death by the
hands of the executioner. -
The Pagans had seen Christianity in its most
favourable circumstances : they now had an op-
portunity of viewing it under the most distressing
persecutions; and in the firmness and patience of
the Christians amidst the flames, to a mind not
entirely blinded by bigotry, the superior claims of
the latter must have been strikingly apparent.
The sober industrious habits of the Christians
would place them beyond the reach of want, in
.most cases; their cleanly habits would promote
their health ; the peace of God which passed under-
standing would fill their hearts with gladness, and
they gave incontestible evidence that Christianity
was a good thing to live by; and the readiness
with which they manifested their determination to
die rather than deny the faith, proved beyond
. . ;■■• \ ■-' . 8 . ■• - ;.
quGRtion that Christianity was a good ihm<r to die
by. And thus the truth was gradually being im-
pressed on the minds of tlie people, preparing them
for the great change which occurred shortly after
the ten years' persecution, when the lion was made
to stand up like a man having a clean heart and a
right spirit.
Constantine, the first emperor of the Eomans
that embraced the truth, is the person in whom
this important change is effected ; and he was lifted
up from the earth — caught up to the third heaven,
just as the apostle Paul was, and underwent all the
changes, or ascended the various steps, until he
reached the summit of Christianity, and the Eo-
man purple, with great power to establish Christi-
anity ; not only that the followers of Jesus might
derive some benefit from the advantages of tem-
poral good, but to give them a fair trial, similar to
that given to the Jews in the time of Solomon, in
order to see if they were able to stand in pros-
perity as well as they had endured adversity. It
is well known, however, that they were not ; and
the reason is simply this, they refused to sur-
render themselves to the guidance of their head.
The opposition Constantine met with in the field
he easily overcame, but the opposition he met with
in council was a more serious obstacle. At the
Council of Nice the representative of Jesus Christ
is seated upon a low stool, attentively watching the
proceedings and listening to tne debates of the
grave ecclesiastics, whose mistaken zeal would carry
them far beyond the bounds of prudence, but for
9
■ •'•-■ ' , ■ ■ -'
the seasonable word of the emj)eror. As it stands,
the Nicene Creed has some weak and unguarded
places, which have been fiercely assaulted by the
enemy, and been the fruitful source of much mis-
chief. But I am persuaded that it was not the fault
of Constantine or Athanasius. As emperor, he
gave them riches and power, he led their armies on
to victory, and overcame all their enemies, except
the unbelief which lurked in their own hearts.
6 And behold another btast, a second, like to a bear, and
it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in
the mouth of it between the teeth of it : and they said
thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The religion of the Goths was in harmony with the
animal which represents them, both in a local sense
and in his proclivities. As late as the end of the
eleventh century, a celebrated temple existed at
Upsal, enriched by the gold obtained from their
piratical expeditions; and ornamented by three
principle deities — the god of war, the goddess of
generation, and the god of thunder. Every ninth
year was marked by a solemn festival ; nine ani-
mals of every specia — human beings included —
were sacrificed, and their bleeding bodies suspend-
ed in the adjacent grove.
According to tradition, Odin, before being deified,
was the chief of a tribe of barbarians who dwelt
on the banks of the Lake Ma^otis, till the fall of
Mithridates and the arms of Pompey menaced the
North with servitude. That Odin yielding with
indignant fury to a power he was unable to resist,
B
conducted his tribe from the frontiers of the Asiatic
Sarmatia into Sweden; with the great design of
forming, in that inaccessible retreat of freedom, a
religion and a people which in some remote age
might be subservient to his immortal revenge, when
his invincible Goths, armed with martial fanaticism,
should issue in numerous swarms from the neigh-
bourhood of the Polar circle to chastise the oppres-
sors of mankind.
It is certain, however, that in the reign of the
emperor Decius (A.D.250) the Gothic nation, headed
by their chief, Cniva, invaded the Eoman Provinces,
defeated their army, and put the emperor to flight;
took the city of Philippopolis, and one hundred
thousand persons are said to have been massacred
in that great city. The time occupied in the siege
of Philippopolis enabled Decius to collect another
army, and encouraged him to attempc to retrieve
his own glory, and the lustre of the lioman arms.
The retreat of the Goths was intercepted, loaded
the spoil of Philippopolis, their number decreased,
and the exhausted country no longer affording
them susbsistence ; they endeavoured to purchase
peace by the surrender of their prisoners and spoil.
But Decius, confident of victory and burning for
revenge, refused to listen to their offers. The bat-
tle was one of grief and rage against despair. The
force of the Gotlis was divided into two divisions ;
the first was defeated with great slaughter. The
second division was covered by a deep morass,
and here the fortune of the day turned, the Ro-
mans sank into the treacherous soil, while their
' -' ' ' 11
light and active enemies, accustomed to encounters
in the bogs, could here use their long lances with
advantage. The Eomans were defeated, and the
emperor could never be found.
The Goths obtaining possession of the Bosphorus,
the following year saw them owning a naval force ;
leaving the coast of Circassia on the left hand,
they first appeared before Pityus, and, after plun-
dering that city, they again embarked in their flat-
bottomed barges, and made sail for Trebizond,
where they obtained a complete victory and rich
booty ; the wealth of the adjacent country had been
deposited at Trebizond, and the spoils of that city
filled a large fleet of ships, which they found in the
port, and sieving the roburst youth of the sea-coast,
they chained them to the oar, and returned in tri-
umph to their new establishments on the Bospho-
rus. The following year another expedition was
undertaken, with greater powers of men and ships ;
avoiding the scene of their former depredation,
they followed the western coast of the Euxine,
passed the mouths of the Borysthenes, the Niester
and the Danube; increasing their fleet in their
progress past these large rivers. They approached
the narrow outlet through which the Euxine sea
pours its waters into th^ Mediterranean, dividing
the continents of Europe and Asia. At Chalcedon
they met with and overthrew an army more nu-
merous than themselves, where a plentiial supply
of arms and valuables rewarded their toils. Nico-
media, the richest city of Bithynia, fell before their
resistless attack; Nice, Prusa, Apauntea, Cius, cities
12
that had sometimes rivalled Nicomedia in splen-
dour, were involved in the same calamity with the
whole province of Bithynia. And, after digesting
the spoils in idleness, the following season sees
them again on board their vessels, and Greece is the
scene of their depredations. Athens is sacked and
the whole country made to feel the evils of war.
After a lapse of about sixteen years (in order, I
suppose, to give their victims time to exercise their
industry and restore their exhausted means), they
again invade the Eoman territory, in the reign of
Claudius. The skill and judgment exercised by this
able prince, in using the exhausted resources of
the empire with such advantage against the Goths,
earned him the name of the Gothic Claudius. Dur-
ing his short reign and the short reign of his suc-
cessor, Aurelian, the Goths and other barbarians
met with some humiliating defeats, which enabled
the Eomans to bring them to terms of peace, not
however without resigning to the Goths the large
province of Dacia.
Sixty years of peace renewed the fighting pro-
pensities of the Goths and obliterated the memory
of former reverses : strengthened by a numerous
body of Sarmatians, they advanced into the Koman
territories, plundering in their usual style. Con-
stantino met and defeated them in several ob-
stinately contested battles, and compelled them to
purch ,e an ignominious retreat at the expense of
their plunder and prisoners. Not content with that,
he carried the war into the heart of the Gothic
country, and after inflicting sufficient punishment
13
to ensure their obebionco for 8ome time to come
gave them peace on condition that they should
supply his armies with forty thousand soldiers as
often as he required them.
The repeated failures must have led the Gothic
warriors to entertain a sincere respect for the Ro-
man arms, and induced them to turn their attention
in some other direction for the exercise of their
arms, and the gratification of their plundering pro-
pensities. And about the year 36(), we find the
united strength of the Gothic nation under tlio
''ommand ot their aged king, the great Ilei'manric,
who displayed the abilities of an Alexander, between-
the age of eighty and one hundred and ten. The kin-
dred tribes were induced or compelled to acknow-
ledge his supremacy ; Athanaric, Fritigern, and
Alavivus resigned the royal title, and were known
by the more humble appellation of Judges. (These
are the three ribs the bear held in his mouth, be-
tween his teeth. Ribs are for a defence, they defend
the most important member — the heart. So thes^
three persons, by their submission, strengthened
the authority of Hermanric, and by their strength
and influence the bear was aided in raising himself
up on one side ; the side towards the North.) Twelve
nations were conquered by the victorious armies of
the Goths ; the scattered tribes, from the Danube
to the Baltic, acknowledged Hermanric as their
king, and he reigned over the greatest part of Ger-
many and Scythia (this will explain how he arosa
and devoured much flesh). The bear acquired an
immense territory ; but his subjects were unletter-
14
ed barbarians, and incapable of perpetuating his
fame; his name is imperfectly known, and the
Eomans themselves knew little of the great change
taking place in the North. And 1 am under con-
siderable obligation to the learned sceptic* for this
among the many proofs he lias given of the truth
of the English Bible, which, as far as I have been
able to discover, needs no alteration, from those
whom its truths, as recently explained, have left
naked and bare.
Hermanric, while enjoying the fruits of victory,
at a mature age, was awakened fror^ his tori)or by
the intelligence that the dominions were invaded
by a new and powerful enemy — the Huns. He pre-
pared to exert against them the united force of the
Gothic state ; but he soon found his judges more
inclined to second, than repel the invasion of the
Huns. The force exerted by his teeth on these
ribs, provoked their enmity ; he survived a short
time the strokes of their daggers : but the Goths,
overcome by the swift movements and fierce on-
slaughts of the Huns, lined the banks of the Da-
nube and implored the protection of the Romans.
The astonishment of the Emperor Yalens must
have been intense, when he was informed that his
formidable enemies, whose fighting propensities he
had a short time before beheld with his own eyes,
desired his protection, and begged to be permitted
to culti^^ate the waste land of Thrace. But his
astonishment must have soon been subdued by an-
xiety, and Yallens must have been sorely puzzled
* Decline and Fall of tho Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon, Esq.
15
by this strange circumstance. After some delay
they were permitted to cross the Danube, and
their immense numbers and hostile a^^pearance,
when encamped on the opposite side, soon made
the Eomans wish them somewhere else. When
the brothers Yalens and Yalentinian reached the
height of their ambition, and the summit of Eo-
man greatness, the power of the former was oppos-
ed in the East by Procopius whose affinity to the
house of Constantine procured him the dangerous
distinction of being an eligible candidate for the
purple. A numerous though fickle party engaged
to support his claims. The Goths had been taught
in peace and war to respect the house of Constan-
tine ; they had experienced his ability as a general,
and his liberality as a prince, and were easily
persuaded to espouse the cause of Procopius.
Thirty thousand Goths crossed the Danube and
entered the province of Thrace, and the inhabitants
suffered acutely from their rough visitors. Be-
fore they became aware of the defeat and death of
Procopius, they were sm-rounded and captured by
the generals of Yalens ; and in the three years' war
which ensued, which Yalens superintended in per-
son, he had ample opportunity to study the propen-
sities of the animal he was introducing into the
empire.
It is somewhat singular that the emperor of
the West and brother of Yalens should have man-
ifested a singular regard for a couple of huge bears
about the same time; Yalentinian carfully inspected
their diet and exercises himself, and instead of the
usual method of inflicting pimiHliment on criminals
they wero thrown to those huge bears; and the
Koman emperor amused his eyes with the grateful
spectacle of seeing them tear and devour the bleed-
ing limbs of the unfortunate malefactors abandoned
to their rage.
The emperor of the East, not content with so
limited an area of cruelty, condescended to lose the
whole Gothic nation among his subjects : but the
diet and exercises of the Goths, far from being care-
fully inspected by Yalens was intrusted to his as-
sistants ; the bear was exasperated by the most
liumiliating conditions and scanty subsistence.
The Goths were required to give up their arms
and hfvve their children sent into exile ; the first
condition was evaded by costly presents, the pliant
officers intrusted with the duty were satisfied with
offerings of females, cattle and other valuables,
which the Goths freely gave in preference to their
arms.
A scanty supply of provisions, of the worst kind,
was sufficient to urge any people to desperate coun-
cils. Dogs, and such cattle as had died of disease,
were sold to them for food, and even for such, an ex-
orbitant price was demanded and obtained. If the
emperor had profited by the lesson of experience
and listened to the voice of prudence and the dic-
tates of honour he would have rallied the broken
ranks and revived the drooping spirits of the Goths
by a timely reinforcement, and checking the vic-
torious progress of the Huns, saved the empire from
their deprodations,and earned the lasting friendship
17
of the Goths, and easily confined the wild liords of
Scythia in their native plains. Instead of allowing
the Goths to enter the empire in a most humiliating
condition, irritating them by extortion and hunger,
and com^^elling them, as a ranging bear, to plunder
and destroy in order to procure the means of sub-
sistence.
It would be tedious and wearisome to detail the
devastations committed by the Goths in the Nor-
thern Provinces ; conducted by skilful leaders they
were successful in war J^nd easily obtained by force
what had been withheld from them by obedience. The
fortune of war (as it is sometimes called) restored
to their parents the children who had been sold for
bread; and the indignities they had endured from
their brutal masters, exasperated the Goths to re-
taliate with interest whenever the opportunity pre-
sented itself. The Battle of the Willows, near one of
the Six Mouths of the Danube, reduced their numbers
but failed to stop their progress ; and the historian
who recorded the event, when visiting the spots
discovered the plains whitened with their bones.
Eeinforced by other tribes of their countrj-men,
they encountered the Eoman army, with the em-
peror Valens at their head, twelve miles frOm Ad-
rianople, and to transcribe the words of the histo-
rian, — the Eoman cavalry fled, the infantry w^as
surrounded and cut to pieces ; the emperor seekini^
refuge in a cottage — the cottage was tired and re-
duced to ashes, and the emperor Valens with his
train perished in the flames,
c
After Bomo unsuccessful efforts against the stone
walls of Adrianoplo, the tide of Gothic innundation
rolled towards the East ; and, after plundering the
wealthy suburbs of Constantinople and the adjacent
country, they slowly returned towards the Western
boundary of Thrace, having nothing to fear from
the vanquished forces of the East ; they spread
themselves over a fertile and cultivated country as
far as the confines of Italy, and the Adriatic sea.
St. Jerome affirms, perhaps with some exaggera-
tion, that nothing was left iu these countries but
the earth and sky; he records many massacres,
conflagrations, and desecration of churches, com-
mitted by the Goths and their barbarous allies.
On the death of Fritigern, the intrepid and wise
general of the Goths, the mutual interest which
bound the various tribes together was much weak-
ened. On the death of Yalens, the emperor Gra-
tian providentially chose for his associate the son
of a hero whose rising fame had been the cause of
his death. Theodosius the Great governed the
East with credit to himself and with advantage to
his subjects. Unable to raise an army capable of
contending with the victorious Goths, he pursued
a cautious and defensive course until the death of
Fritigern and the division of the Goths. Some of
them entered into the service of the emperor and
assisted to destroy their countrymen, and the final
capitulation of the Goths is dated foui* years and
one month and twenty-five days from the defeat
and death of Valens.
The emperor located his new and doubtful sub-
19
jects in the provinces of Thrace, Phrygia and Ly-
dia, fruitful Lands were ^iveii them to cultivate ;
but they retained tlie right of admini«teriug their
own laws independent of the Roman magistrate ;
the hereditary chiefs of the tribes were still per-
mitted to command their followers in peace or war ;
but the royal dignity was abolished, and the gene-
ral of the Goths was appointed and removed at the
pleasure of the emperor.
An army of forty thousand Goths was maintain-
ed for the service of the empire; and these haughty
soldiers were distinguished from the Roman sol-
diers by their gold collars, liberal pay and extra-
ordinary privileges. Their native valour was im-
proved by discipline and a more perfect know-
ledge of the use of arms.
And now, having traced this warlike people till
they have become Roman subjects, yet being gov-
erned by their own laws, and maintaining their
independence, and observing the peculiarities and
distinctness of their race ; I leave them, to look
after the leopard. And those who delight in war
and rapine will be gratified to read of the revolt of
the Goths on the death of Theodosius ; when, head-
ed by the formidable Alaric, they invaded both the
Eastern and the Western parts of the empire, and
finally besieged Rome, and after some reverses,
which the indomitable spirit of Alaric overcame,
took the City of the Caesars.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard,
which had upon the hack of it four loings of a fowl : the
20
beasi had also four heads ; and dominion was given to
it
Tlio leopard, after careful invcHligation, I am per-
suaded is represented by the II mis, a confederation
of Tartar triboH, wbicli, for the space of thirteen
Inmdred yeara, existed on the contines of China;
and by their wai-like habits, made incessant inroads
in the Chinese empire. Their armies, consisting
iiiostly of cavalry, disconcerted the elaborate tac-
tics of the Chinese, by the swiftness of their move-
ments, and the accurac}^ of their arrows. The iin-
ecriipulous manner in which they sometimes broko
their most solemn engagements — answers to the
leopard's spots. An incident which occurred in the
sixth century will servo to illustrate: — ThoChagan
of the Avars (I do not know if he was a lineal de-
scendant of Attila, but I am informed that he oc-
cupied the same palace and pui*sued the same
policy in a less extensive area,) meditated the
capture of the city of Sirmium, the ancient bulwark
of the lUyricum j^rovince (and to transcribe tlie
words of the historian) the plains of the lower
Hungary were covered with the Avar horse, and a
fleet of large boats was built in the liercynian
woods, to descend the Danube, and transport into
the Save, the materials of a bridge ; but as the
strong garrison of Singidunum which commanded
the conflux of the two rivers might have stopped
their passage, and baflied his designs, ho dispelled
their apprehensions by a solemn oath, that his
views were not hostile to the empire, he swore by
his SAVord, the s^nnbol of the god of war, that he
21
(lid not, as the enemy of Rome, construct a brid/:i^o
upon the Save. *'It' I violate my oath," pursued
the intrepid Eaian, "may 1 myself and the last of
my nation perish by the sword ; may the heavens
fall upon our heads; may the forest^i and mountains
bury us in theii* ruins; and the Save, returning ag-
ainst (he laws of nature to his source, overwhelm us
in his angry waters. " After this barbarous oath, he
calmly enquired what oath was most sacred amongst
the Christians, what guilt of perjury it was most
dangerous to incur ; the bishop of Singidunum pre-
sented the gospel, which the Chagan received with
devout reverence. — "I swear," said he, "by the
God who has spoken in this Holy Book, that I have
neither falsehood on my tongue nor treachery in my
heart." As soon as ho rose from his knees he ac-
celerated the labour of the bridge, and despatched
an envoy to proclaim what he no longer wished to
conceal — "Inform the emperor," said the perfidi-
ous Baian, " that Sirmium is invested on every side,
advise his prudence to withdraw the citizens with
their effects, and to resign a city wdiich it is now
impossible to relieve or defend.
The four wings of a fowl upon the back of it,
are easily explained; several specia of fowls are
migratory. Such were the Huns in their habits —
a pastoral people, they tended their herds, moving
from place to place, changing their quarters as the
variation of climate, and the scarcity of forage af-
fected their interests and the health of their cattle ;
and the immense plains of Asia were well adapted to
the wants of this people. When the Chinese broken
the power, of the Huns, in the first century of tlie
ChriKtian era, the nation became divided into /owr
heads. The most warlike commenced their jour-
ney westward ; and, as they made their appcaranco
on the confines of the Persian and Eoman domin-
ions, either from choice or necessity, they separate
into two divisions; one of them established their
dominions in the fruitful plains of Sogdiana, on the
Eastern side of the Caspain. Their manners were
softened by a long residence in a flourishing pro-
vince, perhaps containing seme of the remains of
the arts of Greece ; and their complexion underwent
a change, and they became distinguished from their
countrymen by the additional a])pellation of White
Huns. Their valour was exercised by frequent
wars with Persia, but they respected in peace the
faith of treaties, in war, the dictates of humanity.
The second division took a northwesterly course
and were exercised by a colder climate and great-
er hardship, their native fierceness was increased
in the frequent encounters with the still more
savage tribes of the North. As late as the thir-
teenth century their residence on the banks of the
Volga was attested by the name of Great Hungary.
Fifty thousand of the poorest of the people re-
mained in their native lands and submitted them-
Bclves to the clemency of their conquerors. The
fourth and last head of the leopard consisted of
fifty-eight herds, about two hundred thousand men,
retired towards the south, implored the protection
of the emperor of China, and were permitted to
guard and inhabit the extreme frontiers of the pro-
vince of Chansi and the territory of Orlons. •
23
• After the Iluns of the Volga had driven the
Goths into the Eoman empire, (most likely they
did it to attract the attention of the religious fac-
tions from tearing each other in pieces ; and exert
their powers of destruction in a more honourable
warfare,) they do not make their appearance in
any great or united effort, till the attachment of
the various tribes was secured to the renowned At-
tila; and it was during the reign of Attila that
dominion was given to the leopard. He alone, of
all the barbarians, united the savage tribes of Scy-
thia and Scandinavia. If (says the historian) a
line of separation were drawn between the civilized
and the savage climates of the globe — between the
inhabitants of cities and those that cultivated the
earth, and the hunter and shepherds who dwell in
tents — Attila might aspire to the title of supremo
and sole monarch of the barbarians.
The crowd of vulgar kings, the leaders of so many
martial tribes, who served under the standard of At-
tila, were ranged in the submissive order of guards
and domestics round the person of their master;
they watched his nod, they trembled at his frown ;
and at the first signal of his will, they executed
without murmur or hesitation his stern and abso-
lute commands. In time of peace the dependent
princes, with their national troops attended tho
royal camp in regular succession, but when Attila
collected his military force, he was able to bring
into the field, an army of seven hundred thousand
barbarians.
It is neither necessary to my task, nor agi*ee-
24
able to my tatite, to trace the progress of this swift
iind savage leopard, in his course of devasta-
tion through the Eoman empire, until he received
a final cheek at the Battle of Chalons. The Goths
had attracted the attention and demanded the
uttermost vigilance on the part of the Eoman
ecclesiastics and instead of warring among them-
selves, they were earnestly engaged defending them-
selves from the Goths. Until the long reign of Theo-
dosius, and subsequent oportunitics had to a great
extent enabled them to civilize, and Christianize,
these warlike marauders. This having been ac-
complished, they have once more time to attend
to the wars amongst themselves, and the barbarians
becoming involved in the Arian heresy, and their
savage instincts aroused in the heat of controversy,
many victims were beginning to be oifered on the
shrine of the prevailing creeds ; when the innunda-
tion of the Huns (as was the case with the Goths)
again diverted them from their folly and furnished
employment for a considerable space of time.
And the scourge of God, as Attila has been rightly
termed, admonished them to cease destroying
each other, and promoted a precarious truce by
ii mutual danger. In lacer years the wword of Mo-
hammed performed a similar office ; the fall of
•Constantinople extinguished the fierce controversy
which had so frequently torn the christian com-
munity in that great city; and Mohammedism
-cleansed the christian idolators from their idols
wherever their victorious arms gave them the
opportunity.
25
• 7 After this I mw ill the nJ(jhtriHions, ami behold a fourth
beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and
it had great iron teeth : it devoured and break in pieces,
and stamped the residue with the feet of it : and it was
dive)'sefrom all the beasts that toere before it ; and it
had ten horns.
The fourth beast in described as being dreadful and
terrible and strong exceedingly, having great iron
teeth, and not content with breaking in pieces and
devouring his prey, he stamps the remainder with
his feet. This beast, though diverse from the
others, is far more destructive; he is stronger than
the lion ; he excels the savage lierceness of the
bear; he is more destructive than the leopard. Tn
this beast are united the savage instincts of the
lion, bear and leopard, armed with ten horns.
Tho ancient and honourable name which has
been retained by a ferocious ecclesiastical system,
has added strength and dignity to the Roman Ca-
tholic Church (as they please to term themselves),
without retaining any descendants of the Ca)sars.
And although at the time of the rise of the sj^stem,
there might have been a few of that degenerate race,
he sack of Constantinople by the Turks, and the
extinction of the small remnant of Roman power
in tne East, have loft the Latin man notliing but the
language, and that is foreign to three-fourths of his
people. And when all that is useful and instruc-
tive has been collected and translated into Anglo-
Saxon, the Latin language may be consigned to the
tombs of those with whom it originated; since it
has answered the one great purpose of identifying
D
26
the beast mentioned in Revelation xiii. with the
Eoman ecclesiastical system. By referring to the
more elaborate description John has given, it will
be seen that the fourth beast of Daniel and the beast
of Revelation are one and the same animal.
His body (says the beloved disciple) was like
unto a leopard.— That is, the people who formed the
body of the system were the wild Scythian tribes,
the descendants of those who exhibited the distin-
guishing traits of the leopard, under the command of
the renowned Attila. The spots of the leopard
will answer to the blasphemy of this infamous sys-
tem, and will apply to the Huns themselves (a case
in point has been already mentioned).
The body of the Roman Catholic Church consist-
ed of Tartars.
His feet were na the feet of a bear.
The feet evidently belong to the Gothic nation,
and are fully illustrated by the annual depredations
of that warlike people, before they became in a
measure civilir-ed; and after they became united to
the fourth beast, their destr ictive powers were ful-
ly developed in the destruction of Christians. The
great iron teeth are the various instruments of tor-
ture used to tear in pieces the followers of Jesus ;
the inquisition has accomplished its inhuman pur-
pose, whole multitudes have been torn and dc-
vouit^d bv this monster of cruelty, and the bleed-
ing remnant have been stamped on, and scattered
by his destructive f(iet.
The ten horns are elsewliere mentioned as ten
kings, and alsv" ten crowns.
27
Since the institution of the ("'oUegc of Cardinals,
tiie election of the Pope, and the supreme authority,
have been vested in the Pope and his Council at
Rome. From thence nidiates a system, ellectual in
its discipline and most destructive in its operation,
which oven in our days manifests itself in Fenian
raids and Red River riots, inflicting a great amount
of suffering, and waste of treasure. The horns are the
ecclesiasticxil laws, and the kings or crowns are the .
cardinals. An objection to this view may be started,
because the number of the cardinals does not cor-
respond with the horns ; yet, if we go back to the
origin of the system, we shall obtain some light on
the subject. Ten men were commissioned by the
Roman emperor Justinian, to prepare a code of laws
which vested a great amount of power in the cler-
gy, and established the arbitrary sway of the em-
peror. The work being thus divided into ten parts,
and when complete each part bearing the name of
the lawyer, would then assume the shape of ten
divisions, or ten horns.
The greater part of the long reign of Justinian
was spent in the service of this abominable system.
While the brave Belisarius, with inadequate forces
and superhuman exertions, was subduing the en-
emies of the empire, that theological hero was
earnestly engaged in driving the church into the
wilderness, and by his cruel edicts forcing submis-
sion to his pet system. But the full development
of the destructive power of this ferocious beast was
gradual and progressive, like that of his predeces-
sors ; the extinction of the WesterTi empire, by
tlic rej)C{itc(l iiH^aultH of tlie (iollis. and other barba-
rians, -was accomplished aboiU two centuries after
t!ic death of Justinian. Tlie fall of Constanti-
nople cxtinguiohcd the Roman empire in the
East, and swept away the mass of idolatry which
t;io (ireoks themselves had lonj^; before acknow-
ledge«l to be but another name for Pat;anism. It
also Btreagthened the system located at Rome, and
attracted the eyes of the world to the ancient capi-
tal of the Oa)sarfj. And, about the year 1514, the
beast had reached the summit of his ambition, and
the bleeding remnant of Christians, who had been
nearly extirpated by this ravenous beast, narrowly
escaped his capacious maw. It was about the time
Mahomet pn'ached his first sermon in Mecca, when
he became fairly established; and the idolatry or
Paganism had been transferred to what has been
called Christianity. The system of the (Grecian My-
thology was amply represented by the statues of
saints, and the number of the latter exceeded that
of the former; and, as their relics soon obtained a
marketable value, they were multiplied by the in-
dustr}^ of the ecclesiastics. The Altar of Victory,
with its presiding goddess, was lost in the ruins of
ancient Paganism, but she is better represented by
the Virgin Mary in modern Paganism ; she is fairly
installed as the presiding deity of the Church of
Rome — altar and incense all complete.
From this we may conclude that the fourth beast
which Daniel has so truthfully pourtrayed as being
dreadful and terrible, was conceived by the emperor
Justinian, and the empress Theodora (of stage no-
20
toricty); and became firmly cstIll^li^;hcd mIjoiiI tlio
sixth century; reached the higlicst d('<j;'roc of power
a Hhort time before tlio commencement of the lie-
formation; will have his teeth and chivvs drawn in
lens than ten years.
8 I considered the liorns, and, behold, there cams up among
them another little horn, before whom there were three
of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold,
in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth
speaking great things.
WhileDaniel was considering the horns, another little
Iiorn made its appearance, having eyes like the eyes
of a man, and a mouth speaking great things; it is
furthermore intimated that he made war with the
saints, and prevailed against them, until the An-
cient of Days came, and judgment was given to the
saints, and the time came that the saints should
possess the kingdom.
This little horn is another of the many and vari-
ous descriptions of Calvinism, which so often oc-
cur in holy writ, and mostly connected with Ro-
manism; not because of any resemblance, but ra-
ther because of their extreme opposite tendencies.
The three horns Calvinism has managed to pluck
up by the roots«are as follows : —
First — They strip the Pope of his distinguish-
ed honours, and each individual becomes a pope in
his own right ;
Secondly — They hold that all individuals were
predestinated to be either saved or lost, not only
before the existence of each person, but before the
earth was formed ;
30
Tkirdbj — That each individual, should ho or bIio
be 80 fortunate as to be one of the favoured num-
ber, was bound, accord inijj to the eternal decree, to
be saved, without any concurrence of their own
will, or elfort on their part, to Bccure eternal life.
All of these people who have experienced
anything like a gracious time at any period of their
lives (and there are many such among the Calvin-
ists), consider themselves elected, which places them
at once upon an equal footing with the elders, the
apostles, (and Jesus Christ Himself,) who had been
selected by the discerning eye of the Almighty, to
represent His only begotten Son, to the Christian
Church; and occasionally to offer themselves, a
sacrifice to God, for the sins of the people. And to
attain this exalted and honourable position, is be-
ing elected ; and hence the exhortations of the
Apostles Paul and Peter: — Lay aside every weight
and the sin which doth so easily beset you ; and
run with patience the race that is set before you,
looking unto Jesus : and, — Give all diligence to
make your calling and election sure. Therefore,
fill the elect, according to the Calvinistic doctrine,
all the apostles and elders of Calvinism, must bo
spurious, because only one Christian in a genera-
tion is required to serve as a scape-goat, to make
atonement for sin ; and, as head of the Church, see
to the welfare of the whole community; and he is
distinguished above his fellows by a stronger love
to God, and a more earnest desire to promote His
glory ; a stronger love to man, and a more earnest
desire to promote his welfare : audit is his chief
31
glory to bo permitted to bear the sins of the peo-
ple, as, " Christ; " — and he can exclaim with Paul,
God forbid that I should glory in anything but the
cross of Christ. So we see the true elect are dis-
tinguished from their fellow-Christians by enjoying
more of the pleasure which results from doing
good ; and experiencing more pain ; and having to
attend to more work than their brethren ; and the
true motive and mainspring of their actions is lovo
to God and love to man.
When Martin Luther won the election, and was
making rapid progress against Eomanism, Calvin-
ism reared its presumptuous head, and made war
against the saints ; and it has prevailed against
them. The fierce words of this little horn, about
absolute decrees and predestination, have convert-
ed the Almighty into a tyrant, and himself into
His especial favourite ; and, as nothing can be
charged against the elect, he is licensed to cheat,
to injure, aud even to commit the most abominablo
crimes, with impunity. This man of sin considers
himself a king and a priest of the Most High, and
expects all the good things in the storehouse of
heaven, without any reference to his conduct while
on earth. These false Christs are the people meant
by the Lord Jesus, for there are many, and they
may be likened to the Pharisees and hypocrites who
neither sought the kingdom of God themselves nor
suffered others; they pay strict attention to the
forms of Christianity, but do not believe in the sub-
stance; they present an exceedingly pious appear-
ance; and point the finger of scorn at the faithful
32
witnesH of Jesus, who hu.s courage to confess he has
received a sanctified nature. Their unbelief is on a
par with their impudence, and presumptuously
claimini^ the promises contained in scripture, with-
out heeding the conditions ; they have arrived at the
highest state of christian perfection, and yet scout
at the very idea of living without sin. And, by a
cunning piece of legerdemain, the righteousness of
Christ is imputed to them, and yet they are permit-
ted to lie, cheat, and indulge in all soris of iniquity,
without heeding the warnings and threatenings
against those who do such things. That without
the celestial city are dogs, whoremongers, sorcerers,
idolators, murderers, and whosoever loveth and
makcth a lie. Tliis man of sin — this liar and sor-
cerer — considers himself one of the elect, a Christ;
and, while claiming to be perfect in Christ, ho
disdains those who believe in a real new birth, a
literal regeneration, while in the flesh; and, by
sorcery or a sleight-of-hand trick, he imagines him-
self a new creature in Christ, and yet an old sinner
in the flesh. lie insinuates himself, with cunning
craft, into every grade of society ; and while he
flatters the vanity, he looks with complacency on
every sort of wickedness, so long as it is hidden
frjm view; ho ofl'ers election with the greatest
honours ever conferred on a man, in one hand; and
everlasting damnation in the other. We don't ex-
pect you to live without sin (say they) ; we allow
our people to do just as they like ; Christ does every-
thing for us ; we have nothing to do; we are limbs
of His body, bone of His bone. You may come
33
with UH, and indulge your puHHioiij , and cheat your
neighbour. All that we require is a pious exterior,
a decent appearance ; and let us have your support.
I have seen this man of sin, in his roughest garb,
and most uncultivated form inturrupting one of
God's own children as with loving heart and con-
vincing words he was telling a few poor wretches
the way to happiness and heaven ; I have heard
him, surrounded by worldly pomp, "with eloquent
tongue," denouncing as "liars," the saints, who
persisted in offering salvation to all, who chose to
forsake their sins and walk in newness of life.
And it was while listening to the cunninir insinua-
tion of this man of sin, that I first experienced the
forgivness of my own sins; my Calvinist compan-
ion suggested — this world came nigh being alto-
gether lost; if thati:)rayer had been granted which
the Saviour offered in the garden of Gethsemane,
we must have all perished.
Struck with this view of the matter, but revolv-
ing in my mind the fearful agonies endured by
Him, I began to look upon as my Saviour; — I
exclaimed with some warmth — it was a fearfully
bitter cup, not only the physical suffering, but the
awful weight of the world's sin, was about to be
laid upon Him.
I immediately experienced the truth of what I as-
serted; the sense of guilt and condemnation which
had so long rested on jny mind and caused me so
much uneasiness, was entirely removed — my faith
healed me, and brought the power of divine grace
into my soul ; and by this [ was satisfied, that the
E
31
clcsiLipi of (lie Alniiglity in ^•ivin<^- His Son to die
for the world, was, that tho world nliould bo saved,
and it is man's own cursed folly, that has hindered
this benevolent desig-n from being carried out.
1 journeyed on throuii:h the wilderness, and after
Bome difficulty with my own rebellious nature,
"crossed Jordan." And while enjoying a happy
sense of the continual presence, and favour of God:
I was uririn<^ to another Calvinist acquaintance, the
easy way of faith in Christ ; and tho simiDlicity of
tho plan of salvation; and its adaptation to the
wants of the whole human family; and was relat-
ing the manner of my receiving the evidence of
pardon for my sins; wit^^ the divine testimony
which had been given me — that God would freely
fora-ive all the world for Christ's sake if the world
could be prevailed on to accept forgiveness on
these terms.
lie cut me short, by quoting Kphesians i. 4,—
According as lie hath chosen us in Ilim before the
foundation of the world [he omitted the following]
that we should be holy and without blame before
Ilim in love.
After pondering over this portion of holy writ,
wliich conflicted with my own experience, my mind
was directed to the broad promise of God to faithful
Abraham, that he should have children as the stars
of heaven and the sand on the sea shore for multi-
tude ; then pondering over the toundation of the
world, my eyes became gradually fixed on Jesus;
and the broad promise, Whosoever believeth on
Ilim might not perish, but have everlasting life,-
35
.soomud to^row /.',iviitor Ihuu over lo my ciirapliired
vision, and 1 could scarcely restrain my Joy in duo
bounds, wh(Mi T rop<^aUMl, ''T'hriMt is the FOIJN'DA-
TIO:^ OF TllF WOULiJ." Tlien, applying tliis
to the promise of the faithful Creator to Abrahani,
I saw it all. 1 liad taken the stronghold of Calvin-
ism, and can use their best guns with deadly effect
against themselves. For if Christ be the Founda-
tion of the world, the next thing to bo done is to
get the world upon it. IS"ot a clique but the whole
human race may come and rest secure on this solid
Foundation. I exhort every one to consult their
true interest; to cease to do evil, and look for a
time of refreshing; and your sins shall be blotted
out; and grace shall be given you, and 3'ou shall
be happy, if you will bo guided by the Almighty,
instead of living in rebellion against your very best
and most influential Friend.
That there are zealous and even pious people
among the Calvinists, I am not going to deny; es-
pecially among those calling themselves Presbyte-
rians. But those called the Plymouth Brethren are
by far the most vigoroi ' offspring of Calvin. This
zealous body of people h. e drained most of the life
out of the other Calvinis ,ic sects until there is little
left in them but the unclean bird; whoso loquaci-
ous and solemn denunciations of Plj-^mouth Broth-
ronism, would fill volumes. As I consider this peo-
ple, by their looking fur the coming of Christ, and
>y their separating themselves from evil, and by the
zeal displayed by them in preaching the gospel —
to be the best specimen of Calvinism extant, J
would- faithfully warn them of its error3, and, if
possible, persuade them to embrace nothing but the
truth. Their creed, as I gather it (if creed it may be
called), differs somewhat from every other form of
Calvinism. Instead of the ceremony of laying on
of hands, in imitation of the Apostle Paul, when
he communicated the gift of the Holy Ghost to
some of the saints (the true Christ communicating
a real blessing), — a most prominent feature amongst
Presbyterians, — every one is a king and a priest
to God the moment he obtains forgiveness of sins,
and to use the language of a tall Scotchman, they
are all tops and no bottoms. From the grave mis-
take made at the commencement, may be at-
tributed the errors of a more serious nature ;
their antipathy to holiness, and the belief that they
ai'e fully and everlastingly saved, and cannot possib-
ly mistake the way, or fail of obtaining the highest
honours, ever conferred on man by his Creator.
The young believer soon loses the joyous sense
of the forgiveness of sins ; and the grace which
strengthens him in the hour of temptation is with-
held because of presumptuous sins ; he becomes
mounted upon the tall stilts of predestination and
absolute decrees, and looks down with pity and con-
tempt on the humble saint, who is using all the
powers of his renewed nature, to combat the power
of Satan ; and the unbelief and presumption of the
fierce little horn. And he either becomes a proud
Pharisee, or gets so entangled in sin that he has to
be given up to a reprobate mind, as, good for noth-
ing, having more pleasure in unrighteousness than
37
in tho strait and narrow way which leads to God.
Again tho mistake of holding the forgiveness of
sins to be regeneration, or conversion, presupposes
the possession, and precludes the possibility of any
further progress ; for while they believe they are
temples of the Holy Grhost, having been united to
Christ, and limbs of His body, bone of His bone ;
they are waiting for Christ to come and destroy the
world, and take them to glory.
My Calvinist friend, don't you find it hard to per-
suade yourself, that you are a temple of the Holy
Ghost, when you never feel the living, moving wa-
ter within ? Do you manifest the mind of Christ
when you expect to see the world in flames, and
yourselves — a mere handful of the human race —
exalted to the highest honours? Do you really
believe that your assent to the theory of the cruci-
fixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, will
procure you all these blessings ? I tell you, Nay \
Divest your mind of all presumption, and seek to
obtain forgiveness for the dishonour you have cast
upon God, and the insults offered to His Christ, and
let me lead you away from the glorified elders, with
their white robes and gold crowns ; take your place
as a justified man. There are but twenty-tour more
crowns to bo disposed of, and those who run for
these will have to start fairly, and not get over tho
wall, like a thief or a robber. Christ says, " I am
the door ; no man cometh unto the Father but by
me." And those who are hungering and thirsting
after righteousness must be filled — must have a re-
newed mind, and a new robe to cover their dry
' 38
bones; aiid then, and not till then, tlicy may, if
faithful, become temples of the Holy Ghost; and
enjoy the uttermost salvation. You have received but
the earnest of your inheritance, in the forgiveness
of sins; gi'ieve not the Holy Si)irit by building on
the foundation " wood, hay and stubble," and daub-
ing yourselves with untenipcred mortar. The re-
fuge of lies must be swept away, and you must stand
be'fore God naked, just as you are ; and wait for your
dress. It may be you will have to wait until the
last day, when all the dead will have to stand be-
fore the God of the universe) when every one will
receive a reward according to the deeds done in the
body ; or you may, in company with the children
God will (according to His word) give me, live to
see that great day, and esca])c death altogether. Your
reward will be according to your merit, and your
merit will be in proportion to your obedience lo God.
1 am not anxious to destroy men, but would rather
that all men could be saved ; and 1 am giving the
most convincing proofs of the existence of God and
the infallibility of His word; and I earnestl}^ call
upon all who love that word, to help me to scatter
tnese Explanations of the Prophecies, wherever
that word has been read ; so that as many as possi-
ble may be saved, both among the Romanists and
Calvinists ; for I know the bodies of these beasts
will soon be given to the burning iiames. The fierce
words of this little horn — the insults and injury
heaped upon the elect, and the saints, and the blood
of Serve tus, will be avenged on the obstinate fol-
lowers of Calvin. The great whore which has cor-
39
rupted Iho earth with lier forincation, and isdriiiik
with the blood of the saints, and the ])]ood of the
martyrs of Jesus, must be stripped of all her power
and influence ; and her deluded votaries, educated
into the knowledge of the truth; and by degrees
be led to see the monster, which has so long oppres-
sed and deceived the*n. The obstinate priesthood
are consigned to the mes, and the obstinate and
incorrigible people to the sword. I do not sa}' this
on my own individual authority, but on the author-
ity of Him, who called me to be His servant, and as I
am instructed by HisIIoly Spirit to explain His word.
A glance at the Eleventh of Eevelation will show
that God gives His chosen ones an especial power.
They could shut heaven so that it rained not on the
earth ; and if any one should be wicked and hardy
enough to attempt their injury, they held the hand
that pointed the lightnings, and could direct at will,
but as necessity might demand, these swift agents
of destruction.
The twelve hundred and sixty days, the time tliey
were prophesying in sackcloth, may be dated from
the year 009, the year in which Mahomet preached
his first sermon in Mecca; and the time when the
Gothic Tartar association arrived at maturity ; and
the worship of images had been ftiirly established.
Twelve hundred and sixty years (for years is the
meaning), added to six hundred and nine, will make
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine. In the
fall of that year, there appeared an advertisement
in the Ottawa Citizen^ to the following effect : —
" The Latin Man, and the Man of Sin. — liomanism
40
" a7id Calvinism Exposed, and the Book of Rev el a-
" Uon Explained. By George Collins.''
And the man of sin has been fully revealed by my
Explanation of Bevelation, and also by the Explana-
tion of the Eleventh of Daniel; and he has again
come under our notice in the present little work ;
and I added a little of my Christian experience in
order to show how the Lord has led me to unravel
this master-piece of Satan.
, I simply say, in conclusion,'if my credentials are
good, receive me. I have wronged no man ; I have
coveted^no man's silver, or gold; my own hands hav^e
supplied my wants, and the wants of the times.
I have watched while you have slumbered. I have
not withheld my face from shame and spitting, and
from those who plucked off the hair ; my back has
been given to the smiters, and my most bitter en-
emies are those of my own house ; I am an astonish-
ment to many. When the Lord sanctified me, and
sent me to work in His vineyard, the man who was
my fellow-labourer plunged the cold glittering steel
into my breast ; and the few sheej) I was permitted
to tend, were taken from me, by the unclean spirit
of sectarianism. And, after the Lord of Hosts had
put His spirit upon me, and called me to the High
Priesthood, and gave me the glorious privilege of
bearing the sins of the people, by enduring a few
light afflictions, I was sent to a person, who had
been praying for instruction with regard to his du-
ty. I explained to him the nec.^ssity of observing
the ordinance of adult baptism, .is a means of teach-
tho operations of the living water ; and quoted the
41
wordn of Duvid, — " Ah the liai't panlcth after the
water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."
Now, this learned preacher undei'stood no less than
ten or twelve languages; and he declared that Da-
vid never expected to find God. but that he rejoiced
to be thir.sty — which makes the blessing pronounced
on those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
to consist in being hungry and thirsty. Gentlj^ ob-
jecting to these views, I still urged the use of bap-
tism as a means of teacliing the saint the voice of
his God, when speai^ing by the Holy Spirit; so that
he knew when lie spoke, and when he was "filled
and satisfied by the living water. The Eeverend
Gentleman lost patience, and undertook to prove by
the dictionary, that baptism meant nothing of the
kind, but was ordained for the remission of sins.
This poor man — who considers himself a brother
of the Lord — I am sorry to say is under the control
of the unclean spirit of sectarianism. But I should
weary the reader if I related all the opposition I
have met with from those whom I had most reason
to look upon as my friends. And it adds little to
my comfort to know that the Lord Jesus feels, as
keenly as I do myself, the indignities that are
lieaped upon the least of His brethren,
If any one of my fellow soldiei*s has exposed him-
self to more dangers ; if any one has accomplished
more with equal means, and given such clear views
of doctrine and explained the most difficult parts
of scripture as well as 1 have, let him show himself,
and if (iod himself is willing, let him be king in Zion,
f
42
1 yield liiin my place, and go Ijack to my work-
.sliop.
The tiino has at loii<j:th arrived for the saints Tnot
the sectH) the poor despised suints, to have somc-
llunii' to sav ill the alTairs of the nations; and God
llims'jlf will make known His will to the people
through his humble servant; unless a more worthy
person should present himself; some one who by
his humble origin ami limited capacity can show
the wisdom and power of Clod, in using His humb-
lest children to accomplished His gi'catest purposes.
Sim])ry by obeying the Almighty I have overcome
death and can smile at the grim monster. I shall
not lie in the grave ; and I know the Lord will give
me children who will accompany me; if they are
obedient, I can give them everlasting life. And
if the world owe me any thing for laying bare its
foundations, it owes much more to God, who with
consummate wisdom and inexhaustible love, has been
so long working for the world's good. If I had not
dived into the depth of the great cJcean of God's
truth, and saw the bright jewels that like stars lie
concealed in its deep waters, I could never have had
the least idea of the extent of His goodness ; or the
depth of His wisdom. HHe was not independent,
Belf-existent,and intinitely happy in himself, I might
be induced to believe, that His pleasure was depen-
dent on tlie caprice of man; and His interest was
connected with man's redemption, yet it is not so, it
is His love — God is love. Compassion acting on
this great principle of His nature ; moved Him to
create a second Adam, who, seeing the effects of the
4B
disobedience of (he first "was also moved willi {h\A
great principle, as he had I'cccived i( fresh from Ciod,
to compassionate the condition of the fallen scms of
Adam. And was led to exclaim, Lo, I come to
do thy will, O God, in the volume of the book it i;<
written of me, gave Himself a living and acceptable
sacrifice to God, and by this one act, satisfied ciivine
justice, dispelled the effects of original sin ; opened
the doors of the grave ; and leading the risen saints
in triumph through the everlaf.tingdoors,prescnted
them to God, as the first-fruits of His love and obe-
dience; robbed the grave of its sting; and cheated
death of his victory; became the chief comer-stone
of the foundation of the world. And to this chief
corner-stone, elect, and precious have been succes-
sively added, the Apostles and prophets; until the
top stone has been laid on with shoutinirs of m-ace
grace unto it. And the emphatic command given
to the disciples — go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature, he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved ; he that believeth
not shall be condemned, — was not given to mock
the people, or to favour one more than another:
for God is no respector of persons, but whosoever
feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted
of Him, without any reference to eternal decrees
or Calvinistic predestination. One important fact
may be learned from the exjdanationof the prophe-
cies; that God with an eye to the promise to His friend
and faithful servant Abraham, by his infinite wisdom
Bketched a plan for the fulfilment of that promise,
and the good of all mankind. This plan was com-
imiiiieai^cid to Diuiiel, in an especial niamier, and
also to John by the Kevclation ; these prophecies
are atte^stcd bv history to be true; and are made to
correspond with the doings of nations and empires,
so as to sliow that however vain and ])re-
8iinipt-iious, and wicked, the world lias iteen, the
Alniighty reigns supreme ; and although lie could
liave swept away iji a moment, all the wicked from
the face of the earth ; lie has in mercy given the
world this great lesson of experience, so that a nation
might be born in a day, by this plain manifestation
of His goodness and wisdom. And as in our days
education is advancing with rapid strides; and gen-
eral knowledge is every where on the increase ;
and man is beginning to think with a mind, made
active by exercise, and intelligent by study, this great
proof of the divine existence will be sown as seed
on good ground, and produce a rich harvest, so that
the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom
as the ix)se.
It would be strange indeed if my strict adherence
to truth, in delivering judgment on the various sects
composing the great city, Bab^don, did not procure
me the ill-will of those interested in the continuance
of the present state of confusion. Some of the most
bigotted of the Calvinists, smarting undci* the keen
edge of the sword, have endeavoured to make out,
that I am the Man of Sin, whom the Lord is iroinir
to consume with the spirit of His mouth and the
brightness of His coming. Eleven years spent in
tlie city of Ottawa, in a labouriou^s occupation, ha?
45
hitroduecd mo to some who arc capable of judi;in<^
whether there be any t'oun(hition for tliis vile insin-
uation. My writings speiik for themselves; and it
is quite immaterial to me what they call moor what
construction they put upon my works: but the vile
slanders that have been heaped upon a few
friends, is another ait'air; and when forbearance is
construed into weakness and only serves to provoke
contempt, it ceases to be a virtue. And those who
persist in doging my footsteps, misconstruing my
actions, and especially slandering my fi'lends, will
soon find out whether I have exalted myself, or
whether God Iliinsolf has exalted me, and whether
lie will not sustain me in defending my friends,
against those who, without the slightest hesitation,
involve them in the same dirt which has blackened
my own face.
UlCIlMONl) JiOAI),
Ottawa, Auyufit Uf, 1870.
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