^;y
Vi <*S f ft*
'ROSPECTS
THE TEN
:N KING DC
.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Received
Accession No.
Class No
J
PROSPECTS
OF
THE TEN KINGDOMS
(8mji,
BEING
THE THIED SERIES OF AIDS TO
PROPHETIC ENQUIRY.
BY
BENJAMIN WILLS NEWTON.
i
Srconli !Elittton,
niTBUITn
LONDON :
HOULSTON AND SONS,
9, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS.
1873.
ttt
LONDON :
PRINTED BY WERTHETMER, LEA AND CO.,
CIRCUS PLACE, F1NSBURY.
preface to ^econn coition.
THE first edition of this work was published in the
year 1849. The present edition has been prepared
by me, at intervals, during a protracted and severe
illness. Its revision, consequently, has not been so
complete as I could have desired. It has, however,
been revised, and some additions have been made.
The strength of my early convictions as to the
truth of the opinions advanced, and as to the infinite
importance of that truth, has been, each year,
intensified, not enfeebled. Some remarks on the
events of the last twenty-five years, and on the pre-
sent condition of our own once favoured land, will
be found in the concluding chapter. (See page 412.)
I trust that these remarks may receive from some,
candid and prayerful consideration. They may
seem severe, perhaps, but there are occasions when
severity, and severity only, is kindness.
It is distressing to observe that, whilst the prin-
ciples and arrangements of the nations are every
IV PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
year approximating more and more nearly to that
specific form which the Scripture says they will
assume at the time of the end, men, instead of recog-
nising this marked verification of God's Word,
continue to mistrust, if not to revile that Word,
more and more. Satan ever seeks to blind men to
that which is the record of their own doom.
It is scarcely less painful to observe the attempts
of many to serve God apart from the guidance of
His Word. "We want," say they, "Christ, not
doctrine ;" as if Christ could be separated from His
doctrine. We do not read of being sanctified apart
from Truth. " Sanctify them by Thy Truth. Thy
Word is Truth." We do not read of growth apart
from the reception of " the unadulterated milk of
the Word." We do not read of abiding in Christ,
apart from abiding in the doctrine of Christ. He
"that abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath
not God." (2 John 9.)
God's Truth is very holy; yet we have often
handled it with careless and irreverent hand. If it
has not prospered, one great cause is our own failure
in walking circumspectly. We need, as to this,
humiliation and confession, and a turning unto Him
whose mercies fail not. " Who is a God like unto
Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. V
transgression of the remnant of His heritage ? He
retaineth not His anger for ever, because He
delighteth in mercy/' (Micah vii. 18.)
There can be no true practical unity no holy
co-operation, apart from the knowledge of God's
holy Word. May He grant us grace to recognise,
and welcome, and follow, that light which He hath
graciously sent forth ; and may we find practically
that it guides us through paths of holy calmness,
and peace, and certainty, on to His holy hill, and
to His tabernacles. As evil increases around us (and
it surely will), may we seek more earnestly than ever
to be separate from the evil, and to be separate unto
God according to His written Word.
December, 1873.
Cable of Contents.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER I.
Error of Modern Interpretation as to the Scope of the
Koman Empire 16
CHAPTER II.
The History of Governmental Power as taught in the
Vision of the Image . .... . .30
CHAPTER III.
Formation of the Ten Kingdoms. Changes to be
expected 58
CHAPTER IV.
The Vision of the Ephah of Zechariah V., considered in
relation to the Principles of Modern Legislation . 88
CHAPTER V.
On the Four Beasts of Daniel VII 125
Notes on Daniel VII 139
CHAPTER VI.
Thoughts on the History of Professing Christianity as
given in the Parables of Matthew XIII. . . .148
CHAPTER VII.
On Daniel VIII. Connexion of Antichrist with Greece
and Jerusalem . . . . .186
viii TABLE or CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII. PAGE
The Seventy Hebdomads. Daniel IX 209
CHAPTER IX.
On Daniel X., XL, and XII. . . . .225
CHAPTER X.
Remarks on Daniel XL (continued) .... 242
CHAPTER XI.
Notes on parts of Daniel XL and XII 259
CHAPTER XII.
On 2 Thessalonians II 272
Notes on 2 Thessalonians II. . . 281
CHAPTER XIII.
On the Natural Relations of Men and Governments to
God 294
CHAPTER XIV.
Order of Events connected with the Appearing of
Christ, and His Millennial Reign . . . .314
APPENDIX (A). 367
Quotations from the Fathers .... 372
APPENDIX (JB). Extract from Jewish Chronicle of
November 9, ] 849 401
APPENDIX (C). On Dacian Hungary .... 407
CONCLUSION. Remarks on the Franco-Prussian War
and its Results 412
INTRODUCTION.
IF there be any lesson which we learn as we ad-
vance in experimental acquaintance with realities
around us, it is this the necessity that God should
effectuate, by His own power, His own designs of
blessing. "Of him, and through him, and unto
him are all things." That only prospers which is
originated, executed, and completed by Him.
There are certain spheres in which it is easy to
recognise the necessity of His agency, because they
are spheres in which no one can act excepting God.
No other can create : no other uphold by the word
of His power that which hath been created. No one
but God can reign over the inhabitants of Heaven :
and Heaven is blessed, because all things emanate
from Him, and all things are immediately regulated
by Him. And as regards this earth, none but scep-
tics doubt that the unseen agency of God ultimately
orders all things. Secretly, He sets bounds to the
energies of evil which they cannot pass ; and all the
activities of men and of Satan ultimately bend to
His control so as to subserve the purposes of His
holy and blessed will.
Yet, even where all this has been recognised,
there has been strange incredulity as to any further
B
2 INTRODUCTION.
and more direct exercise of God's governmental
power being intended for this earth. Delegated
power has so long been committed by God to men,
and they have so long, by means thereof, fashioned
both national and individual life, that even the
Church has well nigh forgotten that anything else
is practicable. Men seem to think that they are
quite competent to regulate for themselves the
things of earth, and pretend that it would be dero-
gatory to the dignity of God and of Christ to
suppose that they could ever directly concern them-
selves with the minute arrangement of human
things here. It is not believed that He who is now
glorified above the heavens, will ever undertake the
immediate government of Israel and of the nations.
Yet surely, when we reflect on the grace of Him
who humbled Himself so as to wash the feet of His
servants, and then submitted to the death of the
Cross One also who has ever cared for the spar-
rows, and counted the hairs of the head of His
people it would not seem unlikely that He should
be willing to undertake anything that would sub-
serve the happiness of men, especially if that which
is essential to such happiness, can be effected by
Himself alone.
We scarcely need ask the question, whether right
and wise legislation be necessary for the purposes
of human happiness here ? Is there anything
after which the wisdom of ages has laboured more
than to discover some means of legislating rightly
for the nations and families of earth ? But even
INTRODUCTION. 3
when men have hoped that the secret of good
has been discovered, they have lacked the power to
execute. Their resources have failed, or else the
resistance of adversaries has prevailed, or there has
been no sufficient wisdom to devise means to reach
the intended end ; and thus the general confession
is that, although there is much to be desired, little
has been attained ; and men are obliged to own that
the right regulation of human things is something
without which human happiness cannot be, but that
wisdom and power are alike wanting to accomplish
that which is required. What country, what nation
is satisfied with its condition ?
Why, then, should it be deemed unlikely that
God should withdraw from the hands of men
the authority which He has so long delegated,
and entrust it to One who has wisdom, and
who has power to subject evil, and to establish
good? It is not necessary for Christ to quit the
sphere of heavenly being, because it may please
Him to administer the government of earth. The
angels, who even now secretly minister to the heirs
of salvation, do not cease to have their home in
heaven ; and surely it is not less easy for the Son
of God to retain the heavenly character of His
glory, and yet to order the affairs of earth, and to
visit it with His presence.
Nor will it be altogether a new thing for God to
legislate and govern in the earth. The circ urn-
stance s,indeed,in which He formerly acted as the
Head of Israel, when He legislated for them in the
4 INTRODUCTION.
wilderness, were very different from those in which
He will again connect Himself with them as their
King. But still, it is a fact that God did descend
upon Sinai that He did legislate for Israel that
He did abide amongst them in the cloudy pillar ;
and yet He ceased not to be what He ever had
been, and ever shall be, in the heaven of heavens.
It is, therefore, neither improbable, nor contrary to
experience, that God should undertake the govern-
mental arrangement of earth.
But we are not, in determining this, left to con-
jecture, or to the calculation of antecedent proba-
bilities. If there be anything which the Old and
New Testaments reveal with concurrent clearness of
testimony, it is that the present agencies which
form the manners of the earth are to be set aside,
and that the Son of God is Himself to become the
Governor of the nations. "The seventh angel
sounded, and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The sovereignty of the world* hath become
the sovereignty of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and
he shall reign for ever and ever." And again :
" We give thee thanks, Lord, the God Almighty,
the One who is and who was; because thou hast
taken to thee thy great power and reigned." Rev. xi.
17. The book of Psalms also abounds with songs
of thanksgiving appropriated to that hour. " sing
unto the Lord a new song : sing unto the Lord, all
* *H fiacriXfia. TOV Kocrfjiov. See Greek New Testament as
edited from ancient authorities by Dr. Tregelles. Bagster
and Sons.
INTRODUCTION. 5
the earth Say among the Gentiles that
the Lord reigneth : the world also shall be estab-
lished that it shall not be moved : he shall judge
the peoples righteously. Let the heavens rejoice,
and let the earth be glad ; let the sea roar, and the
fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all
that is therein : then shall all the trees of the wood
rejoice before the Lord : for he cometh, for he cometh
to judge the earth : he shall judge the world with
righteousness, and the peoples with his truth."
Ps. xcvi. How strange that such words as these
should ever have been interpreted of a period re-
specting which the Scripture itself testifies, that
" creation groaneth in the bondage of corruption "
" that darkness covereth the earth, and gross
darkness the peoples " " that the foundations of all
things are out of course."
The universal joy of creation and its release from
its present groan, is continually mentioned in the
Scriptures as constituting one feature in the coming
scene of blessing. But how could this be, apart
from the reign of- the Lord ? Such a rest of crea-
tion would ill consort with a condition in which the
governmental power of earth remained in the hands
of fallen man. And then, as to the spread and
maintenance of truth, it is not easy to see how it
could be maintained among the nations, unless the
Head of the Church and the Governor of the nations
were one. Accordingly, one of the chief objects of
His rule will be to sustain by His power the minis-
tration of His truth. There will be still the same
6 INTRODUCTION.
message of reconciliation through faith in His blood ;
the same indwelling of the Holy Spirit ; the same
union between believers and a risen Lord ; the same
great High Priest ; the same intercession. Whether
now, or in the coming dispensation, flesh, wherever
found, is flesh, and needs the same mercies of the
same " everlasting gospel." The eternal verities of
God can never change ; and to maintain them will
be one of the specific objects of the millennial reign.
But Christ will not undertake the government of
earth apart from His chosen City and His chosen
nation. He will give to Jerusalem and to Israel su-
premacy in the earth, and will govern instrumentally
through them. Thus, when the judgments by which
He will finally crush the present proud power of the
Gentiles shall be inflicted, Israel will be used as His
instrument. "When I have bent Judah for me,
filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy
sons, Zion, against thy sons, Greece, and made
thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the Lord
shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go
forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall
blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of
the south." Zech. ix. 13, 14. And when the hour
of judgment shall be succeeded by the peaceful
regulations of mercy, Israel will still be the channe
through which the appointments of His goodness
shall reach the nations. " The remnant of Jacob
shall be in the midst of many peoples as a dew from
the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tar-
rieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.'
INTRODUCTION. 7
Micah v. 7. " Many peoples shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths :
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
of the Lord from Jerusalem." Is. ii. 3.
The servants of God of old, such as Daniel, were
not strangers to such expectations. Many things
now clearly revealed to us, were to them unknown.
But they did understand that Israel, and the God of
Israel, should at last govern in the earth. They
knew, also, that there were blessings long promised
which could be received neither by creation, nor by
the nations, until that government should hake
come.
Hence the bitter sorrow of spirit with which they
beheld Israel (who for a time had been set in supre-
macy under Solomon) displaced from that position.
The glory of the reign of Solomon quickly faded
away ; iniquity continued to increase, until at last
the long-threatened blow fell upon Jerusalem, and
the throne of David in God's chosen city sank before
the power of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This was
the moment at which Daniel lived. The commencing
words of his prophecy are the record of this fall of
Jerusalem : "In the third year of the reign of
Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into
his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of
God : which he carried into the land of Shinar to
8 INTRODUCTION.
the house of his god ; and he brought the vessels
into the treasure house of his god." Dan. i. 1, 2.
Daniel was not exempted from the general calamity.
It fell heavily on him ; for he was carried captive
to Babylon. But it was there that he was called to
be numbered among the prophets of God. Pro-
phecy has always been connected with the place of
suffering and reproach. Enoch, the first who pro-
phesied, prophesied among the corruptions which
brought on the judgment of the flood : and Samuel
was not raised up until judgment was about to fall
upon the priestly house in Israel. The disciples
were prophetically instructed whilst they stood on
the Mount of Olives around their rejected Lord :
and John was an exile in Patmos when he re-
ceived the Revelation. The hearts, therefore, of
such were likely to be chastened and prepared to
understand the history of present evil, whilst they
waited for the future and long-delayed blessing.
Among these Daniel was numbered. He had kept
himself from the. defilements of the hour. His
heart was tender. It had learned to mourn over
the evil of his people, as well as over their chas-
tisements. He sought to humble himself before
God, and to wait on Him. He was the man
" greatly beloved," and to him were committed
fresh testimonies from God testimonies which
through him have been transmitted to us. In the
light of these testimonies many will walk, even in
the midst of the deepest darkness of the latter
INTRODUCTION. 9
day, prove the value of their guidance, and bless
Him who gave them, for ever and ever.
The subject of the prophecy of Daniel is the
history of those Gentile nations who have been
appointed to hold supreme power in the earth
throughout the period of Jerusalem's punishment.
It is not the history of all Gentile nations. It is
the history only of those Empires who were ap-
pointed, after trampling down Jerusalem, to rule
successively in her stead ; and they are but four
the empires of Chaldea, of Persia, of Greece,
and of Rome. Nor is the history even of these
Empires given in its completeness, or in much
detail. Jerusalem is the centre of the prophecy ;
and the events among the Gentiles are only re-
corded because of their relation to that city.
Accordingly, when Jerusalem ceased nationally to
exist, detailed history in Daniel is suspended. The
long period, already exceeding eighteen hundred
years, which has elapsed since Israel ceased to
exist nationally in Jerusalem, is passed over almost
in silence. JN"o dates, localities, or personages are,
during this interval, mentioned, nor will the thread
of prophetic history be resumed until Israel shall
again assume a national position in Jerusalem, and
again become a centre of Gentile energy, and Gentile
iniquity.
Thus the prophecy of Daniel becomes available
for purposes of instruction to the Church generally.
If, in order to understand it, we were obliged to toil
through the history of nearly two thousand years,
10 INTRODUCTION.
who, whether learned or unlearned, could be ex-
pected to attend ? But when, instead of this, the
burden of the prophecy rests upon a brief and yet
future time ; and all necessary acquaintance with
past history is limited to that which Scripture itself
supplies, who is there that may not listen and learn ?
A very slight acquaintance with that which is
now passing around us is sufficient to show, that the
ancient dominance of ecclesiastical systems is giving
place to the superior strength of the secular powers.
The corruptions and discords of ecclesiastical sys-
tems make men despair of obtaining from them any
beneficial influence, and drive many to look to the
secular systems as their hope. There is also in con-
nection with this an increasing desire to substitute
mere human brotherhood, for brotherhood in Christ.
The sin of past ages has been, the assigning to men
who were brought only nominally into the Church,
the privileges and the duties of Christians. The sin
now appearing is even worse than this. It is the re-
jection of all brotherhood, save human brotherhood.
An attempt is being made to apply to men as men,
principles and precepts which God restricts to those
who are really brought into His Church by faith.
This is a condition well adapted to secure the reign
of the secular systems. They, of course, would
naturally be regarded as the proper heads of a
system of human fraternisation. Few things, there-
fore, can be more important than to see, in the light
of Scripture, the real character of these secular
systems; and this it is the especial object of the
INTRODUCTION. 11
prophecy of Daniel to unfold. The object of his
prophecy is not to treat of the ecclesiastical corrup-
tions of Christendom, but to teach respecting the
character of the secular power in the ruling Gentile
Empires whether those Empires do, or do not,
profess the name of Christ.
"When we consider how false and evil the rela-
tions, even of real Christianity, to the secular
power have often been, and that those relations
would probably never have been held, if the pro-
phecies of Daniel had been understood ; when we
remember, too, that his prophecy utterly dissipates
the delusions of false and unscriptural philanthropy,
and of that deistic eclecticism which is now en-
snaring so many, it will not surprise us to find that
every attempt to revive the testimonies of this Book
should be sternly resisted.
Accordingly, in one of the most popular books of
the day, the inspiration of this holy Book is denied,
and it is cast back among the fables of the Apo-
crypha.* It would seem as if the writer intuitively
* See " Dr. Arnold's Life," p. 195. Dr. Arnold ventures to
say, " There can be no reasonable spiritual meaning made
out of the kings of the north and south. I have long thought
that the greater part of the Book of Daniel is most cer-
tainly a very late work, of the time of the Maccabees ; and
the pretended prophecy about the kings of Grsecia and Persia,
and of the north and south, is mere history, like the poetical
prophecies in Virgil and elsewhere." Dr. Arnold then inti-
mates that, as a whole, the Book of Daniel should be classed
with the stories of the Apocrypha, though that there may
be genuine fragments in it is very likely. The italics are
12 INTRODUCTION.
felt, that either his thoughts about man and man's
amelioration must be sacrificed, or else the prophecy
of this Book : and he sacrificed the latter. Yet it
seems wonderful that it should never have occurred
to this writer, that in assailing the authority of
Daniel, he assailed a greater than he ; for did the
Lord Jesus deceive ? And would it not be deception
for the Lord Jesus solemnly to refer us to the words
of " Daniel the Prophet" (Mark xiii. 14) if He knew
that Daniel was not a prophet, and that his writings
ought to be classed with Bel and the Dragon, and
other similar tales in the Apocrypha ?
It is a fearful thing to attack the authority of
Scripture. We might almost say that it would be
more easy to think with the infidel, that God had
never given a revelation of His will, than to suppose
that, after having given it, He had failed to watch
over it by His providence, and had allowed it to
descend to us falsified and untrue. Surely, if we can
mine. There is a temerity in these statements that almost
makes one tremble, and at the same time a surprising want
of cairn reflection. The most important parts that have yet
been accomplished in the prophecies of Daniel, have been
accomplished since the date at which Dr. Arnold supposes it
to have been written : the cutting off of the Messiah, and
the desolation of Jerusalem by the Romans, are examples.
It would be very strange that predictions, accompanied, be
it observed, by dates, should be so marvellously fulfilled in a
book which on. Dr. Arnold's hypothesis must be full not
merely of fables, but of deliberate lies ; for almost every
vision in Daniel marks its own chronology : therefore, if the
chronology be false, the whole book is false.
INTRODUCTION. 13
can confide in God respecting any thing, we can
confide in Him. for the preservation of His own
Scriptures Scriptures which He Himself has termed
" THE Scriptures of truth." This thought should
be sufficient to silence every doubt. But in addition
to this, each Book of the Holy Scriptures has an
internal evidence of its own, which strengthens in
proportion as we addict ourselves to the study and
use of the Word of Gtod. This is especially the case
with the Book of Daniel. The more minutely we
examine each individual word, the more shall we be
struck with the consistency of the prophecy, not
only with itself, but with the rest of Scripture.
Indeed, it may be said to be necessary to the har-
mony of Scripture. It abundantly confirms Isaiah;
and the prophecies of the New Testament, especially
the Book of Revelation, stand or fall with it. Be-
sides which, there is no past event that has come
within the scope of its predictions which has not
verified it ; and every rising event is adding fresh
corroboration. Without it, the rest of prophetic
Scripture would be obscured ; nor could we speak with
certainty or precision of the prospects of any thing
that is transpiring amongst the nations around us.
We cannot wonder, therefore, that such a Book
should be vehemently assailed, especially by those
who are ridiculing " Bibliolatry " (as they are
pleased to term it), and are industriously seeking to
substitute their own baseless and sceptical specula-
tions for the sure record of the written Word. If it
be "Bibliolatry" to believe that every word in the
14 INTRODUCTION.
Holy Scripture has been written under the direct
and immediate suggestion of the Holy Ghost, and
therefore, that we are to reverence the Scripture as
being the testimony of the Holy Ghost, and that,
consequently, the authority of the Scripture and
the authority of the Holy Ghost are co-equal,* then
* The Scriptures ever speak of themselves as being the
testimony of the Holy Ghost. Thus, in Hebrews x., speaking
of the full and lasting acceptance of the believer by the offer-
ing of the holy body of the Lord Jesus on the cross, (an
offering once and for ever made,) the Apostle goes on to say
that the very fact of the expiation having been complete,
and having effected the purgation of sins, renders it im-
possible that there should be a repetition of offering in any
sense whatsoever. Where remission of sins is, there can be
no more offering for them ; for if further offering were re-
quired, then the sins could not have been remitted. The
Apostle then adds, that the Holy Ghost also bears witness
to this, in that He has said in the Book of Jeremiah, "their
sins and. iniquities will I remember no more." Thus, then
a passage in Jeremiah is quoted by the Apostle as being the
direct testimony of the Holy Ghost. " The Holy Ghost spake
by the Prophets." They were the instruments, He the
speaker. See Matt. ii. 15, TO prjdtv VTTO nvpiov dia TOV rrpo-
We are also told, in the Epistle of Peter, that prophetic
Scripture is not of " private interpretation," but set forth on
the authority of the Holy Ghost. The word translated " in-
terpretation " (eVtXvo-ts) is derived from a verb signifying to
explain, expound, or unravel, and would be applied to the
solution of an enigma. Thus it is said of the Lord Jesus
that " when they were alone, he expounded (eVe'Aue) all things
unto his disciples." It is similarly used in Genesis xli. 12, of
the interpretation or explanation of a dream. See LXX., and
in Acts xix. 39, of the legal exposition of an involved or diffi-
INTRODUCTION. 15
may such " Bibliolatry" abound in the Church for
ever. The conviction that such "Bibliolatry" will
be promoted by increased enquiry into Prophetic
Scripture, is one of my chief encouragements in
writing these pages.
cult question in a judicial assembly. When it is said, there-
fore, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private " exposition "
(idtas errtXuo-fws), it means, that it is not an explanation put
forth on the authority of private unauthorised individuals,
but of holy men of God, publicly and duly accredited, and
who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Thus, also, prophecy is regarded not as an enigma, but as
" the solution" not as the difficulty, but " the explanation "
of the difficulty. The " secret things belong unto the Lord
our God, but the things that are revealed belong unto us and
to our children." Deut. xxix. 29. See further remarks on
this subject in " Occasional Papers" No. 1. p. 115.
CHAPTER I.
ERROR OF MODERN INTERPRETATION AS TO THE
SCOPE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
IT seems needful, before we enter upon the consi-
deration of the first vision of the Book of Daniel, to
notice an error of interpretation that has long and
extensively prevailed an error fatal to all right
exposition of the prophecy, because it affects the
subject about which the prophecy is. If the subject
of a prediction be not ascertained, we shall cer-
tainly not understand that which is predicted con-
cerning it.
In this first vision an Image was seen, composed
of various metals. Its head was of fine gold ; its
breast and its arms of silver ; its belly and its sides*
of brass ; its legs of iron.
* " Sides" is a rendering placed in the margin of our Eng-
lish version, and has been adopted by several translators. It
can scarcely be regarded as a strictly accurate rendering, but
it is certainly preferable to " thighs."
The Chaldee word is peculiar. It is not dual or plural,
but singular, an3" the thigh-part that is, that part of the
human trunk whence the thighs issue. Thus, in several
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 17
As regards the four metals which, compose this
Image, almost all expositors agree that they repre-
sent the successive empires of Chaldaea, Persia,
Greece, and Eome an interpretation, indeed, that
may well be given ; for few things are more capable
of being demonstrated both from Scripture and from
fact. " That the Roman Empire," says Mede, "was
the fourth kingdom of Daniel, was believed by the
Church of Israel both before and in our Saviour's
time, received by the disciples of the Apostles, and
the whole Christian Church for the first 300 years,
without any known contradiction; and I confess,
having so good ground in Scripture, it is with me
'tantuin non articulus fidei/ little less than an
article of faith."
French versions it is rendered Les hanches. In ordinary lan-
guage, when a statue or a man is spoken of, the word " legs "
is understood to include " the thighs," and certainly a word
in the singular number would not have been used if the two
thighs were to be denoted. Venema renders it " sides " in the
following passage : " Caput erat aureuin : pectus et brachia ex
argento ; venter et latera ses." Some translate it by " ilia."
The lateral part of the lower belly is indicated and called " the
thigh part," because the thighs issue thence. This, doubt-
less, is the true meaning. Geier seems to adopt it. 'nJJJB
Intestina ejus (ab Hebrseo D*jp viscera, intestina) ponitur
hie pro continente, hoc est pro }D3 venter. Deinde nriS'V
latera ejus (ab Ebrseo latus, femur) facile iutelliguntur hie
posita pro partibus illis ventris, quse sunt ex ejus ambobus
lateribus, hoc est pro ilibus, sicuti duo brachia sunt ex latere
pectoris, quibus lateribus seu femori annecti solebat gla-
dius. Geier on Daniel.
c
18 CHAPTER I.
If, then, the iron legs of the Image denote the
whole Roman empire, why do expositors, after admit-
ting this, suddenly forget their admission when they
begin to treat of the ten divided parts, and write as
if half only of the Roman empire were indicated ?
If a whole is to be divided, we must divide that whole.
Nothing but error can ensue, if we divide only half.
Yet this is the mistake that has been committed.
The Greek or Eastern half of the Roman empire has
been forgotten, and the Latin or Western half only
considered. Expositors have written as if the ten
toes of the Image were all found on one of its feet ;
and have persisted in seeking the ten kingdoms
Which those toes represent, in one part only of the
Roman empire. That modern expositors (for it was
not the case in the more early ages*) should have
committed so fatal a mistake, appears truly unac-
countable. But it is sufficient to prevent any right
result being attained, and accounts for the per-
plexity which many have imagined to be hopelessly
connected with prophetic enquiry. And the error is
the worse, because the eastern part of the Roman
empire that part which expositors have forgotten,
has, even in secular history, as well as in Scripture,
* See evidence of this at the end of this volume.
See also a very interesting and conclusive paper giving the
Scripture evidence as to the succession of these four empires,
in a work entitled " Remarks on the prophetic visions in the
Book of Daniel," by Dr. S. P. Tregelles. I would earnestly
recommend the perusal of this work to all who are interested
in prophetic inquiry.
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 19
a claim to be regarded as the more important divi-
sion of the two.*
* As regards its secular history, the mere fact of the seat
of the empire having been removed from Borne and planted
at Constantinople, was sufficient to give a pre-eminence to
the East. Constantinople was considered to be, and was,
the seat of Roman power. Constantinople remodelled
secularly and religiously the whole empire. So long did the
Emperors at Constantinople claim supremacy over the west-
ern branch of the empire, that even after the barbarians had
conquered Rome, Ricimer, the German Master of Rome, ac-
quiesced in the claim of the Emperor of the East to nomi-
nate the Emperor of the West.
This was in A.D. 467. " The patrician Anthemius," says
Heeren, "then at Constantinople, (where they never gave up
their pretentious to the right of naming or confirming the
Sovereigns of the West,) was, though with the consent of the
mighty Ricimer, named Emperor of the West, April 12th,
A.D. 467, by the Emperor Leo." Again after this, in A.D. 472,
Julius Nepos Augustus was nominated at Constantinople.
(See Heeren, " Manual of Ancient History," p. 469.) 1 need
not say how long the Empire of the East survived the fall of
its sister in the West. See also letter of the Senate to Zeno,
Emperor of the East, when Augustulus, the last Western
Emperor of the Roman lineage, was deposed. They disclaim
the wish of continuing any longer the Imperial succession in
Italy, and state their opinion that one Monarch is sufficient
for East and West. In their own name, and the name of the
people, they consent that the seat of universal Empire shall
be transferred to Constantinople, and renounce the right
which they had nominally enjoyed, from the time of Au-
gustus, of choosing their own Master. They state that the
"republic", might safely confide in Odoacer, and humbly
request that the Emperor of the East would invest him with
the title o patrician and the administration of the diocese
of Italy. Their request was granted, and Odoacer was ap-
20 CHAPTER T.
If the terms of the vision had been adhered to, and
the ten final kingdoms had been sought in the whole
Roman empire, the modern theory of interpretation
could never have existed ; for it is based upon the
extraordinary fallacy that half of the Roman empire
is the Roman empire. Here, then, is a mistake
sufficient to account for all the failure that has been
found in result.
There are three criteria by which every interpre-
tation of this chapter must be rigorously tested.
1st. The ten kingdoms, represented by the ten
toes of the image, are to be sought in the whole
extent of the Roman empire eastern as well as
western.
2nd. When once existent, they continue till the
end; that is to say, until the stone smites them,
grinds them to powder, and begins itself to fill the
whole earth.
3rd. Their development must be a plain and
recognised development, analogous to that of the
empires that have already been.
No one doubts that Chaldaea, Persia, Greece, and
Rome have existed and ruled as sovereign empires.
The development of the ten last kingdoms must be
pointed. Odoacer reigned from A.D. 476 to A.D. 492. Thus
even barbarians acknowledged the supremacy of the Eastern
branch. The superior importance of the East in Scripture
will be abundantly apparent when we consider the eighth
and eleventh chapters of Daniel. It will be the great sphere
of Antichrist's coming glory.
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 21
no less decided. It will be a patent and unquestioned
fact recognised by the whole earth.*
Such are the criteria. And, seeing that no divi-
sion of the Roman empire answering to these condi-
tions has ever taken place, it follows that this part
of the vision remains to be fulfilled. We have seen
the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron ; but we
have not yet seen the clay-iron toes. The seventh
chapter, under the symbol of the fourth or Roman
monster, equally fixes our attention on this ten- fold
and last division of the whole Roman empire. There
it is that that character of power, described as half-
metal, half " pottery-ware/' is to be found; there
is the sphere over which the power and blasphemies
of the little horn are to spread : there are the countries
whose atheistic evil is to cause the session of the
Ancient of Days in judgment. It becomes, there-
fore, a subject of solemn interest to determine as
accurately as we can, what countries were brought
beneath the Roman power, for such countries we
may soon expect to see revived in corporate though
divided unity ; and they will hold the supreme con-
trolling power of earth during the closing period of
our dispensation.
* It should also be remembered that the Ten Kingdoms,
when developed, will be federally united. Although distinct,
they will not have the power of separate action. Accordingly,
they are symbolised by the ten toes of one Image, and in the
Revelation, by the ten horns of one Beast that Beast in the
Revelation representing an individual. In both these cases
we have the emblem of distinctness, but also of union.
22 CHAPTER I.
The provinces of Rome, at the most extended
period of its power, may be enumerated thus :
The most northern part of the Roman empire was
Britain. It was first attacked by Julius Caesar, but
was not formally reduced into a Roman province
until the time of Nero, under the name of Britannia
Romana. This finally included England, and the
greater part of Scotland. The Grampian hills may
be taken as the extreme point to which the Romans
penetrated. It was there that Agricola, in the reign
of Domitian, fought his most northerly battle with
the Caledonians. But his northern line of forts was
drawn south of this point, across the narrow territory
of about forty miles which is found between the
Friths of Forth and of Clyde, a little north of the
modern cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. This line
of forts was afterwards, in the reign of Antoninus,
strengthened by a turf rampart, erected on founda-
tions of stone, and was fixed as the limit of the
Roman province. Ireland, though visited by Roman
merchants, was never brought under Roman power.
It is not to be regarded, therefore, as belonging to
7] OLKOVfJbeVT).
The Rhine, and the Yallum Romanum between the
Rhine and the Danube, are the eastern boundaries
of the Roman Empire in the direction of Germany.
The Yallum Romanum left the Rhine near Bingen,
and joined the Danube near Ratisbon.*
* The Vallum Romanum, after leaving the Rhine, first
follows the line of the Taunus Mountains towards the N.E. ;
then it turns southward, with a little east, and then more
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 23
The Romans possessed all Continental Europe west
of this, viz., Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium,
Luxemburgh, Rhenish Prussia west of the Rhine,
Baden, Wiirtemberg, the chief part of Bavaria, and
the whole of Switzerland.
In the south and south-eastern parts of Europe,
the Romans possessed Italy, Greece, all the islands
of the Mediterranean, including the Archipelago,
and all other parts of Europe south of the Danube,
that is to say, Turkey in Europe, and the Austrian
dominions north of the Alps,* including that part
of Hungary that lies south of the Danube. To
this the Emperor Trajan added the province of
Dacia north of the Danube. The boundaries of
Dacia were : in the south, the Danube ; in the
west, the Yallum Romanum, remains of which are
still visible. It left the Danube a few miles east of
Belgrade, and running by Temesvar, continued its
northern course until it met the Upper Theiss, which
runs there from east to west. The boundary of
Dacia then crosses the Carpathian mountains, and
easterly than southerly, before it joins the Danube. It is
thus described by Gibbon : " The Emperor Probus con-
structed a stone wall of considerable height, and strengthened
it by towers at convenient distances. From the neighbour-
hood of Neustadt and Ratisbon, on the Danube, it stretched
across hills, valleys, rivers, and morasses, as far as Wimpfen
on the Necker, and at length terminated on the banks of the
Rhine, after a winding course of nearly 200 miles." Ch. xii.
* Austria held Lombardy and Venetia when this was first
written. Italy was not then what she now is.
24 CHAPTER I.
continues the line of the Dneister to the Black Sea.
The whole province was about 1300 miles in cir-
cumference. Its modern divisions are : that part
of Hungary which lies east of the Roman Vallum ;
Wallachia, Transj 7 lvania, Moldavia, and Bessarabia ;
which last is now occupied by Russia.* It may be
here interesting to observe that the central part of
Hungary, that is to say, that part of it which lies
north of the Danube, and west of the Vallum Ro-
manum just described, was never brought within
the Roman Empire. Consequently the two parts
which do fall within the Roman Empire, are, its
western part south the Danube, and that part east of
the Vallum Romanum which formed a part of Dacia
as just described. Dacia was retained as a Roman
province for upwards of 160 years. It was
relinquished about the year A.D. 270 by the
Emperor Aurelian.f
In Asia, the Black Sea was the northern boundary
of the possessions of Rome. A line drawn from the
eastern corner of the Black Sea southward to the Eu-
phrates, and then the Euphrates itself, would give its
eastern limit in the time of Augustus. The dying re-
quest of Augustus was, that the Empire might never
* Since this was written, Russia has been compelled to
relinquish the greater part of this province. The limits of
the Roman Empire in this direction are almost, though not
quite, restored.
t It should be observed that Bohemia, Moravia, in a word
all German provinces now attached to Austria north of the
Danube, do not fall within the Roman Empire.
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 25
be extended beyond that river ; and until the reign
of Trajan, this request was regarded. That monarch,
however, ambitious of military renown, carried his
arms far beyond. But although he overran vast
districts, and the kings of Parthia consented to
receive their crowns at his hands, yet he only retained
as provinces three districts, namely, Armenia, As-
syria, and Mesopotamia; but these countries were
regularly formed into Roman Provinces.* His suc-
* The era of Trajan is important, because it was he whose
conquests determined the final extent of the Roman Empire.
It was he, too, who added Babylonia to the provinces of
Rome. Whilst engaged (A.D. 115) in an expedition against
the Parthians, he advanced to Babylon, entered it, no one
withstanding him, reduced its large territory where the
Roman standards had never been before displayed, and
became master of Assyria and Chaldsea. At Babylon he
visited the house in which Alexander the Great died, and
performed there certain ceremonies in honour of his name.
Ammianus Marcellinus says that in his time Trajan's tri-
bunal was still to be seen at a city in the neighbourhood of
Babylon. Trajan reduced Assyria to a Roman province, as
he had before done Armenia and Mesopotamia, so that the
Empire was extended to the Tigris and beyond. See " Uni-
versal History," Book III. ch. xx.
After the final limits of the Roman Empire in the East
had thus been reached, and Babylonia had become a Roman
province, Trajan returned to Antioch on the Orontes, the
place which he had chosen as the basis of his operations in
the East, and which is now again likely to be selected as the
spot whence the civilisation of Western Europe is to com-
mence its anticipated triumph in the East, by securing to
itself the control of the Euphrates.
Soon after Trajan's return to Antioch, that city was visited
26 CHAPTER I.
cessor Adrian, however, resigned them all, and
once more made the Euphrates the eastern boundary
by an earthquake, more terrible, perhaps, than any of which
history supplies the record. Eusebius, Aurelius Victor, and
Evagrius, all speak of it as "the greatest calamity recorded
in history." See " Universal History," note, Book III. ch. xx.
Dio Cassias, who gives a minute and vivid description of
this earthquake, says that Antioch was at that time so
crowded with troops and strangers from all parts of the
Roman Empire, that there was scarcely a nation or province
that did not share in the calamity, so that all the Roman
world suffered in that one city OVTO>S ev TTJ Ai/no^ia vraa-a 17
oiKovpevT) 17 VTTO roiv Payuuois ovo-a fo-<pa\r}. Dio Cassius, Book
LXVIIL ch. xxiv.
Dio Cassius states that the earthquake was preceded by
thunder and strange portentous winds (aAXoKoroi avepoi).
Then came suddenly a terrible subterranean roar, which was
followed by the earthquake. The whole surface of the earth
was convulsed and thrown upward. The buildings seemed
to leap from their foundations (ra oiKo8op.rjfj.aTa az/eTnjSa).
Some fell with a mighty crash, whilst others were dashed
one against the other as if by a surging sea. Trees were
torn up by the roots. The heights of Mount Casius bowed
and were broken off; other mountains were overturned ; new
rivers appeared, and others that had flowed before vanished.
Nothing could be seen because of the dust of the ruins ; no
voice could be heard because of the crash and the subterra-
nean roar. The earthquake continued, with brief periods of
intermission, for many days and nights, so that destruction
of life was vast, and Trajan himself was saved by a reputed
miracle.
Such were the accompaniments of the inauguration of
Roman sovereignty over Babylon. Was not this earthquake
sent to remind us of that more terrible visitation which is
to follow the future establishment of Western power at
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 27
of the Empire ; but at a subsequent period they
again became the subject of contest between the
Eomans and the Parthians, and afterwards between
the Romans and Persians. " The generals of Mar-
cus, the Emperor Severus, and his son, erected many
trophies in Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Assyria/'*
Under the reign of Marcus, the Roman generals
penetrated as far as Ctesiphon and Seleucia, which
they captured. These places they never attempted
to retain. By taking possession, however, of the
kingdom of Osrhoene, which occupied the northern
and most fertile part of Mesopotamia, the Romans
again obtained " a firm and permanent establishment
beyond the Euphrates."
In the reign of Diocletian, in his remarkable treaty
with Persia, Mesopotamia, which had been the object
of many wars, was ceded to Rome, and the Persians
formally renounced all pretentious to that province.
They also relinquished to the Romans five provinces
beyond the Tigris. Four of these to the north of
the river, were districts of inconsiderable extent ;
but on the east of the Tigris, the empire acquired
the large and mountainous territory of Carduene, the
ancient seat of the Carduchians. Their posterity,
the Curds, with very little alteration, have acknow-
ledged the nominal sovereignty of the Turkish
Babylon, when it shall fall never to rise again 1 " And there
were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and there was a
great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." Rev. xvi. 18.
* See Gibbon, Vol. I. pp. 10 and 332, 8vo.
CHAPTER I.
Sultan. After this treaty (in which the A raxes was
acknowledged by the Persians and by Eome as the
eastern boundary of the Empire), Diocletian and
Maximian celebrated the last triumph which Rome
ever beheld. Soon after this, observes Gibbon, the
Emperors ceased to vanquish ; and Eome ceased to
be the capital of the Empire.
There can, however, be no doubt that in the time
of Trajan, Babylonia was numbered among the pro-
vinces of Eome. In denning the south-eastern limit
of the Empire, Trajan would no doubt have drawn
a line from Suez, skirting Syria and Arabia, carried it
across the Euphrates so as to include Babylon and
Babylonia, and continued it so as to touch the
southern parts of Assyria Proper on the eastern
bank of the Tigris. Speaking generally, the
possessions of Eome in Asia may be said to answer
very nearly to that which we now call Asiatic
Turkey.
In Africa the Eomans possessed Egypt, and the
whole northern coast, that is to say, the countries
now known as Libya, Tripolis, Tunis, Algeria, and
Fez. Salle, a little outside the straits of Gibraltar,
was their most westerly city. A city also of their
foundation may still be discovered near Mequinez,
the residence of the Emperor of Morocco; but it
does not appear that his more southern dominions,
Morocco itself and Segelmessa, were ever compre-
hended within the Eoman Province.*
* See Gibbon, chap. i.
ERRORS OF MODERN INTERPRETATION. 29
Such are the countries which fall within the
boundaries of that which was once the Roman Em-
pire. From the earliest period to the present hour,
these districts have ever been the centre of all that
has influenced human life. The light of revelation
first given to Israel, and then to the Christian
Church, was set within these countries. All the
civilisation of antiquity was centred there there
still resides the power which is at this moment form-
ing the character of the world. It is the object of
Daniel's prophecy to teach us how they use their
power, and to record their end.
CHAPTER II.
THE HISTOEY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER AS
TAUGHT IN THE VISION OF THE IMAGE.
OF all the divine interventions in judgment which
have yet occurred, the most momentous has been the
Flood. The next will not be until the prophecy
which we are about to consider terminates when the
Son of Man having been brought before the Ancient
of Days, and invested with the governmental power of
earth, " all peoples, nations, and languages, shall
serve him," and "the sovereignty of the world be-
come the sovereignty of our Lord and of his Christ."
The long period which intervenes between these
two limits, has already measured more than four
thousand years. Within this period, three separate
bodies have been called out into positions of corpo-
rate privilege and responsibility. The first of these
was Israel. The second, that body of Gentile
nations who are appointed to governmental su-
premacy in the earth, during the time of Jerusalem's
punishment. The third is the professing Christian
Church. The first originated in the call of Abraham ;
the second in the triumphs of Nebuchadnezzar over
Jerusalem ; the third commenced at Pentecost.
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 31
The histories of all are kept carefully separate in the
Scripture. After they severally commence, they
continue to that period called in Matthew "the end
of the age/' when the time for the intervention of
God will have come, and when the history of the
Jews as an unbelieving people, the history of the
ruling Gentile kingdoms, and that of the professing
Church, will concurrently end. The second of these
bodies is that of which the Book of Daniel treats.
His prophecy is concerned with the dynasty of
the Gentiles.
There was one event connected with the establish-
ment of this dynasty, which, though truly of mo-
mentous interest, seems scarcely to have been
apprehended by any I mean, the withdrawal of
the Divine Glory, which, till then, had been visibly
present with Israel in the earth. The Glory of God,
which first appeared amid the solitude of the desert
in the burning bush, had connected itself with Israel
extricated them from Egypt gone with them
through the wilderness planted them in Canaan ;
and at last, entered into and abided in their Temple.
The divided waters of the Red Sea the fall of the
cities of Canaan the triumph over enemies like
Sennacherib, bore witness to the resistlessness of its
almighty power. The reigns of David and of Solo-
mon supplied abundant evidence of the blessings
which result to men when the wisdom of God is
near, and is consulted: and when the springs of
government are not touched without reference to
Him. But as soon as the time was come for Israel
32 CHAPTER II.
to be punished, and for Gentile nations to be raised
into supremacy, the Divine Glory, which till then
had never forsaken Jerusalem, departed from the
earth, not transferring itself to the Gentiles. " Thou
never bearest rule over them : they were not called
by thy name." Is. Ixiii. 19. The great subject of
the prophecy of Ezekiel (who lived at the same era
as Daniel) is the departure of this Glory.* He saw it,
under the symbol of cherubim, withdraw hovering
for a season over the Temple, and over the city, as
if reluctant to depart ; until at last, grieved away
by the continued abominations of Israel, it retired
into the heavens there awaiting that hour when,
judgment having wrought its work, it will return
and depart no more for ever. Ezekiel in vision
beheld its return ; and as he was beholding its re-
* A comparison of the first with the tenth chapter of
Ezekiel, shows that the expressions, " cherubim " and " living
creatures " (the oxx of the Revelation, see Eev. iv. and v.)
are synonymous. There are few more faulty translations
than that of " beasts " for fa, living creatures." " east
(6r)piov) is a word of well known meaning in Daniel and the
Revelation. The moment when the "beasts" (%na) of
Daniel begin their course, is the moment when the " living
creatures " (<oa) of Ezekiel and Revelation are withdrawn
from the earth ; and the " living creatures " will return when
the " beasts " depart. One of the great objects of the Reve-
lation is to contrast the condition of the earth while under
the last great " beasts," with its condition when it shall again
be brought under the " living creatures" or "cherubim."
For some further remarks on the "living creatures," see
" Thoughts on the Apocalypse," p. 51. It may be obtained as
advertised at end of this volume.
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 33
entrance into the Temple, it was said unto him:
" Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place
of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the
midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my
holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile."
Ezekiel xliii. 7. Thus, then, the establishment of the
Gentile dynasty is marked by the withdrawal of the
Divine Glory from the earth, the fall of their dynasty
is followed by the return of that Glory. Nothing can
be more significant than this. It distinctly marks
the whole governmental system of the Gentiles as
one that would act in alienation from God ; and
facts prove that it has been so. Nebuchadnezzar
Antiochus Epiphanes Pilate Antichrist are
names which sufficiently determine the tenor of its
course : and even where better principles may mo-
mentarily have raised individuals like Darius above
the habit of the times, yet even Darius, though
desiring to act aright, found the stream of evil
flowing so strongly, that he feared to breast it, and
consented to cast the servant of God into the den of
lions, in order that he might thereby save to himself
his'crown.
The Book of Daniel abundantly corroborates these
things. In its seventh chapter, in describing the
four Empires that were successively to arise among
the Gentiles, the symbols employed are four fierce
beasts (67]pLa), the last of which, because of its blas-
phemies, is given to " the burning flame/' And
even in the vision of the Image, where the gold,
silver, brass and iron, appear to be the symbols of
D
34 CHAPTER II.
that which is precious, rather than of that which is
vile, yet here also the vision terminates, just as in the
seventh chapter, with judgment. The Image is smit-
ten, ground to powder, and made like the chaff of
the summer threshing floor.
The reason of this difference between the symbols
of the second and seventh chapters is very evident,
when we remember that the Empires of which these
chapters speak, must necessarily be viewed in two
aspects : first, in respect of the power with which
they are invested in the person of their rulers ;
secondly, in respect of their developed character and
actions. All who receive any special gifts or endow-
ments from God, must be regarded in these two
positions : the first attaching to them in virtue of
the endowments they hold ; the second depending
upon the manner in which they use those endow-
ments, whether for good or for evil. The intrinsic
value of a gift is not altered by its misuse. God
invested Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean Empire
with power. It was said to Nebuchadnezzar, "the
God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and
strength and glory." (Dan. ii.) Such investment was
honourable and glorious; therefore, Nebuchadnezzar
and his Empire were, in respect of their power, golden ;
although, in respect of their practical use of that
power, their symbol was a fierce and devouring beast.
The instruction would not be perfect unless we were
taught the value and dignity of the position held ;
and also the character of those who hold it.
The object of the second chapter of Daniel is to
treat of the Gentile Empires, not in relation to
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 35
their conquests, or their territorial extent, but with
reference to their governmental power. These Empires
were, in the person of their rulers, invested with a
power the character of which is represented either
by gold, silver, brass, iron, or by iron mixed
with iniry clay. In all these cases, the power with
which they were invested was represented by metal;
that generic character being still retained, even
when the attempt is made to debase it by the ad-
mixture of miry clay. But the peculiar dignity
and endowment of these Empires did not so much
consist in their being possessed of power, whether
golden, or iron, as in this that they formed part
of that wondrous Image. " Thou, Xing, sawest,
and behold a great image. This great image, whose
brightness was excellent, stood before thee ; and the
form thereof was terrible." (Dan. ii.) It was
glorious and terrible, and looked down as it were in
proud and lordly supremacy upon the whole world.
The Empires, therefore, represented by it, are not
only endowed with power wherewith to regulate
themselves, or to assail others (such power may be
possessed by any nation, by Russia, for example, or
by America countries that fall not within the scope
of the Image), but the distinctive characteristic of the
Image-nations is, that authority has been granted to
them by God to be supreme in such sort as for the main-
springs of influential power in the earth to be effec-
tually under their control.* Even the clay-iron
kingdoms are to inherit this supremacy. They too will
be the centre of controlling influence in the earth.
This observation is intended to apply to the period in
36 CHAPTER II.
The vision of the Image, therefore, enables us
unhesitatingly to say, that nothing can prevent the
nations of the Roman Empire being finally divided
into ten : nothing can prevent the " clay-iron " prin-
ciples of government from prevailing amongst them
all : nothing prevent these ten last kingdoms from
being ultimately possessed, in federal union, of that
lordly supremacy which pertains to them as forming
a part of this Image so marvellously endowed. God
has appointed, and God has revealed these things,
therefore they shall all be fulfilled in their season.
The subject, however, to which our attention is
chiefly directed in this vision, is the depreciation of
the metals. " The Image's head was of fine gold " :
and it was said to Nebuchadnezzar, " Thou, King,
which the Empires or Kingdoms spoken of are existing in
recognised development. For example, as long as the Roman
Empire retained its iron power, it was supreme ; and when
the present long period of transition shall have passed, and
the ten clay-iron kingdoms shall have been developed, they
too will be supreme. It is true, however, that even during
the period of transition from the iron legs to the clay-iron
toes, supreme power has always been located in the Roman
Earth. When barbarian nations have broken in, they have
fixed their seats of power within the Empire. Two great
examples are the Turks and the Germans. Constantinople
was made the seat of Turkish power. The Germans, to whom
the Imperial power of the West was given 900 years ago,
made their seats of Empire within the Roman Earth, first in
Suabia, and since in Austria. In the future (whatever may
be the vicissitudes), it will be finally proved that the controll.
ing power of earth, during the day of man, has been made the
heritage of the Roman nations.
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 37
art this head of gold." We can easily apprehend,
therefore, how wonderful a pre-eminence was as-
signed to Nebuchadnezzar. He was not only a part
of this Image, he was its head; and not its head
only, but its golden head. The power granted to
this first Gentile monarch was perfect in its kind.
It was not represented by silver, or brass, or iron,
but by " fine gold." It was really precious as
power.*
* It was said to Nebuchadnezzar, " Thou, King, art a King
of Kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory ; and wheresoever the children
of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the
heaven, hath he given into thine hand and hath made thee
ruler over them all." These words do not imply, as has well
been observed by Dr. Tregelles, that Nebuchadnezzar " actu-
ally held and exercised this rule over every part of the inha-
bited earth, but rather that so far as God was concerned, all
was given into his hand ; so that he was not limited as to the
power which he might obtain in whatever direction he might
turn himself as conqueror : the only earthly bound to his
Empire was his own ambition." (See Tregelles' 'Daniel/
page 7.)
This gift was granted to Nebuchadnezzar in consequence
of his being part of the Image, and was not dependent upon
his power being " golden " in character. The endowment of
all the successive Empires was similar to his. Hence their
assumption of names or expressions implying universality of
dominion ; and their title to do this is sanctioned in the
Scripture. The Romans were accustomed to call their Empire
"Orbis Terrarum ;" and in Scripture, the corresponding ex-
pression, Trao-a 17 otKovpevr), is used. "There went out a
decree from Csesar Augustus that the whole world should
be taxed." Thus also Cyrus says, "the God of heaven hath
given me all the Kingdoms of the earth." (Ezra, i. 2.)
38 CHAPTER II.
Power, in order to have its own proper character,
must be independent of all, exceptiDg God, who
gives it. The moment it becomes dependent, either
as to its source, or as to its exercise on those whom
it is intended to control, it ceases to have the true
excellency of power. For him who holds authority,
to rest on God to consult and to obey Him is well ;
hut for authority to lean for support on those who
are beneath it, is to frustrate the object for which it
is given, and ends at last in making government
the mere expression of the human will that very
will which it is its office to control. There are some
spheres in which men easily recognise such inter-
ference with authority, to be sin. In families, for
example, what parent would not feel deprived of his
proper place the place that God had given him, if
he were subjected to his children, or to his servants
if he were told that his title to rule originated in
their choice, and that he should only govern accord-
ing to laws appointed by them ? The parent would
doubtless consider such authority to be no authority,
and every one who was right-minded and feared God,
would see in it a sinful perversion of the principles
of His moral government. Is it less sinful when
such perversion is attempted in the national sphere ?
The principles of divine order are not mutable. In
heaven, in earth, in every sphere, they are essen-
tially the same. To adopt governmental principles on
earth, which would be untrue in heaven, must morally
dissociate earth from heaven. It must involve op-
posedness to Him who values His own principles
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 39
because they are good, and who has determined
that, finally, they shall be established in the earth ;
for His will shall be done in earth, as it is done in
heaven. Accordingly, when God was pleased to
endow the first of the Gentile dynasties with power,
He gave it in its golden excellency. It was not
derived from those beneath ; neither was it respon-
sible to them ; nor was it legislated for by them.
The first monarch of the Gentiles stood responsible
to God alone. It was, as regarded man, irresponsible
power. It had the proper preciousness of power : it
was golden.
Irresponsible power is a word at which men
have long learned to tremble. And not without
reason ; for it is an endowment too precious, too mo-
mentously important as to its results, for any but a
perfect hand to hold. If any ruler could be found
who would regard implicitly the will of God using
all his power for the good of others swayed by no
principles of selfishness or of pride loving others as
himself having wisdom and understanding to ap-
preciate and apply the principles of God to all the
detail of human life, then nothing could be more
desirable than that power absolute power should
be placed in such a hand ; and such an one has been
found. There is ONE who came into the world, and
" the world was made by Him, but the world knew
Him not." He came unto His own, and His own
received Him not. The Holy One of Heaven be-
came the rejected-one of earth. And now, having
been removed from the earth, He sits on the throne
40 CHAPTER II.
of His Father waiting waiting " till His enemies
shall hare been set as a footstool for His feet."
There is no question of His competency to rule. The
heavens, which He hath -created, are subject to the
order of His hand ; He upholdeth all things by the
word of His power : the angels obey Him and praise
His name : the universe is controlled by Him, and
owes to His goodness every blessing it receives : His
saints bless Him for His grace: all things in heaven
and in earth declare His wisdom : and the gentleness
and meekness, which were His characteristics when
on earth, have not ceased to characterise Him now
that He is exalted above every name. He is worthy
therefore of " golden power." And such power will
be assumed by Him. He will take it and exercise
it as soon as these Gentiles have run their appointed
course, and the time comes for the clay and the iron
to be smitten.
It is the place of faith to wait for that hour, and
to know that all things will be, and must be, out of
course until then. The lesson taught by the whole
history of man is this, that the gifts of God are in
vain given unless a PERFECT ONE be provided
in whom they may be deposited and preserved. The
headship of the first creation was in Adam, and it
failed : the headship of the new creation is in Christ
risen. So also with the priesthood: after failing in
the hand of man, it now rests in Him who is " con-
secrated for evermore." (Heb. vii.) Nor is it other-
wise with the administration of the nations upon
earth. Governmental power over the earth was
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 41
entrusted, first to the kings of Israel, and then to
the Gentiles ; and it has failed. The period of de-
legation to the Gentiles has, indeed, not yet ter-
minated. They must first fully run their course of
evil, and Israel be fully punished for the rejection
of their king, and then the headship of creation, the
priesthood and the administrative government of the
earth will be manifestly concentrated in the person
of ONE, who will be worthy to hold, and competent
to execute, the office He bears. These are things for
which faith has to wait. But the heart of maa
refuses to wait. Men became soon sensible of the
danger of unlimited power being vested in the hands
of those in whose goodness and whose wisdom they
could not confide ; and therefore, the dread of ty-
ranny, the natural dislike of being controlled, and
the desire of attaining influence themselves, became
concurrent motives, inducing men to limit and mo-
dify, more and more, the actions of a power, which
they regarded both with envy and with dread. Nor
could any ruler stand in independency of the governed,
save by leaning wholly and unreservedly on God.
But this no ruler has done. No government has
leaned upon God : and being too weak to stand alone,
they naturally look for support to those who are lower
than themselves, until, at last, they give up all claim
to be possessed of the authority of God quit the
place in which they stand officially contrasted with
other men, and mingle themselves with them. To
use the language of Scripture, " they mingle them-
selves with the seed of men."
42 CHAPTER II.
The progress, however, of the depreciation of
power, was gradual, and manifested in distinct and
successive periods. God appointed it so ; partly,
doubtless, that the plans of human wisdom might
have time to develop themselves, and their ineffi-
ciency be the more fully proved. As long as the
Chaldaean successors of Nebuchadnezzar continued to
rule, the power of the Monarch was, ostensibly at
least, independent of those whom it governed. That
it should so long have continued so, is a marvel that
can only be accounted for by the secret agency of
God. He secretly sustained it, until it had been
sufficiently proved that absolute power, when used
not in dependence on Him, could only produce effects
such as those which the histories of Nebuchadnezzar
and of Belshazzar show : man's happiness was not
promoted thereby, neither God's glory. God was
blasphemed wickedness exalted.
The Medo-Persian Monarchy arose upon the ruins
of the Chaldsean. Aristocratic Monarchy was the
form that it assumed : the nobles, or men of birth
being the sustainers, and, to a certain degree, the
controllers of the crown. The extent of their in-
fluence is clearly shown in the narrative respecting
the decree that consigned Daniel to the den of lions.
It was proposed by the nobles, enacted by the
Monarch. When once ratified, they insisted upon
its being obeyed ; and Darius though he laboured
hard to avoid its obligation, dared not resist their
claim. The golden power of Nebuchadnezzar would
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 43
have consigned them to the den rather than forego
the exercise of his own will ; but now other principles
had come in ; power had lost its full intrinsic excel-
lence, and circumstances arose with which the depre-
ciated power of the Monarch of Persia found itself
unable to contend.*
We need not wonder, therefore, that the Persian
Monarchy should be spoken of in the Scripture as
inferior to that which preceded it. " After thee," it
was said to Nebuchadnezzar, "shall arise another
kingdom inferior to thee." It was represented in
the vision by silver, not by gold. As to its territo-
rial acquisitions and military prowess, it was not
inferior. On the contrary, it subjugated regions
(Asia Minor, for example), which the Monarchs of
Chaldaea never reached ; and in that respect, there-
fore, was far greater. But as to the character of its
power, it was inferior ; and this is the aspect which
the vision of the Image presents. It is the history
of the Gentile dynasty as regards the character of
their power.
The third Monarchy 'was that of Greece, and was
formed under Alexander the Great. In the eighth
* " In the case too of Ahasuerus, the King and the Princes
act together, and the King could not undo what they had
jointly decreed about Queen Vashti. In Ezra vii., we find
authority given to that servant of God from the King and
his seven counsellors. All this shows us, not a King acting
in the right of his royal prerogative, but a King in a certain
sense controlled by counsellors without whose advice and
consent he could not act." (Tregelles on Daniel, p. 11.)
44 CHAPTER II.
chapter, "he is expressly stated to be the first king
of Greece. His conquests were vast, extending
across Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, to Affghanistar.
and the Indus. His dominions, therefore, were far
more extensive even than those of Persia ; but
nevertheless, the character of his power was only
worthy of being represented by brass ; for his go-
vernment was a military oligarchy. A conqueror
who has to rule subdued and reluctant nations,
must, if he lean not upon God, depend upon his
generals. They necessarily become the counsellors
and sustainers of the crown ; and they are men who
are raised into these positions, not by birth (in
which there is more of the direct appointment of
God), but by their own energies, or by fortuitous
success. All who are acquainted with the human
heart, and have considered the lessons of history,
know that such are of all men most assuming
difficult to be conciliated hard to be satisfied easy
to be provoked. Such were the men on whom
Alexander and his successors were obliged to lean.
Their thoughts and habits were, in no slight degree,
tinged with the doctrines that had been cherished in
the democracies of southern Greece. The aristo-
cracy of birth gave way before the claims of military
prowess ; and thus the Monarch possessed a character
of power too dependent upon the proud will of his
servants to be worthy of a higher symbol than that
of brass. This was a very decided step in the
depreciation of power ; for brass is more removed
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 45
from silver, than silver from gold, and the further
descent to iron was comparatively little.*
That further descent was taken when the Monar-
chy of the Caesars grew out of the democracy of
Rome. The Emperor was professedly the elected
chief magistrate of the state, and the doctrine of
power being originated from the people, may then
be considered to have received its formal sanction. f
The instability of that power how dependent its
tenure upon the will of praetorian cohorts or discon-
tented armies, is too well known to need being recited
here.
* At Rome, about this time, an ounce of silver was equivalent
to about seventy pounds weight of brass. (See Gibbon, page 15.)
t See Address of Augustus to the Senate when he was ap-
pointed Emperor. The title " Imperator " instead of " Rex,"
was intended to imply that he was the chief magistrate of a
Republic not the hereditary occupier of a throne. Hence
they shunned the regal " diadem," which was a fillet set with
pearls, and wore only the laurel crown (ore^ai/os) of the vic-
torious general. " Though with Augustus and his succes-
sors," observes Mr. Elliott, " the most absolute monarchical
power attached to their emperorship, yet it was their policy
to veil it under the old military and imperial badges."
(Elliott, p. 129, vol. i.) It was this possession of absolute
power when once they were elected, that places the " iron "
in such direct contrast with the "clay-iron" that follows
in the latter case the exercise of the power being
controlled.
I may here observe that vessels are made in France of clay
mingled with iron, which to the eye have the appearance of
being iron. Yet they are almost as fragile as pottery-ware.
The particles will not cohere as in metals fused together.
46 CHAPTER II.
It was Dot, however, under Imperial Rome that
the great adulteration of power was effected. Indeed,
the gradual descent from one metal to another less
precious, is the symbol of the depreciation of power,
rather than of its adulteration. The metal remained
metal still, and no attempt was made to mingle with
it a foreign substance. In other words, power, how-
ever it might be originated, or however supported,
retained in itself a strength which was in danger of
being utterly lost as soon as the theory of self-
government was invented and the Monarch became
controlled by the legislation of the people. During
the reign of the Imperial Caesars, though the people
were supposed to originate the power of their sove-
reign, yet they were not entitled to legislate for that
sovereign. They were not made their own governors. The
Monarch had not then become the mere functionary
of an authority, of which the real source and con-
trolling power was vested in the people themselves.
The Emperors of Rome, when once seated on the
Throne, were Emperors. But that era has passed.
Now, among the nations of the Roman World, we
hear nothing except the theory of self-government
extolled.
The present condition of some of the European
nations, especially of France, affords a remarkable
illustration of the earnest and laborious effort that
is being made to mingle the iron and the clay
together. But it cannot be satisfactorily effected.
The iron and clay "will not cleave one to the
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 47
other.' '* For men to be governed, and at the same
time to be governors of themselves, is impossible. If
there be any real truth in the theory of self-govern-
ment, it must bear being carried out to its legitimate
result. That result would be, the right of each in-
dividual member of society to govern himself; for
what reason is there why the will of a majority
should be submitted to more than any other will ?
Indeed, while man continues as he is, it is certain
that both intelligence and truth will be with the
few not with the many. As human things now
are, the path chosen by majorities cannot be the
path of wisdom, truth, or peace.
That any power of government should continue to
subsist where principles virtually subversive of all
government are fostered, even by the governors
themselves, is a marvel that can only be ascribed to
the secret sustaining power of God, who has in mercy
appointed, that power to govern shall, in spite of
every effort to destroy it, continue in the earth until
the end.
It has pleased God to say, " there shall be in it
the strength of the iron," and therefore, every effort
to extirpate the iron, or effectually to neutralise it
*If France afforded a melancholy example of this in
1849, when the above was written, how much more in
1872]
The late Emperor of the French returning, as he said, to
" Cajsarism," wished to extirpate the clay and to restore the
iron. But the era of the iron is passed. The Monarchs of
the Roman World must be content to reign with a clay-iron
sceptre, or else they must cease to rule at all.
48 CHAPTER II.
by the admixture of clay must fail. Yet the know-
ledge of this does not lessen the sorrow of beholding
those who hold authority from God, and therefore
stand in a place regarded as officially divine it does
not lessen the sorrow of seeing such deliberately
quit that place, and mingle themselves with those
whom God has not officially raised from the ordi-
nary level of man. Either God, or the people, are
the source of power. Both cannot be true. The
voice of the people is either the voice of God, or it
is the voice of unregenerate man, guided by that
spirit who worketh in all the children of disobe-
dience. It is either the intention of God that men
should govern themselves, or it is His intention that
they should be governed by power emanating from
and directed by Him. One of these things must be
true ; and the other must be false. The one will be
the truth of God ; the other the lie of Satan ; and,
therefore, I repeat, it is a sorrowful and evil thing to
see the governors themselves eagerly joining in the
general cry disowning their title to authority from
God, and gladly owning the people as those who
confer the authority at first, and have the right to
control it when given. " They mingle themselves
with the seed of men."*
* " They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but
they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed
with clay." If there were any doubt as to the reference of
" they " in the beginning of the verse, it is removed by the
concluding clause, where " iron " is used in explanation.
Throughout this vision, they who hold governmental power
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 49
But sorrowful as this is, it is even more sorrow-
ful to see the indifference of the Church of God to
these things. It is the privilege and duty of the
Church to consider and to judge all things accord-
ing to the "Word of God, and to treasure His prin-
ciples because they are His. There are certain
principles connected with the established order of
the universe ; there are others connected with the
moral government of God. Man as man, and na-
tions as nations, have a certain relation to Him, and
it is the duty of the Church as much to be vigilant
against the perversion of the principles of God's go-
from God are represented by metal, and regarded as being
in a place officially divine, whereas those who are ruled over
are represented by clay, and as occupying a mere human
place.
We are accustomed now to the words, "sovereign people ;"
and it is remarkable how distinctly the people are in this
chapter recognised as sharing governmental power. " And
whereas thou sawest the feet and toes partly pottery-ware,
partly iron, the sovereignty shall be divided" and therefore
represented no longer by iron merely, but by a mingled sub-
stance, partly of iron, and partly of clay. "Sovereignty"
(answering to the use of ,8ao-iXeia in Greek), is the word I
should adopt throughout this chapter instead of " Kingdom"
because less ambiguous, and adapted to the character of the
vision, as giving the history of governmental power, and not
that of the Empire physically.
Clay may be combined with metal, but it cannot be infused
into the metal so as to unmake it metal, or destroy the cohe-
sion of its parts. Therefore, there is a strength' of metallic
substance even in this unnatural combination. A vessel made
of this material will bear a heavier blow than one solely com-
posed of pottery- ware.
E
50 CHAPTER II.
vernment in these things, as to watch over the
faith committed to themselves. A period when
these principles are violated, and when men who
have either ignorantly or carelessly violated them, are
triumphing in the supposed success of their counsels,
is one in which the Church is peculiarly called to
watchfulness and to confession confession both for
others and for themselves. They may not, and,
indeed, they will not be able to stem the tide of
evil ; nor is the government of nations a sphere in
which they are now intended to act. " Noiv is my
Kingdom not from hence." But they may weigh
all things according to the Word of God : may keep
themselves separate, and may testify. They may
warn, and perhaps preserve others. But if, instead
of this, even Christians despise the testimonies of
the prophetic Scriptures, wander into the world's
sphere, adopt and vindicate the principles of the day,
and connect themselves with the very things that
are to be made like the chaff of the summer thresh-
ing floor, how can there be any hope, I say not of
the triumph of God's truth, but even of any testi-
mony to it being maintained ?
One result of the attempt to mingle the iron and
the clay together is, that the sovereign power is
partly strong, and partly "brittle," just as you might
expect that to be in which pottery- ware is conjoined
with iron. The effect of this is abundantly seen in
the incapacity of governments to act unless they
carry with them the will, not only of the majority,
but of a large majority of those whom they govern.
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 51
There may be a crime of the deepest dye that loudly
calls for punishment. A modern government fears
to punish, except the feelings of the community be
thoroughly enlisted on their side. Regulating ordi-
nances are imperatively required; but it depends
upon the will of the community whether or not they
shall be enacted. How often the arm of govern-
ment has thus been paralysed, those who have
exercised its powers may best tell. But it cannot be
wondered at. Who would venture to use a sceptre
in which iron and pottery-ware are joined in pre-
carious union, with the same confidence with which
they would wield one that was formed of gold, or
of iron ?
If we suppose a government thus constituted to
be imbued with all principles of truth disposed to
foster all that was good, and to check all that was
evil, it evidently could effect nothing : for if it could,
it would imply that the majority of men were wise
and righteous, whereas the scripture declares that
they are ignorant and evil. There can be no more
decided evidence of a position being wrong, than
when it enchains the energies of good, and renders
its presence nugatory. As regards the individual
character of those who exercise, or have exercised
executive power amongst us, I desire neither to say
nor to imply anything. But this I say, that none
who really reverence and value the truth of God
should ever consent to wear shackles no, not if all
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,
were given to them as the reward. They who carry
52 CHAPTER II.
into effect the governmental principles of the present
hour are constrained to put truth on an equality with
error ; to flatter and cringe to falsehood ; and to
discourage every attempt to exhibit the lies of Satan
in the real flagrancy of their evil. The governmental
relation of England to Romanism in Ireland and
elsewhere,* is a lamentable instance of this.
Unless we believe that the Most High has utterly
abandoned the principles of His moral government,
we can scarcely doubt that such violation of His laws
must entail judicial visitation from His hand. The
very circumstance of the springs of government
being regulated by the hands of those who should be
subject to the control and guidance of authority,
must undermine the foundations of power, and finally
entail its own chastisement. But when, in addition
to this, we remember that the latter days are peculiarly
marked by increase of evil that perilous times are
to come, and mockers to arise ; and that government,
instead of resisting such, is fettered by their influence,
* Seen also in the desire officially expressed by the British
Government for the restoration of the Pope's spiritual autho-
rity at Rome. None of these things should tempt Christians
to speak revilingly of any government whatsoever, but the
knowledge of the channel in which the stream of things is
flowing, and will flow, should cause them to take good heed
that they do not accelerate its progress.
[The preceding note was written in 1 849. The last twenty
years have manifested a terrible fixedness of resolve to own
no rule save expediency especially in determining religious
and moral questions. The cowardice and baseness of such a
course seems utterly unrecognised.]
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 53
and becomes not ^infrequently the organ of their
sentiments we can easily see that a harvest of ini-
quity must under such circumstances arise and
inherit judgment. "Ye have heard," said the
Apostle, " that Antichrist shall come." His coming
will be an act of judicial visitation on the part of
God. The "brittle" nature of the authority held by
the Ten Monarchs who at that time will subdivide the
Roman Earth, will be one reason why they will
peculiarly welcome the advent of one who will
strengthen them by the greatness of his wondrous
power. The attractiveness of his intellect and his
unrivalled glory will be added motives ; and besides,
there will be " the strong delusion " judicially sent by
God. " God shall send on them strong delusion that
they should believe a lie." God as a judicial inflic-
tion from Himself, will " put it into their hearts to
fulfil His will, and co agree and give their kingdom
unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled."
The increasing development of popular-monarchic
principles through the countries which fall within
the scope of that which was once the Roman Empire,
is a fact which none can question. The wars which
convulsed Europe under Napoleon Buonaparte broke
up the connexions which had for ages subsisted
amongst the Western European Kingdoms, partly,
as remains of old institutions in the ancient Roman
Empire, and partly as the result of later feudal
and ecclesiastical arrangements. The settlement at
Vienna which succeeded these convulsions, attempted
54 CHAPTER II.
to remedy the disorganisation, and to re-unite the
scattered kingdoms. But that re-organisation could
not last, for it was on principles entirely opposed to
the revealed intentions of God. He has revealed
that the whole body of nations which once composed
the Roman Empire, shall he brought into a condition
in which they shall answer to the clay-iron feet and
toes of the great Image. The arrangements at
Vienna in 1815, went far to hinder this; and ac-
cordingly, they have been set aside. Change after
change has occurred, all tending to resuscitate the
countries of the Roman Empire, and to bring them
into a divided unity a unity based upon similarity
of institutions, interests and laws.
The establishment of governments that are virtu-
ally or actually democratic-monarchies, in England,
Belgium, France, Algeria, Portugal, Spain, Italy,
Austria and Greece, and the favour with which the
principles of the Western European nations are re-
garded at Constantinople, Egypt and Tunis, indicate
the approach of the period when clay mingled with
iron,will fitly represent the character of governmen-
tal power throughout all the Roman Empire. The
fiial sub-division into the Ten Kingdoms, denoted by
the ten toes, is an event which will almost immediate-
ly precede the end, and will probably be contempora-
neous with the national establishment of unbelieving
Israel in their own land. The rise of him to whom
the Ten Kingdoms give their power soon follows,
and then the end will come. The Image is smitten ;
and becomes as the chaff of the summer threshing
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 55
floors. The stone that smites it becomes a great
mountain, and fills the whole earth. Of this I do
not at present speak.
I would only further observe, that the Image is
represented as existing in its integrity at the very
end. The gold (although the Empire it represents
has so long ceased to be) remains until the last, and
is not destroyed until the Image is finally smitten.
This could not be if the image had symbolised the
Empires territorially and physically, instead of go-
vernmen tally. The physical existence of men and
nations is limited. It may be very brief. But if
they have laid the foundations of governmental
systems if they leave behind them laws and insti-
tutions which penetrate successive ages, and abidinegly
affect human life then, when viewed in connection
with this prolonged and lasting moral influence,
they are regarded as if still existent. Nations
physically extinct may yet morally live. The
legislative and governmental systems of ChaldaBa
infused a certain character into those of Persia ;
Persia in her turn, acted upon Greece ; and Greece
upon Rome. Chaldsea, therefore, Persia and Greece,
lived on in Rome ; and Rome will live again in the
ten last kingdoms. Institutions are not necessarily
destroyed because they are transplanted into another
sphere, or are administered by other hands. The
institutions of Chaldaea, when brought beneath the
sovereignty of Persia, were subjected to a new control.
They were directed by power that was " silver," and
no longer " golden " in its character. But they were
56
CHAPTER II.
not thereby annihilated. Arts, laws and institutions
necessary for the maintenance of civil and social
order survive, not unfrequently, the very worse con-
vulsions, and pass even from despotic into democratic
hands, unscathed. The governmental system, there-
fore, of the Gentile dynasty is to be regarded as a
connected whole. Many of the institutions and laws
first promulgated in Chaldaea are operating still in
the Roman world, and therefore do not receive their
doom till the hour comes for the institutions of all
these kingdoms to be annihilated for ever. Em-
pires that have long passed away, may, as to their
institutions, yet live. It is true of individuals also.
Influence- is a solemn thing, for it survives the
grave."*
It is on the same principle that we speak of the
Apostles as continuing, and to continue until the end.
(See Eph. iv.) They indeed rest from their labours.
But they were the legislators of the Church : their
institutions and their written laws remain and in
this sense they live. "Lo, I am with you alway,
even to the end of the age." The Church has in-
deed long ceased to be what it once was. While the
Apostles lived it stood forth as the pillar and ground
of the truth. But it is this no longer. It has lost its
* The blow falls upon the feet of the image, because they
are regarded as being in active existence at the close. The
ten kingdoms inherit from the empires that have preceded
them. The whole Gentile system of power is one fabric ; and
the later parts could not be what they are apart from those
which are anterior.
HISTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER. 57
unity, and lost its separateness. It is enthralled,
enfeebled, scattered, chastened. Nevertheless the
truth which it once sustained remains in the written
record of the Word of God, Whilst the Gentile
image stands, as still it does, strong in its lordly
strength, revealed Truth will continue to be despised
and outcast. But when the time comes (and it is
fast drawing nigh) for the image to be smitten and
ground to powder, and made like the chaff before
the whirlwind of wrath, then Truth shall arise out of
its prison-house and stand forth in its excellency
and beauty. Christ shall sustain it, and it shall
reign for ever. To which then shall we cleave ?
Which shall we serve ? Shall we cling to the image
that is to be smitten, and share its doom ? Or shall
we seek humbly to cast in our lot with truth during
the hour of its militancy in suffering, and await in
patient expectancy the hour of its glory ?
CHAPTER III.
FORMATION OF THE TEN" KINGDOMS; CHANGES
TO BE EXPECTED.
BEFORE we proceed, it is desirable to determine,
with as much precision as possible, the changes which
these visions would lead us to anticipate in the
countries enumerated in a preceding chapter as fall-
ing within the Roman Empire. There are some
things that we can infer with certainty others
with a probability almost amounting to certainty.
For example, we cannot doubt that the same
governmental principles will prevail in all the ten
kingdoms when developed, because all the toes of the
image were alike formed of clay and iron. There
will be in all therefore, the same adulteration of
power. Again, seeing that the legs and feet of the
image were two, and that the Roman Empire has
existed in eastern and western branches, we may ex-
pect that five kingdoms will be formed in an eastern,
and five in a western division of the Roman Empire,
even as the toes were five on either foot.
Moreover, the ten toes, though distinct one from
the other, are nevertheless, parts of one image. The
one body from which they spring, gives to them a
kind of corporate connection. The same may be
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 59
said of the horns in the seventh chapter. They
spring from the head of one beast. Consequently,
the Roman Empire when finally divided, will as dis-
tinctly present a form of compact, though divided
unity, as when it existed in undivided integrity.
There will be therefore, in a certain sense, a restora-
tion of the Roman Empire.
Lastly, we learn that the possession of supreme
power in the earth is as much the endowment of the
kingdoms represented by the toes of the image, as
of those represented by its higher parts. The title
to hold an authority, which no other nations should
be able successfully to dispute, is the endowment of
all the kingdoms represented by the image and by
the beasts. Accordingly, however great and threat-
ening the power of such nations as Russia, yet it
shall not finally be able to take supremacy from
those nations which fall within the Roman Empire.
It shall neither succeed in introducing among them
its principles, nor in preventing them from spread-
ing "clay-iron" principles among themselves, nor
in frustrating their final connection as similarly con-
stituted kingdoms of the Roman earth. It may
seem perhaps hazardous to venture such a prediction
at a moment when Russia, by its late conquests in
Hungary, has acquired more than ordinary influence
over the arrangements of Western Europe.* But
nothing can frustrate the Word of God. The power
of Russia may act on the kingdoms of the Roman
* The Crimean war had not taken place when this was
written, viz., in 1849.
60 CHAPTER III.
earth. It may assist in preventing the undue pre-
ponderance of the "clay," and in preserving the
proper proportion of " iron/' It may give a counter
influence against democracy, where the influence of
democracy has been inordinately strong. Dread of
the power of Russia may prevent the nations of the
west from warring with, and devouring one another,
as otherwise they might. It may lead them at last
to a more united defence of their common principles,
and so tend to consolidate their final union. All
this Russia may be used to effect, or to assist in
effecting. But it will not take from the countries of
the Roman earth their appointed supremacy, nor
prevent the development of their " clay-iron " power.
A river of lengthened course makes many a bend.
Sometimes, it may seem to be retracing its backward
way to the source whence it began to flow. Yet it is
not really so. All the time it is steadily advancing
toward the appointed end. So is it in the stream
of things. The course is steady, and the end sure,
however appearances may vary. In the early part
of the present century men thought that the world
was hopelessly passing under the despotic rule of one
great Conqueror. There was little apparent pro-
bability then of " clay-iron" principles being spread.
And when Buonaparte fell, and the restored govern-
ments re- constituted themselves at Vienna, the " clay
and the iron" still seemed unlikely to prevail. Popular
principles were little favoured at Yienna, and had then
but little spread. Even England had but partially
received " the clay," for the laws which have since
CIIANGP:S TO BE EXPECTED. 6J
so extended the elective power of the people, and
made them the virtual legislators of the land, had
not then been enacted. But since that time how
marked the progress of these principles, has been !
Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Belgium, Greece,
Austria, and Italy have received, or are receiving
them some we know, as if by the shock of an electric
stroke. The return of the Jews into Syria (when-
ever that is effected) will probably be the means of
establishing these principles in one most important
part of the Turkish Empire. Indeed, at Tunis,*
and at Constantinople, western principles are already
favoured.
The separation of Belgium (which was in the Roman
Empire), from Holland, which was not in the Roman
Empire ; the independence of Greece, and its acquire-
ment of a constitutional government ; the introduc-
tion of European principles into the north of Africa,
by means of France, have been events suddenly
accomplished against obstacles apparently hopeless,
and strikingly evidence the sovereign power of God.
The sudden overthrow of the despotism of Austria,
effected almost in a day, was a remarkable event ;
but its detachment from Germany (for Germany,
with the exception of Baden, Wurtemburg and
Bavaria, was not in the Roman Empire) will bo
more remarkable still. Many a tie has bound Austria
to Germany. The claim of the fatherland the ties
* Tunis is interesting as occupying the place of ancient
Carthage. It will probably be the most westerly African part
of the eastern division of the Roman world.
62 CHAPTER III.
of affinity the actual possession of power (for it has
long swayed Germany) may seem bonds not to be
relaxed ; yet they are evidently been loosened.
Austria is 'falling into the system of the Roman na-
tions, and Germany is retiring into a peculiar system
of her own. Finally we may expect the govern-
mental system of Austria to be contrasted with that
of Germany, almost as decidedly as that of England
is contrasted with Hanover. It is remarkable also
that Baden, Wurtemberg, and Bavaria, which were
in the Eoman Empire, and will finally, no doubt,
be separated from the German confederation, are at
this moment only kept down by the strong hand of
Prussian power.*
We must, not indeed, attempt to predict the time,
nor the mode of these and similar changes. A river,
as I have already said, makes many a bend. A few
months ago,* democratic fury seemed to be let loose
upon the nations. It caused each throne to tremble.
The " iron " seemed likely to be driven from the
earth, and supplanted by " the miry-clay." But the
tumult has been stilled, the mad and evil power
bridled ; and now despotism seems in some places to
threaten. But we need only wait. The Word of
God is sure. Monarchs shall not destroy "the
clay ; " neither shall the people rid themselves of
" the iron."
It is true, indeed, that we can speak with certainty
only of the end. We cannot predict the steps that
lead to that end, because the Scripture supplies no
* This, it must be remembered, was written in 1849.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 63
detail during the time that Israel ceases to exist
nationally in their own city. For example, we are
unable to say whether the political and territorial
changes which must finally be effected in Europe,
are to be produced by a general European war, or
by other agency. We cannot say whether Russia
may, or may not, be allowed to seize some of the
Eastern provinces of the Roman world. But this
we can say, if Russia, or any other power, were to
become the mistress of the globe, they could not
ultimately prevent the development of the clay- iron
principles of power in all the countries of the
Roman earth, nor deprive those countries of their
final united federal supremacy.*
The changes, therefore, that may be expected in
those nations which fall within the Roman Empire,
may be classified under three heads :
First, the introduction of popular monarchic prin-
ciples into those countries which have not yet re-
ceived them.
Secondly, an alteration in the present territorial
divisions throughout the whole extent of the Roman
Empire, so as to form ten kingdoms therein.
Thirdly, the dissolution of governmental union
between countries, one of which did fall, and the
* Although, on such a subject, no one can speak with cer-
tainty, we may be permitted to express an opinion. My
opinion certainly is, that the moral and physical characteris-
tics which are finally to attach to the Roman nations, are too
far advanced in development for Russia, or any other power,
effectually to hinder. Every day seems to show that the
nations are fast falling into their final collocation.
64 CHAPTER III.
other of which did not fall within the Roman
Empire.
As regards the first of these, comparatively little
remains to be accomplished. The countries in which
popular monarchic principles are not yet established,
are Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Luxembourg, Rhenish
Prussia on the west of the Rhine, Baden, Bavaria,
Wurtemberg, Switzerland, Italy,* and Bessarabia.
How the extension of the military power of France,
or the commercial influence of England, and the
return of the Jews to Palestine would effect or facili-
tate these changes, we can easily imagine. In Aus-
tria the change was effected even without such in-
fluences.
AB respects the alteration of territorial arrange-
ment, much more remains to be accomplished. The
legs of the image, corresponding with the division
of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western,
would lead us to expect that five kingdoms will ulti-
mately be found in the Eastern, and five in the
Western part of the Roman dominions. The eighth
chapter of Daniel proves it beyond a doubt, that
Greece, Egypt, Syria, reaching to the Euphrates
and beyond, and the rest of Turkey, both in Europe
and Asia, will form four of the eastern kingdoms.t
As these are the only four out of the ten of which
the Scriptures speak specifically, we cannot with
certainty name any other kingdoms ; but there seems
* This was written in 1849. Italy has since attained her
independence, and is constitutionalised.
t See remarks on eighth chapter.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 65
little doubt that France, Spain, and England, will
continue kingdoms to the end. We must, however,
as to these specific points, wait the unfolding of
events. The accomplishment of the final division
will, probably, precede very little the closing hour
of the dispensation.
With respect to the third point, that is to say, the
dissolution of unions at present subsisting between
countries, one of which did and the other did not fall
within the Roman Empire, there are two cases to be
considered.
First, there is the case in which a country external
to the Roman Empire, holds authority over a country
that fell within the Roman Empire. Such was the
relation of Holland to Belgium. It has been dis-
solved. We may expect to see a similar dissolution
in all cases where the German Confederation exer-
cises authority, west of the Rhine, or south of the
Danube. Baden, Wurtemberg, the chief part of
Bavaria, and Rhenish Prussia, are the countries
thus circumstanced.
We may therefore expect their separation from
Germany, and annexation to some of the countries
that fall within the Roman Empire. We may also
expect that Russia will resign Bessarabia,* and that
her influence will be supplanted in Moldavia and
Wallachia ; that is, if the full extent of the Roman
Empire is to be taken as it existed in the time of
Trajan, and of this there can be no reasonable doubt. f
* Bessarabia, since this was written, has been resigned,
t If the extent of the Roman Empire is to be taken as it
F
66 CHAPTER III.
But secondly, there is a more difficult question in
cases where a country external to the Roman Em-
pire is subjected to a country within the Roman
Empire. The countries thus circumstanced are, Ire-
land in its relation to England ; the central part of
Hungary, which lies between the Danube on the
west, and the Vallum Romanum on the east; also
Bohemia, and all German Austria north of the Da-
nube, and the colonies of England, France, Spain,
and Portugal.*
This question cannot, perhaps, be answered with
existed in the time of Augustus, or as it was when divided
under the two last emperors, then Dacia is not to be included.
In that case the influence of Russia in these countries may be
expected to increase. Since the above was written, I have seen
an account lately published of that part of Hungary included
in the Ancient Dacia. I have given some extracts in the
Appendix. It appears that Dacian or Roman Hungary stands
in marked contrast with those parts of Hungary west of the
Theiss, which were not in the Roman Empire, and that con-
stitutional liberty and civilisation, rejected by the feudalism
of the Magyars are likely, through the influence of Austria, to
be successfully introduced into Dacian or Roman Hungary.
* The course of the Vallum Romanum is described in
Chapter II. It turns from the Danube to Temesvar, some
miles east of the Theiss. Gibbon makes the Theiss the
boundary, but this is not quite correct, for the Vallum Ro-
manum can still be traced. The words of Gibbon are ; " if we
except Bohemia, Moravia, and the northern skirts of Austria,
and a part of Hungary between the Teyss and the Danube, all
the dominions of the house of Austria were composed within
the limits of the Roman Empire." We may expect these
districts to be in some way separated from Austria.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 67
the same confidence as the preceding ; but I think
there can be little doubt that the union between
such countries will be dissolved, if not fully, yet
to the extent of distinct and independent legisla-
tures being granted, as indeed is already done, in
the leading colonies of England. The importance
of such separate legislation may not, perhaps, be
fully apprehended now ; but when the hour arrives
for a decree to go forth enforcing the worship of
Antichrist, and the rejection of Christ and of God,
the value of a separate legislature will be more dis-
tinctly felt.*
As regards Germany, seeing that with the excep-
tion above noticed, it does not fall within the Roman
Empire, the prophecy of Daniel says nothing respect-
ing it. Its relation, however, to the Ancient Roman
Empire was peculiar. Although never subjugated
so as to be incorporated into the Roman Empire, it
was greatly influenced by the contiguity of the Ro-
man provinces, as well as by the inroads of their
armies, and was therefore reached by principles which
never penetrated either into the Scandinavian or
Scythian districts beyond. Thus the German nations
became interposed, as a kind of middle ground, be-
tween the rudest and the most civilised portions of
the earth. They were not unreached by Roman
influence, and there was also no inconsiderable in-
fluence exercised by them upon Rome.
There seems every reason to believe that they will
* The separation of Hanover from England may be re-
garded as an example.
DO CHAPTER III.
occupy a similar relation to the ten Roman nations
at the close. Although not incorporated with those
nations, but on the contrary forming themselves into
greater distinctiveness therefrom, the Germans have
nevertheless imbibed not a few of the social and
political principles of the Roman nations, and form
a strong and broad line of separation between these
and the Russian tribes. It is not to be expected, I
think, that strict constitutional government, that is,
the true clay-iron form, will ever prevail in Ger-
many. If it be not democracy (which I do not
expect), it will be, probably, representative govern-
ment so connected with monarchy, as for the crown
to be something more than the mere servant of the
representative body ; but in the clay-iron govern-
ments of the Roman world it is otherwise. There,
the head of the government, whether president or
king, is in fact merely the executive. The legisla-
tive power is really vested elsewhere, that is to say,
in the representative body, which body is chosen
bond fide by the people. I do not expect that this
strict form of popular monarchy or democracy will
ever subsist in Germany, although there is, no
doubt, hidden there a dark philosophic sceptical re-
publicanism, dreaming about the supposed perfecti-
bility of man, that augurs ill for the future.
All this, however, is mere opinion, for in speak-
ing of Germany, I quit the prophecy of Daniel,
which is our only certain guide. That prophecy does
not teach us whether there may, or may not be, other
parts of the earth in which clay-iron principles may
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 69
prevail; nor does it make the mere possession of
that form of government, the distinctive charac-
teristic of the ten kingdoms. Their distinctive
characteristic is, their possession of this form, in
corporate or federal connection with each other, and
as parts of the image, whereby they receive that pe-
culiar endowment of supreme controlling power to
which I have elsewhere referred.*
Before concluding this part of my subject, it may
be right to state, that it is doubted by some whose
opinions are of weight on these questions, whether
the prophecy before us pertains to the fullest extent
of the Roman Empire when enlarged by conquest,
or to its more limited extent when first constituted
under Augustus Caesar.
If we decide the question by the second chapter,
the answer would, I suppose, be, that all countries
in which the iron character of power was govern-
men tally established by Rome in other words, all
districts that were formally incorporated into the
Roman Empire during the period that its power
was symbolised by iron, must be regarded as coming
under the symbols used in that vision. Britain and
other districts conquered subsequently to the time
of Augustus were thus incorporated into the empire
as provinces.
* I should expect the German tribes, especially those
which the Romans overran, to be brought into very distinct
contrast with the Scandinavian countries. The Romans pene-
trated as far as the Eyder, which divides Holstein from
Schleswig.
70 CHAPTER III.
The same answer appears to be supplied by the
seventh chapter. The Roman Empire is there re-
presented by a monster allowed to tread down and
break in pieces certain nations of the earth. The
question, therefore, seems to be, What nations were
so brought under its power, as for their institutions
and laws to be thoroughly subjected to its will Y
Such nations may fairly be regarded as composing
the kingdom denoted by that monster, and it is
said, that " out of"* that kingdom the ten king-
doms are to arise. If its "kingdom" were to be
limited to that which it happened to possess at the
very first moment of its existence, and if none of
its subsequent conquests, however real, were to be
included, we might certainly expect that a restric-
tion so important would be clearly laid down in the
Scripture.
No such restriction, however, is found. On the
contrary, analogy of interpretation seems to require
that the wider scope should be taken. For example,
much more was included under the symbol of " the
* The expression u out of," which is very distinct in the
original, is important, because it shows that no COD quests of
the ten kingdoms are regarded as forming part of the corpus
of the Roman Empire. It is regarded as existing in its in-
tegrity first, and they are formed " out of it." It is on the
body of the Beast that the destructive judgment called down
by Antichrist's blasphemies is said to fall. ' I beheld then,
because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake :
I beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed,
and given to the burning flame" Dan. vii. 11.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 71
bear/* than was included under it when it first be-
gan to denote the Empire of Persia, for Egypt and
various other places were annexed to that empire
some time after its first formation. So also in the
case of the leopard with four heads. It included
under it much more than belonged to the Empire
of Alexander when first represented by that symbol ;
and consequently, if we had been directed to divide
the dominions of the bear, or of the leopard into
ten parts, we must have divided more than was de-
noted by them at the first moment when they
began to symbolise their respective empires. Why
should we apply a different rule to the fourth or
Roman beast?
One reason given for rejecting these later con-
quests as parts of the Roman Empire is, that some
of them were voluntarily resigned. There would
have been some force in this argument if, after
these countries had been relinquished, the rest of
the empire had retained its integrity until it passed
as an undivided whole into the hands by which it
is to be divided into its ten final parts. The history
of such a whole, would in that case, stand in very
marked contrast with that of the parts that had
dropped off. This, however, was not the case.
The Roman Empire has gradually been dissolved.
The abandonment therefore of some of its provinces
(which moreover was not really voluntary, but con-
strained by circumstances), was only the commence-
ment of a gradual process of decomposition. How
then can any argument be founded on a mere differ-
72 CHAPTER III.
ence in the mode of dissolution ? If the mode of
dissolution had been made thus essential to the ex-
position of the prophecy, it certainly would have
been referred to in the Scripture; whereas it is
passed over in entire silence.
Moreover, if we were to regard relinquished parts
of the Empire, as if they had not been parts of the
Empire, it would be difficult to draw any contrast
between countries such as Parthia and Germany,
which were merely overrun by Roman armies, but
were never incorporated as Roman provinces, and
countries which were incorporated, and of which
some, like Britain, have abidingly received the im-
press of Roman institutions and laws.
Time, however, will make manifest this, and every
similar point of detail. We shall probably soon see
whether the clay-iron principles of government will,
or will not spread throughout Dacia, or whether
they will be strictly confined to the southern shores
of the Danube. It will be interesting therefore to
watch the progress of events in these countries, in
the Euphratean districts, and in England. If Dacia
is not to be included in the Roman Empire, it will
probably be annexed to Russia, or become separated
from Turkey in some other way. On the other
hand, if it be included in the Roman Empire, we
may expect Russian influence to diminish even in
Bessarabia.*
There is yet one other subject on which it is
* Since this was written, Bessarabia has been resigned by
Russia.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 73
necessary to dwell a little before I conclude this
section, viz., the division of the Roman Empire into
eastern and western branches.
The Roman Empire was not the first of the four
empires represented by a duplicate symbol. The
arms also of the image were two, symbolising the
empire of the Medes and Persians. But although
the Medes were one nation, and the Persians another,
yet they were combined in strict legislative union.
They never acted but as one people. This is signified
in the seventh chapter, where it is said of the bear
which represents the Medo-Persian Empire, that it
raised itself up " for one dominion,"* being herein
contrasted with the leopard, which was destined
for a fourfold dominion, and with the Roman beast
whose dominion is finally to be tenfold. Regions,
therefore, or nations, may be diverse from each
other, and yet so combined as- for their dominion to
be one. This was the case in the empire of the
Medes and Persians. "Was it at first otherwise with
Rome?
The empire of Rome, at the very first moment of
its formation under Augustus Caesar combined two
very distinct portions of the earth portions far
* In order to adopt " side " as the translation in Dan. vii. 5,
it is necessary to suppose that "BK J is put for "!? and that
to be identical with ")DD. But if we take the word as it is, it
simply means " dominion." The participle of 1t?^ is continu-
ally used in the Old Testament, and is always translated either
" officer," " ruler," or " overseer." See Ex. v. 6, 2 Chrou.
xxvi. 11.
74 CHAPTER III.
more contrasted with, each other than Persia was
with Media. Towards the east, Rome had wrested
from Carthage and from the successors of Alexander,
the fairest and the most civilised countries of the
earth. What could be more contrasted than the
great and ancient countries of the east over which
Greece had spread her language and her institutions,
and the half-savage districts which Rome acquired
in Western Africa, Spain, Gaul, and Britain ? If
we mark out the countries in which, before they
were conquered by Rome, eastern civilisation had
effectually spread, we find a branch of the Roman
Empire utterly different from that which gradually
and slowly received civilisation through Latin in-
stitutions and the Latin tongue. This is to be
regarded as the reason why the Roman Empire is
symbolised as twofold, rather than because of its
actual division at a late period of its existence into
eastern and western governments, although, indeed,
the territorial division under the emperors is not
very different from that which would be suggested
by a regard to the extent of Greek or eastern
civilisation.
The formal division of the Roman Empire took
place under Valentinian and Valens. " In the castle
or palace of Mediana, they executed the solemn and
final division of the Roman Empire. Yalentinian
bestowed on his brother (Valens) the rich prefecture
of the East from the Lower Danube to the con-
fines of Persia, while he reserved for his immediate
government the warlike prefectures of Illyricum,
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 75
Italy, and Gaul; from the extremity of Greece to
the Caledonian rampart, and from the rampart of
Caledonia to the foot of Mount Atlas." Gibbon,
chap, xxv.*
* The division under the two last Emperors Honorius and
Arcadius, differed slightly from this. Arcadius had Thrace,
Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, from the Lower Danube to the
confines of Persia and Ethiopia. His younger brother Hono-
rius assumed in the eleventh year of his age, the nominal
government of Italy, Africa, Gaul, Spain and Britain ; and
the troops which guarded the frontiers of his kingdom were
opposed on one side to the Caledonians, and on the other to
the Moors. The great and martial prefecture of lllyricum
was divided between the two princes; the defence and pos-
session of the provinces of Noricum, Pannonia, and Dalmatia
still belonged to the Western Empire ; but the two large dio-
ceses of Dacia (not Trajan's province) and Macedonia, which
Gratian had entrusted to the valour of Theodosius, were for
ever united to the Empire of the East. The boundary in
Europe was not very different from the line that now
separates the Germans and the Turks, and the respective
advantages of territory, riches, populousness, and military
strength, were fairly balanced and compensated in this final
and permanent division of the Roman Empire. Gibbon,
chap. xxix.
This arrangement, however, was altered a short time after t
in A.D. 425, under Valentinian III., when the Western llly-
ricum was detached from the Italian dominions, and yielded
to the throne of Constantinople. Dalmatia, Pannonia, and
Noricum were thus added to the Eastern Empire, which thus
possessed the greater part of the Austrian dominions. See
Gibbon, chap, xxxiii.
[The Dacia mentioned in the above passage was not Trajan's
Dacia, but a part of Servia a division of the ancient Mcosia.
When Aurelian relinquished Dacia, he transferred the Roman
76 CHAPTER III.
This division does not very materially differ from
that we should adopt, if we place in the eastern divi-
colonists to this part of Mcesia, which he called Nova Dacia,
or Dacia Aureliana.]
The continual fluctuation in these territorial arrangements
precludes our regarding it as an accurate guide. I therefore
prefer being guided by the other principle that of Greek
possession as determining the Eastern Branch. Moreover,
since the vision of the Image represents the Empire as dupli-
cate from its commencement, it seems scarcely possible to
suppose this to be fulfilled in a late territorial division.
It is remarkable that when, under Justinian, in conse-
quence of the victories of Belisarius, the Eastern Empire
resumed for a little its integrity and strength, it spread from
lllyricum in Europe, and Carthage in Africa, to the confines
of Persia. These are just the limits to which we should be
guided by the principle to which I have referred. Amida and
Edessa, beyond the Euphrates, and other subordinate towns
of Mesopotamia were fortified by Justinian. He also extended
a series of fortifications from Belgrade (on the frontier of
Austria) to the Black Sea, and from the conflux of the Saave
to the mouths of the Danube,
The southern part of Italy, which was anciently called
Magna Grecia, and was filled with Greek cities, of which
Naples is one, was considered an adjunct of the Eastern
Empire. The Eastern Emperor at Constantinople, till a very
late period, claimed possession of Naples and the southern
part of Italy. Although the Lombards held the greater part
for 320 years, and had been confirmed in their possession by
Charlemagne, yet in A.D. 891, Leo, the Greek emperor, suc-
ceeded in wresting it from them ; and it was not until 1157
the Greek Emperor Emmanuel acknowledged William the
Norman as king. Time only will show whether Naples is to
be connected with the Eastern or Western branch of the Ro-
man Empire.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 77
sion of the Roman Empire these countries into which
civilisation had extended before they were incor-
porated with Rome. The Macedonian princes, as
early as Philip and Alexander, claimed sovereignty
over the provinces between Macedon, Thrace, and
the Danube. "The Adriatic Sea and the Danube
appear to have been the boundaries of Philip's
empire in Illyria and Thrace." Heeren, p. 211.
Whether therefore, we take the actual territorial
division by the emperors, or follow the more satis-
factory guidance of Greek civilisation as determining
the extent of the eastern and western branches of the
Roman Empire, the difference will not be material.
In Africa, I feel little doubt, that the districts of
Cyrene and Carthage [Tunis], in which civilisation
was so early established by the Greeks and Phoeni-
cians, will form the frontier countries of the eastern
division. This will establish the boundary of the
Turkish Empire as the limit in Africa also, between
the east and the west. It would give Tunis, Tri-
poli, Barca, and Egypt, to the eastern division, and
would make Algeria the first province of the western.
Tunis, which answers to the ancient Carthaginia,
would in connection with Tripoli, and Barca [ancient
Cyrenaica] form one of the five divisions of the
eastern part of the Roman Empire. When we con-
sider the eighth chapter, we shall see that we can
with much certainty affirm, that four out of the
five are formed by Egypt, Greece, Syria, and the
remaining part of Turkey.
In the long period of transition from the "iron"
78 CHAPTER III.
of the ancient Roman Empire, to the " clay -iron" of
the ten final kingdoms a period not yet terminated
many things have occurred, which show that God
has not forgotten to watch over the accomplishment
of the vision of the Image. Although "barbarians
on every side inundated and overwhelmed the an-
cient empire, yet the home of governmental power
has always been somewhere in the Roman earth.
The Germans who established an empire in the
west, and the Turks who became masters in the
east, alike placed the seats of their authority within
the Roman empire.
Nor has the distinction between the Eastern and
Western branches been ever obliterated. In the
days of Justinian and his great general Belisarius,
the integrity of the Eastern part of the Roman Em-
pire was so wonderfully restored, that some persons
fancied it to be the second Beast of the Apocalypse.
The crusades were in part undertaken to uphold,
and for a time did uphold, the Eastern empire ; and
it was not until the year A.D. 1453 that the suc-
cessors of Constantine finally fell before the Turk.
Even then the effect was to preserve rather than to
destroy the integrity of the Eastern branch. We
may form a tolerably correct notion of what the
extent of the eastern branch of the Roman Empire
was, and is to be, by marking the limits of the
Turkish dominions before Greece and Egypt were
separated therefrom.
It is also worthy of notice, that long after the
victorious barbarians had usurped the power of the
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 79
West, they continued to own the supremacy of the
Eastern empire, and sought confirmation of their
authority from it. The remarkable instance of
Odoacer has been already noticed.* Even the
Anglo-Saxon kings sought recognition from Con-
stantinople, and are styled " BaaiXevs " on their
coins.f
The fall of the Roman dynasty at Constantinople
gave occasion to a more distinct development of
western power. The ancient imperial name still
continued to be borne by the chiefs of the German
empire ; and the names " Holy Roman Empire,"
and " King of the Romans" have descended to our
own days.
But there has also been another difference in the
dealing of the divine hand which has tended to pre-
serve a marked distinction between the Eastern and
* See note to Chap I., p. 16.
f See Sir F. Palgrave's Anglo-Saxon Commonwealth. This
seems another link between England and the Roman Empire.
The notion of imperial appointment to association in the
Empire was long maintained in the West. In 1338 the Em-
peror Lewis the Bavarian, met Edward III. of England, and
constituted him Imperial Vicar of all countries on the left
side of the Rhine. Edward III. used this authority with
some effect against France. And this was not very soon laid
aside. Queen Elizabeth at her coronation is said to have been
crowned three times : 1st, the Queen of England ; 2nd, of
Ireland; 3rd, Sovereign and Lady Empress of all nations
and countries from the islands Orcades, to the mountains
Pyrenees. She helped the Huguenots in virtue of the Imperial
authority. /
80 CHAPTER III.
Western divisions of the Roman Empire. The East
was the early home of civilisation, and the place
where the light of truth peculiarly shone ; but
these privileges were abused, and iniquity abounded.
On this judicial visitation came. Desolation has
fallen upon almost every ancient city of the East,
from Babylon to Jerusalem, Egypt, north-eastern
Africa, and Greece. The ruin of these countries
has been so complete, that many have applied to
the apostasy of Mahomedanism and the subsequent
desolations, the prophecies respecting Antichrist,
and the judgments of the final hour. Doubtless
these things are to be regarded as premonitory.
They speak in solemn warning to these Western
kingdoms, which were so much later reached by
civilisation and by truth, and establish another
marked contrast between the East and the West.
The early course of civilisation does not more dis-
tinctly define the Eastern branch of the Roman
Empire, than do the later footsteps of desolation and
apostasy.
While the East was thus sinking under judgment,
the nations of the West were fast arising into power,
and giving birth to new institutions. The prin-
ciples of representative government were early found
in the feudal nations, and thus new vigour was in-
fused into the Roman earth, and those governmental
principles introduced, whose full development is so
especially to characterise the last condition of the
Roman nations. The same century which saw the
fall of the Roman Empire in the East, was marked
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 81
in the West by events* which have in results en-
tirely altered the aspect of human things, and made
the Western kingdoms of the Roman world the de-
positories of a power whose influence has already
reached, and will finally resuscitate, the fallen
countries of the East.
Although the kingdoms of the West have never
received any blow, resembling in severity that
which has prostrated the countries of the East, yet,
with only one exception, they have all been heavily
chastened. The abominations of popery, entailing
their own punishment, generated in Western Europe
a wide-spread infidelity, of which the terrors of the
French Revolution of 1792, and the desolating wars
that followed, were the consequences consequencec
which have not, even yet, ceased to operate. Eng-
land alone escaped, and has for ages pursued a
steady course of almost uninterrupted prosperity.
Time was, when both its government and its people
estimated in a measure this mercy, and were sensible
of the privilege of its being a Protestant country.
It recognised the Bible once as the authoritative,
and the alone authoritative, standard of Truth ; but
it is otherwise now.
* These events were :
In A.D. 1440, the invention of printing.
In A.D. 1491, the expulsion of the Moors from Spain.
In A.D. 1492, the discovery of South America.
In A.D. 1497, India reached by the Cape of Good Hope.
n A.D. 1499, North America discovered by Cabet.
In A.D. 1453, the Eastern Empire ended, by the capture
of Constantinople by the Turks.
82 CHAPTER III.
At present this nation is holding a position of
more effective influence than any other country in
the earth. Jts principles are fixed and determined,
and it is earnest in propagating them. The govern-
mental principles that it seeks to spread are those of
popular monarchy. The pillar of its political and
social system is commerce and commercial wealth.
Its relation to the false religions of the earth is, that
it fosters as well as protects all. It seeks to accom-
modate itself to influential institutions, rather than
to supplant them by truth. These principles are,
doubtless, well adapted to the character of the latter
day, and are most sure to prosper.
England is at this moment seeking to convene to
her metropolis an assembly of all nations, that^they
might there exhibit the riches of the earth, and the
productions of their industrial skill. She well knows
that no display of Imperial or Ecclesiastical pomp,
no array of military greatness, could possess an in-
fluence equal to that which such an assembly repre-
sents : and this is the influence she seeks to wield.
Such influence appears to be neutral in its character ;
but it is not really so. It can neither be retained,
nor used, except by sanctioning, and, not unfre-
quently, employing the very systems which have
sunk the world in superstition and idolatry. "What
then is more to be dreaded than a system seemingly
neutral, which really sustains and gives effect to all
Satan's ancient instruments of deception ? The final
result of this influence, and what will be constructed
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 83
under it, may be seen in the seventeenth and eigh-
teenth chapters of Revelation.*
It is an affecting thought that England, so highly
favoured as she has been, is using her advantages in
nurturing the very principles out of which the last
systematised form of human evil is to be formed.
No city at present in the earth corresponds so nearly
as London to the descriptions of the eighteenth of
Revelation ; no scene which the earth has ever yet
beheld answers so nearly the twenty-seventh and
twenty-eighth chapters of Ezekiel as that which is
about to be presented in that city.f The energy
* It is not a mere question of displaying the inventions of
men, or the riches of the earth. That, under certain circum-
stances, might be innocent enough. The question is, whether
the commercial energy, of which such an assembly is the
result, is not spoken of in Scripture as that which is to be
the pillar of the world's last evil greatness. For further re-
marks on the character of this rising commercial system, see
observations on the Ephah and the woman seated therein, in
" Second series of Aids to Prophetic Enquiry ;" also, "Thoughts
on the Apocalypse," chap. xvii. and xviii.
t The object of the central part of Ezekiel appears to be
this : to show what kind of power Israel finally seeks unto for
shelter, now their iniquities have grieved away the cherubim
power of God, under the shadow of which they once rested.
The power which they select as their guardian is that which
I have above described, viz., the energy that searches out
and develops all the resources of earth a power by and by
to be again connected with Tyre, which was its ancient seat.
Thus Tyre, as the representative of this energy, is described
as occupying God's mountain i.e. the Divine place of autho-
rity towards Israel, and being as Israel's oracle and cherub
84 CHAPTER III.
which visits every region, and develops and collects
all the riches of the earth, must be guided by some
definite principles ; and if they are not the prin-
ciples of Christ, they must be the principles of Satan.
England, in pursuing her favourite plans, is ever
ready, when expediency requires it, to smile on false-
hood, or to frown on truth. Human fraternity is
everything in her sight, and she is beginning to
spurn at all that seems to interfere with the hoped-
for unity of men as men. She deems her latitudin-
arian commercial system to be the best remedy for
the convulsions of the nations ; and she hopes, not
without reason, to force rival nations into frater-
nisation thereby, and to consolidate social and poli-
tical institutions without unduly fettering the ener-
gies of men ; but in the meanwhile truth is forgotten
or contemned. The legislation, as well as the in-
fluential speaking and writing of the day, afford
evidence of this, too plain to be gainsayed.
Wonld to God it were otherwise, and that these
sins were repented of and abjured ! But at present
the true cherubic power having been grieved away. There is
bitter irony in the expression, " I have set thee so." God has
appointed that this glorious but evil power should be the
cherub of Israel for a season.
The power now arising around us is of the same character
as that which Israel will make its " cherub" or guardian,
although, as yet, it only exists in embryo.
The several principles connected with this great commer-
cial system are, as yet, comparatively undeveloped. The
Ephah is seen long before the woman or moral system hidden
therein is made manifest.
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 85
the moral features of England, no less than her
geographical connection with the Eoman World,
mark her as one of those kingdoms that are to give
their strength and power unto the Beast, and to
engage in the last conflict against the King of
Kings.
The following observations of Gibbon, respecting
the difference that always subsisted between the
Greek and Latin provinces of the Roman Empire,
are of interest as bearing on the question of di-
vision :
" So sensible were the Romans of the influence of language
over national manners, that it was their most serious care
to extend with the progress of their arms the use of the
Latin tongue. The ancient dialects of Italy, the Sabine, the
Etruscan, and the Venetian, sunk into oblivion ; but in the
provinces, the East was less docile than the West to the
voice of its victorious preceptors. This obvious difference
marked the two portions of the empire with a distinction of
colours, which, though it was in some degree concealed
during the meridian splendour of prosperity, became gradu-
ally more visible as the shades of night descended upon the
Eoman World. The Western countries were civilised by the
same hands which subdued them. As soon as the barbarians
were reconciled to obedience, their minds were opened to any
r,ew impressions of knowledge and politeness. The language
of Virgil and Cicero, though with some inevitable mixture of
corruption, was so universally adopted in Africa, Spain, Gaul
Britain, and Pannonia, that the faint traces of the Punic or
Celtic idioms were preserved only in the mountains, or among
the peasants. Education and study insensibly inspired the
natives of those countries with the sentiments of Romans ;
and Italy gave fashions as well as laws to her Latin provin-
cials. They solicited with more ardour, and obtained with
86
CHAPTER III.
more facility, the freedom and honours of the state, sup-
ported the national dignity in letters and in arms, and at
length, in the person of Trajan, produced an emperor whom
the Scipios would not have disowned for their countryman.
The situation of the Greeks was very different from that of
the barbarians. The former had been long since civilised and
corrupted. They had too much taste to relinquish their lan-
guage, too much vanity to adopt any foreign institutions.
Still preserving the prejudices after they had lost the virtues
of their ancestors, they affected to despise the unpolished
manners of the Roman conquerors, whilst they were com-
pelled to respect their superior wisdom and power. Nor was
the influence of the Grecian language and sentiments con-
fined to the narrow limits of that once celebrated country.
Their empire, by the progress of colonies and conquest, had
been diffused from the Hadriatic to the Euphrates and
the Nile. Asia was covered with Greek cities, and the long
reign of the Macedonian kings had introduced a silent revo-
lution into Syria and Egypt. In their pompous courts those
princes united the elegance of Athens with the luxury of the
East, and the example of the court was imitated at an humble
distance by the higher ranks of their subjects. Such was the
general division of the Roman Empire into the Latin and
Greek languages."
Whether, therefore, we take as our guide the
provinces conquered by Rome from the successors
of Alexander ; or the formal division of the Empire
under the Emperors; or the re-constitution of the
Eastern branch under Justinian ; or the extent of
Turkish dominion ; or the extent of modern desola-
tion ; we are brought pretty nearly to the same
result.
It is obvious, too, that when the institutions and
civilisation of the West shall have been introduced
CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED. 87
into, and shall have revived the East, there will be
sufficient circumstantial differences to mark a very
decided contrast between the Greek and Latin
branches of the Roman Empire,
88
CHAPTER IV.
THE VISION OF THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V.,
CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THE PRINCIPLES
OF MODERN LEGISLATION.*
HOMO SUM, NIHIL HUMANI A ME AL1ENUM PUTOf
a sentiment long since promulgated by a Roman
poet, has, from that moment to the present, main-
tained its hold upon the heart of man, and received
the approbation of successive ages. It embodies,
indeed, a great truth a truth recognised and acted
on by God Himself one to which the conscience,
as well as the affections of every human bosom re-
sponds. Philanthropy real philanthropy is one
of the great principles of God. The proof is, the
Incarnation and the Cross.
And as Christianity is not intended to stand aloof
* This paper was written in 1851, and published as a tract,
entitled, What is the Ephah of Zechariah V.? or, the Exhi-
bition of 1851 considered in relation to the principles of
Modern Legislation." As the subjects treated of in this tract
are of lasting importance, and as it illustrates much that has
been said in the preceding chapter,- 1 have thought it best to
revise and introduce it here. It has gone through three
editions, and is now nearly out of print.
t " I am a man nothing that concerns man do I deem
foreign to myself."
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 89
in heartless apathy, unmoved by that which is
affecting the human family around, so the spon-
taneous impulse of the rightly-ordered Christian
heart is to seek out, not that which it must differ
from and condemn, but that which it can join with,
sanction, and approve. One of the characteristics
of a heavenly and perfected condition of being will
be, that the interests and affections of the heart
will unrestrictedly flow out to, and delight in, every
thing. There will be no need of restraint where
everything is holy ; no need of testimony against
any thing, where everything is worthy of being,
what it will be everlastingly blessed. Antagonism
may be a duty, but in itself it affords no joy to the
Christian heart. Apart from the painful personal
consequences which it may involve, it is contrary to
the law of our new nature, which desires fellowship
not conflict : nor could any thing but the plain
requirements of Truth reconcile us to the path of
perpetual strife and contention, where we seem to
employ ourselves in finding fault with every thing,
and earn for ourselves the character of a morose
and fanatical misanthropy.
Would to God that we could truthfully say, that
the tide of human things was flowing on in a course
of real prosperity and blessing ! It is a happy
thing to share in the interests of others, and to unite
one's activities with theirs. The very employment
of our energies is a pleasure, when the course is
right, and the end happy. It is painful, therefore
very painful, in observing the development of civi-
90 CHAPTER IV.
lisation and social progress in which all are exulting,
to be obliged to condemn, and to say that this pro-
gress is connected with certain moral principles
which will finally bring it under judicial visitation
from the hand of God.
Few will question that the great Industrial
gathering which is about to take place in the
metropolis of this country marks an era in human
progress. There have been periods when assembled
armies indicated the character of the power which
chiefly swayed the nations. There have been other
periods when assembled ecclesiastics have repre-
sented the dominant influence of the age. But such
periods have passed away. If Russia were now to
assemble her soldiers, or Rome her priests, neither
would present a power so really potent so really
being, and about to be, the mainspring of the world's
energies, as that assemblage which England has
summoned to her shores. Accordingly, philanthro-
pists are speaking of it as the indication of a power
which is to regenerate the world ; and even Chris-
tians are hailing it as the means by which the nations
are to be knit together in amity and peace, and the
millennial predictions of the Prophets fulfilled.
But surely the first thought that should be sug-
gested to a Christian heart by such an assemblage,
is, that it is of the world : and that which is of the
world cannot be " of the Father." Whether it be
a military, or an ecclesiastical, or a commercial
spectacle that assembles men together, are not those
so assembled essentially the world ? Are not their
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 91
habits of thought, and their practices such, that
Christ's true principles, and doctrines, and laws, find
no place among them ? If it be so, how can a
Christian view such an assemblage with compla-
cency ? How can he expect that it should result in
overspreading the earth with Christ's truth, and
with Christ's blessings ?
Moreover, we have to remember that this is to
be an assemblage marked by no ordinary charac-
teristics. Never, since men first sought universal
confederation on the plains of Shinar, when God
interfered, and scattered them over the face of the
earth never since that hour has an assemblage
been convened, so much resembling, in some of its
features, that early gathering on the plains of Babel.
It is true, indeed, that there is at present no inten-
tion of local centralisation ; but a thought of moral
centralisation is connected with this design. The
Sun of human prosperity the centre around which
each part of the vast human system is to revolve
is supposed to be found in Commerce; and it is
hoped that this coming gathering will aid the ad-
vance of commerce until it shall unquestionably
become the paramount influence of the day. More-
over, one great moral feature that marked the
assemblage at Babel was, a desire to make them-
selves illustrious and mighty, apart from God. This
feature will not be wanting in the coming gathering
of nations, for attainment of such greatness is the
very idol of the hour.
As regards responsibility, the responsibility which
92 CHAPTER IV.
attached to those who assembled at Babel was but
as dust in the balance, compared with that which
rests upon the nations who will now meet in Eng-
land. When men assembled at Babel, and there
attempted the union of their race, experience had
not yet taught her lessons. Israel had not yet
received their light ; Prophets and Apostles had not
spoken ; Christ had not taught ; Christianity had
not been prostituted ; nor Infidelity come forth, like
a viper nourished in the bosom of religious corrup-
tion. But now, all these things have been, and we
have to do with their results. The Jew will coine,
hardened in pharisaic rejection of Christ, or else
tutored in the school of neologian latitudinarianism ;
the Eastern ecclesiastic will come, the type of the
early corruption of Christian Truth, and the witness
of its present degradation ; the Mahomedan will
come, the representative of those who, mocking
with bitter scorn the corruptions both of Judaism
and Christianity, rushed with infidel fury upon
both, and stamped out, as it were, the scattered and
dying embers of Truth that lay smouldering in the
midst of the fallen Churches ; the Romanist will be
there, as one who, by means of pretended Chris-
tianity, has led nations delivered from old idolatries
back to idolatry again ; Atheism, Deism, and all the
various forms of Infidelity, will be there : Heathenism
will be there. Such will be the component parts of
that vast multitude, which Commerce and Civilisa-
tion are to " touch with their magic wand ; " and
finally binding them together in the bonds of
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 93
philanthropic brotherhood, are to make them great,
prosperous, and happy. But will such brotherhood
and such greatness be of God ?
That England should be the spot chosen for such
a development marks it with a fearful pre-eminence.
England is, necessarily, a country interesting to all
men, for it has filled no ordinary place in the world's
history. But the reason why it peculiarly interests
those who search the Scripture, is, not because it is
a great nation merely, but because it belongs to a
certain circle of the earth respecting which God
has been pleased to prophesy very definitely in His
word. Two thousand five hundred years ago, when
He first began to punish Jerusalem by subjecting it
to the proud power of the Gentiles, He empowered
the Prophet Daniel to give the prophetic history of
certain Empires amongst whom civilisation and
power were to find their centre and their home,
throughout the long period of Jerusalem's punish-
ment. Chaldsea, Persia, Greece, following each other
in quick succession, transmitted their empire to
Rome, and the extent of the dominions of Home
mark the limits of what is called by writers on pro-
phecy the Prophetic Earth. This portion of the
earth has for ages been known, both in the East and
in the West, as H O1KOTMENH ORBIS TER-
RARUM. The countries which fall within its
limits will be the peculiar seat of the world's ener-
gies and greatness in the latter day and England
is one of those countries.
I need scarcely say, that to give the history of
94 CHAPTER IV.
Chaldaea, Persia, Greece, and the Roman nations,
is virtually to give the history of the world. What-
ever enterprises have been undertaken, whatever
inventions made, or colonisations effected, they have
either emanated from these nations as their centre,
or, if in any case the place of origin has been
external to their limits, these countries have soon
succeeded in attracting towards themselves the
results. The effects of civilisation have ever gravi-
tated, as it were, towards the Roman nations as
their centre. God has so appointed that it should be.
Cain (in whose family the inventions of civilisa-
tion first appeared), and then Babel, Chaldaea,
Greece, Rome, are names which mark darkly the
moral character of human civilisation in tMs fallen
earth. It has never moved as yet under the control
of God. The giant idols which are now disinterred
in Nineveh, the graves that are opened in Egypt,
the fallen temples of Greece, and the ruined porticoes
of Rome, all bear witness that the greatness of each
of these nations has been directed against God.
They all lifted themselves up against God, and He
has withered them all. They have sunk beneath
the blow of righteous retribution.
Civilisation, having its birth-place in the East, in
the regions which surround the Euphrates, moved,
as Daniel had foretold, with steady progress towards
the West. Greece became the place of its meridian
splendour. From Greece it was transferred to
Rome, and through Rome reached the limits of
Europe in the West. But judgment followed in its
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 95
track. Chaldsea, Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece, and
at last Rome, were smitten ; and only a few cen-
turies ago it seemed as if civilisation and power
were likely to be driven from their ancient seats for
ever, to find perhaps in another hemisphere a new
sphere for their centralisation and development.
But God has said that it should not be so. He has
said that the Roman nations shall to the end con-
tinue to be the centre of influence and controlling
power in the earth ; by the end, I mean the period
when He will forgive Jerusalem, and restore her to
supremacy again. Accordingly, after the fierce in-
road of the Turks had overspread with ruin more
than two-thirds of the Empire of the Caesars, and
when, by other influences, even Rome herself was
reduced to a settlement of cowherds grass growing
in her palaces, and ..oxen pastured in her streets,*
* The following are the words of Eanke, vol. iii. p. 480 :
During the absence of the Popes in Avignon, the Rome of
the middle ages had sunk into equal decay with that ancient
Rome which had so long lain in ruins. When Eugenius IV.
returned to Rome in the year 1443, it was become a city of
h erdsmen ; its inhabitants were not distinguishable from the
peasants of the neighbouring country. The hills had long
been abandoned, and the only part inhabited was the plain
along the windings of the Tiber ; there was no pavement in
the narrow streets, and these were rendered yet darker by
the balconies and buttresses which propped one house against
another : the cattle wandered about as in a village. From
San Silvestro to the Porta del Popolo, all was garden and
marsh, the haunt of nock's of wild ducks. The very memory
of antiquities seemed almost effaced; the Capitol was become
the Goats' Hill, the Forum Romanum the Cows' Field, the
96 CHAPTER IV.
at that moment of dominant desolation, the Western
corners of the Roman world, and, more especially,
England, were permitted to become the rallying
point of civilisation; the place where it has not
only recovered its exhausted energies, but learned
also to break ancient shackles, as well as to develop
new powers.
Ecclesiastical tyranny had succeeded in binding
many a fetter upon the hand of those wild nations
that had broken in upon, and destroyed, the ancient
Roman Empire. Priestcraft and degrading super-
stitions had, for the most part, effectually crippled
all Diental energy ; and if any developed itself it was
doomed, as in the case of Galileo, to the dungeon
and to death. But in England, during the reign of
Henry the Eighth, ecclesiastical power, which under
Wolsey displayed one great expiring blaze of bright-
ness, suddenly sank. With Wolsey, ecclesiastical
supremacy in England finally fell. Although Rome
has not yet relinquished the hope of maintaining or
restoring it in various countries, yet it may be safely
said, that ever since the fall of Wolsey, principles
have been in steady operation, chiefly through the
instrumentality of England, which will finally de-
prive both Popery, and every other ecclesiastical
system within the Roman World, not indeed of
influence, but of supremacy. All those parts of
Scripture which describe the future history of the
strangest legends were associated with the few remaining
monuments. The Church of St. Peter was in danger of falling
down."
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 97
Roman Kingdoms during the coming period of their
revived, but unsanctified glory, distinctly speak of
the secular power as supreme, and of the ecclesiasti-
cal as subordinate. In England it has long been
so ; and it is to this that England owes, in no
slight degree, her present position of influence and
strength.
That, however, which is most of all distinctive in
the present condition of England, is her Commercial
system. Commerce, or the wealth and influence
thence arising, has become the mainspring of Eng-
land's energies the chief bulwark of her social
institutions the pillar of her government. When
ecclesiastical power fell, and the feudal aristocraqy
became gradually enfeebled ; and when the steady
advance of the people seemed to make democracy
(perhaps revolutionary democracy) the sure end of
the social movement, there was gradually being
formed, in this country, a new aristocracy, more
potent than any, whether ecclesiastic or hereditary,
that had preceded the aristocracy of wealth. The
expressions, commercial interest ; manufacturing
interest ; moneyed interest ; Indian interest ; and
the like, suggest sufficiently intelligible ideas to
English minds. The ramifications of these interests
are so various and so extended, that the mass of
society is effectually reached and controlled by their
influence ; and thus a power has been consolidated,
the like to which has never before existed. The
tranquillity with which England passed through the
late period of European convulsion in 1848 is an
H
98 CHAPTER IV.
evidence of the strength of this power. The State
and its institutions consigned themselves to its pro-
tection, and rested quietly under its shield. In
France no such consolidated power exists, and
France has been shaken to her foundations.
In England this power is learning to work in
harmony with the State. Indeed, the State has
virtually become its organ. Plutocracy is a com-
prehensive, not an exclusive system. Its elasticity
is great. It can adapt itself to the changing cir-
cumstances of the hour, and, receiving within its
circle both the aristocrat and the democrat, it pro-
vides a place of honour and influence for both. In
its relation to ancient systems it seeks, not to anni-
hilate, but rather to modify, adapt, harmonise, and
employ. It possesses, therefore, not only its own.
intrinsic weight, but is acquiring also all the weight
which governmental authority can give. No other
interest, whether royal or ecclesiastic, aristocratic
or popular, is allowed to throw any effectual impedi-
ment in its course. Virtually, its will is paramount.
The appropriate device of England would not be,
either the crown or the mitre ; the coronet or the
sword, but some emblem of Commerce. An " Ephah "
should be emblazoned on her banners. Our govern-
ment is a Commercial government, not because
England happens to be a mercantile country, but
because manufacturing and trading interests su-
premely sway her councils, and all other interests
are being made subordinate. Such are the features
which characteristically mark the period during
THE EPHAH OF ZECHAEIAH V. 99
which the powers of civilisation have been reno-
vated in this western corner of the Roman World.
The abasement of ecclesiastical supremacy, the esta-
blishment of constitutional monarchy, and the rise
of commerce into sovereign influence may be re-
garded as accomplished facts. They distinctively
characterise England ; and finally they will equally
characterise every other kingdom that falls within the
Roman World. The success of England naturally
causes her to be imitated. Her influence, which is
great, is exerted, as might be expected, for the propa-
gation of her principles, and the circumstances of the
hour favour these principles. We cannot marvel at
this, for the Scriptures plainly declare that such
shall be the principles of the closing period of our
dispensation. Whatever opinion may be formed as
to the particular City indicated in the eighteenth of
the Revelation, this at least is evident, that that
chapter describes a closing scene in the world's pre-
sent history, and speaks of " merchants being the
great men of the earth," and of a commercial city
being " queen " of the nations.
Our first feeling when we review the rise of Eng-
land's greatness, is commonly one of satisfaction and
triumph. Civilisation, we say, cannot be in itself
wrong. It cannot be wrong to rejoice that the
fetters of ecclesiastical and royal tyranny are
broken. It cannot be wrong to develop the natural
resources of the earth ; to encourage the inventions
of science and art ; to call forth the various powers
of the human mind, and to employ its energies. All
100 CHAPTER IV.
this may be true : but still the question recurs,
Can the Christian rejoice in the means by which
England has acquired her power, or in the prin-
ciples she is adopting in its use ? That question
can only be answered by considering the govern-
mental relation of England to God's revealed Truth.
When Protestantism struck off from England the
shackles of Popery, the Bible was put into her hand,
and for a season she seemed to rejoice in the gift.
In her political conflicts with Popery she used it ;
but, as the dread of Popery lessened, the Bible was
less and less regarded ; until at length, ignorance
and indifference so prevailed, that there have been
few periods of deeper darkness than that which
reigned in England during the greater part of the
seventeenth and the commencement of the eighteenth
century. In the meanwhile, various new forms of
nominal Christianity, and at last Popery and
Judaism, increased in political power : and when at
length the theory of constitutional government
was matured, and government (ceasing to stand
between God and the people, as holding authority
from Him) became avowedly the organ of the
people's will, it was of course requisite that the acts
of government should correspond with the relation
in which it stood to the manifold varieties of Creed
found among those whose will it had undertaken to
express. This, of course, necessitated latitudinari-
anism. All who were ambitious of power, found
it needful to be officially, if not personally, lati-
tudinarian.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 101
But there were other influences, more potent even
than these, tending to the same end. England and
the merchants of England began to conquer, to
colonise, or to visit, all lands. They found these
lands teeming with the various forms of idolatry
and evil which the ingenuity of Satan had devised
throughout the earth, in order to dishonour God,
and to ruin souls. Has England taken her stand in
the midst of these abominations, and given faithful
testimony to the truth of the word of God ? Has
she steadily and practically declared that there was
one God and one Lord Jesus Christ and has she
carefully avoided rendering her aid to any except to
those who simply preach the Gospel of the GRACE
of God ? No : she found it more expedient to con-
ciliate than to testify ; more advantageous to honour
falsehood than to contend for Truth ; and, therefore,
she practically laid aside the Bible, and determined
to sanction, whenever expedient, every creed alike.
Accommodation to existing systems became her rule.
Accordingly, she has presided over the priesthood of
Buddha ; offered gifts at the shrine of Juggernaut ;
flattered the Mahomedan in the East ; honoured the
idols of Popery in the West, endowed their Colleges,
paid their Priests, and frowned upon all who have
sought, in the midst of these things, to act aggres-
sively for the Truth of God. In Ireland, especially,
she has scowled upon the Truth, and upon its
servants.*
* See facts stated in the late reply of the Bishop of Cash el
to his Clergy. The administration of Ireland has afforded a
102 CHAPTER IV.
There has been one individual (he too acted on
by the love of influence) who has trodden a like
path ; and that person, more than any one else in
modern days, has foreshadowed the actings of the
last great Antichrist I mean Napoleon Buonaparte.
Buonaparte, avowedly reckless about truth, and
fearing neither God nor Satan, honoured, as it
suited him, every thing. In Holland, he pleased
the Protestants, elsewhere, the Pope. When medi-
tating schemes of conquest in the East, he flattered
the Jews ; and when in Egypt, acknowledged Ma-
homet. His Egyptian proclamations bear the
Moslem motto u There is one God, and Mahomet
is His prophet : " and one is yet extant, in which
he solemnly avers that he had received a commis-
sion from God to destroy the Cross, and to plant the
Crescent in its stead. I do not say that England
has, as yet, equalled this blasphemy ; but she has
entered the same character of path. She has bowed
before more idols than did Buonaparte, and that,
after having been favoured with more light than
he for he was born in idolatry, and nurtured
in atheism. The lust of extended power tempted
fearful exhibition of reckless Latitudinarianism, and the doc-
trines lately avowed at Manchester show how completely the
Commercial School have adopted similar principles. It is
true that real Christianity may, and does, flourish more with-
out the support of such, than with it; but this does not
lessen the guilt of those who see no honour in assisting the
distribution of the Holy Scripture, and no sin in crushing
it, and delivering over the souls of the people to devouring
priests.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 103
him : the lust of extended commercial influence has
seduced England. Some time ago, when England
was charged with these things, her rulers seemed,
in measure, sensible of their shame ; they pleaded
necessity, and the like. But now we hear less of
that plea ; now, it is openly said and written, that
the Bible is not intended to be used in human legis-
lation, and Truth is declared to be a phantom too
subtle for our grasp.
If the shackles of Popery had remained on Eng-
land she could not have pursued her present path.
Popery would not have permitted it. Popery would
have forbidden her to follow a course that so com-
promised its own supremacy. But when human
shackles are removed, and not replaced by the golden
chain of Christ's truth, the hand that is liberated is
liberated only for transgression. England has ceased
to be the slave of Popery, but her liberty is becom-
ing the liberty of deistical forgetfulness of God.
It is true, indeed, that the course of the old
ecclesiastical or Popish party, which is struggling
to regain ascendancy, is at present opposed to these
things. If we examine the present condition of
society in England, if we observe the books they
read, and watch the sentiments avowed by the pulpit
and the press generally, we shall find that the influ-
ential principles of the day distribute themselves
under one of two classes. They either lead back to
the ecclesiastical corruption of past ages, or, under
the pretence of philosophic superiority to prejudice,
and philanthropic desire after peace, they lead to
104 CHAPTER IV.
the apathy, if not to the activities, of latitudinarian-
ism. If Dr. Wiseman delights in the tyrannical
uniformity (for we cannot call it unity) of Rome ;
we find, on the other hand, a professedly Protestant
statesman delighting in the thought that his town
presented the form of a happier unity, produced by
negation of truth ; for there he beheld Socinians,
Dissenters, Churchmen sects that once fiercely con-
tended, content to forget their differences, and to
live harmoniously together. If Dr. Pusey and his
Tractarian followers wish again to bind on govern-
ments and nations the ancient manacles of super-
stition and priestcraft, Lord Macaulay, on the other
hand, and the liberal writers of the day, whilst
seeming only to break the bonds which man has im-
posed upon his fellow-man, break with them also the
bonds which God's own hand has formed assert
that the Bible is no more to be regarded by the
governor in governing than it is by a mechanic in
making a machine ask scornfully whether any
certain truth can be attained, and advocate principles
which, when they have taken their full effect, will
cause the nations to say, both of Jehovah and of
Christ, ''Let us break their bonds asunder, and
cast away their cords from us/' The advocates of
modern Liberalism point, and not without reason,
to the Exhibition of 1851 as the symbol of their
principles benign, they say philanthropic fra-
ternal. But are their principles at all nearer God
than the principles of those, the symbols of whose
creed are found in cloisters, cathedrals, and priests ?
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 105
Are they not even more distant? Yet, doubtless
they will attain supremacy ; for they knit together
the units of mankind on natural principles, without
constraining any to forego their individual peculiari-
ties ; and when that supremacy has fully been
attained, we shall see even Popery herself abating
her pretensions, and falling as a handmaid (and an
honoured handmaid) into the train of her mighty
Mistress.
Would that I could see in " the Exhibition " the
symbol of a power that had, benignly indeed, but
firmly, entered all lands with the oracles of God in
its hand refusing fellowship with corruption,
whether found in the darkness of heathenism or
the abominations of pretended Christianity ; and
seeking to encourage all who should declare to a
lost world, that God was ready, through the finished
work of the Lord Jesus, to accept, in His name, the
perishing sinner to forgive him freely and to clothe
him with the robe of Christ's righteousness for ever !
Would to God that England, Protestant England,
had thus traversed the nations that she had marked
well the difference between Judaism, Mahomedanisrn,
Popery (which all talk of God and obedience to God),
and Christianity, which testifies not only of God and
God's righteousness, but of His GRACE abounding
where sin hath abounded imputing righteousness
without works justifying freely, through faith, on
the sole ground of the imputation of the righteous-
ness of ANOTHER. " We are reputed righteous
before God ONLY because of the merit of our Lord
106 CHAPTER IV.
and Saviour Jesus Christ, by means of faith, not
because of our own works or deservings." Eleventh
English Article.* Would that she had imitated
her first true Protestant King, and judged it to be
her chief honour to exalt the Word of the living
God against the traditions of men, to find out
Christ's servants and to help Christ's truth ! But
alas ! her course has been far otherwise. She has
ignored Christ's Gospel ; she has found it convenient
to strengthen Christ's enemies ; her conscience seeks
relief from the sin in the easy doctrines of latitudi-
narianism ; she calls it charity ; and whilst confirm-
ing those systems, which like so many iron barriers
keep the nations from the bread of life, she amuses
them by a display of earthly riches (things for the
sake of which she has virtually sacrificed their
souls), and by asking them to behold her greatness,
invites them to adopt her principles principles
whereby Truth perishes. Let any Christian think
of these things, and rejoice in " the Exhibition " if
he can !
The seeming innocency of the spectacle will
doubtless deceive many. It stands apparently in
very advantageous contrast with other forms of the
earth's greatness. Armies of warriors, or armies of
priests might terrify us. They remind us bloodshed
and death ; of the chains of the conqueror, or of the
* Tantum propter meritum Domini et Servatoris nostri
Jesu Christi, per fidem, non propter opera et merita nostra,
justi coram Deo reputamur."
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 107
racks and fires of the Inquisition. But Commerce
seems only to hold forth the olive branch of peace,
and beneficently to subserve the necessities of human
life. Few care to distinguish between Commerce
and the principles Commerce may adopt ; and whilst
enjoying the results of the former, willingly forget
to enquire respecting the latter.
There is a remarkable prophecy in the Book of
Zechariah (a prophecy distinctly unfulfilled) which
bears very closely on the circumstances of which we
speak. The object of the vision shown to Zechariah
is to instruct respecting the character of the in-
fluence which shall be dominant over Israel, and
over the nations at the closing period of their evil
history. It reveals where the master-power shall
reside, which, in the latter days, shall " go forth "
with pervading influence, to control the energies of
the earth. And what is the symbol of this power ?
It is not a sceptre, nor a sword, nor a mitre, but it
is an Ephah. " Then the angel that talked with
me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine
eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I
said, What is it ? And he said, This is AN
EPHAH that goeth forth." An Ephah is the
symbol of Commerce. There is to be a period,
therefore, during which Commerce is to rule the
earth ; a period when an Ephah might fitly be
emblazoned on the banner of each Kingdom of the
Roman World as the device best suited to indicate
where the secret of its influence lay. ** This," said
108 CHAPTER IV.
the angel, speaking of the Ephah " This is their
eye (Dj'tf)* through all the earth."
In the outward appearance of the Ephah there
was nothing to terrify. Men have learned to dread
the sceptre, the sword, and the mitre; but the
Ephah presents an aspect than which nothing can
be more innocent or peaceful. The Prophet, how-
ever, was commanded to look again. A heavy
weight of lead rested as a lid or covering on the
mouth of the Ephah. The Angel raised it, and
directed the Prophet to look within. He looked
within, and beheld a Woman sitting in the midst of
the Ephah. A Woman, when used symbolically, is
in Scripture the emblem of a moral system. When
we speak of the reign of Commerce, we do not
* This word literally means "eye?* thus the Vulgate
" Heec est oculus eorum in universa ten." "Eye" rnay either
meau aspect, appearance, as in Numbers xi. 6, where it is
said of the manna, that " the colour or appearance thereof
was as the colour of bdellium" or, " eye" may mean that
to which we look for guidance, favour, or any supply of
blessing. This, no doubt, is its meaning here. If the eye of
a father or friend rest benignly on us, we look to its kindness
as a source of supply to all our requirement. Hence, "eye"
is continually used of fountains in the wilderness, and wells
of water. See Gen. xvi. 7. Also Deut. xxxiii. 28: "Israel
then shall dwell in safety alone ; the fountain (literally eye)
of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine ; also his
heavens shall drop down dew." Thus we have to contrast
the " eye" of unbelieving Israel and the nations, viz., tho
Ephah in the land of Shinar, with " the eye" of forgiven
Israel in the land of Emmanuel, when Jehovah shall be their
strength and their song.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARTAH V. 109
mean merely that commercial activities are to be
increased, and that the nations will begin to trade
one with the other more energetically ; but we mean
that the influence of those whose commercial wealth
enables them to touch and control the secret springs
of government will be directed to the sustainment
of certain formed principles political, educational,
religious, and the like as definite and precise as
any which have heretofore characterised Popery, or
any other similar system.
If old principles are abandoned, new principles
must be supplied in their stead, or else the world
must be left un governed : and as these new prin-
ciples are formed and brought into operation, so, of
course, a new system of moral agency is created.
For example, it was once taught as a principle that
all power was from God ; and it was deemed a kind
of Atheism to teach that the people were its source :
but now the latter principle reigns, and the former
is utterly abjured. Once it was thought fit to main-
tain the truth of Holy Scripture, so far as to refuse
to sanction idolatrous and corrupt religions ; but
now such sanction is freely and systematically given.
Once it was thought desirable to encourage those
who circulated the word of life ; but, now, they who
circulate it in some of the districts where it is most
needed are crushed, and their enemies honoured.
The Bible was once thought to contain principles
which it was the duty of the Governor to recognise ;
but now the Bible, in legislation, is to be ignored.
It was once thought that all right fraternity must
110 CHAPTER IV.
be based on Scripture ; but now fraternisation, apart
from Truth, is to be the panacea of the world's dis-
orders. It was once thought that the ruler should
encourage Truth where he discerned it ; now he is
not to believe that certain Truth is anywhere to be
discovered. Such are some of the principles. It is
impossible that they can be adopted without a
system being formed, as definite, and probably more
definite, than any of the systems which it super-
sedes.
The vision, however, plainly indicates that this
system is formed secretly, for it is represented as
hidden in the Ephah. And nothing can be more
true. Sheltering itself under the excuse of expe-
diency, this nation, which more than any other owns
the sway of the Ephah, has secretly and stealthily
adopted principles which it is still ashamed to avow
as the fixed acknowledged rule of its conduct.
Many a sentiment has dropped from the lips of
legislators and statesmen, which, although welcomed
by multitudes, and acted on, have not yet become
the recognised principles of the State. Who, for
example, would dare to enter on the Statute-Book
of England that tribute should be paid to Jugger-
naut ; all Mahomedan festivals honoured ; Popish
priests duly paid ; Protestant testimony, in certain
spheres, forbidden ? Who would at present dare to
propose that it should be registered as a principle
amongst England's laws, that Truth cannot be
ascertained ; that the Bible is not to be regarded in
legislation ; that all religions have in them a mea-
THE EPHAH OF ZEOHARIA.H V. Ill
sure of truth, and that consequently all may, with-
out sin, be encouraged ? It is but lately that the
voice of the Dragon has ventured to mutter this last
sentiment in our ears, and no one just at present
would dare to claim for it public authorisation.
These, and such like principles, separately and cau-
tiously enounced, and slowly becoming systematised
under the protection of Commercial power, are at
present a kind of "mystery" hidden. The time
has not yet come for them to be presented to the
world in a systematised and ordered form, nor, in-
deed, are they as yet brought into that form : but
when that time does come, they will no longer
remain a "mystery" hidden: they will be seen in
the manifested, displayed attractiveness of the scar-
let Harlot of Babylon. Her hidden existence in the
Ephah precedes her manifestation " IN THE LAND
OF SHINAR."
As soon as the leaden lid was removed from the
mouth of the Ephah, the Prophet beheld the
Woman, who had been hidden within it, preparing
to spring up from her imprisonment. But she was
not permitted to arise, the angel, exclaiming " This
is Wickedness " (avofjaa), thrust her down into the
midst of the Ephah and "cast the weight of lead
upon the mouth thereof." Thus " Wickedness "
was hidden within the Ephah. " Wickedness,"
when thus definitely used in prophetic Scripture in
relation to the closing events of our dispensation, is
a word of very precise meaning. " The Wicked
One" is both in the Old and New Testaments, the
112 CHAPTER IV.
designative appellation of " The Antichrist." Com-
pare JJKnn of Isaiah xi. 4, and 6 avo/^o? of 2 Thess.
ii. 8. " Wickedness," therefore, as used in this
passage, is a word that expresses the fulness of
those principles of lawless evil that will finally be
embodied in Antichrist, and make him what he will
be. But Antichristianism exists before Antichrist.
That system of lawless Infidelity to which he will
ultimately give full effect, becomes a formed, though
not a manifested, system, during the time that Com-
merce is advancing to her place of sovereignty.
When the time comes for that sovereignty to be
displayed, and the Ephah be transferred to its rest-
ing-place in the Land of Shinar, then the Woman,
shall be no longer hidden. Then she shall be dis-
played in all her attractiveness as the Harlot of
Babylon, and Antichrist, for a season, will become
her servant and her minister. We cannot marvel
that Antichrist, personally, should at last be sent as a
scourge upon nations that have deliberately adopted
for their own advantage the principles of a practical
Deism.
How long this system will remain hidden in the
Ephah we are not told. Its manifestation will cer-
tainly, I believe, follow, not precede, the return of
Israel, in unbelief, to their own land. Whenever
the religious systems of the Roman World Juda-
ism, Mahomedanism, Romanism, and the like, shall
unite with one another, and with the secular Go-
vernments in adopting this system, then, with every
influence favouring, it will be transferred from the
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 113
place of its origin to the Euphratean countries the
earliest home of civilisation and there established.
There the Woman of the Ephah will be displayed as
the Harlot of the Revelation, admired by all, de-
lighted in by all, giving the cup of joy and gladness
to all nations wine that will gladden for a season,
but the wine of everlasting wrath. Into these things,
however, as I have elsewhere considered them very
fully, I do not now enter.* I will only observe that
this administration of the cup of gladness is very
distinctive of this last System. Previous systems,
such as Popery, have been oppressive, and caused
sorrow ; they have bound heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne, and have been any thing rather
than dispensers of universal joy.
The course which England has, for many years,
been governmentally pursuing, tends steadily to-
wards the end which the seventeenth and eighteenth
chapters of the Revelation delineate. England is
silently, but efficiently acting on all the countries of
the Roman World by negation of Truth, and by an
idolatrous devotion to the "material interests" of
men, thus paving the way for the advent of that
system which is to reign in the Harlot City. Asia
Minor, Syria, Egypt, are all feeling the effects of Eng-
land's influence. Israel, too, will soon be added to
the list. They also will join the system that deifies
civilisation and ignores Truth ; and then the end will
quickly come. "The Exhibition of 1851" is the
* See "Babylon," and "Thoughts on the Apocalypse,"
second edition, Houlston and Sons, 7, Paternoster Buildings.
1
114 CHAPTER IV,
exponent of a power which is silently effecting these
things.*
As regards the various degrees of responsibility
attaching to those who are leading, or being led in
these paths, I say nothing. There is One only who
can determine to whom responsibility attaches, and
* The reaction towards Romanism which has taken place
in England, has, to a certain extent, impeded the progress of
pure Latitudinarianism. It is a hindrance that will operate
for a time, but for a time only. It is necessary to the full
establishment of Latitudinarianism that dominant religious
influences should be so far neutralised as to be deprived of
their dominancy. Thus the ancient dominancy of Mahomed-
anism is being destroyed in the . East by the introduction of
other influences. So also in Spain, Italy, and France, the
dominancy of Popery is departing. In England, where Pro-
testantism has ruled, the dominancy of Protestantism is
being destroyed, and Puseyism (as it is called) is one of the
instrumentalities by which this is being effected. But, apart
from the temptations of self-interest, no man of intelligence
or character has long consented to be the tool and slave
of Ecclesiasticism. Self-interest is now leading men in
another path. The exclusiveness of Sacerdotalism, even if
men were not disgusted by the transparency of its falsehoods,
is ill-suited to the temper of the present hour. Ecclesiasti-
cism may become Latitudinarian, but Latitudinarianism will
not resign the throne to Ecclesiasticism. But whilst Eccle-
siasticism and Latitudinarianism are thus warring, even as
the Pharisees and the Sadducees did of old, we must remem-
ber that it was said unto both, " generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ?" May it
be remembered, before it is too late, that the one way of sal-
vation as declared in Scripture, through faith in the one
finished Sacrifice, is alike rejected by the Ritualist and the
Latitudinarian.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 115
in what proportion. "We have to remember, how-
ever, that it attaches to the people of this country,
more, perhaps, than to its Governors ; for the theory
of modern Government is, that the Governor is the
servant, not the master, of the popular will. The
hour of "civil and religious liberty" proves the
truth of its pretensions, by so fettering the hand of
the Sovereign that she can neither governmentally
maintain the sole supremacy of the Word of God,
nor refuse to pay and honour the ministers of a
ystem at which her conscience trembles. Practi-
cally, however, it often happens that individual
Governors, by force of skill and talent, sway the
minds of the people, so as to mould the spirit of the
age. On such, of course, the deepest responsibility
rests. There may be some, however, who, like
Darius, when he prayed for the liberation of Daniel,
feel overpowered by circumstances too strong foi
them, and yield because they fear to resist. To
yield is indeed not weakness merely, but sin ; never-
theless, the heart of Darius was not so far from God
as that of those who constrained him into a path in
which their hearts indeed delighted, but which his
heart and his conscience abhorred. Such, of course,
plead no necessity in excuse ; for they acknowledge
no sin. They are not like Naaman, who confessed
that it was a sin to bow in the temple of Eimmon,
and meekly asked forgiveness; on the contrary,
they exult in their principles ; and if they remember
God at all, they declare that they are honouring
Him, and doing Him and His creatures service.
116 CHAPTER IV.
Can there be any remedy for blindness such as
this?
Some, perhaps, will say, that it is better for the
people of God to dismiss all questions respecting the
world and its government, and to concern themselves
only with those things which immediately affect
their own condition. It is true, indeed, that it
would be most wrong for the servants of Christ to
quit their own peculiar sphere and to attempt the
government of nations ; but it is not wrong for them
to search the Scripture, that they might be able to
admonish and advise all men according to the truth
therein revealed. To admonish and warn is their
duty. Both Prophets and Apostles have testified
many things concerning the nations, their prospects,
and their end : and are the servants of Christ to
quench that light, or to put it under a bushel ? In
that case their own condition will soon become
fatally affected. They will soon begin themselves to
stumble. He who at the midnight hour casts away
his torch and buries himself in darkness may have a
seeing eye, but, practically, he is little better than
the blind ; and whether the blind be led by the
blind, or by those who have thus darkened them-
selves, matters little as to all present consequences.
They must both grope in darkness, and nothing but
undeserved sovereign grace could prevent either the
leaders or the led, from falling into the ditch at last.
Present facts justify the strength of my expressions.
Many who profess to lead in the paths of Christ
are speaking of this gathering as being a kind of
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 117
second Pentecost, and request that it may be remem-
bered in prayer as one of the great instruments
whereby Gfod intends to accomplish His work of
final blessing in the earth.*
* "Electricity is not an insulated jar, geology is not a
mere boulder on the earth, astronomy is not a lofty and lone
observatory, music is not a mere solo strain, poetry is not a
mendicant minstrel, art is not a solitary tradesman set up for
himself; but a grand unity binds them all in one, bringing
them day by day to be more and more the echo of the Chris-
tian's anthem' Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men.' Steam and lightning are not
secular, but Divine powers. They are inspirations from on
high, preparing the way of the Lord. All science, worthy of
the name, is either a messenger to man proclaiming God, or
a servant coming down from God to prepare the way of the
Lord. All the sciences, like the Magi of old, will come not
only to the cradle, but to the Cross of our exalted Ee-
deemer." Dr. Cumming's God in Science, p. 40.
"There is before us an Exhibition connected with science.
I rejoice, I must say, in spite of the prophecies of some, in
the prospect of that noble evidence of peace and harmony
among mankind. It seems to me a very noble idea, and such
I pray that it may prove to be, being a lover of science as I
am, next to a lover of my Bible I pray to God that it may
fulfil the promises of the sanguine, not the vaticinations of
those who augur ill. It will teach us Britons, perhaps, to be
more humble, and to cease from measuring ourselves by our-
selves, which the Apostle says is not wise. It may be a
contribution to the peace of nations, by showing a nobler
rivalry than arms, better trophies than banners and gar-
ments rolled in blood, and a warfare whose field is the Crys-
tal Palace in Hyde Park whose artillery are steam-engines
and hydraulic presses whose soldiers are philosophers, and
engineers, and spinners, and dyers and its protocols treatises
118 CHAPTER IY.
How little would the heart of John in Patmos
have responded to such thoughts as these! He
was set there, not to prophesy peace to the nations
not to bid them " God speed " in their evil course,
but to prophesy against them, to predict their im-
penitency and final doom : and his prophecy, be it
remembered, is not yet spent, for it is terminated
only by the Coming of the Lord in glory. If we
shrink from or scorn the Patmos-place of testimony ;
if we refuse to eat the bitter book of prophecy
" sweet in the mouth, but in the belly bitter " ; if we
on science, and its traces good feeling, amicable rivalry, and
social and universal advancement. Such great movements
have always been connected with the elevation and progress
of mankind. It was when the Medes and Parthians and
dwellers in Mesopotamia and I speak it with a deep sense
of the solemnity of that event were all assembled at Jeru-
salem, that the Holy Spirit came down, and made them the
ambassadors of God and the benefactors of mankind. It may
be, that during this great assembly of the nations of the
earth, of Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian, bond and
free, God may have in store unknown to us I pray that it
may be so social blessings that the world shall not be able
to exhaust. It may be a new era. At all events, we may
feel persuaded that multitudes will witness here what they
never dreamt of. Muftis and Sultans may return to Con-
stantinople, to make known what Christianity has done for
it alone has done it for this great land of ours. Yes ; despots
and tyrants from afar may go home to their capitals, never
to forget the impression of liberty without license, loyalty
in the subject without despotism in the ruler, the omnipo-
tence of law, the majestic might of order, of harmony, and of
peace." Dr. Gumming 's God in Science, p. 42.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHAR1AH V. 119
will not maintain the truth of the words that he
prophesied " against (eiri) many peoples, and nations,
and tongues, and kings," we forfeit the place of
honour which G-od's mercy assigns us in the great
battle-field of Truth, and shall probably be permitted
so to mistake His foes for His friends, that our ener-
gies will be spent in cheering on His adversaries in
their last assaults on all that He counts precious in
the earth.
It is marvellous how readily mercies and words of
mercy are, in the thoughts of men, separated from
Him, through whom and by whom these mercies
come. Men, for example, like to be reminded of the
words, " Glory to God in the highest, on earth
peace, good will towards men : " * and some have
* The words which the angels really sang were, " Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth the peace of complacency
(or well-pleasedness) in the midst of men " ev avdpuiroif.
As commonly understood, these words are regarded as ex-
pressing nothing more than God's kindness and beneficence
towards all His creatures. "We have indeed to thank and
praise Him, for that benificence. Truly He is good to all
and His tender mercies are over all His works. He hath " so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eter-
nal life." But the words which the angels sang express some-
thing different from this. They speak of something being
found in the midst of men, in which God could rest in satis-
fied complacent peace. In the midst of the darkness of earth
One stood, around whom a circle of heavenly light was drawn.
Of Him God could say, " This is My beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased " (cvSo/oycra). " The peace of well-pleased-
ness " (fiprjvij cvdoKta?) was in the midst of men, because Jesus
120 CHAPTER IV.
proposed that they should be multiplied in ten thou-
sand various forms of inscription in every known
language of the earth, and placed on all the arches
of that vast edifice, which is now being builded as
the Tabernacle the Congregation-place of all na-
tions. Men love to hear these words, but do they
remember the earth's present relation to Him over
whom those words were sung ? Have the nations
repented of their rejection of Him of their perse-
cution and corruption of His truth ? Have they fled
to Him and to His blood for refuge ? Have they
confessed His name, and gathered round the banner
of His Truth? Has the Jew done this, or the
Mahomedan, or the Romanist, or the Heathen, or
the Infidel ? Has England remembered Him, owned
His servants, favoured His truth, or . is she ready to
barter it all away to sell it for influence and for
gain ? Perhaps the words which the angels sang
may be sung again : perhaps they may again herald
Christ's return unto this earth; for when God
" again bringeth the First begotten into the world,"
He will say, "Let all the angels of God worship
Him." Would the nations welcome these words so
employed, or would they be as words of thunder in
was in the midst of men. A circle of acceptance, and peace,
and love, was drawn around Him ; and all who by faith were
brought within that circle, were received within that circle,
and were rested in with " the peace of well-pleasedness." The
being objects of this complacency is something very different
from being the objects of kindness and beneficence merely,
and is the portion of believers only.
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 121
their ears, awakening the wail of everlasting an-
guish ?
We have indeed reason to thank God as we
remember these things, that He is pleased still to
continue in the earth the message of His GRACE.
Whilst His Holy word exposes and denounces the
path which the nations tread, it speaks also of a
refuge : it proclaims a fountain opened for sin and
for uncleanness in the blood of the Lamb. There
God receives the humbled sinner, receives him in
his guiltiness, asks from him no character, (for he
has none to bring), justifies him freely, imputes to
him righteousness without works, accepts him ir
the Beloved. Have we not then reason, whilst we
consider the abounding evil, to thank Him that the
master of the house has not yet risen up and shut to
the door? although the hour now draweth near,
when it will be finally said, " He that is unrighteous
let him be unrighteous still."
The last book of Scripture, which more than any
other is concerned with the closing scene of the
world's evil, and which chiefly sets God's holiness
in contrast therewith, does not conclude without the
fullest and most explicit testimony to the freeness
of GKACE. The Spirit and the Bride names
whose holiness stands in living contrast with the
earth's abominations the Spirit and the Bride, holy
though they be, nevertheless say, " Come. And let
him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely." Blessed words of grace,
122 CHAPTER IV.
when we think of that coming Day of visita-
tion !
Not one, be it remembered, of the Old Testament
prophecies which speak of the coming of the Day
of the Lord is as yet fulfilled. " The Day of the
Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud
and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up ; and
he shall be brought low : and upon all the cedars of
Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all
the oaks of Bashan .... and upon all the
ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and
the haughtiness of man shall be made low : and the
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and
into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and
for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to
shake terribly the earth." (Is. ii.) Chapter after
chapter in the Old Testament speaks in language
similar to this ; and when we turn to the New
Testament, the closing book of prophecy there de-
scribes the last great City of human greatness that
City which is especially to evidence what modern
Civilisation and Commerce are able to effect. We
read of "the merchandise of gold and silver, and
precious stones, of pearls and fine linen, and purple
and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all
manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of
most precious wood, and of brass and iron and
marble " in a word, all that modern art and science
are able to effect in developing the resources of the
THE EPHAH OF ZECHARIAH V. 123
earth, and making them available for the purposes of
man, will be developed in that great City. lt Her
merchants " are to be " the great men of the earth,
waxing rich through the abundance of her delica-
cies." But what is to be the end of these things ?
Is this the City of which it shall be said, " Arise,
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee " f Is this the City that
" shall call her walls Salvation and her gates
Praise " ? or is the word of the Lord against her,
saying, that she shall be " the habitation of devils,
and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird : " and that they who re-
joice in her are to wail the wail of everlasting an-
guish, when the Alleluiahs of Heaven are sung over
her destruction ? " The sovereignty of the world "
will then, at last, " become the sovereignty of our
Lord and His Christ/' and "He shall reign in
Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his an-
cients gloriously." " Therefore wait ye upon me,
saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the
prey : for my determination is to gather the nations,
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger :
for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of
my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a
pure language, that they may all call upon the name
of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." Civi-
lisation will cease then to be the servant of pride,
and shall no longer ripen the nations for destruction.
It is true, few, very few, believe these things.
124 CHAPTER IV.
Even Christians are falsely prophesying peace, and
encouraging the nations in their prosperous course
of ruin. Man's expectations are found increasingly
at variance with the predictions of God. But which
shall we follow the words of men, or the testi-
monies of the living God ?
125
CHAPTER V.
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII.
IN the second chapter of Daniel, we find the history
of the four successive Gentile Empires, with respect
to the character of their power. But their personal
history, if I may use the expression, is not there given.
We are taught that they are endowed with power
which progressively sinks in excellency, until at last
it becomes adulterated even by the consent of the
rulers themselves : but the character of the Empires
and how they use their power, and why so destructive
a blow falls upon the image at the close, we are not,
in the second chapter, told. Instruction respecting
this is reserved for the chapter we are now about to
consider.
The vision of the image was sent, not to Daniel,
but to Nebuchadnezzar. Whenever great and im-
portant endowments are received, a corresponding
responsibility is contracted ; and it is not likely that
One who is merciful and gracious, would leave men
uninformed as to the position in which they are set,
or uninstructed as to their responsibility. The
visions, therefore, of the image and of the tree (both
of which refer to the greatness and responsibility of
the position occupied) were given to the ruler. But
126 CHAPTER V.
in the seventh chapter, the ordinary method of in-
struction is resumed, and the vision is sent, not to
the king, but to God's servant ; for none but His
servants really value and use His instructions, espe-
cially such instructions as this chapter gives. No
eye except the eye of faith an eye that has learned
to behold the things of earth in the light of God, is
likely to understand why fierce and devouring
" beasts " should be the symbol chosen to represent
Empires, so glorious in the world's eyes, so distin-
guished by every thing that this world counts
precious. It is to faith, therefore, that the vision
of the beasts is given.
The symbols chosen by God to represent the four
successive Empires of the Gentiles, are a lion, a bear,
a leopard, and a nameless ten-horned monster.
There were specific differences in these symbols.
The lion was different from the bear, and yet more
different from the fourth shapeless monster. But
there was this common likeness among them, that
they were all fierce and evil beasts, having a com-
mon birth-place in the midst of convulsion and strife,
symbolized in the vision by waters of the deep, on
which the four winds of heaven together strove.
" Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night,
and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon
THE GREAT SEA. And four great beasts came up
from the sea, diverse one from another." (Dan.
vii. 2, 3.)
There is a time coming of which God hath said,
" I will be as the dew unto Israel : he shall grow as
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 127
the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His
branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the
olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that
dwell under his shadow shall return ; they shall
revive as the corn, and grow as the vine : the scent
thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." (Hosea xiv.
5 7.) Such are the blessed and peaceful agencies
under which Israel and the nations by and by shall
find the birth-place and the home of their holy pros-
perity and glory. They shall be " as a field which
the Lord God hath blessed." How different a pic-
ture from that of the waters of the unquiet deep,
which under no circumstances rest ; but which in
this vision are seen as the scene of conflict between
the four winds of heaven.
There appears, however, to be something more
specific than this. It was not the sea generally, but
one particular sea, THE GREAT SEA, that was chosen
as the symbol. "The great sea " is, in Scripture,
the name of that which we now call the Mediterra-
nean.* That was the sea on which the four winds
of heaven were seen to strive. That sea has ever
been the peculiar sphere of the world's energies. In
earliest ages it was the highway of nations the
* Thus, when the boundaries of Israel are appointed in
Numbers xxxiv. 6. "For the western border ye shall even
have the Great Sea for a border. And this shall be your north
border ; from the Great Sea ye shall point out for you Mount
Hor." " The Great Sea/' says Dr. Tregelles, " is always used
in every other passage of Scripture in which the phrase oc-
curs, as meaning distinctively the Mediterranean Sea." Tre-
gelles on Daniel, p. 21.
128 CHAPTER V.
pathway of their intercourse, whether for commerce,
friendship, or war.
" Thy shores were Empires,
Changed in all save thee."
Chaldsea did not assume her place as the first of
the four ruling Empires, until her conquest of Jeru-
salem, Tyre, and Egypt, had made her mistress of
the Mediterranean Sea. Persia did not assume her
place as the second Empire until the subjection of
Asia Minor, and of the Greek cities there, together
with the acquisition of that which had belonged to
Chaldaea before, had given her possession of all the
Asiatic coasts of the Mediterranean. The Mediter-
ranean was the home of the Greek and Roman
Empires. The Roman Empire viewed on the map,
forms the coast of the Mediterranean ; enclosing it
on every side. The present importance of that sea
is great ; but it is little in comparison of that which
it will be when the nations of the Roman Empire
shall have regained their vigour, and when the
return of Israel and other agencies shall have re-
awakened the energies of the East.
The Chaldaean was the first of these Empires. Its
symbol is a lion. " The first was like a lion, and
had eagle's wings. I beheld till the wings thereof
were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth,
and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's
heart was given to it." (Dan. vii. 4.) We might
expect a lion to be chosen as the symbol of this first
Empire, because there was attached to it a dignity
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 129
and a majesty never attained by the Empires that
succeeded. They were more warlike, and their
dominions more extended; but they had not the
same dignity of power. Indeed, in this, the fourth
Empire was peculiarly deficient ; and accordingly
the fourth beast, though it had great iron teeth, and
nails of brass, stands in marked contrast with the
majesty of the winged lion. The lion had eagle's
wings. The eagle is the monarch of birds. The
wings denote, no doubt, the energy and rapidity of
this first Empire's movements in extending its con-
quests, and diffusing its power. Energy and ra-
pidity were markedly the characteristics of the
Empire of Nebuchadnezzar. The whole duration of
the Empire of Babylon was only from B.C. 604 to
B.C. 538 that is, 66 years and out of this Nebu-
chadnezzar reigned from 604 to 561 that is, 43
years. In the early part of his reign he made Baby-
lon what it was the marvel of subsequent ages.
" Is not this great Babylon that I have built ? " His
power over Assyria was established by the ruin of
Nineveh, the previous metropolis of Assyria, and he
conquered also Syria, Tyre, and Egypt, thus making
himself the master of ( H Oucovpevr), the civilised
world.* All this was rapidly effected ; and then the
* He was titularly the monarch of Spain, in consequence,
no doubt, of his having succeeded into the place occupied by
Tyre, which had extensively colonised that country. Indeed,
the Colonies of Tyre had even at that early period marked
out the extent of the Roman World. They had settlements
at Marseilles aiid in Cornwall.
K
130 CHAPTER V.
conquests of Babylon ceased. "The wings were
plucked." It ceased from conquering, and addicted
itself to the humanising pursuits of peace. The
rude and savage power of the Medes had, in con-
junction with the father of Nebuchadnezzar, utterly
destroyed Nineveh, which till then had been the
centre of Eastern civilisation. But it found a new
home under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon ; and even
the science and civilisation of modern Europe look
back to Chaldsea as the nursery, if not the birthplace
of the arts which have since humanised the nations.
This, I suppose, is the reason why the characteristics
of " man " are so remarkably connected with the
Chaldaean Beast. " It was lifted up from the earth ;"
that is, it became erect, and was " made stand upon
the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it/'
It had the attitude and reflectiveness of man ; yet
with all its intelligence, it ceased not to be a beast
in the estimate of heaven. It never glorified God.
Meekness and gentleness it knew not. When
weighed in the balances it was found wanting. Bel-
shazzar, only twenty-three years after the death of
Nebuchadnezzar, saw on the night of his wicked
revelry, the handwriting on the wall announcing
that the sovereignty was taken from him and given
to the Medes and Persians. " In that night was
Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldaeans, slain. And
Darius, the Median, took the kingdom." (Dan. v. 30.)
The Medes were a people who for some centuries
previous to Nebuchadnezzar had ruled over the wild
hordes which lay east of the Tigris, and extended
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 131
indefinitely towards the central parts of Asia. They
had originally been subject to the Assyrian monarchs
of Nineveh, but revolted from them about the year
B.C. 71 7.* For some time they remained in a wan-
dering, nomad condition, without a king ; but about
the year B.C. 710, Deioces 'obtained the sovereign
power, and founded the Median monarchy. From
this time to that of Cyrus, in B.C. 560 (that is, for
150 years), their annals, private and public, were
peculiarly marked by bloodshed and savage cruelty.
During this period they were for twenty- eight years
* This century, the eighth century before the Christian
era, was a very remarkable period in the history of the world.
In this century the kings of Assyria carried the ten tribes of
Israel into captivity. This event was the forerunner to the
overthrow of Jerusalem, and the commencement of the times
of the Gentiles. Accordingly, in this century all those ar-
rangements among the nations which have since given a
character to the whole period of Gentile pre-eminence com-
menced.
In B.C. 761, Menahem began to reign over Israel. In his
reign, Pul, the king of Assyria, first attacked Israel.
In B.C. 722, the kingdom of Israel was finally destroyed by
Shalmaueser, King of Assyria.
In B.C. 710, the kingdom of Media was founded by Deioces.
In B.C. 729, the kingdom of Macedon was founded, accord-
ing to Herodotus, by Perdiccas.
In B.C. 754, Rome was founded.
Thus in the same century preparations wore made for the
rise of the four successive Empires, for Babylon inherited the
power of Assyria, and became its chief city. The migrations
also of the Cymmerians and Scythians, on which all the ar-
rangements of modern Europe are founded, commenced in
this century. See Turner's History of Anglo-Saxons.
132 CHAPTER V.
subjugated by the Scythians, whom at last they
treacherously massacred at a feast. The reign of
Astyages, the grandfather of Cyrus, was marked by
almost unheard of cruelty. Two years before the
accession of Astyages, viz., 597, they united with
Nabopulassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, go-
vernor of Babylon, in destroying Nineveh. But
they did not then succeed to the Assyrian name and
power. Although Babylon was at that time com-
paratively an insignificant place, and the father of
Nebuchadnezzar had been but a dependent governor,
yet it pleased God to repress Media, and to give
to Babylon and to Nebuchadnezzar, not only the
headship of Assyria, which Nineveh had previously
held, but to make them supreme in the earth. Hence
the emphasis of the words addressed to Nebuchad-
nezzar, " Thou, King, art a king of kings ; for
the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory. . . . Thou art this
head of gold."
The reigns of Nebuchadnezzar at Babylon and of
Astyages, the grandfather of Cyrus, commenced
nearly at the same time. During the reign of
Astyages the foundations of Persian supremacy over
Media were being laid, until at last Cyrus, who had
been cruelly treated by his grandfather, headed a
rebellion of the Persians against the Medes, and,
succeeding in his attempt, established the Medo-
Persian dynasty. The Medes, wearied by the
tyranny of Astyages, were not displeased at his suc-
cess, and a united kingdom was formed, named
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 133
Medo-Persian, in commemoration of the union. The
Bear, which symbolised them, raised itself up, not
for a twofold dominion, but for " one dominion."
(See note on page 73.)
I have detailed this early history of the Medes
(more minutely perhaps, than is needful) because the
more accurately we are acquainted with their his-
tory, the more we discern the marked intervention
of God in giving to Nebuchadnezzar and to Babylon
precedence over a nation so much older than them-
selves ; and the better we appreciate the fitness of
" the Bear " to denote this empire when it arose
under Cyrus, and was commissioned " to devour
much flesh." It had already made three empires its
prey (viz., Nineveh, the Empire of Croesus, and
Babylon) when it succeeded to the supremacy of
which Babylon had been deprived. On this account
it is represented on its first appearance as having
between its teeth three ribs, the flesh of which had
apparently been just devoured. The conquest of
Egypt, Libya, the Archipelago, Macedonia, and
Thrace, as well as of other vast districts in the East,
prove how truly it afterwards performed its commis-
sion to " devour much flesh/'
The empire that succeeded the Medo-Persian was
that of Greece. It was symbolised by a winged
Leopard. The rapidity and extent of the conquests
of Alexander exceeded anything that the world had
ever before seen. Not only did he subject Asia
Minor, Tyre, Egypt, and possess himself of all that
had belonged to the Medo-Persian Empire as far as
134 CHAPTER V.
the Jaxartes,* which was its north-western limit, but
he advanced his conquests across the Indus, into that
very district which England is now subduing. This
was accomplished in about ten years. But although
Greece was thus warlike under its first great king,
yet it was even more distinguished by its refinement
and taste. The Leopard was its symbol a fierce and
subtle beast, but elegant and beautiful. Its heads
were four ; for Alexander's four victorious generals
divided his dominions. For some time these king-
doms, especially Syria and Egypt, maintained them-
selves in considerable power; but they were all
successively assailed and subdued by the Romans.
The last representative of the Empire of Alexander
was Cleopatra of Egypt, and when she was con-
quered at Actiumf by Augustus Caesar, the Roman
Empire assumed its position as the fourth and last
of the universal empires.
How truly that empire has answered to the sym-
bol of a Beast, " dreadful and terrible, and strong
exceedingly/' I need not say. Its conquests have
been detailed in the previous chapters. Its rela-
tion to God has been, that it has crucified His Son ;
persecuted, and then perverted His truth; and it
has utterly crushed Jerusalem. But its course is
not yet terminated. The Ancient of Days has not
yet sat in judgment on its blasphemies, nor has the
Son of Man been invested with the sovereignty
which he is to exercise in the earth. These events
* Modern Sir or Sihon, in Turkestan,
t Fought September 2nd, B.C. 31.
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 135
must precede the hour when the body of this Beast is
to be "given to the burning flame." But these are
subjects which I reserve for another chapter.
The closing hour of this dispensation is, of course,
materially influenced by the character of the Empires
that have already been, and therefore their history
is not passed by in silence ; but the main burden of
this prophecy is obviously directed to a time yet
future "the time of the end/' The blasphemies
of the Little Horn, and the consequent Session of
the Ancient of Days in judgment, are the great
theme of this vision.
As regards the futurity of this Little Horn, I may
be allowed to refer to what I have elsewhere
written.* Unless it can be shown that ten king-
doms are at this present moment existing in the
Roman Earth, and that the power of these ten
kingdoms is at this moment vested in one mighty
hand, and that all that is written in the thirteenth
chapter of Revelation respecting the Image, its
worship, and its decree (for the decree is spoken of
as emanating from the Image, see Rev. xiii.), are
at this moment being fulfilled, and that all the saints
of Grod throughout all the Roman World are at
this moment suffering persecution unto death, unless
these things, and many other like things can be
affirmed to be present subsisting facts, it follows that
the rise of this last great Monarch of the Gentiles is
yet to come. If these things be not present, they must
* See First Series of " Aids to Prophetic Enquiry," chap,
vi. ; also tracts entitled, "Antichrist Future ;" and"], 260
Days of Antichrist's Eeign Future."
136 CHAPTER V.
be future, for they cannot have existed and have pass-
ed away, because it is expressly said in this chapter
that they are terminated by the Session of the Ancient
of Days, when " the time comes for the saints to
possess the Kingdom." (See verse 22.)
The special subject of this chapter should also be
observed. It is the history of those who hold, under
delegation from God, the secular power of earth
until the Lord comes. It is the history of Kings
not of priests. The power committed to the Gentile
Empires was not ecclesiastical power : that God never
delegated to the rulers of earth. But secular power
has been delegated ; and this vision tells us that all
the secular power of the Roman Earth will be con-
centrated at last in the hands of one great Blas-
phemer. Since Home fell, has any individual, or
any system, ever possessed such universal power ?
Division of power, not its concentration, has marked
the history of the Roman Empire ever since it began
to crumble. The predicted period, therefore, of final
concentration must be future.
"When we remember the fearfulness of that closing
hour of evil, we might expect that the mercy of God
would shorten it. Accordingly, it will be limited
to three years and a half. This is expressly revealed
in the 24th and 25th verses. " The ten horns out of this
kingdom are ten kings that shall arise ; and another
shall arise after them ; and he shall be diverse from
the first, and he shall subdue three Kings. And he
shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the High Places, and
ON THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL VII. 137
think to change times and laws : and they shall be
given into his hand until a time and times, and the
dividing of time."*
As the succeeding chapters will necessarily lead
us to recur to this subject, I avoid enlarging on it
here. I would only further observe that it is a
solemn thing, at this present crisis in the world's
history, to persist in concealing what Scripture has
revealed respecting the closing history of secular
power in the kingdoms of the Roman earth. Secu-
lar power is to control the systems of the Eoman
earth ; and when we speak of those systems we vir-
tually speak of everything that has influenced, or
will influence, man as man. It is an influence which
acts alike on the Mahomedan and on the Jew ; on
the Greek and on the Western Roman; on the
nominal Christian and on the infidel. To teach that
the potency of this evil is confined within the limits
of any one particular system ; to lead men to sup-
pose that they have escaped the danger if they hap-
pen to be disconnected from a particular form of
ecclesiastical corruption, is effectually to co-operate
with that great Deceiver who anxiously desires to
divert attention from the new and wider paths of
evil that he is now engaged in opening. It is the
SECULAR power that will lead and head the evil,
although the false ecclesiastical will follow in its train.
And as it is the SECULAR power of earth which is
spoken of in this chapter as about to become apostate t
so it is the SECULAR power which is spoken of as
* See notes appended to this chapter.
138
CHAPTER V.
recovered. It is taken from those to whom it had
been so long delegated, and is not given to " another
[earthly] people " (pJlK DJJ 1 ? Dan. ii. 44), but to
the Son of Man, and to the saints of the High
Places. Their designation saints of the High
Places, sufficiently indicates that the home of the
kingdom, and the dwelling-place of those who hold
it, will be above the skies, although the sphere of
its exercise will be below : or as it is said in the
27th verse, " UNDER the whole heaven/' The kingly
power and the priesthood shall be united then in
" the Prince of Peace." " Of the increase of His
government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order
it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth, even for ever. The zeal of the
Lord of Hosts will perform this/' (Isa. ix. 7.)
139
NOTES ON DANIEL VII.
/ beheld till the thrones were cast down, &c. More
properly, " till the thrones were set." So rendered
by the Septuagint, Theodoret, and Vulgate, ereOrja-av
and " positi sunt." Gesenius renders it " to put, to
place, as for example, seats"
The scene is judicial, not regal. No crowns were
seen in the vision. The snowy whiteness of the
garment of the ancient of days, and the hair of his
head being as the pure wool, indicate his fitness for
the office of a judge : the qualifications being purity,
and the wisdom and calmness which age gives.
"Fire " is the emblem of the Divine holiness; here
brought into opposition to the condition of the
nations under Antichrist.
"Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an
oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wick-
edly shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch/'
" Wheels," as in the vision of the cherubim (Ezek. i.),
denote the resistless course of the Almighty power
of God, which was now again about to be manifested
in the earth. The " saints " were about to be invested
with this character of power, and then would answer
140 NOTES ON DANIEL VII.
to the symbol of the cherubim, guiding the symbolic
wheels, as seen in Ezekiel. (See " Thoughts on the
Apocalypse" chapters iv. and v.)
These thrones of judgment are not to be set for
passing sentence on the dead, nor on Christendom,
nor on the heathen nations. They were set in order
that inquisition might be held, and sentence passed
on the kingdoms represented by the ten-horned
beast, that is, the Roman Empire finally divided into
ten kingdoms. The eleventh verse shows very re-
markably how entirely the whole body of the Roman
Empire will be involved in the blasphemies of Anti-
christ ; for it is said, that " the beast was slain, and
his body destroyed and given to the burning flame,"
" because of the voice of the great words which the horn
spake" " The infliction of this judgment on the ten
kingdoms and their head, is frequently described in
Scripture. See conclusion of Rev. xix. and Joel iii.
The judgment is inflicted by the hand of Christ.
"Wrath and desolation, such as the world has never
yet beheld, will fall on all the ten kingdoms, and
especially on the flower of their strength that will
have been gathered under Antichrist at Armageddon.
In this respect the end of the fourth Empire will
stand in very marked contrast with the end of the
Empires that have preceded it. They had " their
dominion taken away," and fell into a subordinate
place, but they were not visited by any utterly de-
structive judgment. Their " lives were prolonged "
for an indefinite period, and the great means of their
extinction at last was, not sudden destructive judg-
NOTES ON DANIEL VII. 141
ment from God, but gradual decay or absorption into
the Empires that respectively followed them.
It is the habit of Scripture, after carrying us by
its instruction to a certain point, to retrace, and
adding fresh instruction, to bring us to the same
point again. Thus the first chapter of Genesis
brings us to the conclusion of creation ; the second
retraces, and after describing the mode of Eve's cre-
ation, brings us to the same period again. So also
in this chapter ; the destruction of the fourth Em-
pire is mentioned in the eleventh verse, and there
the narrative 'pauses. The next verse retraces and
adds an additional circumstance, viz., the investiture
of the Lord Jesus with the sovereignty of earth.
This investiture takes place before the judgment is
inflicted on the fourth Empire, although, in the
order of narration, it is mentioned after. The order
of the events here noticed is this :
I. The session of the ancient of days.
II. The examination into the condition of the ten
kingdoms, for it is said, " the books were opened."
III. Investiture of the Son of Man with the power
of earth.
IV. Destruction of the fourth Empire and its
kings.
"We know that this is the order of these events,
because we are expressly told in the 19th of Revela-
tion, that the Lord Jesus comes forth crowned as
" King of Kings, and Lord of Lords/' and afterwards
destroys Antichrist, and the kings who are gathered
with him. Antichrist, it should be observed, is
142 NOTES ON DANIEL VII.
represented as wearing ten diadems, but the Lord
Jesus as having many diadems, for the sovereignty
of all nations will be given unto Him. " ALL kings
shall fall down before Him ; ALL nations shall serve
Him."
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings ;
they will arise from the earth. But the saints of the
High Places shall take the kingdom. The object of
this passage is to contrast the four Empires which
have their origin from earth, with the saints of the
High Places, whose power is from above.
Some have found a difficulty in this passage
because it speaks of all the four Empires as future,
whereas one had already arisen. But the reason
obviously is, because the four Empires are looked
upon conjointly, and have their sovereignty as a
whole contrasted with the sovereignty of the saints
which is to follow.
The future tense is constantly used in Hebrew to
denote an action which has commenced, but is still
in process of accomplishment. The use of the form
successive Gentile Empires, though it had com-
menced, was still unaccomplished when Daniel saw
this vision. In the Greek Testament, this Hebraistic
use of the future to denote a progressing but unac-
complished course of action, is frequent. See, for ex-
ample, that notable instance, " On this rock I will
build (I will go on building) my Church." The build-
ing had commenced, but it was not completed.
It should be observed, that "kings and king-
doms " are used in an interchangeable sense in this
NOTES ON DANTEL VII. 143
vision. Thus it is said, " four kings that shall arise ;"
and " the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom/'
The Empires, however, were not considered as
formed until they were brought under their respec-
tive heads, viz., Chaldsea under Nebuchadnezzar ;
Persia under Cyrus ; Greece under Alexander ; and
Rome under Augustus Caesar. We may therefore
expect that the Ten Kingdoms will not have an
existence that Scripture recognises, until they have
their respective heads.
The expression " saints of the High Places/' is
used four times in this chapter.
In verse 18, " The saints of the High Places shall
take the kingdom."
In verse 22, " Judgment was given [to the saints
of the High Places."
In verse 25, " And he shall speak great words
against the MOST HIGH, and shall wear out the saints
of the High Places."
In verse 27, " The people of the saints of the
High Places."
This last expression I understand to mean, that
the sovereignty is to be given to a people composed
of the saints of the High Places. They are regarded
as " a people," although a heavenly people, having a
heavenly city. This agrees with the second of
Daniel, where we are told " that the kingdom shall
not be again given to another people " that is, to
another earthly people.
We learn from other parts of Scripture, that
during the millennium heavenly glory (which will
44 NOTES ON DANIEL VII.
have its home and place of perfect development only in
the heavenly city and in the heaven of heavens) will
be manifested partially on Mount Zion, as it was for
a season on Sinai of old. Thus there will be three
distinct spheres in which heavenly glory will be dis-
played, viz., Mount Zion, the Heavenly City, and
the Heaven of Heavens. They who shall rise in the
first resurrection, constituting " the Church of the
first-born ones," will have as their own proper place
of existence and action, these three spheres of glory,
and therefore will be distinctively known by Israel
on the earth as " saints of the High Places." This
expression includes the places of heavenly glory that
are to be manifested below the heavens (on Mount
Zion, for example), as well as those which are to be
above the heavens. " High Places " is, therefore, an
expression of wider scope than that of " heavenly
places ;" the latter applying only to that which is
to be above the heavens. In other respects they may
be considered identical with each other, and with the
title " host of the heavens " prospectively given to the
saints in the eighth chapter. J
Time, times, and the dividing of time. This period is
elsewhere expressed by 42 months, and by 1,260 days
thirty days being reckoned to the month. (See
Rev. xi. and xii.)
" Time " is not a word of ambiguous meaning. It
had before been used in Daniel to denote a year,
when it is said, that " seven times " should pass over
Nebuchadnezzar whilst he remained in his state of
madness. No one in this case, pretends that a day
NOTES ON DANIEL VII. 145
is to be understood as meaning a year, for then
Nebuchadnezzar's madness must last 2,520 years,
and consequently must be continuing still. There-
fore, what " time " means when it is used to denote
a period avowedly definite in the fifth chapter, that
it must be supposed to mean in a passage equally
definite in the seventh chapter. In Leviticus the
corresponding Hebrew word is used to denote the
interval between one set feast and another that is,
one year.
" This period," that is time, times, &c., says Dr.
Tregelles, " has been commonly taken (and I have no
doubt rightly so) as signifying three years and a
half. Now we know that it must mean a period
exactly defined, and not about such or such a time ;
for had it been merely an indefinite statement, the
mention of { half a time ' would be useless. It is im-
possible to be definite and indefinite at one and the
same time. The word rendered * time ' is that which
denotes either a stated period, or else a set feast, or
else an idea blended as it were of the two ; namely,
the interval from one of the great set feasts to its
recurrence i.e., a year. Thus, then, we find a time,
i.e., a year ; times (the smallest plural, as the state-
ment is definite) two years ; and half a year ; that
is, three years and a half." Tregelles on Daniel.
The early Christian writers uniformly gave the
same interpretation. Thus Cyril of Jerusalem.
"Antichrist will reign three and a half years only.
We say this, not on the authority of apocryphal
books, but of Daniel, for he says, 'and it shall be given
L
146 NOTES ON DANIEL VII.
up to him until a time, times/ &c. Now a time is one
year." Cyril, Catech. xv.
So also Jerome, in his Commentary on Daniel : " a
time signifies a year;" times, "according to the
idiom of the Hebrews, who have themselves a dual
number, signify two years, but half a time signifies
six months."
So also Tlieodoret, commenting on this chapter of
Daniel, speaks of the period being three years and a
half, and observes that it is the time of tribulation
mentioned by our Lord in Matthew xxiv.; the same
likewise as is spoken of in 2 Thess. ii.
Mr. Grresswell most truly observes that the early
Christian writers were unanimous in believing " that
before the end of the world Antichrist must be ex-
pected to appear. It made no difference whether
they were advocates or opponents of the doctrine of
the millennium in particular; in the reception of
this opinion there was a perfect agreement among
all parties. The Fathers are likewise agreed in con-
sidering Antichrist himself to be a real person, and
no merely figurative or symbolical character."
Gresswell on Parables, vol. i., p. 369.
Even Mede allows that, until the twelfth century,
no one suspected that the Pope was THE Antichrist.
" All," he says, expected one who would last for
three years and six months" (triennalem et semes-
trem expectabant).
The strong temptation under which Christianity
now labours, is to conceal from itself the real cha-
racter and END of the secular power with which it
NOTES ON DANIEL VII. 147
has thought fit to connect itself. This is a sufficient
reason for its departure from the simple exposition
of such a prophecy as that we are considering, and a
reason why we should be watchful in receiving its
later interpretations.
148
CHAPTER VI.
THOUGHTS OX THE HISTORY OF PROFESSING
CHRISTIANITY, AS GIVEN IN THE PARABLES OF
MATTHEW XIII.
THE subject of the book of Daniel is the secular
history of the Gentile Empires in their relation to
Jerusalem, and not the history of Christianity. In
considering, therefore, the history of Christianity,
we deviate from the strict course of this prophecy.
But it is a deviation that may be permitted. Not
only is the subject in itself unspeakably important,
but it is closely connected also with all we have been
considering. The full character of evil that attaches
to the Roman Empire cannot be understood unless
its false relations to Christianity be in some degree
appreciated. Moreover, although the ripened evil
of Judaism, and of the nations governmentally, will
largely contribute towards the final development of
Antichristianism, yet it will be aided no less by an
apostasy from among professing Christians. Thus also
we answer an objection often urged, viz., that by
our interpreting the Old Testament prophecies so
exclusively of Israel and of the Gentiles, we leave
nothing in Scripture that bears directly on Chris-
tianity. We show that the Scripture does speak pro-
phetically of Christianity, and of its corruptions.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 149
There are many parts of the New Testament which
very distinctly supply the prophetic history of
Christianity during the present period the period,
not of its triumph, but of its weakness a period in
the commencement of which it met with hatred and
rejection, and then became itself the subject of cor-
ruption and decay.
It must not, however, be expected that the moral
history of Christianity can be given with the same
minuteness as the outward history of kingdoms. Its
prophetic history is mainly one of failure and of cor-
ruption; but the forms of its corruption are so
various, and so widely diffused (for nominal Christi-
anity has extended over nearly a third of the globe),
that if all the ways of its evil were detailed, who
would be able to read the books that should be
written? If some of these forms of evil were noticed,
and others passed by in silence, it would be pleaded
that those which were unnoticed must be exempted
from the condemnatory descriptions. The Scripture
avoids these difficulties by making its statements
general, and by dwelling not on the specific, but on
the generic features of corruption. Every form,
therefore, of evil that falls under these general de-
scriptions receives thereby its condemnation.
The germs of the corruptions of Christianity were
manifested before the Apostles died ; consequently,
every word written by the Apostles in condemnation
of these early manifestations, remains as a record
against them when they reach a more developed
form. Besides which, much of the Epistles are
150 CHAPTER VI.
prophetic, and professedly describe corruptions then
future. The Epistles, therefore, do by themselves
supply a large fund of prophetic instruction. But
the part of Scripture which most distinctly refers to
the corruptions of Christianity in its corporate form
is the Gospel of Matthew. The corporate testimony
that had been committed to Israel was succeeded by
another corporate testimony committed to the pro-
fessing Church. The setting aside of the one, and
the introduction of the other, is one of the especial
subjects of the Gospel of Matthew. It speaks of the
presentation of the Lord Jesus to Israel, and their
corporate rejection of Him both as teacher and King.
It records also His solemn rejection of them. It
then proceeds to speak of others who should succeed
into the place of corporate testimony, but intimates
that among them also false profession and corruption
would be found. This instruction is generally con-
veyed in prophetic parables, of which the marriage-
supper, the wise and foolish virgins, the servants
trading with the talents, the sheep and the goats,
are examples. All these parables refer to the pro-
fessing Church.
But the thirteenth chapter affords the most im-
portant example. The twelfth chapter records the
solemn denunciations of the Lord Jesus against the
wickedness of the Jewish teachers, and concludes
with the following description of the final condition
of unbelieving Israel. " When the unclean spirit is
gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places
seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 151
will return into my house whence I came out ; and
when he is come, he fiiideth it empty, swept, and
garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and
they enter in and dwell there : and the last state of
that man is worse than the first. EVEN THUS SHALL
IT BE ALSO UNTO THIS WICKED GENERATION."*
One part of this prediction is at this present mo-
ment being fulfilled. The Jews are not now in any
especial manner inhabited by the energy of evil.
They are much as other men ; indeed, not unfre-
quently their characters stand in favourable contrast
with those of professing Christians around them.
Idolatry, to which they were once peculiarly addicted,
seems extirpated from among them. There is much
natural kindness, much benevolence displayed by
many. One of the leading philanthropists of the
day, adored almost by his own nation, and extolled
both by Mahomedans and Christians, is a Jew. Thus
they are not only freed for a season from that ter-
rible power of evil which once carried them into vile
idolatries and other frantic excesses of evil, but they
possess much that is amiable and attractive much
that naturally adorns.f They are as a house swept
* The word "generation" is frequently applied to the
whole family of Israel. Thus, in the Song of Moses, which
includes their history for 4,000 years " And he said, I will
hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be :
for they are a very fro ward generation, children in whom is
no faith .... they are a nation void of counsel, neither is
there any understanding in them." Deut. xxxii. 20, 28.
t Their freedom from idolatry is boasted of by the Jews
152 CHAPTER VI.
and garnished, but empty. The truth and Spirit of
Christ are not there. It is a mansion unoccupied ;
open therefore to be entered, as it soon will be en-
tered, by that unclean spirit, which, after long wan-
dering up and down, and finding no other people so
suited for his designs, will, with seven other spirits
more wicked than himself, again make that people
his peculiar habitation. Then will be developed the
full iniquity of the closing hours of our dispen-
sation.
These words have almost entirely failed to arrest
the attention of real Christians. Many appear not
to know that the Lord has spoken them. Else they
could not as they do, " cleave to Israel with flat-
teries," and tell them that they are advancing into
their millennial rest, when in truth, they are fast
approaching the great hour of their anti- Christian
evil and final visitation from the hand of God.
The chapter, however, which thus records the
doom of unbelieving Israel, does not conclude with-
out referring to another family which the Lord Jesus
could, and did own as His, at the very moment when
themselves. Thus, in a letter published in the "Jewish
Chronicle," dated November, 1849, it is said : "The principal
and greatest sin our forefathers committed against God was
idolatry; the wrath of heaven was kindled against them, and
the first Temple was destroyed. . . . Again the Jews sinned,
and the second Temple fell in ruins before the Eomans' mer-
ciless torch ; the Israelites suffered the penalty of their
transgressions. But they are idolaters no longer. In this
wide world there is not a people or a class which is freer from
idolatry, bigotry, or immorality."
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 153
He was thus rejecting Israel. " He stretched forth
his hand toward his disciples, and said : Behold my
mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do
the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same
is my brother and sister, and mother." All, there-
fore, in whom the spiritual characteristics of Abra-
ham shall be found all who shall believe and obey,
shall be owned as the family of God, whilst Israel
nationally are rejected.
It were happy, indeed, if the Church had remained
what it once was, the obedient family of faith. In
that case, the parables of the thirteenth of Matthew
would never have been spoken. But seeing that it
was to be otherwise ; that the family of faith on
which, at first, grace rested so abundantly, was to be
invaded by false profession, and to become the seat
of worldliness and evil, instruction respecting these
things was needed ; and this instruction the para-
bles of the thirteenth of Matthew supply.
The object of our Lord in this chapter is, as He
Himself says, to teach us respecting the " mysteries
of the kingdom of Heaven," that we might be as
scribes well instructed, able to bring out of our trea-
sures things " new and old." The Old Testament had
revealed much respecting the establishment of
Christianity in the earth when the hour of Christ's
and of Israel's millennial glory shall have come;
but it had revealed nothing plainly respecting the
introduction of Christianity by the foolishness of
preaching, or respecting its subsequent corruptions.
These were the " new things," " the mysteries of the
154 CHAPTER VI.
kingdom ;" the knowledge of which is here added
by the Lord to the " old things " which the Prophets
had already declared. *
* " The kingdom of heaven " is to exist in the earth at two
very different periods. First, while the world remains under
the power of Satan, as it now is ; secondly, when it shall be
sustained by the manifested and glorious power of Christ
after Satan has been bound.
These are conditions circumstantially very different; but
the essential points of similarity are paramount to any of the
circumstantial differences ; and therefore those who profess
the name of Christ now, and those who will bear that name
in the millennium, are alike regarded as subjects of the same
kingdom. They have the same king ; the same legislator ;
the same spirit ; the same priest ; the same redemption.
They differ only circumstantially. The spiritual blessings of
those who belong to the family of faith now, and of those
who will belong to it in the millennial dispensation, are
essentially the same. They differ only in the mode and
degree of their development.
The kingdom of heaven is also called the kingdom of Christ,
because He is its Head. Thus Christendom i.e., Christ's
kingdom is an equivalent expression to " kingdom of
heaven " as used in this chapter of Matthew. The season of
His return, therefore, will neither be the period of its intro-
duction (for it has been already introduced}, neither will it be
that of its destruction. So far from destroying it, He says
that He " will gather out of it all things that offend ; " that is,
He will purify it ; and taking His saints who are in it into
the heavenly branch of the kingdom, He will at the same
time bring Israel and others converted in the earth, into its
earthly branch. Instead, therefore, of being destroyed, it will
be enlarged, part of its subjects glorified, and itself established
in undisputed supre'/nacy of glorious power.
The heaven of heavens, and all that existed previously to
the Adamic creation, is not included in that which is dis-
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 155
The first in this series of parables (seven in num-
ber) refers to the mode in which our dispensation
was introduced. "Behold a sower went forth to
sow/' The humble place of one going forth to sow,
was that which the Lord, in introducing it, consented
to fill. Nor was this all. The sowing for the most
part failed. There were four kinds of ground on
which the seed was scattered, but only one in which
it prospered. The agency by which the disciples
expected the " kingdom of Heaven," to be intro-
duced was glorious power, but instead of this it was
lowly testimony. The result was, not universality of
success ; it was almost universal failure. This first
parable, therefore, fixes a character upon the whole
period of which it commences the history ; for surely,
no dispensation, thus introduced, could be intended
to be otherwise than lowly, nor could it, universally
prosper. It could not be that dispensation in which
the Messiah of Israel, no longer seen as an humble
and despised sower, "shall stand and feed in the
strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of
the Lord his Grod." It could not be the same with
that period of which it is written, " that all kings
shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve
him .... and men shall be blessed in him, all
tinctively the kingdom of the Son ; and seeing that the saints
when changed are not to be restricted even to the heavenly
city, but are to be admitted also into the highest heavens, it
is said, " that they shall shine forth as the sun," not merely
in that which is distinctively the kingdom of the Son, but
also in the kingdom of His and " their Father."
156 CHAPTER VI.
nations shall call him blessed." Strange that the
saints of God should ever have confounded between
periods so dissimilar. It could only have been be-
cause our eye had ceased to be single ; because we
had sought to reign as kings when we should rather
have desired to be " as the offscouring of all things."
The first parable, then, teaches us, that even when
the Lord was Himself the minister, effectual hin-
drance to the progress of the Gospel was permitted.
But Satan was allowed to do more than this. Secretly,
he gained access to the good ground where the sowing
had prospered, and sprinkled evil seed over it. He
could not change the nature of the wheat. Wheat
must ever remain wheat : nor was he allowed to root
it up. But he could spoil the general aspect of the
field, and hinder the healthful, happy growth of
each individual blade, by planting strange plants
among them. And this he did. " Certain men crept
in unawares ;" and these were found, after a little,
" to be ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God,
and our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the instruction
of the second parable. It is the record of the second
great event that occurred in the dispensational his-
tory of Christianity.
The introduction of false professors greatly, of
course, affected the appearance which the Church pre-
sented to the world. A field intermingled with tares
cannot appear as one in which wheat only grows.
The loveliness of its aspect must be gone. Never-
theless, the corporate standing of the Churches was
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 157
not thereby forfeited. They were still regarded by
the Lord as worthy of being represented before Him
by their original and proper symbol " candlesticks
of gold." The steadfastness even of individual saints,
although endangered, was not necessarily destroyed
by the approximation of evil, however near. Neither
was the executive agency of the Churches necessarily
perverted ; and it is by the acts of its executive that
the character of every corporate body is determined.
Holy discipline might have been exercised. There
were still means whereby the evil might have been
met, so as for the claims of holiness to have been
answered, and the standing of the Churches pre-
served. Accordingly, the Epistle of Jude (which was
one of the last admonitions which the Spirit of God
addressed to the Churches) whilst it fully recognises
the introduction of these tares, does not speak as if
there were no hope. On the contrary, it exhorts
the faithful to strengthen themselves, to be mindful
of their own spiritual health, to build themselves up
in their most holy faith, that so, as in the natural
body, when the energies of remaining health are
strengthened, there might be power to conflict with
and throw off disease. If the spiritual had obeyed
this commandment, the others would either have
been put away, or have separated themselves and
gone away; or would in some manner have suc-
cumbed to the faithfulness and holy zeal of those who
feared God. But these last commandments were, as
others, not obeyed. The people of God did not
strengthen themselves. They did not set themselves
158 CHAPTER VI.
against these intruders. Instead of repressing, they
cherished them, so that the Apostles had scarcely
died, when false professors so increased in numbers
and in power, that the executive government of the
Churches fell almost entirely into their hands.*
This sealed the ruin of professing Christianitj^.
The doctrines of Christ, and the order of His Church,
were thus subjected to the will of evil and uncon-
verted men, whose object was, not to be the servants
of God, but to command influence, by pleasing men.
The truths of Christ were modified and altered, so as
to be moulded into adaptation to the minds and
tastes of the world.
There was no longer any simple testimony to the
fulness of God's grace in the blood of the Lamb.
The great truth that we are justified and saved
simply and only on the ground of the meritoriousness
* Although St. Paul so imperatively enforces the exercise
of church-discipline in 1 Cor. v., yet the parable of the tares
is often quoted as if it forbade discipline. All that the para-
ble forbids is such a mode of separating from the Church as
would be a putting out of the earth. It forbids that kind of
separation which it belongs only to the holy angels to efiect
when the Lord comes. It is not for us to take the sword of
destruction.
No doubt tares would have remained in the Churches even
if discipline had been faithfully exercised. But the Church
would not have been condemned for that, seeing that they
are only expected to deal with ostensible and proved contra-
riety to the doctrines and ways of Christ. But they have
sanctioned and retained proved evil that has not been re-
pented of; and it has ended in their not seeing evil, even
where it most palpably exists.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 159
of another being imputed to us was repudiated. The
believing people of God were not taught respecting
their union with the Lord Jesus in the heavens, nor
the sureness of their inheritance there, and there-
fore were not strengthened to rise above the attrac-
tiveness of circumstances below. Nor, indeed, did
many desire it. The path of the Lord Jesus in humi-
liation was no longer regarded as one desirable for
the Church to follow. They saw something more
attractive in nourishing as the green bay tree, than
in being as "a root out of a dry ground, having no
form or comeliness." It was found far more profit-
able to gratify men than to please God.
It was not wonderful, when the distinctive truths
of Christianity were thus either discarded or adul-
terated, that the heads of the Roman Empire should
no longer despise a system which they saw to be
possessed of moral influence, and therefore capable
of being advantageously used in the government of
men. Accordingly, in the fourth century, the Em-
pire of Home and the Church united. The Courts
of Caesar indeed, had not changed their character
or become like the little upper chamber in Jerusa^
lem, where the lowly Church, small as the " grain of
mustard seed, 7 ' first congregated. It was the Church,
not the world, that had changed. The so-called
servants of Christ had long forsaken that chamber,
and coveted the honour of kings' courts : and God
caused it to be given them. He gave Saul to Israel ;
and He gave a worse than Saul to that fallen body
that still arrogated to itself the name of Church.
160 CHAPTER VI.
It was no wonder that, under such circumstances,
the so-called Church should become great in the
earth so great, that the very emblem employed in
Scripture to denote the imperial greatness of the
Gentile kingdoms the emblem of a fair and wide-
spreading tree, should become applicable to her.
The greatness of Nebuchadnezzar and of the Gentile
Empires, of which he was the head, is represented
by a tree "which grew, and was strong, whose height
reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to
all the earth." Dan. iv. 20. The Church could now
be represented by a kindred symbol. Though little
as the " mustard seed " once, it had grown, and be-
come a tree, so as for " the birds of the air to lodge
in the branches thereof." *
But it may be asked, Why should not the " mus-
tard seed " grow ? Does it not in growing, merely
fulfil the law of its nature? "Why then may not
the Church, which like its Master is well suited to
rule, and to rule supremely, why should it not rise
into greatness here ? The answer is, Because of the
character of this present age. So long as it pleases
God to permit that Satan should continue the
"prince of this world;" "the ruler of the darkness
of this present age," so long must it be true that
* As soon as the Church became linked to the Roman
Empire, the glory of the nations being given to it, was mis-
taken for the glory of Christ's coming kingdom. The great
ecclesiastical structures of the Gentiles, in which idolatry or
worldliuess are hallowed, still bear the once despised names
of Peter and Paul.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 161
Christ's kingdom "is not from hence," and there-
fore abasement, not " the reigning as kings/' must
now he the characteristics of His servants on the
earth. It is a question of time. Accordingly, every
principle given to the Church in its present standing
below, must necessarily check its growth as to all
that could promote its exaltation in the earth. The
taking up our cross daily and so losing our lives
in this world, the spending and being spent for
others, the following Jesus of Nazareth, are prin-
ciples sufficient to deprive the Church, while it ad-
heres to them, of all governmental influence now.
Besides which, the active agency of Satan is against
those who really cleave to the Truth of Christ. No
wonder, therefore, that they should be blighted ; no
wonder that in their measure, they should be like
Him, who, although He was indeed a tender plant,
worthy of being cherished under every kindly influ-
ence, yet flourished not in the earth, but was " as
a root out of a dry ground." No plant that remains
in the spot where (rod's Truth would keep it, can
flourish here. The nourishment that God gives is
for the new creation heavenly, and not of earth.
If therefore it do flourish here, it can only be by
having been transplanted into other circumstances,
where " the prince of this world " can foster and
direct its growth, and use it when grown, for his
own purposes of evil.
That the Church in the fourth century did attain
to greatness in the earth, is a fact that cannot be
disputed. It is equally plain that that greatness
M
162 CHAPTER VI.
was neither held, nor exercised according to God.
Intoxicated by their exaltation, they began to speak
and to write as if the Millennium were already come;
and appropriated to themselves not only the national
blessings of Israel in the latter day, but even the
descriptions of the New Jerusalem.* As the in-
* When Heathenism had been cast down from its supre-
macy, and Christianity established in the Koman World, the
changes consequent were immense and universal. Now,
throughout its vast extent, the cross, once so despised, was
everywhere in honour, and the preserving and conquering
virtue celebrated that everywhere attended it. Now, the
righteousness of the slaughtered martyrs that had been
gathered under the altar was acknowledged in public edicts,
and the living confessors restored to their homes in triumph
from the mines and dungeons where they were suffering.
Now, instead of vaults and catacombs for the sacred assem-
blies of Christians, and other hiding places shut out from the
light of heaven, to which, like their earlier Christian brethren,
they had been reduced during the late persecution, there
arose in the cities and towns churches of magnificence, and
the ritual was celebrated with a pomp corresponding. Now,
instead of desertions and apostasies from the Christian body,
such as had been the case with not a few under the fiery
trial , the daily accessions to it were innumerable. Candidates
in throngs applied for baptism ; and at the Easter and Pen-
tecostal festivals, the newly-baptised Neophytes, in their
white vestments, grouped conspicuous around each Christian
sanctuary. Now, moreover, under Imperial auspices, the
Christian professing Church Catholic was gathered for the
first time in (Ecumenical Council. Representatives attended
from every province, and nation, and tongue in the vast
empire. The palace gates were thrown open to the holy
delegates. The emperor bowed in respectful deference be-
fore them. If in the use of his power he was to the Church
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 163
fluence of the Church, increased (and it increased
rapidly during the fourth and fifth centuries), so it
as a nursing father, his behaviour was respectful as that of
a SOD. Can we wonder then at the exultation that was felt
at this time by many, perhaps by most that bore the Chris-
tian name, or at their high-raised expectations as to the future
happy destiny of the Koman, now that it had been changed
into the Christian nation ? It seemed to them as if it had
become God's covenanted people, like Israel of old ; and the
expectation was not unnatural an expectation strengthened
by the remarkable tranquillity which, throughout the exten
of the now re-united empire, followed almost immediately on
Constantino's establishment of Christianity that not only
the temporal blessings of the ancient Jewish covenant would
henceforth in no small measure attach to them, but even
those prophesied of as appertaining to the latter day. Hence
on the medals of that era the emblems of the phoenix, all
radiant with the rising sunbeams, to represent the empire
as now risen into new life and hope, and its legend, which
spoke of the happy restoration of the times. Hence, in for-
getfulness of all former prognostications of Antichrist and
fearful coming evils, the reference by some of the most emi-
nent of their bishops to their latter-day blessedness, as even
then about fulfilling. The state of things was such, Eusebius
tells us, that it looked like the very image of the kingdom of
Christ. The city built by the emperor at Jerusalem, beside
the new and magnificent church of the Holy Sepulchre the
sacred capital, as it were, to the new empire might be per-
haps, he suggested, the new Jerusalem, the theme of so many
prophecies. Yet again, on occasion of the opening of the new *
church at Tyre, he expressed in the following glowing lan-
guage, not his own feelings only, but those, we may be sure,
of not a few of the congregated Christian ministers and
people who heard him : " What so many of the Lord's saints
and confessors before our time desired to see and saw not,
164 CHAPTER VI.
became more and more the corrupter of truth, until
in the seventh century the establishment of Popery
in the West, and similar corruptions in the East, set
Christianity in a position which the next parable
too truly delineates. It is likened unto leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of meal
till the ivhole was leavened.
It cannot be denied by any who take Holy Scrip-
ture as the test, that the doctrines and practices ol
the professing Church had, at the period of which
we speak, become like leaven, corrupt and corrupting.
She had indeed " meal" also. She had not renounced
all the good and wholesome truths of God. She
could boast of her creeds. Abstractedly she acknow-
ledged, and her lips recited many holy and precious
verities which were as meal wholesome and good
food : but she had leaven too, and this leaven she
infused into all her meal, until the whole became a
poisoned and corrupted mass. This she dispensed ;
this she dealt out to all who came to her for food.
There are countries, such as America and India,
which have received their influences from Christi-
and to hear and heard not, that behold now before our eyes !
It was of us the prophet spake when he told how the wilder-
ness and the solitary place should be glad, and the desert
rejoice and blossom as the lily. Whereas the church was
widowed and desolate, her children have now to exclaim to
her, ' Make room ! Enlarge thy borders ! The place is too
strait for us ! The promise is fulfilling to her, in right-
eousness shalt thou be established : all thy children shall be
taught of God : and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Elliott's Eorce Apocalypticce.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 165
anity since it occupied this exalted but evil place.
Have they been fed with fine wheat, or have they
eaten of this leavened meal ? Have the pure doc-
trines of Christ been disseminated there, or do
falsehood and idolatry and worldliness reign under
the shelter of that which professes to be the spouse of
Christ ? I speak not of what holy individuals may
have done. I speak of the corporate action of pro-
fessing Christianity on the wide world.
The parables of our Lord are addressed chiefly to
conscience. If our consciences are perverted we
shall either give no heed to the instruction, or else
mistake, and probably, reverse the meaning. For
example, he who conceives the honour and dignity
of this present age to be according to God, and
therefore well suited for His Church, will be sure to
find in the parable of the " mustard seed " an en-
couragement to aspire after worldly greatness. He
who admires the present condition and influence of
professing Christianity, will not be hindered by the
mere circumstance of leaven being uniformly used in
the Scripture as the type of evil, from interpreting
it as the symbol of the diffusiveness and diffusion of
good. Parables, if they do not enlighten, blind.*
* They who object to the interpretation that has been
given, would do well to consider whether they can suggest
any other. " The kingdom of heaven," in this series of pa-
rables, cannot be interpreted of the millennial kingdom, for
there Satan will not be present to steal away the seed, or to
sow tares ; nor can it refer to the elect of the present dis-
pensation only, for if they alone were indicated, then tares
could not be among them, nor bad fishes as well as good. For
166 CHAPTER VI.
At this point, the series of parables divides. Those
which we have been considering were spoken pub-
licly ; those which follow, to the disciples apart. In
the same reason it cannot refer to heaven. Neither can it
represent any inward condition of soul ; for neither the
parable of the Tares, nor of the Fishes, can have any accom-
plishment in a believer's soul. The expression, therefore, as
used in this chapter, can refer to one thing only, that is, the
Professing Church.
As regards the parable of the Woman spreading Leaven, we
cannot suppose that there is inconsistency in the manner in
which Scripture employs its emblems. In every other place
throughout the Bible, leaven, whenever mentioned, is always
used to indicate corruption. It would be strange, therefore,
if in this passage it should represent the diffusive power of
good. Moreover, it is not true that Christ's truth spreads
throughout the earth in this present Dispensation. It is not
to be infused into all nations, nor are their institutions to be
transformed thereby. If so, there would not remain at the
end of the Dispensation any ten-horned Beast to be " given
to the burning flame," nor any Image to be "ground to
powder."
As regards the application of this parable to a believer's
soul, that is impossible. In the first place it must not be
interpreted except in harmony with the rest of the parables
with which it stands connected ; and they respect a kingdom
in which the righteous and the evil are together found, until
separated by the angels of God. Moreover, leaven as being
the type of evil, cannot represent the new principle of life
and righteousness which is implanted in the believer, nor
does that principle infuse itself into our old nature. Our old
nature ever remains evil, and struggles against the Spirit. A
power resisting and bridling evil in us, is a very different
thing from that which is so infused, as to bring everything
into which it enters into assimilation to itself.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 167
the former, our minds have been chiefly directed to
the power of Satan and of evil in marring the
blessings introduced by Gfod ; in the latter we learn
the goodness of God in interfering to counter-work
the power of evil.
In every dispensation hitherto, God has allowed
His great enemy to triumph for a season against
His truth ; and professing Christianity has exhibited
more terrible results of that enemy's corrupting in-
fluence than any sphere in which he has yet acted.
But God retains a power of counter- working Satan's
evil. In the previous dispensation, when Israel had
buried truth in corruption, He mercifully interfered,
and the light kindled in the times of Ezra and
!N"ehemiah was the instrumental means of preserving
a remnant, who were witnesses of Truth until the
Lord Jesus came. So also in our dispensation : God
has been pleased to interfere by what may be termed
a secondary action of His grace ; and when the
darkness was very deep, rekindled a light, the effects
of which will be discernible until the Lord Jesus
comes in glory. The next parable of " the treasure "
directs our thoughts to one of these interferences of
God in blessing.
For more than a thousand years after the pro-
fessing Church had assumed her place of evil pre-
eminence, there was little to counteract her influence :
and it spread almost unresisted over the most civi-
lized of the nations of earth, who fed carelessly on
her leavened meal. In the sixteenth century the
triumph of her evil was so complete that Truth
168 CHAPTER VI.
seemed to have perished from the earth. In the
east and in the west priestcraft and idolatry, super-
stition and wickedness reigned, just as much when
Christ's name was mentioned as when it was ig-
nored. But it pleased God to interfere, and into
these Western countries countries, indeed, which
the pure Gospel of His grace had never visited He
sent that Gospel, and also His own Holy Word.
The doctrine of justification by faith alone that
doctrine which Popery hates, still teaching that they
who hold it " are accursed/' was the centre-truth of
the Reformation. It made the love of God in the
sacrifice of His Son the one object of saving faith.
It presented as the refuge of a sinner's soul the
living love of God and of Christ, instead of dead ritual
ordinances ordinances, which (even if they had
been appointed to that end, which they never were)
would have been powerless in the hands of those who
were not the Church of God at all, but the minis-
ters of Satan. The power of the Reformation, there-
fore, was in owning this doctrine, and in owning it
practically : in maintaining the title of all who had
believed to be regarded as the Church of the living
God: but in denying the title of fellowship in
that body to all who rested their claim on mere ritual
ordinances, whilst they showed both in doctrine and
in practice, that they were strangers to the Gospel
of Christ.
The Reformation, however, would have failed in
producing any alteration in the visible aspect of
Christianity, unless the Reformers had been led to
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 169
discern, in the light of the word of God, the real condi-
tion of the professing Church. They, like others, had
long conceived it to be their duty to own as the Church,
that which professed itself to be the Church. They
had therefore served the woman who had mingled
leaven with her meal. They had sanctioned her
position, had aided in dispensing her corruptions,
and had owned all her ministrations. For a long
time, even Luther feared wholly to reject her claim,
and shrunk from saying, that they who showed that
they had received an d been sanctified by the Truth were
the only Church which God recognised for blessing.
But when the eyes of the Reformers were at last opened
to discern the fearfulness of their error in having
ascribed the attributes and functions of the Church of
the living God to a body that was efficiently serving
the god of this world, they turned away from that
synagogue of Satan, denounced its ordinances, re-
jected its authority, retired from within its confines,
and learned for the first time practically to distin-
guish the real Church for which Christ died, from
that false body which had usurped her functions.
In recognising this, they recognised the principle
on which Christ had ever acted. The parable speaks
of " treasure hid in a field ; the which when a man
hath found he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
selleth aU that he hath, and buyeth that field." The
outward professing body was not " the treasure " for
which Christ resigned all in order to buy both it and
the spot in which it was hidden that is, this earth.
" The treasure " which He valued were His elect
170 CHAPTER VI.
His own believing people to whom alone the holy
name and standing of the Church properly pertained.
This was the principle of Christ; and the real
strength of the Protestant Reformation was in
cleaving to this principle, and practically giving it
effect. It was the true power of its earlier testi-
mony ; and whenever in later times the distinction
between the elect Church and the corrupt professing
body has been faithfully recognised, there has seldom
been wanting a measure of the Divine blessing.*
High and honourable is the service to which Pro-
testantism has been called. Like Moses, when he
returned to the idolatrous camp of Israel, it has had
to gather without the gate those who were on the
Lord's side ; to fold them as the sheep of Christ and to
teach them, but only from the word of God. Such
is its calling. It has to remember that the nations
governmentally, even if not controlled by the
* No one who valued or understood the Gospel of grace
could interpret the parables of "ihe treasure," or of " the
pearl," of believers, for what is there that they purchase ?
Christ, however, purchased the earth for the sake of His
Church that was hidden in it, and purchased the Church,
and in purchasing it, purchased " a pearl ;" for like " a pearl"
it will one day be.
These two parables are placed late in the series because
they apply to the periods when, in consequence of some of
the servants of Christ recognising the principles taught by
" the treasure " and " the pearl," two fresh eras are marked
in the history of Christianity.
It should be observed that when either of the seven para-
bles have once commenced, they continue on to the end of
the dispensation.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 171
woman, are represented both in Daniel, and in the
Revelation, by the horns of fierce monsters that
know not Christ : and likewise, that the indivi-
duals of whom those nations are composed, are, for
the most part, men who have showed by their doc-
trines, and by their lives, that they are enemies to
the Gospel of Christ, unfit therefore to be recognised
as His, however loudly they may protest against
ecclesiastical corruptions. It was the place of Pro-
testantism to distinguish between " the treasure/'
and that which was discerned not to be "treasure."
But in this Protestantism has failed.
It is most painful, after witnessing the clearness
and power with which many of the Reformers wrote
on the privileges and everlasting separateness of
God's believing people, to observe how entirely they
seem to have forgotten these things when called
upon to act. They might almost be suspected of
holding these truths as abstract principles, incapable
of being followed on earth, for they practically
denied them in their arrangements for the corporate
order of the Churches. Not only worldly and wicked
individuals, but whole provinces and nations have
been welcomed into the Protestant fold, so that even
Popery has been scandalised by the facility with
which the Governors of the nations were made, in
virtue of their office, governors also in the Church
of God.
It is painful thus to write of that which we would
desire not to censure, but to praise. Yet we dare not
close our eyes to the fact that Protestantism early
172 CHAPTER VI.
compromised its fundamental principle. As a neces-
sary result it became nominal Protestantism : and it
now teems with worldliness and infidelity. It pro-
tested against the corruptions of the body to which
it found itself attached ; but it used its light and its
advantages, in forming another body which has also
proved itself to be " of the world." It fled from the
woman, but it purchased for itself a refuge by pla-
cing itself under the power of that ten-horned mons-
ter, whose character, and whose doom, Daniel and
the Prophets had foretold. But the testimonies of the
Prophets were either slighted or perverted. Popery
had concealed the real character of that beast, and
pretended to have made it the servant of the truth of
Christ. Protestantism, equally concealing its real
character, was in not a few instances content to re-
ceive that ten-horned monster for its master.
When we consider how deliberately Protestantism
has secularised itself in all its corporate arrange-
ments, it is wonderful that any thing like vitality
should have remained. Yet it is a fact, that tens of
thousands, quickened by the spirit of God, have been
found among Protestants, whilst Popery has been
sleeping the sleep of death. This is mainly attribu-
table under God to its recognition and diffusion of
Holy Scripture. Until of late years, Protestantism
has not consented to mutilate them, or to hide them
from the people.* By means of the Scripture, myriads
* I refer to the educational system adopted by the legis-
lature in Ireland. The Educational Board mutilates : Popery
hides, and substitutes its traditions.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 173
who, if they had been left to the human systems
around them would have fallen uninstructed into the
grave, have been enabled to learn immediately from
God, and have become wise unto salvation.
Nevertheless, the effects of the errors of Protestan-
tism are becoming every day more manifest. Even
in England, where Protestantism has had such
favourable opportunity to develop itself, and in such
various forms, multitudes, partly scandalised by its
corruptions, partly hating its truth, are becoming
its avowed enemies ; deny that any distinction should
be made between the professing, or, (as they call it)
apostolic body, and the real Church, and are rushing
back to Popery again. Others are wandering into
the mazes of German Philosophy and Pantheism, and
are industriously disseminating principles, which, if
they be true, the Scriptures must be a lie. In their
case it is a simple question whether or not the mind
of man shall succeed in defying the revelation of
God.*
* Since the above was written, Neology by means of
the judgment pronounced by the judicial committee of
the Privy Council in the case of the " Essays and Re-
views," has attained a legalised immunity in the
Anglican Establishment for some of its most extreme
statements statements which might well satisfy the
desires of the most advanced infidel. A similar
standing has now been accorded to the Romanist party by
the judgment in the Bennett case. Adoration of the elements,
that is to say idolatry, may now be taught by a minister of
the Anglican Establishment, and his lips be unsilenced. The
great Evangelical party have, for the most part, submitted to
174 CHAPTER VI.
It is plain from every sign around us, that we are
living at a period of crisis, not only in the world's
the decision; and not a few avow that they see in it a
triumph for Truth, because, say they, many right principles
were enunciated by the judges, although by their judgment
they not only abstained from giving practical effect to those
principles, but by their refusal to condemn have established
a precedent which will, for the future, secure immunity to
those who trample these vaunted principles under foot.
What should we think of a nation that boasted of the ex-
ceeding excellency of its laws, but when asked whether those
laws were enforced, was obliged to answer, no that there
would be danger in enforcing them, and that consequently
systematic disobedience was allowed, and immunity granted
to crime ?
To know what is good, and to know what is evil, and yet
to shelter the evil, what is this in the sight of God ? If the
triumph of that accursed latitudinarianism which is fast
leading on to matured Antichristianism and Antichrist be
the triumph of Truth, then the Evangelical leaders do well
in saying, that Truth has triumphed. But if it be the triumph
of the principles by which Satan is bringing on the last great
hour of darkness and apostasy, what must be the position of
those who speak respecting it, "smooth things"? Let the
history of the relation of the prophets of Israel to Jeremiah
be read before that question is answered.
Would to God that the leaders of evangelical Christendom
could have their eyes opened to discern the signs of this
present hour. Nothing can be more certain than that God is
presenting to them a roll in which is written " lamentation,
and mourning, and woe." They may refuse to read it. They
may seek to hide it, but they cannot destroy it. Jehoiachim
succeeded for a time in burning the roll which God sent to
him through Jeremiah. But it was written again; "and
there were added besides many like words." Jer. xxxvi. 32.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 175
but in the Church's history. What then is to be
done by those who fear God ? Shall we forsake those
blessed principles of Truth which Protestantism,
under God's own power, restored : or shall we rather
cleave to them with ten-fold tenacity ? Only, we
must separate the precious from the vile. " If," as
was said to Jeremiah, who himself lived at a period
when all things were out of course, " if thou wilt
take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be
as my mouth/' If Protestantism at the Reformation
failed to judge the primeval corruptions of Christia-
nity if, thinking only of the "Woman and her evil,
it forgot the sin of the Church in forsaking her low-
liness, and becoming like the fair-spreading Tree
if it neglected to search into the prophetic word, and
consequently remained in ignorance of all that Israel
is to be, and of all that the nations are, then have we
to avoid these quicksands. We have to carry our
thoughts back over the long train of corruptions,
until we reach the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour.
We have to remember that the kings of the Gentiles
exercise lordship, but not we that neither the con-
dition of Israel under the Law, nor of Israel
in millennial rest, is to be the condition of
Christianity now; and that the nations, sym-
bolised by evil monsters, are in God's sight, con-
trasted in every possible sense with her who is the
Bride of Christ, and who once occupied in the earth
a position worthy of being represented by "candle-
sticks of gold." Attention to those things would
not only materially affect our practical position, but
176 CHAPTER VI.
would lead us also to a right " division " of the
Scriptures, without which they can neither be inter-
preted nor applied aright.
We feel shocked when we read the description of
Christianity in the days of Constantine. We see the
fearfulness of the error into which they fell who
mistook the hour of the Church's ratified evil for the
hour of Christ's millennial kingdom, and who applied
to the season of the Church's deadly sin, Scriptures
which belong to the season of the Truth's final
triumph. Yet from that hour to the present, the
self-same principle has been followed in the inter-
pretation of Scripture. Parts of the Word of God
which belong only to a time when Christ shall have
stopped -the present dominance of evil, and esta-
blished His own righteous and peaceful reign, are
interpreted of a period when the secular power of
earth is advancing to its final doom ; and when
Christianity refusing to suffer, has desired to unite
itself with the very nations who are hastening into
the final Apostasy.
If through the mercy of God His servants should
be led to see that the Epistles, and not millennial
Scriptures prescribe the condition of the Church's
present calling ; if the secular prospects of the na-
tions should be judged of by the prophecies of
Daniel and of the Revelation ; if the contrast between
the present position of believers and that of Israel
in the millennium, and that of the nations now,
were acknowledged ; and if the spiritual and other
blessings of Israel when at last brought into the
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 177
Church, were duly recognised as they are revealed
in Scripture, then not only would our minds be
freed from many dangerous and delusive thoughts,
but the. Scripture would be understood because
rightly divided, and would become available for our
united guidance. If it should please Gfod, in pity to
our present circumstances, to grant to His people an
insight into the general bearing of His Holy Word
as clear as that which many do possess as to the
doctrines of salvation, then new and momentous
subjects would instantly be before us, which, un-
der His blessing would give to our hearts common
interests, and to our mouths common testimonies.
"We should begin to think and speak alike, because
we should be drawing from the same source, and be
directed by the same rule. If believers, instructed
immediately from the Scripture, were to think and
speak of their own prospects, and of the nations'
prospects as they are written there, they would soon
acquire a character of practical unity in their own
and in the world's estimate, such as they have never
had since they first departed from the guidance of
those holy oracles.
The Church has for ages lost all right apprehen-
sion of its relation to the nations, and thus been led
into circumstances which have despoiled it of its
purity, and its testimonies of their value. In the
days of Constantine it welcomed union with the
nations, a union which it must long before have
desired, otherwise it would not have so rejoiced in
it when it came. During the days of Popery, the
178 CHAPTER VI.
effort of Christianity was to rule the nations. The
desire of national Protestant Churches is to be ruled
by them. Other forms of Protestant Christianity
have adopted a middle course. They teach that the
Church in its corporate character should not rule,
but that Christian individuals may rule the na-
tions. But surely that cannot be individually right
which is corporately wrong ; nor can the Christian
sustain a double character, so as in the Church to
adopt the Scripture as his guide, and out of the
Church to adopt some other rule. It is not too strong
to say that modern Christianity has not read the
history of the nations in the Book of God. If the
light of God's word, so long neglected, should again
be sought unto and followed, a position of separate-
ness and of purity would, in principle at least, be
attained, such as the Church has never held since
it first entered on its path of declension. It would
be a position in some degree answering to that em-
blem which appears to be given in the parables we
are considering as the fit measure of our condition.
The last parable had compared the elect Church to
a " treasure ;" the next parable likens it to " a pearl "
one pearl, pure and precious.
The Lord Jesus when He died for His Church
regarded it as hidden " treasure," but not as " a
treasure " merely : He viewed it as a treasure, the
preciousness of which should be displayed and re-
cognised. ]S~o one doubts that a pearl is pure, or
that it is precious. The unity, the purity, and the
preciousness of the Church, will alike be manifest in
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 179
the day of its glory; and if the principles which will
determine its relations then should be made through
the Scripture influential now ; if true Protestant
Christianity should adopt and openly avow principles
which separate from the systems of the world as
distinctly as the principles they have hitherto avowed
unite them to the world, then we might expect to see
a position unitedly assumed, which, although perhaps
feebly held, would as regards the principles main-
tained, be pure, precious, and therefore pearl-like, and
so estimated by the graciousness of Christ.
If at the Reformation a few, by recognising that
the elect Church was the " treasure " for which
Christ died, and acting on that recognition gave
thereby a new phase to Christianity and marked a
fresh era in its history, would not a similar recogni-
tion of these further truths, even within a compara-
tively narrow circle, produce a similar result ? Would
it not give a new aspect to Christianity in the earth ?
The mere fact of this parable respecting " the pearl"
forming one of the links in this evidently connected
chain, would lead us to expect that, before "the mys-
teries of the kingdom of heaven " conclude, there
would be yet once more an interference of God on
behalf of His neglected Truth, resulting in some of
His people being caused to teach and to act according
to the principles illustrated by " the pearl." This,
indeed, is what other parts of Scripture would lead
us to expect. We read in the Book of Revelation of
some who are said to " keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus," at the very moment
180 CHAPTER VI.
of the Church's last trial ; and their faithfulness is
such that it is made the subject of thanksgiving,
even in heaven. " They overcame him because of the
blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their
testimony ; and they loved not their lives even unto
death." In Daniel also, some are mentioned who
are expressly designated " the wise or understanding
ones" at that same hour. "The wicked shall do
wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand,
but the understanding ones shall understand." Even
then, as at the close of a day of tempest and gloom
the sun sometimes struggles for a moment through
the resisting clouds, and darts one parting ray of
brightness over the troubled scene, so may we be-
lieve that it will be in this our dark dispensation of
sorrow and of failure. A testimony will for a short
moment be given, raged against by Satan, crushed
by the governments of the Roman earth,* hated by
all men, a feeble few excepted, yet honourable and
precious in the sight of God. After this testimony
has been given, the net, which has through God's
patient grace so long been toiling in the great deep,
will be drawn to shore. In every age it will have
enclosed some " fish/' Their character will then be
determined : " the good will be gathered into ves-
sels," " the bad cast away."
Thus ends this series of parables. When they
finish, "the mysteries of the kingdom end, and the
* See Rev. xii. Satan by means of the Ten Kingdoms of
the Roman World, seeks to destroy those who are repre-
sented in that vision as the children of the TRUTH.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 181
time of its glories, according to all that the Old
Testament Prophets have revealed, at length comes.
We have to remember both these things : its humi-
liation, and its glory. We have to bring out of our
" treasures, things new and old."
If any should hesitate to regard this chapter as
the intended prophetic history of our dispensation,
let them use it simply in the way of illustration.
Let them consider what the great cardinal events
in the history of Christianity have been, and let
them see how far they can be illustrated from these
parables. The instruction will still remain.
It has not unfrequently been asked, whether the
woman with the leaven in the thirteenth of Matthew
is the same as the woman first seen concealed in the
Ephah, (Zech. v.) and afterwards displayed in the
attractiveness which the seventeenth of the Revela-
tion describes.
This question may be answered by asking another.
Suppose a system were now to be formed with the
view of uniting the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman
World, and commanding a moral influence over
them ; would that system be ecclesiastical, and there-
fore necessarily narrow in its scope, or must it be a
system wide enough to embrace the many minds
which it would have to influence, whether Jew or
Greek, Mahomedan or Heathen, Papist or nominal
Protestant?
182 CHAPTER VI.
Few will hesitate in answering this question.
"Whether such a system were collocated at Paris or
Constantinople, at Rome or Jerusalem, at London
or Babylon, it must be wide enough to embrace
men as men.
Such is the system at present hidden in the Ephah,
but soon to be displayed in the land of Shinar, in
all the attractiveness which the seventeenth of the
Revelation describes. False Christianity, as exhibi-
ted in the Roman and Eastern Churches, has, by
feeding the nations with leavened meal, prepared
the way for the seductions of that coming system,
which is symbolised by a woman holding in her
hand a cup, with the wine of which the nations are
made drunken a cup of intoxicating joy. No
ecclesiastical system has ever yet spread universal
gladness among the nations. On the contrary, the
rule of such systems has been oppressive, and their
yoke grievous. But the very power of the coming
system will be, that it makes the nations glad with
her wine, and with her delicacies.
Those who are now turning from the Scripture,
and discarding the precious truths which the Pro-
testant Reformation restored, may be distributed
into two great divisions. The one class are retracing
their way back to forsaken superstitions, and are
seeking to become as near as possible what the
Church was when she first became like the woman
spreading the leaven. Another, and an increasing
class, both in Germany, Switzerland and England,
are throwing off all real regard to Scripture, and
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 183
enamoured of schemes about man's powers, and
man's destinies, are preparing themselves and others
to welcome a system based on principles of human
not Christian fraternisation.
No two paths therefore, can be more thoroughly
opposed than those which these two classes are at
present following. But they will be found capable of
being bent round to the same point at last. The at-
tractiveness, and still more the influence of the
woman of the seventeenth chapter of the Revelation
will (at any rate throughout the Ten Kingdoms)
entirely eclipse the attractiveness of the woman
with the leaven. The latter will yield to the supe-
rior power of her rival, and become her servant.
Her present votaries will follow in her train, and be
transferred to the palaces of the Harlot. Symptoms
of this yielding on the part of professing Christianity
to the rising system of commercial and secular power
are already manifest.
But the woman with the leaven, and the woman
hidden in the Ephah, are not the only symbolic
women of whom we read in the Scripture. We
read also of another woman "clothed with the sun
and with the moon under her feet and on her head
a crown of twelve stars." She represents the sys-
tem of God the system of His revealed Truth now
present in the earth * His Truth as revealed in the
Holy Scriptures.
* The character of glorious power which will attach to
God's system of truth in the millennium, is clearly express-
ed by these symbols. It will be sustained by the presence
184 CHAPTER VI.
When we remember that God's truth is finally
to be exalted, so as to be supreme over all nations,
and that it is to be sustained by the full power of
Christ's manifested millennial glory, we might ex-
pect that it would be represented, even whilst yet
despised and outcast, by symbols expressive of its
essential excellency an excellency which in God's
estimate, and therefore in the estimate- of faith,
attaches to it under all circumstances.
There is reason to hope that some, through in-
creased acquaintance with the Scriptures, are becom-
ing more sensible that there is such a system of
Divine Truth now present in the earth. They are
beginning to understand its character and its pros-
pects in contrast both with those of the woman with
the leaven, and with those of the Harlot of the
Revelation. To such these questions are no matter
of curious speculation.
Their estimate of the worldliness and falsehoods
and idolatries of the professing Church, and of the
yet more terrible wickedness of the rising latitu-
dinarian system that will culminate in the Harlot
of Babylon and Antichrist their estimate of these
things in contrast with the holiness and purity of
DIVINE TRUTH, as revealed plainly, fully and sys-
of Christ's personal glory, that is symbolised by " the sun.'*
The glory of the risen saints is continually represented by
" stars." Hence her crown. " The moon," as shining with
reflected light, is the emblem of ecclesiastical position a
position that will then be held by Israel, made subservient
to God's truth. " The moon ** was under her feet.
PARABLES OF MATTHEW XIII. 185
tematically in God's written word, is to them no
barren abstraction. It supplies the influencing
motives of their conduct. It enters into all their
meditations, affects every prayer, and determines,
more or less, all the practical arrangements of their
lives. They see in Ecclesiastic ism and in Latitudi-
narian Secularism, SATAN ; in revealed TRUTH, that
which Prophets and Apostles have written, they see
GOD. They feel and they act accordingly.
186
CHAPTER VII.
ON DANIEL VIII.
CONNEXION OF ANTICHRIST WITH GREECE AND
JERUSALEM.
THIS chapter may be regarded as commencing the
second division of the Book of Daniel. The preced-
ing chapters have, in a manner very unusual in
Scripture, been almost appropriated to Gentiles. We
have been shut up as it were into a Gentile sphere,
and Jerusalem and the land of Israel have been
left. Our thoughts have been directed either to the
governmental principles that prevail among the
Gentile empires, or to the characters of the Gentile
monarchs, as in the narratives respecting Nebuchad-
nezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius, or to the history of
the empires as fierce beasts trampling down and
devouring the earth ; but nothing is said of Jerusa-
lem. If any of Israel are mentioned, it is only as
being, like Daniel and his companions, strangers in
a Gentile sphere. Even the last great monarch of
the Gentiles, who will be so especially concerned
with Jerusalem and the land of Israel, is, in the
chapters we have been considering, only mentioned
in his own Gentile connexion.
Accordingly, the very language marks this pecu-
liarity. In the first seven chapters, it is not Hebrew
ON DANIEL VIII. 187
but Chaldee the language of Babylon, the great
destroyer of Israel ; but the eighth and subsequent
chapters resume the Hebrew of the other Scriptures,
and return to the language of the land of Israel.
The great Gen tile oppressor is indeed still mentioned,
and is in fact the great theme of the prophecy, yet it
is not any longer to the exclusion of Jerusalem. On
the contrary, Jerusalem and the land of Israel are
the theatre on which his evil is displayed. If in the
former chapters the Jew is seen in the land of the
Gentiles, in these chapters the Gentile is seen in
Israel: Jerusalem is the place of his acting: the
period is, " the time of the end."* Even in the
second and seventh chapters, which are diffusive, we
find that the prophecy is directed mainly to the con-
cluding events of the dispensation ; but this is more
peculiarly the case in the eighth chapter. Thrice in
this chapter the vision recorded in it is emphatically
declared to point to " the time of the end."
" He said unto me, Understand, son of man ; for
at THE TIME OP THE END shall be the vision." (v. 17)
And again : " Behold, I will make thee know
what shall be in the LAST END OF THE INDIGNATION;
for at the time appointed the end shall be/' (v. 19)
And again : " In the LATTER TIME OF their king-
* This, and all kindred expressions, such as " consumma-
tion " in Is. x. and Dan. ix. may be understood to refer to the
same period, viz., that in which God, by means of Antichrist,
is punishing Jerusalem for the last time. For the proofs
of connexion between Dan. vii., viii., ix. and xi. see "Aids
to Prophetic Enquiry, First series," Ch. vi.
188 CHAPTER VII.
dom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a
king of fierce countenance .... shall stand up."
(v. 23)
The seventh chapter reveals that this great person
will arise out of the Roman Empire, for he is sym-
bolised by an eleventh horn springing from the head
of the Roman monster. We might indeed be sure
that those mighty energies of evil which ever cha-
racterised Imperial Rome, must be connected with
him who is to give to that evil its last form of con-
centration. Accordingly, his power will be exercised
through the ten subordinate kings of the divided
Roman "World ; and the limits of his authority are
marked by the extent of the dominions of Rome.
He will thus concentrate in himself the power of
that empire, which, after inheriting the strength of
the empires that preceded it, and adding thereunto
new glories, has disappeared for a season from the
world's view. But it will rise again in a federally
united form, invested with new powers, and endowed
with fresh energies to give effect to the evil engen-
dered in its own course and that of the three empires
which preceded it.* The empire which crucified
Christ, which persecuted Christianity when pure,
perverted it when fallen, and which will at last grow
* There were some in the early centuries who believed
that the Roman Empire would grow torpid, and then revive.
See Elliott, Horee Apoc., quoting from some of the Oxford
Tracts. " Another expectation of the early Church was, that
the Roman Empire, remaining torpid for centuries, would
wake up at the end of the world and be restored."
ON DANIEL VIII. 189
weary of it, and cast it off as a loathed and worthless
thing, is .the Empire from which the last great
" desolator " will derive his imperial characteristics.
Hence the Romans (when, under Titus, they de-
stroyed Jerusalem) are described as "the people of
the prince that shall come ;" literally, " the prince,
the coming one." Dan. ix. 26.
But there was a nation that preceded Rome a
nation with which Rome was never able to vie, either
in taste, intellectual refinement, or in anything that
adorns, or gives attractiveness and fascination to
human life. That nation was Greece. It was there
that the mind of man was allowed, in a special man-
ner, to develop its powers. It exerted itself to throw
a deceptive halo around the condition of humanity.
Its deficiencies were concealed its miseries veiled
its vices hallowed. Idolatry was made attractive by
all that taste and refinement could draw around it
to adorn. The powers of oratory and poetry were
put forth to dignify evil, and to commend licentious-
ness : and if occasionally a philosopher or a moralist
arose whose manners were austere, or whose teaching
condemned the grosser flagrancies of vice, yet it was
but the substitution of one evil for another. Pride
and self-complacency were the results, even in the
best of their schools of philosophy. " Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools," and
brought their own hearts, and the hearts of others,
even into deeper distance from God. From Greece
this tide of evil poured into Rome. The foul and
bitter streams have thence descended to these later
190 CHAPTER VII.
days, and have done more to fix a character on the
Gentile World, than Rome, unaided, would ever
have effected by all her extended and long pro-
tracted power. It was Greece that gave to Rome
her chief ability to fashion morally the nations.
It is not wonderful, therefore, that the name to
which Scripture has given precedence, when speak-
ing of the Gentiles, should be that of Greece. " Jew
and Greek," is an expression continually used in the
Scripture as equivalent to " Jew and Gentile :" and
at a time yet future, when Israel shall be forgiven,
and again be strengthened against her Gentile
enemies, we find Greece still used as the great de-
nominative name for Gentilism. " When I have
raised up thy sons, Zion, against thy
sons, GREECE."* Zech. ix. 13.
We might expect, therefore, that he who is so
peculiarly to concentrate in himself the power of
the Gentiles, who is to lead " the sons of Greece "
* Lactautius, who wrote at the commencement of the
fourth century, has a remarkable passage respecting the rise
of the East into dominion over the West : he says, " The
Roman name by which the world is now governed (I tremble
to say it, but I will say it, for it is to be) will be taken from
the earth, and the dominion will be restored to Asia ; and
the East will again rule, and the West obey." Lactan. lib. vii.
These expectations of Lactantius will, in a qualified sense be
verified. It will not be true that the Eastern branch of the
Roman Empire will rule the Western ; for they will form
parts of one great federation ; but the Greek or Eastern half
will be infinitely the most important. Signs of this are even
now beginning to appear.
ON DANIEL VIII. 191
against "the sons of Zion," who is also to be so
distinctly marked by intellectual power as to be
noted by a peculiar symbol* such as no other
earthly monarch ever had, and who in the Revela-
tion is symbolised by " a leopard" (in Daniel, the
symbol of Greece) we might expect that such an
one, though Roman as to the geographical extent and
the iron character of his power, would in some
especial manner be connected with Greece,
Accordingly, this chapter reveals that he will, as
a king (at first a petty king), spring from that part
of the Roman Empire which the Romans gained
from the successors of Alexander. That this chapter
treats of Alexander and his conquests is a fact which
scepticism itself hardly dares to question. " The
ram which thou sawest having two horns, are the
kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is
the king of Grrecia : and the great horn that is
between his eyes is the first king. Now that being
broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms
shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his
power. And in the latter time of their kingdom,
when the transgressors are come to the full, a king
of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sen-
* "A horn having eyes." Of all the Empires, and all the
individual monarchs who yet have been, none are regarded
as having "eyes" united with their strength ; and yet, some
have not been deficient in wisdom. Nothing but Satanic
power could give to Antichrist the superhuman perceptive-
ness and power of surveillance, devoted by the "eyes;" for
God would not endow him with such power.
192 CHAPTER VII.
tences, shall stand up.'' The first king of Grecia
has arisen and has fallen : his four successors also
have reigned : but they too have passed away, and
their kingdoms have vanished without the king of
fierce countenance having appeared of whom it is
declared that he shall arise " in the latter time of
their kingdom." Has then this prophecy been
falsified?
It has not been falsified. The chapter throughout
its whole course declares that its burden respects
" the time of the end, when the transgressors shall
have come to the full," and regards the four king-
doms of Alexander's successors as existent at that
closing hour. " The latter time of their kingdom "
agrees with the time " when the transgressors shall
have come to the full." See verse just quoted. These
four kingdoms therefore must be revived.
We know from the preceding chapter that the
whole Roman Empire, and therefore, that part of it
within which these kingdoms fall, is to be revived.
We know also that its Eastern, as well as Western
branch, is to be divided. All therefore as to this
that we learn additionally from the eighth chapter
is, that four of these divisions will be kingdoms
which passed from Alexander's successors into the
hands of Rome; that is to say, Greece, Egypt,
Syria, and the rest of the dominions of Turkey.
A few years ago, perhaps, this would have been
thought impossible. The maintenance of the integ-
rity of the Turkish Empire was made the object of
such anxious effort on the part of the ruling king-
ON DANIEL VIII. 193
doms of the West, that nothing seemed more unlikely
than its partition. Yet it has been in part dismem-
bered ; and Egypt and Greece have already separate
governments of their own. It is also a fact that a
similar separation of Syria has been in contempla-
tion. Such a separation would be an almost certain
concomitant of the return of the Jews to Palestine ;
and as soon as that separation is accomplish ed, the
four kingdoms will re-exist.
And here I would remark that the mere fact of
Egypt and of Greece being now existent as recog-
nised governments, is a proof that the prophecy
before us is not fulfilled. The king spoken of is said
to arise " in the last time of their kingdom." Now,
nothing that occurred previously to their disappear-
ance as kingdoms, or previously to the late separation
of Egypt and Greece, could be the LAST TIME
OF THEIR KINGDOM, because sovereigns in
Egypt and Greece are at this moment ruling ; and
seeing that the king predicted has not arisen since
the separation of those kingdoms, it follows that his
rise must be future.
That Antichrist is to arise from the Eastern part
of the Roman Empire, and from that part of the
East which fell under the rule of Alexander's suc-
cessors, is rendered unquestionable by this chapter.
But, seeing that in the eleventh chapter he is men-
tioned as conflicting with the king of the North
(i.e. the king of Syria), and also with the king of the
South (i.e. the king of Egypt), it is plain that he
does not arise either from Egypt or Syria. He must
194 CHAPTER VII.
therefore arise either from Greece or from the
districts immediately contiguous to Constantinople.
It is true that if he arose from the latter, or indeed
from either of the four, he would be esteemed Greek
in origin, because all the four were divisions of the
Greek Empire ; but it seems far more probable
that Greece Proper will be the place of his rise.
He is described as " waxing great toward the
South and toward the East, and toward the pleasant
land ; " that is, toward Egypt, Syria, and Pales-
tine a description that would geographically suit
the position of one who was supposed to be in
Greece.
Moreover, a ' ' little horn " (an emblem not of that
which he is as an individual, but of that which he is
as a monarch) is a symbol that well suits one who
should arise from one of those petty principalities
which once abounded in Greece, and have even still
their memorial in the throne of the sovereigns of
Montenegro.
Since the time when the Gentiles first began to
tread down Jerusalem, almost every one who has
arisen among them illustrious for conquest or for
power, will be found to have foreshadowed some of
the distinctive features that are to characterise the
last great Monarch of the Gentiles. This is especially
the case whenever Jerusalem or the East is the scene
in which the glory of such conquerors has been
displayed. The two monarchs of Grecian origin,
whose connection with Jerusalem in past time has
been attended with circumstances of more than
ON DANIEL VIII. 195
ordinary interest, are Alexander, and one of his
successors, Antiochus Epiphanes ; and they are the
two to whom our attention is specifically directed in
reading this chapter. It is necessarily directed to
Alexander, because he is expressly mentioned as the
first king of Grecia, and the overthrower of Persia ;
and because he was the first king of Greece connected
with Jerusalem. It is directed to Antiochus, because
he went far towards fulfilling all that is terrible in
this chapter in relation to Jerusalem. Both Alex-
ander and Ant' ochus, therefore, may be considered
as foreshadowing the last great inheritor of the
Gentile power.
The kingdom of Macedon (of which Alexander
was the chief) was insignificant until suddenly raised
by Alexander's father and himself to the. headship
of Greece. The education of Alexander under the
leading philosopher of his day, his talent, his
taste, and his power of conciliating and fascinating
even his enemies, are too well known to lie nar-
rated here. For the most part dignified and self-
possessed, it was but occasionally that he manifested
the fierce and degrading passions that slumbered
within. He came to Jerusalem in all the pride of
victory and triumph was met by the High Priest
and priests in a supplicatory procession forgave
them made a covenant with them offered sacrifice
gave gifts to the Temple, and in everything be-
came their friend. We can scarcely fail to discern
in this a foreshadowing of him who, surpassing
Alexander in attractiveness and power, will, for a
196 CHAPTER VII.
season, present himself to Jerusalem as its protector
and friend. " By peace he shall destroy many "
(Dan. viii. 25).
Some years after Alexander came Antiochus.* Xo
one can read in the first Book of Maccabees the ter-
rible description of his actings in Jerusalem without
seeing that he must have been especially intended
to foreshadow the last great Destroyer. The mild-
* Jerome, speaking of this vision in the 8th of Daniel, says:
" Most of our people (plerique nostrorum) refer it to Anti-
christ, and say, that what was done under Antiochus in type,
is to be fulfilled under the other in reality."
The following passage from a recent historian shows how
many of the plans and features of the last great Gentile
King were foreshadowed in Alexander.
"Proportionate to the simplicity of Alexander's plans for
the commencement, was apparently the immensity of those
forecast for the sequel. Babylon was to be the head city of
his empire, and consequently, of the world. The union of
the East and the West was to be brought about through the
amalgamation of the dominant races by marriages, by educa-
tion ; and, more than all, by the ties of commerce ; the
importance of which, far ruder conquerors in Asia itself soon
learned to appreciate. In nothing, probably, is the superiority
of his genius more brilliantly displayed than in his exaltation
above national prejudice, particularly when we consider that
none of his Macedonians could in this respect approach near
to him. To refuse him that quality is impossible, whatever
the judgment formed on his general character. Sudden
death, by fever, of Alexander at Babylon, under the circum-
stances of the time, was the greatest loss mankind could
experience. From the Indus to the Nile, the world had been
shivered : and where was the architect that could gather up
the scattered fragments and restore the edifice ? " Heeren.
ON DANIEL VIII. 197
ness and fascination of the first King of Grecia was
gone, and nothing remained but destructiveness and
fury. Here was the result of the link that bound
Jerusalem to Greece. And so it will be again. They
will be captivated by one more attractive and mighty
than Alexander, but will find in him, at last, a terror
and a power of destruction, such as Antiochus but
faintly pre-figured.
By thus considering the past, and recalling the
remembrance of individuals and empires that have
departed, we are able to apprehend more clearly the
character of him in whom all human glory will be
concentrated, and all energy of evil dwell. But one
chief use of regarding the future history of this last
great monarch is, that we might read in the light of
that history the character of all human glory in this
present age. The concentrated blaze of this evil
glory will not burst upon men without their having
been before familiar in their embryo forms with the
elements of its brightness. If we learn not to judge
the character of such glory in the fragmentary and
divided forms in which it has been heretofore pre-
sented, how can we expect to escape the dazzling
power of its concentration when the appointed hour of
strong delusion comes ?
The character, therefore, of Greece and Rome, and
of everything connected with their greatness, may
be learned in him who finally unites their charac-
teristic glories. But there is another people who,
though less attractive, have been equally influential
for evil. The JEW, the Greek, and the Roman,
198 CHAPTER VII.
were the three from whom the generation in which
the Lord Jesus lived derived its characteristic fea-
tures. The title of His cross was written in Hebrew,
in Greek, and in Latin. These had been, and were,
the influential languages of the earth ; and their
union in that inscription too clearly indicated that
light, intellect, and power, abused by man, were
united in the attempt to crush the only One in the
earth that was holy and acceptable before God.
And when again the last great assault is made upon
the Truth of God and of Christ, it is by one, Greek
in origin and character, Roman in power, but located
in Jerusalem, and associated with transgressing Israel
there. The scene of the chapter we are now con-
sidering is Jerusalem ; for he is mentioned as pro-
faning the " sanctuary," and " taking away the
daily sacrifice ;" and in the chapter that follows he
is described as making " a covenant with many for
one week," which covenant he afterwards violates.
What the iniquities of Jerusalem have been in
days that are past, need not be told to them that
know the Scripture. "What it will be, may be judged
of both from Scripture and from present facts. The
present condition of the Jews, their wealth, their
intellect, their energy, their readiness to gather
around one who should unite the greatness of Rome
with the attractiveness of Greece, show too plainly
that they are fast ripening for the great transgres-
sion. In this state they are to be re- gathered to
Jerusalem, there to be the prey of the last great
Destroyer. " I will send him against an hypocritical
ON DANIEL VIII. 19
nation, and against the people of my wrath will I
give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the
prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the
streets." In Jerusalem they will become the victims
first of his delusions, and then of his cruelties ; there
also they will be made partakers of his plagues.
" Thus saith the. Lord God : Because ye are all be-
come dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into
the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and
brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the midst of
the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it ; so
will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and
I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will
gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my
wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so
shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall
know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury
upon you." (Ezekiel xxii. 19) The words also of
oar Lord respecting the final inhabitation of Israel
by the sevenfold power of Satan will be remembered
by those who have read the preceding remarks on
the thirteenth chapter of Matthew.
The earliest period at which Antichrist brings
himself into connexion with the Jews as a people in
Jerusalem, is mentioned in the ninth chapter. He
is there said to make a covenant with many for
seven years. This, no doubt, is the period of which
it is said that " by peace he shall destroy many."
But there is too much of the order and ostensible
worship of God connected with Jerusalem, for him
200 CHAPTER VII.
long to remain satisfied with the arrangements which
for a time he will sanction there. The Jews, when
they return to Jerusalem, will re-build their temple
and re-institute their sacrifices : and although such
worship will be hateful to God, and " he that killeth
an ox will be as if he slew a man/' and " he that
offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood ; "
yet there will be enough that reminds of God in
these things to excite the enmity of him who intends
to "exalt himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped." Antichrist will little care
whether God does, or does not own the Temple and
accept the sacrifices. He will be the servant of
Satan; and Satan knows that those sacrifices and
that Temple, however prostituted and misused, stand
before angels and before men before God and
before Christ, as a memorial of truths precious and
everlasting : and therefore he will desire to sweep
such memorials utterly away. God, because of the
transgression of His people, will not interfere to
hinder. " An host," i.e. power, will be given him
against the daily sacrifice, and he will cause it to
cease.*
But Judaism will not be the only object against
which he will direct his fury. He will " magnify
himself against the Prince of princes," i.e. against
* The relation of Antichrist to Israel will, in some respects,
resemble that of Judas to the Lord. They too will prove the
bitterness of betrayal and desertion by a pretended friend.
Hence, in Psalm Iv. there is evidently a double allusion to
Judas and to Antichrist.
ON DANIEL VIII. 201
Christ. He will not, indeed, be able to reach Him
personally, for He is high above all heavens ; but
Christ's Truth, and Christ's people will yet be within
his grasp, and them he will persecute and trample
down. He *' waxed great, even to the host of the
heavens (D^fe^'PI X^V"^) 5 anc ^ cas * down some of
the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped
upon them/' Prospective titles of glory are here
given to the believing people of Christ whilst yet
the hour of their militancy in suffering is being con-
tinued. As in the seventh chapter we have seen them
called " saints of the high places " whilst they were
yet travailing in the earth, so here they are called
" stars/' and " host of the heavens," even whilst the
fell power of the great Destroyer is allowed to pre-
vail against them. To the outward eye they will
appear to be but a feeble few, despised for their
ways, and hated for their testimony, but God seeth
not as man seeth. He knows them, and He names
them according to that which they will be when the
hour of their sorrow shall have passed, and when
bright in the radiancy of unearthly glory " they
shall shine as the stars for ever and ever." As soon
as the " morning star " shall arise upon the dark
night of evil, they too shall be called up to share its
glory. " To him that overcometh will I give the
morning star." But during " the time of the end"
whilst Truth is being trampled on and cast down,
they will be privileged to share its sufferings : they
will be cast down together with it. It will be to.
them an honour and a joy. It will not repent them
202 CHAPTER VII.
in the day of Christ's glory, that they have suffered
for and with Christ's Truth.
Many attempts have been made to nullify the
testimony of this chapter as to the future. Some
have sought to find " the king of fierce countenance"
in the Pontiff of Rome ; others, ashamed of the
folly of such an interpretation, have suggested Ma-
homet. But to which of the criteria supplied by
this chapter does Mahomet answer ?
First, Mahomet did not spring from one of the
divisions of Alexander's broken Empire (see verse
22) ; he was an Arabian. Secondly, he did not
arise " in the latter time " of the kingdoms spoken
of (see verse 23), for both Greece and Egypt are
even at this present moment, existent, recognised
powers. Thirdly, he did not live at a time when
" the transgressors had come to the full " (see verse
23), for there has been advance in transgression ever
since, and the culminating point of the triumph of
evil is even yet in the future. Fourthly, he did not
live " at the last end of the indignation " against
Israel and Jerusalem (see verse 19), for that hour is
still to come. Fifthly, Mahomet neither visited
Jerusalem, nor took thence the daily sacrifice (see
verse 11), nor did any daily sacrifice then exist.
Sixthly, although Mahomet may be said (though
not in the sense in which the words are used in this
chapter) to have " exalted himself against the Prince
of princes," yet he was not " broken without hand,"
i.e. by the direct interference of almighty power from
heaven. Nor, seventhly, must jthe characteristics
ON DANIEL VIII. 203
ascribed to the last great Head of transgression in
the preceding chapter be disregarded. He is to
reign not over the East merely, but over all the Ten
Kingdoms of the Roman World. The very words
" king of fierce countenance " mark him as being
imperially Roman. Do these characteristics attach
to Mahomet, or to anyone else whom the earth has
seen since Daniel wrote these words ? Antiochus
Epiphanes is doubtless the person whose course most
nearly assimulates itself to the descriptions of this
chapter, yet even he (although so remarkably fore-
shadowing the relation of Antichrist to Israel and
Jerusalem) did not live "in the last end of the
indignation," nor did he (as Antichrist will) stand
up against the Prince of princes, for Christ had not
then come ; nor did he live when the transgressors
had come to the full ; nor was he broken without
hand.
When, therefore, the appointed time arrives for
"the transgressors to come to the full," that is,
when all those who are to unite in the last great
Apostasy are ready, a Head shall be provided for
them. He shall be " strong [or mighty] in counten-
ance"* like the Romans of old; for it is of them that
* Such is the literal translation of D'JS TJJ. He will be a
king mighty in countenance. The same expression, "strong
or mighty in countenance " is in Deut. xxviii. 50, used of the
Romans, when they are first mentioned as the appointed
desolators of Jerusalem. It is an expression therefore that
seems peculiarly applicable to the crushing iron strength
of the Roman power, of which Antichrist will be the last
inheritor.
204 CHAPTER VII.
this expression is used in Deuteronomy xxviii. 50,
where the Romans are first mentioned as the
desolators of Jerusalem. It is an expression that
denotes especially the iron strength of the Roman
power. But his wisdom and intelligence shall be as
marked as his power. He shall understand dark
and hidden things,* and be able to solve questions
which baffle the powers of other men. What
Solomon was through wisdom given from God, that
Antichrist will measurably be through intelligence
communicated by Satan. The word translated
" policy/' is a word strongly indicative of under-
standing and wisdom. Thus David said to Solomon,
* "Understanding dark sentences." The word translated
" dark sentences " means, properly, something twisted or in-
volved and therefore difficult. The same expression is used
when it is said of the Queen of Sheba that she went to prove
Solomon with "hard questions" It again occurs in Psalm
Ixxviii. 2. " I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter
dark sayings of old " a passage applied in Matthew to the
Lord Jesus. Again, we read in the Proverbs of "the words
of the wise and their dark sayings." . " Understanding dark
sentences" is therefore a description indicative of super-
natural wisdom. This last great Monarch of the Gentiles,
described in the Scripture as one that " cometh up out of
the bottomless pit,", will rival Solomon in wisdom, and men
will admire and venerate that wisdom, little caring to enquire
whence it comes. It will come from the indwelling energy of
Satan. This and the preceding clause will well explain the
reason of the symbol "a horn having eyes" i.e. strength
and supernatural intelligence combined but it will be
intelligence that will come from, and lead unto, Hell. The
only One who can deliver from these things is "the great
Shepherd of the sheep."
ON DANIEL VIII. 205
u Only the Lord give thee wisdom ; " and again it is
said of Solomon, " endued with prudence " the same
word /5?? being used in all these passages. But
his wisdom will be accompanied by " craft " or
" subtil ty." It is the word which is used of Jacob
when Isaac said, " thy brother came with subtilty."
Deceit therefore, sinuosity, and lying, will habitually
mark all the applications of his power and of his
wisdom. The Leopard which is his symbol (Rev.
xiii.) and the symbol of Greece (Dan. vii.) is es-
pecially characterised by subtilty. Yet his strength,
though so mighty, will not be his own, for he will
rule as the elected federal head of the Ten Kings
who shall divide the Roman World. It is they who
concur and give their authority unto him " until the
words of God shall be fulfilled." See Rev. xvii. 17.
He will stand up against the " Prince of princes,"
for he will be the head of that confederacy that shall
say of Jehovah and of Christ, " Let us break their
bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
He will continue to stand up against Him, even at
the moment when He cometh forth in His glory as
King of kings, and Lord of lords ; but he shall be
4 'consumed by the spirit of His mouth, and de-
stroyed by the brightness of His appearing." "Thus
he shall be broken without hand." No human
power shall grasp and overcome the " sons of .Belial."
They shall be utterly burned with fire kindled by
Him who kindleth Tophet. See Is. xxx. 33, and
2 Sam. xxiii. 6, 7.
Such is the Monarch with whom Israel in Jerusa-
206 CHAPTER VII.
lem shall enter into covenant (see Dan. ix.) that
covenant of which God has said, *' Your covenant
with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement
with hell shall not stand/' Yet it is a covenant
under which they will rest for a short season.*
It is but too evident that Jews, Manomedans and
Christians, whether in the East, or in the West, are
alike ready to welcome the advent of such an one as
this chapter describes. There appear to be many
tokens that " the time of the end " is approaching.
The disposition among many of the Jews to return
to Palestine, the separation of Egypt and Greece
into recognised sovereignties, the introduction of
* The entering into this covenant is, as I have already said,
the first event which Scripture records of Antichrist's con-
nexion with Jerusalem. He makes it for seven years. This
we learn from the ninth chapter. About seven months after
he has made this covenant he begins to " practise " in Jeru-
salem, probably then visiting it for the first time. This we
learn from the eighth chapter the vision which avowedly
respects the whole period during which he practises in Jeru-
salem and has power over the sanctuary. That period is said
to be 2,300 days, i.e. seven years wanting about seven months.
At the half of the seven years, and therefore about two years
and five months after he begins to practise in Jerusalem, he
takes away the daily sacrifice, and sets the abomination of
desolation in the Holy Place ; and this continues for 1,260
days, or three years and a half. Thus we have three points
in his history. First, the formation of his covenant. Secondly,
the commencement of his actings in Jerusalem. Thirdly, his
violation of his covenant, and establishment of the idol. The
covenant is for seven years : the practising for six years and
five months : the worship of the Idol for three years and
a half.
ON DANIEL V11I. 207
Western principles and of Western material pros-
perity into the Eastern parts of the Koman World,
and the wondrous spread of latitudinarian scepti-
cism, may be numbered among the signs of the end
drawing nigh. They show that the kingdoms are,
morally and physically, falling into the form which
we know from Scripture to be that which they will
bear when the conclusion comes.
The four-fold partition of the Empire of Alex-
ander is our guide to a corresponding division that
will appear within the dominions over which Turkey
once ruled. Whenever Syria is separated from
Turkey, whether by convulsion, or by more quiet
agency, it will probably be said by many that the
vials are being poured out, and that the waters of
the Euphrates are being dried up. But, instead of
this it will be the hour when the Euphratean regions
will begin to arise in renovated strength ; and when
Constantinople herself, or the kingdom of which she
will be the seat, will attain to a rank among the
Ten Kingdoms of the Roman World, greater than
she has ever held as the head of the crumbling
Empire of the Turks.*
* In the final division of Alexander's dominions, Ptolemy
possessed Egypt, Gyrene, Co3le Syria, and some of the southern
parts of Asia Minor. Cassander ; Macedon and Greece.
Lysimachus ; Thrace and Bythynia. Seleucus ; all the rest.
His dominions extended from the Mediterranean across the
Euphrates to India, including Babylon.
This division may give us a general notion of the territories
to be comprehended within these four kingdoms when they
again exist. We must remember, however, that no provinces
208 CHAPTER VII.
But this revival, and all that is consequent there-
upon, will be a revival by man and by Satan not
by God. He has in present human energies no
power of life or of blessed renovation ; they are in
His sight agencies only of woe and desolation.
Before He renovates, He will cause death to pass
upon every hope and anticipation of man. All shall
be as the valley of bones which Ezekiel beheld :
bones that were "very dry." But God is accus-
tomed to make the place of death the sphere of the
operation of His power in blessing. He will at last
speak the word, and life shall enter into the scene
of death ; and men will at length discern the differ-
ence between the presence of the life-giving glory
of God, and the presence of that other glory which
had been kindled from the pit, whose course had
been desolation its end, wrath.
are to be included in the final division except those that icere
subjugated by Rome. The kingdom of Syria, therefore, will
not extend much beyond Babylon. Greece and Egypt will
no doubt be considerably augmented by accession of territory.
The latter probably will annex to herself Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
In Albania and the northern provinces of Ancient Greece,
there has been for many years a strong desire to sepa-
rate from Turkey, and to unite with southern Greece. It is
probable, however, that among the kingdoms of the Roman
World, Greece is that which will develop itself latest. As in
ancient times, Egypt and the coasts of Asia Minor and Syria
are at the present moment forestalling Greece. Srao-tr KCU
Aqo-reta, " faction and robbery " hindered Greece ancient, and
O-TCKTIS *ai X^orfia are hindering her now. Yet her time of
meteor-like brightness will again come : it will last for a
moment : and then she shall fall never to rise again.
209
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SEVENTY HEBDOMADS. DANIEL IX.
THE prophecy of Daniel dwells so much on the
evil glory of the Gentiles, and on the divine " indig-
nation " against Jerusalem, that he is regarded by
the Jews as peculiarly their prophet of woe. On
this account they are accustomed to separate his
prophecy from the rest of the prophetic writings,
and to place it by itself at the end of their Bibles,
not because they value it less than the other Scrip-
tures, on the contrary, they value it most highly.
They do this in token that they recognise in the
Book of Daniel the history of Israel's chastisement,
degradation, and woe. It is the book that treats of
Gentile supremacy and Jewish debasement.
The vision of the ninth chapter, however, may
almost be regarded as an exception to the general
character of this prophecy. The humiliation of
Daniel and his confession of the sin of his people
were accepted, and an angel was sent to instruct
and comfort him. The punishment of Jerusalem is
indeed still spoken of, but the mention of that pun-
ishment is so tempered by a reference to the mercies
that are to follow, that the darkness of the present
is almost lost in the light of the future. " Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon
210 CHAPTER VIIi.
thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and [to
anoint the most Holy." Dan. ix. 24. These are the
thoughts that predominate in this vision, and cast
over it the light of bright and peaceful anticipation.
It was granted as a reward to the humiliation and
confession of Daniel. He had remembered and used
the prophecy of Jeremiah. It was a prophecy
unfulfilled; but unfulfilled prophecy was not despised
by Daniel. By using it, he learned that the time
was drawing nigh for God again to show favour
towards Jerusalem, in terminating the seventy years
of her then present desolation. The knowledge of
this led him to confession and prayer, and his faith
was answered. ' Not only was he taught respecting
the approaching restoration of God's city, but in-
struction was vouchsafed even concerning things
about which he had not asked ; and he was carried
on into ages yet to come, when Jerusalem "shall
not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for
ever." Jer. xxxi. 40.
As the passage, however, which contains this
prophecy, is imperfectly rendered in our present
version, it is necessary, before we proceed, to consider
it in some detail.
The word translated in our version " iveeks,"
means simply a septenary number or hebdomad.
It stands in the same relation to seven, as our
English word dozen does to twelve, or as decad to
ON DANIEL IX. 211
ten. Thus as we may say, a dozen of days, or a
dozen of weeks, or a dozen of years, so we may say,
a hebdomad of days, i.e. seven days ; or a hebdomad
of weeks, i.e. seven weeks ; or a hebdomad of years,
i.e. seven years. In the case before us, the expres-
sion "seventy hebdomads" being used alone, and
not followed by the word days, or weeks, or months,
or years, it is necessary to determine by other means
which of these is intended to be supplied.
The next word, translated in our version " deter-
mined" is not elsewhere used in the Old Testament.
It means, according to Gesenius, to cut, to divide,
and is rendered by Theodotion a-vver/jLrjdTjaav, and
by others, rerfjurji/rai,. To sever into a divided portion,
or portions, is evidently the meaning Seventy
hebdomads have been severed from the rest of time,
that in these hebdomads God, acting definitely in
Jerusalem, might there accomplish His work.
The word translated "finish " means " to shut up,"
or " imprison," answering to the Greek rcXeico or
KcoXvco. It is used thus 1 Sam. vi. 10, " and shut up
their calves at home : " and again, Ps. Ixxxviii. 9.,
" I am shut up, and cannot come forth." The
thought is analogous to burying, or hiding out of
sight. The transgressions of Israel will then be
hidden for ever.
The word translated " to make an end of" means
literally " to seal up" in the sense of effectually
and authoritatively shutting up. God will then
shut up the transgression, and seal itp the sins of
Israel. The same thoughts are similarly connected
212 CHAPTER VIII.
in the Revelation there applied to the imprisonment
of Satan. The angel was seen to " shut him up, and
set a seal upon him." Rev. xx. 3.
The words " to make reconciliation," adopted by
our translators as the translation of H2D7 * n ^ e
next clause, is not a satisfactory rendering.
The Pihel of *13 when used with reference to the
expiation of sin, is employed in two very distinct
senses. Its first and great use is when it is applied to
the act of the priest in presenting atoning sacrifice to
God. This is its prevailing meaning in the Old
Testament, and when thus used it is followed by
^$?> "TT3 or some other preposition either expressed,
or else associated with it, in the context. When
thus used it should always be translated, " make, or
offer atonement" atonement meaning, not at-one-
ment, i.e. reconciliation, but denoting the atoning
offering itself presented to satisfy the claims of God.
In its second use it is applied, not to the priest as
making atonement, but to God as applying it, and so
forgiving and cancelling the iniquity. In this sense
it is used in the passage before us. It here directs
our thoughts not to the making atonement by the
Priest (that was finished on Calvary), but to the
application of that atonement to Israel, when they
shall have believed, and their sins be cancelled and
remembered no more. For the use of ISD in this
sense, see Deut. xxxii. 43, and Deut. xxi. 8, where it
is translated " be merciful unto ;" 2 Chron. xxx. 18,
where it is translated " pardon ;" and Jer. xviii. 23,
ON DANIEL IX. 213
where it is translated "forgive" all these and like
passages referring, not to the making of the atone-
ment by the priest unto God, but to the application
of the atonement by God, or by the Priest as repre-
senting God, to the persons or things purged by it.
To seal up the vision and prophecy. This is not a
satisfactory translation. It is indeed the same word
that is used in the previous clause, and which I have
translated seal up. But " to seal " is used in three
senses in the Scripture :
I. In the sense of hiding, confining, or securing,
because we are accustomed to seal up that which we
wish to hide, confine, or secure. The ancients were
accustomed to put a seal on many things for which
we use a lock.
II. In the sense of confirming, or ratifying ; be-
cause we seal that which we wish to ratify.
III. In the sense of terminating; because we affix
a seal to a document or letter as our concluding act.
Either of the two last meanings may be taken in
the present passage. Past vision and prophecy will
then be both terminated and ratified by fulfilment.
To anoint the most Holy that is, the most Holy
Place, the Holy of Holies. Whether this be under-
stood as referring to the place of Israel's earthly
worship, or to the antitypical heavenly sanctuary
not made with hands, in either case it speaks of the
time of Israel being forgiven and brought under the
applied power of redemption. This expression is
nowhere used as signifying a person."*
* See Tregelles on Daniel, p. 98.
214 CHAPTElt VJII.
Abominations. This word is continually used for
" idols. " Our translators have so rendered it in
2 Chron., xv., 8 " Put away the abominable idols."
Again, we read of " Chemosh the abomination of the
Moabites ;" and so in a multitude of other passages
where the same word is used. The answering word
in Greek, /SSeXuy/^a, is similarly used.
Overspreading. The word thus translated means
simply "a wing." It is customary in all languages
to apply this word metaphorically as when we speak
of the wing of an army, or of the wing of a building,
In Hebrew this is done more than in our language.
Thus it is applied to the earth, and translated corners:
11 From the four corners (literally wings) of the earth."
We cannot be surprised, therefore, that it should be
applied to the "pinnacle " of a building. The Greek
word Trrepvyiov, translated pinnacle in the l^ew Tes-
tament, exactly corresponds with it. Christ was
placed by Satan on a pinnacle of the Temple. Ge-
senius thus translates ?p3 in this place. The expres-
sion pinnacle of idols is a Hebraism, and means
idolatrous pinnacle. The Vulgate does not translate,
but paraphrases the passage by saying, " et erit in
templo abominatio desolationis" " and the abomi-
nation of desolation shall be in the temple/'' Theo-
dotion* does the same : icai CTTL TO uepov /3SeXi/yyiia TWV
eprjfjLwcrecov " and on the temple shall be the abomi-
nation of desolations."
As regards the words D^fete and D^ which are
merely different parts of the same verb, they are
* See Appendix.
ON DANIEL IX. 215
rightly rendered by Gesenius in the active sense
" desolating " or " desolator." * See also Tregelles,
Stonard, and Faber.
The translation of the whole passage may be given
thus :
" Seventy hebdomads are severed [or divided off]
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to shut
up transgression, and to seal up sins, and to bring
under atonement iniquity, and to bring in ever-
lasting righteousness, and to ratify [literally to seal]
vision and prophet, and to anoint the most Holy
Place. Know therefore, and understand, from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and to
build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, are
seven hebdomads, and sixty and two hebdomads;
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in pressure of time [i.e., in times of straitness or
pressure]. And after sixty and two hebdomads,
Messiah shall be cut off, and there shall be nothing
to him ; f and the city and the sanctuary shall the
* The expression occurs in the following passages :
Dan. viii. 13. " Transgression that desolateth.''
Dan. ix. 27. " On the pinnacle of abominations shall be the
desolating one."
Idem. " Until that determined be poured upon the deso-
lating one."
Dan. xi. 31. "The abomination that desolateth."
Dan. xii. 11. " The abomination that desolateth."
The expression of our Lord in Matt, xxiv, /SSeXvyjua T^S
cprjfjLwo-fws is equivalent to that in Dan. xii. tprffMoxris being
the active form of the verbal noun.
t There shall be nothing to, or for Him, i. e. in Jerusalem
and Israel. Israel was not gathered.
The end of Antichrist is to be in "the overflowing."
" Overflow " is a word applied with peculiar definiteness to
216
CHAPTER VIII.
people destroy of the prince that cometh ; and his
end shall be in the overflowing, and until the end
there is war, even that which is determined for
desolations. And he [the prince that cometh] shall
confirm a covenant with the many [i.e., with the
multitude] for one hebdomad ; and at half the heb-
domad he shall cause sacrifice and oblation to cease,
and upon the pinnacle of abominations [i.e., the
idolatrous pinnacle] shall be that which causeth
desolation, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the causer of
desolation."
This, I believe, is as exact a translation of this
remarkable passage as can well be given. The two
periods on which it principally dwells are the time
when the sins of Israel shall be forgiven ; and the
time that immediately precedes their forgiveness,
when, for seven years, they shall be under the hand
of the great destroyer. Both these periods are of
course future. The prophecy does not terminate at
the crucifixion, nor at the destruction of Jerusalem
by the Roman armies ; it mentions both these events,
but it does not conclude with them. Like the
rest of Daniel, it goes on to the termination of the
desolations of Jerusalem, and does not cease until
"THE CONSUMMATION," when the Holy of
Holies is anointed, and that determined is poured
upon the desolator. The past periods of the devas-
the last hour of visitation on Israel. Thus it is said, " The
consumption decreed shall over/low with righteousness," i. e.,
with righteous judgment. Is. x. 22. And again : " When the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, then shall ye be
trodden down by it." Is. xxviii. 18.
ON DANIEL IX. 217
tation of Jerusalem by Roman armies were not
periods of which it could be said that her sins were
forgiven and everlasting righteousness brought in.
On the contrary, they were times when her sins were
had in remembrance; and in consequence thereof
her people have been led captive into all nations,
and scattered towards the four winds of heaven.
But an hour is coming, when the blood of atonement
that has been already shed shall be applied to repen-
tant Israel, and when, the evil having been taken
from their heart, they shall recognise Him whom
they have despised as being Jehovah their Right-
eousness. Then everlasting righteousness shall be
brought in ; then, at last, it shall be said : " Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that
her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned ; for she hath received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins." Is. xl. 2.
The seventy hebdomads of years * mentioned in
this passage are distributed into three divisions.
* The use of the word "hebdomad" without an adjunct
(especially in a chapter where years had been spoken of
see ix. 2.) is, of itself, sufficient to show that " years " are
intended. There is no doubt that Daniel and the Jews would
so understand it. Grotius says : " Seventy hebdomads, that
is of years ; for so the Talmudists were accustomed to speak,
as they still do : consequently, when a hebdomad of days is,
meant, the word days is wont to be added." So also Abeii
Ezra, who lived in the twelfth century : " It was said by our
honourable master Saadias that those weeks are weeks of
years. In proof of this may be quoted the saying 'of Daniel
x. 2. 'I Daniel was mourning three weeks of days. 1 Now
Saadias expounds correctly and well .... Know also
218 CHAPTER VIII.
The first consists of seven hebdomads, i.e. 49 years.
The second of sixty-two hebdomads, i.e. 434 years.
The third of one hebdomad, i.e. 7 years.
The first of these divisions viz., of 49 years-
commenced when the commandment went forth to
restore and to build Jerusalem, and ends by " the
street being built again, and the wall, even in
troublous times." The wall, therefore, begun by
that in Holy Scripture days are always days, and never years.
Yet it is possible that the word ' days' may mean an entire
year, since the repetition of the days produces a return of
the year, as when it is said in Ex. xiii. 10, from days to days,
i. e. from year to year, days meaning a complete year. But
when the number is stated, as two days, three days, it cannot
mean years, but must mean days as it stands." See Aben
Ezra quoted by Maitland in his Apostles' School of Prophetic
Interpretation.
But even if we were to admit that the expression was
ambiguous, they to whom it was addressed could not long
have remained in doubt whether hebdomads of days, or
weeks, or months, or years, were intended. If they imagined
that the wall could be completed in 49 days, or 49 weeks, or
49 months, they would soon be undeceived when they came
to the end of those periods, and found that it was not com-
pleted. Its completion at the end of 49 years would demon-
strate to them that years were intended. The Septuagint in
their translation actually insert u years."
As few now quote this passage in support of the extraor-
dinary theory of " days " meaning " years," perhaps nothing
need be said respecting it. It is very obvious that since
the word "days" does not occur in the passage, that which
does not exist cannot be put for anything, nor mean any-
thing. For further remarks on the hebdomads, see Tregelles
on Daniel, p. 91.
ON DANIEL IX. 219
Nehemiah, was not completed until 49 years from
its commencement.
The second division commenced from this com-
pletion of the wall, and extends to the " cutting off"
of the Messiah. After threescore and two hebdomads
i.e., 434 years, shall Messiah be cut off.
The third division, i.e., seven years, will com-
mence when " the prince that shall come," i.e.,
Antichrist, '' shall make a covenant with the mul-
titude," and ends by wrath being sent upon the
Desolator, and blessing on Jerusalem.
The hebdomads, therefore, do not commence as
soon as the prophecy was given to Daniel. It was
given in the first year after the conquest of Babylon
by Cyrus, B.C. 537, but it did not commence to be
fulfilled until the decree given to Nehemiah to
restore the wall of Jerusalem in the twentieth year
of Artaxerxes, B.C. 454 or 455. Eighty-three years
therefore passed away before these hebdomads com-
menced their course. These eighty- three years were
years of much interest to Israel, for in them the
labours of Ezra and others restored the Temple.
Nevertheless, these years are not included in the
seventy hebdomads severed, or divided off, on Jeru-
salem. The reason evidently is this : the prophecy
respects not Israel merely, but Jerusalem. " Seventy
hebdomads are divided upon thy people, and upon
thy holy city." They were not to commence until
the commandment should go forth to restore and to
build Jerusalem : and that commandment was not
given to Ezra, but to Nehemiah. Ezra rebuilt
220 CHAPTER VIII.
the Temple merely, but Nehemiah builded the
wall, and restored the nationality of Israel in Jeru-
salem.
The " seventy divided hebdomads/' therefore,
are not concerned with any or every period in the
history of Israel. They concern only periods in
which God regards Israel as nationally gathered in
their own city ; and in which His hand is directly
engaged in forwarding His great plan of overthrow-
ing the Gentile oppressor, and delivering His people.
Consequently, the progress of the seventy hebdo-
mads is stopped at the Crucifixion ; for then Jeru-
salem was virtually set aside when the Lord Jesus,
four days before His death, said, "Your house is
left unto you desolate/' The plans for its national
blessing, and the destruction of its enemies, which
till then the hand of God had steadily carried for-
ward, were suspended ; and soon after, Jerusalem
was utterly blotted out. The course of the hebdo-
mads will not be resumed until Israel, under a
covenant formed with Antichrist, shall again assume
a national existence in Jerusalem.
Then again they will become in Jerusalem the
subjects of direct dealing from the hand of God
" set to/ 7 as He Himself expresses it, to effect His
own designs of final blessing. That blessing, how-
ever, is to be reached through judgment and fiery
indignation that will consume the transgressors.
Jerusalem is to be " the furnace" before it is the
City of Peace. " The Lord's fire is at Zion, and his
furnace in Jerusalem." "Because ye are all become
ON DANIEL IX. 221
dross, behold, therefore / will gather you into the
midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and
brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of
the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it ; so
will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury."
Ez. xxii. 19. " Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord
of Hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease
me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine
enemies : and I will turn my hand upon thee,
and purely purge away thy dross, and take away
all thy tin : and I will restore thy judges as at
the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning :
afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteous-
ness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with
judgment, and her converts with righteousness."
Is. i. 24.
I quote these verses in order to show how peculi-
arly the closing period of unbelieving Israel's exis-
tence in Jerusalem is marked as one in which the
Divine hand begins again, in an especial manner, to
act in Jerusalem for the effectuation of its own pur-
poses. The great " Desolator " is only an instrument
commissioned of God to effect this end: "I will
send him against an hypocritical nation, and
against the people of my wrath will I give him
a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the
streets." Is. x. 6.
Yet this fearful treading down will end the indig-
nation and usher in the morning without clouds.
" It shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant
222 CHAPTER VIII.
of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house o f
Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that
smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the
Holy One of Israel in truth. The remnant shall
return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty
God." Is. x. 20, 21.
The progression therefore, of the hebdomads,
which was suspended at the crucifixion, has not yet
been resumed. During this long interval, all detailed
history respecting both Israel and the nations is
suspended, not only in Daniel, but in all Scripture.
During this period no dates are given no names
recorded. Many kings and mighty conquerors have
arisen among the Gentiles since Jerusalem was
extinguished, but none of them are mentioned in
Scripture, because none are connected with God's
nation in Jerusalem.
But as soon as Israel is again gathered back to
Jerusalem for judgment, and nationally re-exist in
their land and city, prophecy resumes its detail.
The covenant made with Antichrist, that covenant
of which it is said, ' ' Your covenant with death shall
be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall
not stand," (Is. xxviii. 18) will be a sign of their re-
constitution as a nation, and then the hebdomads
will again resume their course. To this period
belongs the concluding part of every vision of every
prophet that speaks of judgment on Jerusalem.
All the visions of the Revelation, from the sixth
to the nineteenth chapter inclusive, belong to this
period, especially to its latter half. The latter half
ON DANIEL IX. 223
of this last hebdomad is the "1260 days," or
" forty- two months," or "time, times, and a half
time," so often spoken of in Daniel and the
Revelation.
The hope that Israel cherishes of protection and
rest under this covenant with Antichrist, will after
a time be dissipated. " Wherefore hear the word of
the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people that
is in Jerusalem. 13ecause ye have said, we have
made a covenant with death, and with hell are we
at agreement : when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, it shall not come unto us : for we have
made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we
hid ourselves : therefore . . . . when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden
down by it." They will think to escape desolation
by making a covenant with the Desolator; but it
shall not stand. They will soon have to say, " he
hath put forth his hands towards such as be at peace
with him, he hath broken his covenant." We have
seen, in the eighth chapter of Daniel, that not six
months elapse after this covenant has been made,
before he begins to practise evilly in Jerusalem, and
at the half of the hebdomad, he causes the sacrifice
and oblation to cease, and the pinnacle of Israel's
temple becomes the pinnacle of an idol his own
idol. The wonderful history of this idol is given
with unusual minuteness of detail in the New Testa-
ment. He who commands it to be formed, will have
power to give life unto it, that it " should both speak,
and cause that as many as would not worship it
224 CHAPTER VIII.
should be killed/'* Rev. xiii. J5. The Desolator,
represented by this animated image, stands upon this
pinnacle. The temple of Israel becomes the place of
his worship and of his power, and the world, through-
out all the appointed sphere, bows before him until
the consummation, when " that determined is to be
poured upon the desolator."
Here the vision of sorrow ends. Then comes the
hour for everlasting righteousness to be brought in,
and for the pinnacle of idolatry to be supplanted by
the Holy of Holies, anointed for the worship and
government of the Lord God of Israel. Then, at
last, it will be said, " Jehovah is in his holy temple :
let all the earth keep silence before HIM."
* Victorinus, in the third century, speaks of this. His
words are : " The false prophet will cause a golden Image to
to be set up to Antichrist in the Temple of Jerusalem ; and
into this image, the Apostate angel will enter, emitting
voices and oracles. He will also cause both bond and free
to receive a mark in their foreheads, or on their right hands
even the number of his name, that none may buy or sell
without it."
Lactantius, who wrote in the fourth century, says, speaking
of the same period, " He shall command fire to descend from
heaven, and the sun to stop in its course, and the image to
speak"
225
CHAPTER IX.
ON DANIEL X., XL, AND XII.
are now arrived at the last vision of the Book
of Daniel, recorded in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth
chapters, which should be read continuously, as form-
ing in reality one chapter. This portion of the
prophecy is more minute in its detail than any of
the preceding parts.
It is uniformly the case in books of prophecy that
minuteness of detail increases in the later visions.
The commencing visions are not specific. They pass
rapidly over the whole period of which the prophecy
treats, and supply an outline which is filled up by
subsequent visions. Thus the first chapter of Isaiah
brings us to the period of Israel's forgiveness after
their last punishment. None of the subsequent
visions exceed as to time the circle which the first
chapter draws. So also in Daniel. The vision of
the Image leads us to the time when the Gentile
power is smitten, and the kingdom o heaven estab-
lished. No subsequent vision exceeds this boundary.
Like the Revelation, the Book of Daniel consists of
a number of distinct visions, each complete in itself;
not chronologically following each other, but each
tracing either the whole or a part of the same period,
Q
226 CHAPTER IX,
and adding fresh circumstances. Enquiries awakened
by the commencing visions are, for the most part,
answered in the visions that succeed.
"We are told, in the tenth chapter, that Daniel
still continued to enquire. He again set his heart
to understand, and to chasten himself before his
God. And further instruction was vouchsafed, al-
though Satan resisted, and for one and twenty days
resisted successfully. Dan x. 13.
It is not the least important effect of enquiry into
prophetic Scripture, that it draws aside the veil
which hides that wonderful agency which is being
perpetually carried on around us, partly by holy,
and partly by evil spirits. Holy Angels are employed
as " ministering spirits, sent forth for ministration
on account of them who are to inherit salvation." *
Heb. i. 14. Their ministry is not confined to the
care which they continually exercise toward each
individual saint in guarding him from danger in
his going out and in his coming in ; there are many
other things to which their ministry is directed,
but all for the sake of those " who are to inherit
salvation."
The appointed progression in the empires of the
earth, as they successively rise and fall, is not un-
connected with the final glory of God's people. This
progression holy and evil angels watch; holy angels,
that they may assist ; evil angels, that they may
hinder the purposes of God. The time of the con-
* Els diaxoviav aTroorcXXo/icJ/a did revs /ze'AAoi/ras
crooTTjpiay.
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 227
tinuance of each successive Empire, and the order of
their succession, God has appointed with minute
precision. As they successively fulfil their course,
so the period of Satan's reign is shortened, and the
time of his punishment and of the long-predicted
glory of the saints draws nearer. On every account,
therefore, the devil and his angels desire to obstruct
the appointments of God. They hate them because
they are His ; because each successive step is made
needful to the great result, and because, as each
change occurs, it brings nearer the period of their
own doom. They seek, therefore, to hinder the pro-
gress of these changes, to hinder also the instruction
which God vouchsafes to His servants respecting
them.
We have an instance of this in the chapter before
us. An angel was sent from God to instruct Daniel,
but for one and twenty days he was hindered.
if Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel : for from
the first day that thou didst set thine heart to under-
stand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy
words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood
me one and twenty days : but, lo, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me ; and I remained
there with the kings of Persia." Dan. x. 12, 13.
No power of man could have resisted for one and
twenty days the angel of God, and that so success-
fully, that, until Michael the Archangel came to help
him, he could not prevail. " The prince of Persia/'
therefore, must be some evil angel appointed under
2*8
CHAPTER IX.
Satan to watch over the realm of Persia, in order to
check and to hinder the counsels of God. When
the power of the first king of Persia was established
upon the ruins of Chaldaea, the angel of God was
needed to confirm and strengthen him. "Also I, in
the first year of Darius the JVlede, even I, stood to
confirm and to strengthen him." Dan. xi. 1. And
although when Daniel saw this vision the time was
as yet distant for the second transfer of authority
from Persia to Greece, yet even the very attempt to
make known to Daniel that transfer, and the events
that were to follow, was resisted by the angel of
Satan. How sure we may be that this resistance is
continued still against every attempt to understand
or to unfold these things.
This vision was given in the third year of Cyrus.
Before, therefore, the Empire of Persia had achieved
its victories, or enlarged its boundaries to their des-
tined extent, its overthrow was foretold. But it was
not the immediate object of the vision to foretell the
overthrow of Persia, nor even the rise of Greece.
Its object was to reveal what should befall Israel in
the latter days through him who should inherit the
Grecian name. " Now I am come to make thee
understand what shall befall thy people in the
latter days : for yet the vision is for many days."
Dan. x. 14.
Accordingly, the history of Persia is passed over
in one single verse : " And now will I shew thee
the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three
kings in Persia ; and the fourth shall be far richer
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 229
than they all: and by his strength through his
riches he shall stir up all against the realm of
Grecia." Dan. xi. 2. This was Xerxes. His suc-
cessors are not mentioned, but the prophecy hastens
on to the king of Grecia. "And a mighty king
shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion,
and do according to his will. And when he shall
stand up [shall have stood up], his kingdom shall be
broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds
of heaven ; and not to his posterity, nor according
to his dominion which he ruled : for his kingdom
shall be plucked up, even for others besides those."
Dan. xi. 4. This was Alexander. His posterity was
cut off, and four of his rapacious generals divided
his dominions, and became sovereign princes. But
the history of two out of the four is not pursued,
because they were not connected with Jerusalem.
But the two who were connected with Jerusalem
that is to say, the kings of Syria and of Egypt
have their histories given with considerable minute-
ness. The king of Syria, having the seat of his
empire at Babylon and its neighbourhood, is called
the King of the North ; the king of Egypt, is the
King of the South north and south giving the re-
spective positions of Syria and Egypt in their rela-
tions to Jerusalem.
It is not necessary to follow the history of all the
kings of Syria and Egypt in their perpetual con-
flicts with each other, and their contests respecting
Jerusalem. This has been already done by Rollin,
Bishop Newton and others, with all the accuracy
230 CHAPTER IX.
that is now possible, for the writings of many his-
torians have perished, and others remain only in
fragments. The history, however, of one of the
kings of Syria, Antiochus Epiphanes, was so re-
markably connected with Jerusalem, that it is
necessary to consider it with some minuteness.
The object of the prophecy of Daniel is to detail
the facts of Gentile history, so far as they are con-
nected with Jerusalem. It seems, therefore, impos-
sible to suppose that the history of a monarch like
Antiochus, who so wonderfully foreshadowed Anti-
christ, (for he denied the temple for 1,260 days, and
placed " the abomination of desolation " there,)
should be omitted in Daniel. We must not, how-
ever, expect that the detailed accounts of Scripture
can in every minute particular be confirmed by the
records of secular history ; nor is it wonderful that
we should be required to trust God for the accuracy
of statements that He makes on His own authority.
We have no evidence, except from Scripture, that
the wall of Jerusalem was finished forty-nine years
after its commencement by Nehemiah ; yet we do
not doubt the correctness of that date any more than
that of the Crucifixion, which is afterwards given,
although the latter can be corroborated from other
sources. So also in the case before us. We cannot
expect that uninspired history should furnish us
with anything more corroborative of the great lead-
ing facts recorded in this prophetic history of
Antiochus Epiphanes.
Uninspired history distinctly informs us that
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 231
Antiochus Epiphanes was a "vile person,"* who,
not being the legitimate heir to the kingdom of
Syria, t and therefore not having it given to him in
due course, did, by " flattering " the Romans and
others,J acquire the kingdom peaceably ; and after
overpowering all obstacles, overthrowing one and
deceiving another of the High Priests of Israel,
plundered whole provinces ; exceeded all that had
preceded him in mad profuseness;|| attacked and
* Polybius says, his name should have been Epimanes, the
madman : not Epiphanes, the illustrious.
t His nephew Demetrius was the rightful heir.
His address to the Romans is recorded in Livy. He
begs the Romans to " enjoin on him whatsoever should be
enjoined on a king who was their good and trustworthy ally,
and promises them he never would be found wanting to his
duty." Livy. 1. 42, ch. 6. Eumenes also, the King of Per-
gamus, and Attains, were gained over by him.
The High Priest overthrown by him was, according to
Theodoret, Onias. By prince, or leader of the covenant, he
supposes to be meant the High Priest, who was at that time
the chief office-bearer in Israel. Onias was removed, and
afterwards murdered. His brother Jason, by immense sums
obtained the Priesthood, but was immediately after sup-
planted by his own brother Menelaus. These things may be
trivial in Gentile history, but they are important as proving
the entire subjection of Jerusalem to the Gentile oppressor.
|| His extravagant liberality is recorded both by Polybius,
and in the first book of Maccabees. Polybius relates, that
sometimes accidentally meeting with persons whom he had
never seen before, he would enrich them with unexpected
presents ; and sometimes standing in the public streets, he
would throw about his money and cry aloud, " Let him take
it to whom fortune shall give it." In I Maccabees iii. it is
232 CHAPTER IX.
conquered the King of Egypt ;* treated him with
apparent kindness but deceived him, and was in
turn deceived by him ;f returned from Egypt with
great riches and punished the Jews ;J came against
Egypt ; was met on the shores of Egypt by the
Ambassadors of Rome, who had just landed from
their ships ; was compelled to retire from Egypt;
said ; " He [Antiochus] feared that he should not be able to
bear the charge any longer, nor to have such gifts to give
so liberally as he did before, for he had abounded above the
kings that were before him."
* For account of his victory over Egypt, see I Maccabees i.
appended to this chapter.
t No one doubts, says Jerome, that Antiochus made peace
with Ptolemy, feasted with him, and laid plots against him.
Jerome, in locum.
See I Maccabees i.
The following is the account given in Jerome of the
retreat of Antiochus from Egypt at the bidding of the Roman
Ambassadors. "Again after two years he collected an army
against Ptolemy, and came towards the south. And when
the two Ptolemies, who were brothers and whose uncle he
was, were besieged in Alexandria, Ambassadors from Rome
arrived, one of whom, Marcus Popilius Lenas, having found
him standing on the shore, gave him the decree of the senate
by which he was commanded to retire from the friends of
the Roman people, and be content with his own dominions.
When the king sought to postpone his final resolve until he
could consult his friends, the ambassador is said to have
drawn a circle in the sand with a staff which he held in his
hand, and to have enclosed therewith the king, and said,
'The senate and Roman people demand that you should in
that spot declare what your determination is,' whereby he
being alarmed, said, 'If it so please the senate and the
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 233
marched into Palestine and assailed Jerusalem ; con-
federated with apostate Jews ; placed the idol of
Jupiter in the Temple; and commanded that all who
would not worship it should be killed. Compare
this account with Dan. xi. 21-26.
These events in the life of Antiochus are capable
of satisfactory proof from history. But even if all
of them were not corroborated by profane history,
yet no one doubts that the great cardinal events
which this prophecy records, viz., an invasion of
Egypt, the intervention of the Roman Ambassadors,
a going to Jerusalem, and a placing an idol in the
Temple of God, are events which did occur in the
history of Antiochus. And when we remember
that the writer of the first book of Maccabees vir-
tually quotes the words of the eleventh of Daniel,
and calls the idol placed by Antiochus " the abomina-
Roman people, we must retire,' and so immediately he drew
off his army." Jerome in locum.
As regards the expression, ships of Chittim, there can be
no doubt that it refers to the coasts of the Mediterranean.
" This plainly appears," says Bishop Newton, " that where-
ever the land of Chittim or the isles of Chittim are mentioned
in Scripture, there are evidently meant some countries or
islands in the Mediterranean." Dissertation v. "The
Hebrews," says Jerome, " interpret it of Italians and Romans
Hebraei Italos volunt intelligi atque Romanos." In the first
chapter of Maccabees it is applied to Greece. It is probable
that the Roman Ambassadors crossed into Egypt from Greece,
for Emilius, their Consul, had just subjugated Macedon.
The real Septuagint (not Theodotion) render Chittim by
Romans.
234 CHAPTER IX.
tion of desolation," we can scarcely doubt that this
passage in the eleventh of Daniel was considered to
belong to Antiochus at the time when the book of
Maccabees was written.
I am aware that some, whose judgment I greatly
value, and from whom on any subject I differ with
regret, are accustomed to apply this description to
Antichrist. But the reasons which forbid its applica-
tion to Antichrist appear to me not less strong than
those which require its application to Antiochus.
In the first place, every description which Scrip-
ture elsewhere gives of Antichrist, would lead us to
regard him as exceeding all other kings, both in
intellect and in power, from the first moment of his
manifestation. Other kings may be symbolised by
horns, but he is represented by a " horn having
eyes." From the first moment of his appearance,
his look is " more stout than his fellows' ;" nor do we
ever read of anything but prosperity and triumph
nowhere of anything approaching to failure or
reverse, until he is finally smitten by the hand of
God. But in the passage before us, the description
of the "vile person" who obtains his kingdom by
flatteries, is below rather than above the level of the
descriptions given of the ordinary kings of Egypt
and Syria that have preceded. The person spoken
of is decidedly unsuccessful, and is turned back by
ships from the Mediterranean, that very sea of
whose ships and whose coasts Antichrist will be
sovereign lord from the first moment he has assumed
his power.
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 235
Moreover, nothing appears to me more certain
than that the kingdom obtained by the " vile per-
son " is the kingdom of the north, i.e., Syria. As
king of the north, he is represented as conflicting
with and conquering the king of the south, i.e.,
Egypt. See verse 25. If therefore he be the king
of the north, he cannot be identical with the king
mentioned suddenly in the 36th verse, as " the king
who shall do according to his will," because this
wilful king is NOT king of the north, inasmuch as
he is mentioned immediately afterwards as con-
flicting with, and overcoming the king of the north.
See verse 40.
Moreover, we are told that only 1,260 days are to
elapse between the "setting the abomination and
the end ;" and this period is expressly spoken of in
Scripture as a shortened period. How would it be
possible for all the many and diverse events men-
tioned from the 31st to the 45th verses, inclusive, to
be accomplished in this period ? One of these
events is that " Israel is to fall by the sword and by
flame, captivity, and by spoil, days." Now, although
this last expression is not definite, yet it seems to
signify a period too long to be included in a rem-
nant of the 1,260 days.
Moreover, it is evident from the thirteenth of
Revelation, and other parts of Scripture, that Anti-
christ is at the very height of his power, and is
wearing the ten diadems of the Roman world at the
time when he sets the abomination of desolation.
Consequently, he cannot be the person who sets
236
CHAPTER IX.
"the abomination" mentioned in the eleventh of
Daniel, for that is set by a person who is returning
from an unsuccessful expedition against Egypt.
For these and other reasons it is utterly impossible
to apply this passage to Antichrist. A consideration
of the verses that follow, viz., 32, 33, and 34, afford
additional proof that it belongs to Antiochus Epi-
phanes (that remarkable foreshadower of Antichrist),
whose history is given in the following chapter of
the first book of Maccabees. His relation to Jeru-
salem should especially be observed.
" And it happened after that Alexander, son of
Philip the Macedonian, who came out of the land of
Chittim, had smitten Darius, king of the Persians
and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first
over Greece, and made many wars, and won many
strongholds, and slew the kings of the earth and
went through to the ends of the earth, and took
spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was
quiet before him ; whereupon he was exalted, and
his heart was lifted up. And he gathered a mighty
strong host, and ruled over countries, and nations,
and kings, who became tributaries unto him.
"And after these things he fell sick, and perceived
that he should die. Wherefore he called his ser-
vants, such as were honourable, and had been
brought up with him from his youth, and parted his
kingdom among them, while he was yet alive. So
Alexander reigned twelve years, and [then] died.
And his servants bare rule every one in his place.
And after his death, they all put crowns [upon
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 237
themselves] ; so did their sons after them many
years : and evils were multiplied in the earth.
"And there came out of them a wicked root,
Antiochus (surnamed) Epiphanes, son of Antiochus
the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he
reigned in the hundred and thirty-seventh year of
the kingdom of the Greeks. - In those days went
there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many,
saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the
heathen that are round about us : for since we de-
parted from them, we have had much sorrow. So
this device pleased them well. Then certain of the
people were so forward herein, that they went to
the king, who gave them license to do after the
ordinances of the heathen : whereupon they built a
place of exercise at Jerusalem, according to the
customs of the heathen : and made themselves un-
circumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and
joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to
do mischief.
" And now when the kingdom was established be-
fore Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt,
that he might have the dominion of two realms.
Wherefore he entered into Egypt with a great mul-
titude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen,
and a great navy, and made war against Ptolomee,
king of Egypt, but Ptolomee was afraid of him, and
fled ; and many were wounded to death. Thus they
got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he
took the spoils thereof. And after that Antiochus
had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred
238 CHAPTER IX.
forty and third year, end went up against Israel
and Jerusalem with a great multitude, and entered
proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden
altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels
thereof, and the table of the shew-bread, and the
pouring vessels, and the vials, and the censers of
gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden
ornaments that were before the temple, all which he
pulled off. He took also the silver and the gold,
and the precious vessels : also he took the hidden
treasures which he found. And when he had taken
all away, he went into his own land, having made a
great massacre, and spoken very proudly. There-
fore there was great mourning in Israel, in every
place where they were ; so that the princes and
elders mourned, the virgins and young men were
made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed.
Every bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that
sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness. The
land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and
all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion.
" And after two years fully expired, the king sent
his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda,
who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude,
and spake peaceable words unto them ; [but all was]
deceit : for when they had given him credence, he
fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore,
and destroyed much people of Israel. And when he
had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and
pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every
side. But the women and children took they captive,
ON DANIEL X., XL, AND XII. 239
and possessed the cattle. Then builded they the city
of David with a great and strong wall, [and] with
mighty towers, and made it a stronghold for them.
And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men,
and fortified [themselves] therein. They stored it
also with armour and victuals, and when they had
gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid
them up there, and so they became a sore snare : for
it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary,
and an evil adversary to Israel.
" Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of
the sanctuary, and defiled it, insomuch that the in-
habitants of Jerusalem fled because of them ; where-
upon [the city] was made an habitation of strangers,
and became strange to those that were born in her,
and her own children left her. Her sanctuary was
laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned
into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproach, her
honour into contempt. As had been her glory, so
was her dishonour increased, and her excellency was
turned into mourning. Moreover, king Antiochus
wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one
people, and every one should leave his laws ; so all
the heathen agreed, according to the commandment
of the king. Yea, many also of the Israelites con-
sented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and
profaned the sabbath. For the king had sent letters
by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda,
that they should follow the strange laws of the land,
and forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink
offerings in the temple ; and that they should pro-
240 CHAPTER IX.
fane the sabbaths and festival days ; and pollute the
sanctuary and holy people : set up altars, and groves,
and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh, and
unclean beasts; that they should also leave their
children uncircumcised, and make their souls abom-
inable with all manner of uncleanness and profana-
tion : to the end they might forget the law, and
change all the ordinances. And whosoever would
not do according to the commandment of the king,
[he said,] he should die. In the self-same manner
wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed over-
seers over all the people, commanding the cities of
Juda to sacrifice, city by city.
" Then many of the people were gathered unto
them, to wit, every one that forsook the law ; and
so they committed evils in the land, and drove the
Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they
could flee for succour.
" Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the
hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abom-
ination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol
altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side,
and burnt incense at the doors of their houses and
in the streets. And when they had rent in pieces
the books of the law which they found, they burnt
them with fire. And wheresoever was found with
any the book of the testament, or if any consented
to the law, the king's commandment was, that they
should put him to death. Thus did they by their
authority unto the Israelites every month, to as
many as were found in the cities.
ON DANIEL X., XI., AND XII. 241
"Now the five-and-twentieth day of the month
they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was
upon the altar of God. At which time, according to
the commandment, they put to death certain women
that had caused their children to be circumcised.
And they hanged the infants about their necks,
and rifled their houses, and slew them that had cir-
cumcised them. Howbeit many in Israel were fully
resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any
unclean thing. Wherefore they chose rather to
die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and
that they might not profane the holy covenant ; so
then they died. And there was very great wrath
upon Israel."
242
CHAPTER X.
REMARKS ON DANIEL XL (continued.)
IN the days of Antiochus. ruin seemed to be settling
in upon Jerusalem. The faith and labour of Ezra
and Nehemiah, in restoring Jerusalem, appeared
likely to have no other result than that of providing
a place in which the enemy might the more effectu-
ally insult God, and destroy His people. But God
had not forgotten that Jerusalem was His city, and
Israel His people. He had yet left among them a
remnant. Accordingly, when they were all brought
very low, and " all the house of Jacob was covered
with confusion," it pleased God to raise up some to
know and to serve Him ; so that whilst the wicked
in Israel were gained over by the flatteries of this
evil persecutor, there were a few who stood boldly
forward for the name and truth of the Lord God of
Israel. They were the family of Judas Maccabaeus,
a private and almost unknown Israelite.
No former period of Israel's history affords a more
distinct example of Divine interference on their be-
half than the days of the Maccabees. God, indeed,
was not visibly present with them as He had been
with Moses and with Joshua : there was no hand of
ON DANIEL XI. 243
power manifestly stretched out in signs and mighty
wonders, but He was not less truly nigh. Faith
sought and obtained His help ; and accordingly the
Maccabees are numbered among those " who through
faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, ob-
tained promises, . . . escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, . . .
of whom the world was not worthy." Heb. xi. 33-38.
It is not likely that an event so remarkable, and so
indicative of the grace and goodness of God, would
be unnoticed in this continuous prophecy. Accord-
ingly, as soon as the great act of blasphemy per-
formed by Antiochus in placing the abomination of
desolation had been mentioned, the next verse re-
cords two things : first, that the wicked in Israel
would be corrupted and gathered around the blas-
phemer by his flatteries ; secondly, that correspond-
ing energies should be awakened in those who did
know their God, and that they should be strength-
ened and do exploits. " Such as do wickedly against
the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries : but
the people that do know their God shall be strong,
and do exploits." It will be remembered how
entirely the statements of this verse are confirmed
by the chapter just quoted from the Book of Macca-
bees. That chapter says that " there had gone out
wicked men who persuaded many, saying, Let us
go and make a covenant with the Gentiles that are
round about us : for since we departed from them
we have had much sorrow. So this device pleased
244 CHAPTER X.
them well. Then certain of the people were so for-
ward therein, that they went to the king, who gave
them license to do after the ordinances of the Gen-
tiles: whereupon they built a place of exercise at
Jerusalem, according to the customs of the Gentiles,
and made themselves un circumcised, and forsook
the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the
Gentiles, and were sold to do mischief." Thus when
Antiochus came to Jerusalem, he found already
there men who had long been " doing wickedly
against the covenant/' and who were ready there-
fore to be led into deeper corruptions. This is just
what Daniel states, and so will it again be when
the antitype of Antiochus visits that city.
But when Antiochus thus brought an increased
power of evil into Jerusalem, it was met by an in-
crease of power granted by God to His servants.
Daniel says, "the people that do know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits/' The historic
record of the Maccabees says, speaking of Judas
Maccabseus, that " he fought with cheerfulness the
battle of Israel; that he pursued the wicked and
sought them out, and burned up those that vexed
his people ; wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of
him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled,
because salvation prospered in his hand. He grieved
also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts,
and his memorial is blessed for ever/' Thus the
testimony of the Prophet is abundantly confirmed
by the record of history.
But it is seldom that the faith of God's people
ON DANIEL XI. 245
retains the vigour of its early energy. The later
days of the Maccabaean family were clearly marked
by declension. The power of Home was arising in
the "West, that power which had successfully con-
trolled their persecutor and driven him back from
Egypt. It is a melancholy fact that the Maccabees
coveted and sought Roman protection, and were the
means of first bringing into connexion with their
people the power of the great destroyers of Israel.
"Now Judas had heard of the fame of the Romans
that they were mighty and valiant men, and such
as would lovingly accept all that joined themselves
to them and that they were men of great
valour. It was told him also of their wars and
noble acts that they had done among the Galatians,
and how they had conquered them and brought them
under tribute also that whom they would
help to a kingdom, those reign ; and whom again
they would, they displace ; finally, that they were
greatly exalted In consideration of these
things Judas chose Eupolemus and Jason, and sent
them to Rome to make a league of amity
and to entreat them that they would take the yoke
from them, for they saw that the kingdom of the
Greeks did oppress Israel with servitude. They
went therefore to Rome, which was a very great
journey, and came into the senate, where they spake
and said, Judas Maccabaeus, with his brethren and
the people of the Jews, have sent us unto you to
make a confederacy and peace with you, and that we
might be registered your confederates and friends.
246 CHAPTER X.
So that matter pleased the Romans well. And this
is the copy of the epistle which the senate wrote
back again in tables of brass and sent to Jerusalem,
that there they might have by them a memorial of
peace and confederacy : Good success be to the
Romans and to the people of the Jews by sea and
by land for ever ; the sword also and enemy be far
from them According to these articles
did the Romans make a covenant with the people
of the Jews."
The Romans were the nation of whom Moses had
said : " The Lord shall bring against thee a nation
from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the
eagle flieth : a nation whose tongue thou shalt not
understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which
shall not regard the person of the old, nor show
favour unto the young, and he shall eat the fruit of
thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be
destroyed ; which also shall not leave thee either
corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine or
flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee ;
and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates." Deut.
xxviii. 49. This also was the nation symbolised in
the vision of Daniel by " a beast exceeding dreadful,
whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass ;
which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the
residue with his feet." Dan. vii. 19. Yet Judas for-
got the testimonies both of Moses and the Prophets ;
saw nothing in this people but grandeur, strength
and excellency ; sought and received their benedic-
tion, and hoped that thereby "prosperity would be
ON DANIEL XI. 247
to them, and to the people of the Jews by sea and ly land
for ever."
I need not say how soon the dreadful consequences
of this recourse to Rome became apparent. But
before the full result was reached by " the Romans
coming and taking away both their place and na-
tion," a new act of mercy was directed towards
Jerusalem. The verse which speaks of the holy
energy of the Maccabees, is followed by another
which says : " They that understand among the
people shall instruct many, yet they [the people]
shall fall by the sword, by captivity, and by spoil
many days," or, to translate more closely, " the un-
derstanding ones of the people shall instruct the
many, yet they [the people] shall fall by the sword,
by captivity, and by spoil [many] days."
This verse teaches us that soon after the Mac-
cabaean period, there should arise in the midst of,
and out of Israel, persons to whom the name of " wise
or understanding ones " would in some marked man-
ner apply. They were not to "do exploits," like
the Maccabaean family who preceded them, but only
" to instruct." They were not to be THE people,
but to arise from the people " the understanding
ones of the people." They were to be found in the
midst of Israel, but they were only to be a few.
Moreover, Israel as a people not receiving their tes-
timony, it was therefore to be sent to others. It was
to go to the many :* D^IH / et9 row? TroXXou?, t. e.,
to the Gentiles. The people of Israel, unreached by
* The word D'2nn whenever contextually contrasted with
248 CHAPTER X.
this testimony thus marvellously sent among them,
were to " fall by the sword, by captivity, and by
spoil many days."
I scarcely need say how minutely this verse has
been fulfilled in the mission of the Lord Jesus and
His Apostles, and in the rise of the Pentecostal
Church. Light, such as never yet had been, was
suddenly sent into the midst of Israel. They to
whom it was committed might well be called "the
wise, or understanding ones/' for " the day-spring
from on high " had visited them. They belonged
to the people, and they taught amongst the people,
but the nation was not reached thereby, nor its doom
averted. They rejected the light, and it was sent to
" the many." Wrath came on the people, and they
have " fallen by the sword, by captivity, and by spoil
many days." The words of this verse seem to have
been referred to by the Lord Jesus when, speaking
of the rejection of His truth by Israel, He said:
" They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall
be led away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke xxi. 24.
For 1800 years the sword, spoil and captivity
have marked the general condition of scattered Israel.
Through long successive ages the Gentiles main-
tained towards them a relation of cruel and unre-
lenting oppression. But of late the feelings of the
Israel, always denote Gentiles. See further remarks on this
in " Thoughts on Scriptural subjects," pages 160 and 161.
ON DANIEL XI. 249
Gentile nations, especially within the limits of the
Roman world, have undergone a marked change in
relation to the Jews. They are now being favoured
rather than oppressed ; they are acquiring rights of
property and of freedom, even in Rome itself ; they
are courted for their wealth, and sought after be-
cause of their influence, which is increasing daily .*"
This is just what the next verse teaches us : " When
they shall fall [shall have fallen] they shall be holpen
with a little help : but many shall cleave to them
with flatteries." If we watch the aspect of events,
we can scarcely doubt that we are at this moment
entering on the period to which these words belong.
Each year will more and more show the aiding,
fostering hand of Gentile power directed towards
the unbelieving House of Israel, until it helps them
back to their own land, with their sins still resting
on them ; and then, more than ever, " many will
cleave to them with flatteries."
It were well if these " flatteries " came only from
the world. We cannot be surprised that the world
should worship wealth, or admire ingenuity, or be
captivated by the amiability and philanthropy that
may be found among the Jews. But it is wonderful
that any who understand and value the truths of
* On the Jewish Day of Atonement in the year 1849, the
Legislative Assembly in Jamaica suspended its sittings out
of respect to the Jewish members of their body, who were
eight in number. The members are in all forty-seven. A
Jew recently inaugurated with prayer the session of Con-
gress in America.
'250 CHAPTER X.
Christ, should be blind to the present condition and
prospects of that people, a people who, during the
many long years of their chastisement, have ripened
in the iniquities which caused them to be driven
from their land, and whose return in unbelief is in
Scripture spoken of in language more fearful than
any that has yet been applied to Israel. There could
not be this blindness among Christians unless their
light also had become dim, and unless the testi-
monies of Scripture had also ceased to be their
guide.
It is indeed sorrowfully apparent that Gentile
Christianity is not in a condition rightly to instruct
any inquiring heart in Israel. How often have we
seen converted Israelites, as soon as brought under
the power of Gentile teaching, deprived of the hopes
which the reading of the prophets had kindled in
their souls ! We have seen the expectation of
the Advent of the Lord and of their own nation's
millennial glory taken from them by the instruc-
tions of Gentile Christians. And even in cases where
the millennial blessings of Israel have been allowed,
how often have they been taught to hail the present
progress of the nations in civilisation and refinement
under Satan, as the dawn of the day of millennial
blessing ? The dark future has been hidden from
their eyes ; and Christian Jews have been taught
by Christian Gentiles to prophesy peace where there
is no peace. If the Jews were at this moment to
return to Jerusalem, and if any converted from
among them were induced to sustain the principles
ON DANIEL XI. 251
now generally favoured in the Gentile churches, it
would not be too much to say that their testimony
would contradict the words both of Prophets and
Apostles, and that they themselves would be, in
many things, servants to those corruptions and
woiidlinesses which are conducting both Israel and
the nations to their final doom.
Such Christianity, before it could render any
effectual service to the truth, must be chastened. It
is of this that the next verse speaks. " And some of
the understanding ones shall fall, to try them, and
to purge, and to make them white, even to the time
of the end : because it is yet for a time appointed."
We are not told what this fall of " the understanding
ones " is to be. It will, no doubt, be something very
terrible. But the effect will be their purification as
a body, the purification and strengthening of their
brethren, if not of themselves. They shall be
"made white." This is the period of whicii it is said
in the Revelation, that there are some who " will
overcome because of the blood of the Lamb, and the
word of their testimony ; and who will not love
their life even unto death." When we remember the
identity of the periods and the similarity of circum-
stances (for both periods are mentioned as connected
with the hour of Antichrist's glory) we are neces-
sarily led to the conclusion that they of whom Daniel
and the Revelation speak are the same body ; and
that they who are described in Daniel as " purified,
and made white, and tried," are the same who in
Revelation " love not their life even unto death" To
252 CHAPTER X.
this period also the parable of ** the pearl " is espe-
cially intended to apply.
Blessed in the sight of heaven and in the estimate
of faith, will that hour be (however dark outwardly)?
when " the understanding ones of the people" shall
again arise in the midst of Israel. Marvellously
have these verses up to the present point been
fulfilled. We have seen Antiochus ; we have seen
the Maccabees ; we have seen the understanding
ones appear in Israel ; we have seen them rejected
by Israel, and going forth to teach the Gentiles.
For eighteen hundred years Israel have fallen by
captivity and spoil. It is equally certain that they
are favoured now, and will finally be established
in their land and " cleaved unto with flatteries."
Christianity will certainly again find a sphere for
itself in the midst of Israel, and will again give a
brief but pearl-like testimony in the land of its
nativity, re-awakening the voice of Prophets and
Apostles in the midst of the triumphant evil of the
hour of Antichrist. That testimony will be the
result of " the understanding ones " of the people
again appearing, who shall be chastened, purified,
and made white. This is the only bright spot that
appears in the future of this present dispensation,
otherwise it is a future of unrelieved blackness. Yet
this bright spot will be only temporary. The black-
ness of darkness will overwhelm it also. Neverthe-
less, it shall not be in vain. Its record shall abide
in heaven.
The verses we have been considering, that is to
ON DANIEL Xt. 253
say, the thirty-third and the two following verses,
stand in remarkable contrast with the rest of the
eleventh chapter. The part that precedes abounds
in detail in a manner unusual in Scripture ; so also
do the verses that follow, from the thirty-sixth to
the end. But these intervening verses, although
extending over a period six times exceeding that of
which the rest of the chapter treats, are only three,
and are as general in their statements, as the others
are specific and minute.
There is in this respect a considerable resemblance
between the prophecy of the hebdomads and this
chapter. That prophecy, as we have already seen,
divides at the Crucifixion. It gives no further detail
until Antichrist appears. So likewise in the chapter
before us. Its detail continues until the period of
the rise of Christianity is mentioned ; then the time
having come for Jerusalem to be nationally extin-
guished, all detail ceases, and is not resumed until
Antichrist appears.
His history is the principal subject of this chapter,
as, indeed, of all the concluding visions of Daniel.
In the seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters, his cha-
racter and his actings have been so fully described,
that in this vision he is suddenly spoken of without
preface as THE king, as being a person already well
known to those who have considered the previous
visions.
In former chapters we 'have seen him described as
Roman in the nature and extent of his power. He
will lead the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman World.
254 CHAPTER X.
In origin and in character we have seen him Greek;
but the sphere in which this Greek sovereign of the
Roman World will chiefly display his greatness will
be the East. Oriental is a word well nigh synony-
mous with majesty, magnificence, and splendour.
His glory will be Oriental. Its seat will be partly
Jerusalem, and partly Babylon.
If we conceive of the chief of some petty princi-
pality, perhaps in northern Greece, appointed or
becoming the head and the functionary of that great
federal system which I have elsewhere described as
located in Babylon, and thence ruling for a season
all the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman World* if we
think of him in this place, proudly conscious of the
superiority which intellect and position give ; de-
vising schemes for his further elevation; attaching
to himself the Jews, and practising in Jerusalem ;
exciting at last the enmity, or alarming the jealousy
of three of the monarchs over whom that federal
system rules ; attacked by those monarchs, over-
* See "Babylon; its revival and final desolation." The
destruction of Antichrist is described in the 10th and 14th
chapters of Isaiah. In the 10th chapter he is described as
" the Assyrian ;" in the 14th chapter he is called " the King
of Babylon." But, as I have elsewhere dwelt fully on the
subject, I do not enlarge upon it here.
In the early centuries it was a current opinion that the
Chaldeean Babylon would be the place of Antichrist's birth
as well as the place of his destruction. See Hoveden, quoted
in Collyer's Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii., pp. 387 390, 8vo. f
1840. See also Hippolytus, quoted in " Babylon ; its revival
and final desolation."
ON DANIEL XI. 255
coming them, and appointing others in their room ;
elected by all the monarchs of the Roman World to
be their sovereign head, after they had united with
him in destroying the system, which till then they
had subserved ; despising everything which naturally
or religiously controls other minds ; inventing for
himself in everything new paths, and finding even
new demons to adore; entering into the Land of
Israel ; stretching out his hand upon the countries,
and grasping their riches and their power ; alarmed,
at last, by adverse tidings from Central Asia, and
therefore gathering the hosts of his kingdoms into
the Land of Israel, where he had already set the
tents of his palaces in Zion, the glorious holy moun-
tain, and then smitten by the Lord, when Michael
shall arise and deliver Israel ; if we conceive of these
things, we shall be not far from apprehending what
this passage, read in connection with the rest of
Scripture, reveals respecting this last great monarch
of the Gentiles.
Roman, as being the master of the Ten Kingdoms
of the Roman World ; Greek, as arising from one of
the four divisions of the ancient Empire of the
Greeks ; Chaldaan, as bearing the title of King of
Babylon, and having that city as the centre of his
power ; Head of Israel by election, or by conquest,
he will thus revive and concentrate in himself past
powers and past energies, to operate with more in-
tensity than ever against God. By him, and by his
END, we have to measure the past and the coming
prosperity of the nations. All is to terminate in
256 CHAPTER X.
THE King ; and what is prepared for THE King ?
"Tophet is ordained of old, yea for THE KING it
is prepared : he hath made it deep and large, the
pile thereof is fire and much wood ; the breath of
the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it."
Names and titles of the past are not in vain given
to this great monarch of the future. They are
intended to mark a continuity in the progress of
human evil. Antichristianism is not the sudden
creation of a moment ; it is the consequence of
principles long operating, of which the final climax
of evil is the due and well-merited result.
In the early centuries of Christianity, after the
Apostles died, a sense of the awfulness of the cha-
racter and reign of Antichrist prevailed widely in
the professing Church. But they dwelt so exclu-
sively on the truth of his being the agent and
emissary of Satan, and invested him so much with
Satanic characteristics, that they almost forgot to
think of him as a man endowed with human attrac-
tiveness, and human powers of thought and action.
They were even accustomed to pray that the power
of Pagan Rome, though bitterly persecuting them,
might be prolonged, that so the dreaded reign of
Satan might be postponed. The period of Anti-
christianism was looked upon as something altogether
new, rather than as the result and offspring of cir-
cumstances long existent ; and thus the evil of the
future was set in such undue contrast with the pre-
sent, that all adequate apprehension of the moral
connection between the present and the coming
ON DANIEL XI. 257
period was lost. It was virtually forgotten that
there must be a seed-time before the harvest. It
was forgotten that Koine, whether Pagan or nomin-
ally Christian, and the nations that had preceded
her, as well as the nations that were to follow, had
sown, or would sow seeds, of which Antichristianism
would be but the legitimate result ; and thus antici-
pations of future evil were made to destroy right
apprehensions of present iniquity.
There is reason to fear lest the mode in which the
expectation of Antichrist is now being revived should
lead to our minds being similarly diverted from right
judgment of present evil. If the links which unite
the present with the closing period of iniquity be
seen as revealed in Scripture, then few things will
be found more profitable than an acquaintance with
the character of the closing hour. But if these links
are neglected, and the closing period be looked upon,
as one altogether new in character, and detached
from its connection with the circumstances now
around us, then nothing would be more likely to
sink us into lethargic and careless acquiescence with
the very evils that are bringing on the great final
consummation of apostasy. We may even be tempted
to defend present evil, and to say, as many have
said, that everything which Antichrist will when he
comes destroy, should be by us now defended and
cherished as good. But it is far otherwise. God
chastens evil by evil. Why of old was the godless
blaspheming power of Babylon sent to crush Jeru-
salem ? Was it not because of the long continued
s
258
CHAPTER X.
corruptions and abominations of Israel ? So now,
what is it that will move God to send that hour of
temptation, with all its attendant judgments, that
is coming " to try them that dwell upon the earth ?"
It will be sent mainly because of those falsehoods
and worldlinesses and idolatries that are being che-
rished in defiled, tainted, leprous, apostatising Chris-
tendom.
259
CHAPTER XI.
NOTES ON PARTS OF DANIEL XL AND XII.
[The understanding ones of the peopled] It is inter-
esting to observe that this body of " understanding
ones/' after they once appear, continue to the close
of the Dispensation. They are mentioned as still
existent in the darkest season of Israel's evil. (t None
of the wicked shall understand, but the understand-
ing ones shall understand." And when the time of
sorrow is past, and the long-expected glory has come,
it is said, " the understanding ones shall shine as
the brightness of the firmament/' The Revelation,
when treating of the same period of Antichristian
evil, speaks of some, who shall at that time " keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus "
(Rev. xiv. 12), and " who loved not their life even
unto death." They will chiefly, no doubt, be com-
posed of converts from Israel brought into the faith
of Jesus. Gentile Christianity has so long been
wise in its own conceits, and so unconscious of its
doom, that it seems scarcely likely that the last
"pearl-like" testimony of Christianity should be
entrusted to it. It will revert to " understanding
ones of the people."
The King shall do according to his willJ] This
260 CHAPTER XI.
person has already been mentioned three times in
this Prophecy as a King : viz.
In Dan. vii. 24. " The ten horns out of this
kingdom are ten kings that shall arise, and
ANOTHER shall rise after them ; and he shall be
diverse from the first, and shall subdue three kings.' *
In Dan. viii. 23. " A king of fierce countenance
and understanding dark sentences shall stand up."
In Dan. ix. 26." The Prince that cometh,"
whose " end shall be in the overflowing."
Having thus been made the great theme of the
Prophecy, he is introduced without preface in this
chapter as THE King " who is to prosper till the
indignation be accomplished, for that which is de-
termined shall be done." The two expressions,
" till the indignation be accomplished," and, " that
determined shall be done," identify this passage
with the eighth and concluding verse of the ninth
chapter, where the same expressions occur, as also
with Isaiah x. 22, 23.*
As in the eighth chapter we suddenly pass from
the period when Alexander's Empire existed in its
fourfold condition on to the "latter time of their
kingdom when the transgressors are come to the
full," so likewise this prophecy passes rapidly over
* In Isaiah xxx. 33, we have a similar instance of sudden
and abrupt reference to this last great oppressor of Israel.
" For Tophet is ordained of old, yea, for the KING it is
prepared ; he hath made it deep and large ; the pile thereof
is fire and much wood ; the breath of the Lord, like a stream
of brimstone, doth kindle it."
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XI. AND XII. 261
all the events that intervene between Antiochus the
forerunner of Antichrist, and Antichrist himself :
so as to connect as much as possible in our thoughts,
the Greek King of Syria and of Babylon (which
Antiochus was) with his last great successor and
antitype.
The 36th and three following verses, refer to the
personal religious relations of Antichrist especially
those which he will hold when in the plenitude of
Ms power during the last 1260 days. He will exalt
himself above every god that has hitherto been
worshipped and will. blaspheme the God of gods
and will think to change times and laws, that is, will
endeavour to alter the whole social and political
arrangements of human life. But, although thus
" magnifying himself above every god" that had
hitherto been known, there will be some demon or
demons unknown before, whom he will himself wor-
ship in strong holds. "Thus shall he do in the
most strong holds with a strange god." The Devil
will not tolerate in his servants absolute indepen-
dence of himself. The four verses we have been
considering, from the 36th to the 39th inclusive, de-
scribe the religious history of Antichrist on to the
end of his course. In the next verse (i. e. the 40th,)
the prophecy, after having brought us to a final
point, retraces and gives us the history of this
person as a Warrior King.
[And at the time of the end.~] Literally, " in the
time of the end." This and kindred expressions,
CHAPTER XI.
such as " consummation" have especial reference to
the conclusion of Jerusalem's punishment, and there-
fore would not be applied to Antichrist, except in
his connexion with Jerusalem. The time of the end
therefore, may be said to commence when Anti-
christ becomes the scourge of God upon Jerusalem,
and begins to oppress Israel there. After this period
has commenced, (for it is said IN the time of the
end) Antichrist is fiercely attacked by the King of
Syria and the King of Egypt both of whom would
be necessarily interested in the condition of Jerusa-
lem, where Antichrist is at that time practising.
(See chap, viii.) He overthrows them both, and
becomes master also of Lybia and Ethiopia. The
Kings of Syria and of Egypt are doubtless two of
the three kings, whom in the seventh chapter are
said to be overthrown by him.
It must be remembered, that at this time Anti-
christ is holding power over the Ten Kingdoms, in
virtue of his being the servant and sustainer of that
mighty Commercial System, described in the seven-
teenth of Revelation a System which will at that
time be supreme over the Ten Kingdoms. (See
" Babylon, its future history.") After overthrowing
three kings out of the ten, and appointing others
in their room, he becomes possessed of sufficient
power to destroy the sovereign System, which till
then he had served. The Kings of the Ten King-
doms unite with him in this and assuming inde-
pendent kingship after they have destroyed their
former mistress do, at the same moment agree to
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XI. AND XII. 263
give their united support to him. Then it is, that
he is for the first time represented in Scripture, with
his ten horns "crowned" before this, they were
not crowned. Systems, not individuals rule till then.
Till then, he is the functionary of those systems,
through the one great Sovereign System located in
Babylon. After this he becomes supreme. The seven-
teenth chapter of Revelation describes Antichrist in
the earlier part of his course, whilst sustaining the
Babylonish system. At that time the ten horns are
not represented as crowned because, at that time,
the monarchs are the functionaries, not the masters
of the systems from which they derive their power.
In the thirteenth chapter Antichrist is described as
the Sovereign King and then the ten horns are
crowned : for they and he cease to be mere func-
tionaries. They receive power as kings at one hour
with him. See Eev. xvii. Thenceforward, in his
relation to Jerusalem, and to the countries imme-
diately connected therewith, he becomes peculiarly
"the Desolator." Hence Daniel in this passage
speaks only of war and convulsion. Nevertheless,
Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of
Ammon, are not allowed to fall under his hand.
Idumea or Edom is always mentioned in Scripture as
strong and flourishing at that time : which shows,
therefore, that its utter desolation, as described in
Isaiah, is still future, and not to be fulfilled till " the
day of the Lord " comes.
As the conclusion of his course draws nigh, " tid-
ings" out of the east and out of the north trouble
264
CHAPTER XI.
him. We find from other Scriptures, that the Me-
dian hordes and the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and
Aschenaz unite in attacking Babylon, which is his
chief city ; for he is distinctly called " King of Baby-
lon " in Isaiah x. He gathers the strength of his
Ten Kingdoms to Armageddon in the Land of Israel
(Rev. xvi.) attacks Jerusalem (Zech. xii.) is con-
fronted hy the manifested glory of the Lord (Zech.
xii. and Rev. xix.), and is destroyed in the Yalley of
Jehoshaphat. (Joel iS.)
[And there shall be a time of trouble.'] More pro-
perly, it shall be a time of trouble ; that is, the period
in which Michael stands up will be a period of un-
equalled tribulation; but it is terminated, not com-
menced, by the rising up of Michael. It will have
lasted 1,260 days before he arises. These are the
days of unequalled sorrow spoken of by our Lord in
Matthew xxiv.
[At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one
that is found written in the book.'] Thy people, i. e.,
Daniel's people Israel. Yet only a remnant of
Israel is to be saved in that day those whose names
are written by the grace of God in the book of sal-
vation. Thus it was said to Isaiah, " Though the
number of thy people Israel be as the sand of the
sea, yet [only] a remnant shall return." (Isaiah
x. 22.) " Short work shall the Lord make upon the
earth." (Rom. ix.) The word translated " short "
does not mean short as to time. It is a figure taken
from that which you pare or cut round again and
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XI. AND XII. 265
again, until a very small portion remains. In the
Land of Israel itself, one third is to be spared. (See
Zech. xiii. 8.)
[And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt. ,] "We know from other parts
of Scripture, that all the righteous dead will then
awake to life "LIFE," and not "awake," being the
word which implies the possession and exercise of
the power of resurrection-being. The souls of the
departed saints whilst in a disembodied state,
although in Paradise, and perfectly conscious of
their blessing, are not in the exercise of the functions
of life those functions requiring the presence of the
body. Hence our Lord in his reply to the Sadducees
who denied the resurrection of the body, proves it
by saying, that if there were no resurrection, God
would not be called the God of Abraham : for that
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
The soul of Abraham is now consciously receiving
blessings from God ; but Abraham will not be able
to live unto God until he again receives his body,
and in this sense is still regarded as dead, not as
living. So also it is said of David : " David is not
ascended into the heavens " (Acts ii. 34) ; yet
David's soul is there in conscious blessedness with
Christ, though he, in the integrity of his personal
condition, is not there his body being in the grave.
Nor are the departed wicked represented in Scrip-
ture as living, although their souls exist in torment.
266 CHAPTER XI.
Hence it is said, " the rest of the dead lived not (ovrc
e&crav) until the thousand years were finished;"
" live," being here used not in the sense of " exist,"
but as denoting the possession of those powers also
which are connected with the body. Man, there-
fore, is not said to live, i. e. } in the sense of exercising
the functions of life, either when he is dispossessed
of his body, or when, having his body, he is placed
in the second death.
There are, however, some of the wicked who are
to have a peculiar doom. They will not, like the
rest of the wicked dead, be raised again at the close
of the Millennium to be judged, but will awake at
the commencement of the Millennium, not to life,
but in torment. They are those who have been
involved in the blasphemies of Antichrist, who have
borne the mark of the beast, or worshipped his image.
Such have their doom already pronounced. "If
any one worshippeth the beast and his image, and
receiveth his mark on his forehead, or on his hand,
he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of
his indignation ; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels,
and in the presence of the Lamb ; and the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the
beast and his Image, and whosoever receiveth the
mark of his name/' (Rev. xiv. 9, 10, 11.) Such
will not live again in order to be judged. They
have, in the words just quoted, received their sen-
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XI. AND XII. 267
tence. The following passage in Isaiah refers to the
same period : " They " (i. e., those who are spared
through the judgments of the Day of the Lord)
" shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the
men that have transgressed against me : for their
worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be
quenched ; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh." (Is. Ixvi. 24.)
[But thou, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the
book, even to the time of the endJ] This is a repetition'
of the commandment given in the eighth chapter,
where it is said to Daniel: "The vision . . . which
was told is true ; therefore, shut thou up the vision ;
for it shall be for many days." Because the vision
is true, THEREFORE shut it up that is, preserve
it carefully and for a long time, seeing that it is to
be for many days. Documents of value which are
intended to extend to a distant period, are commonly
" sealed," and " shut up " in a place of security, in
order that they may be preserved, and be always
ready for reference when needed by those whom
they concern. This is evidently the force of these
words in the present passage. They have no refer-
ence whatever to "shutting .up" in the sense of
rendering inaccessible.
We find a similar passage in Isaiah, " Bind up
the testimony, seal the law among my disciples."
The word *H here translated " bind up," is some-
times used in the strong sense of shutting up. But
that it only means in this passage to shut up in the
268
CHAPTER XI.
sense of securing is manifest from the verse which
follows, where commandment is given to consult the
Law thus " bound up " and " sealed." " To the Law
and to the testimony if they speak not according to
this word." We could not be commanded to con-
sult that which was hopelessly concealed.
[Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased^ The word translated " run to and fro,"
is used of the Israelites when they went up and
down to gather manna, when it first fell around
their camp. It is used also of Joab when directed
by David to go through the coasts of Israel to num-
ber the people, and of Satan " going to and fro " in
the earth, making his observations for evil. It is
used also of the eyes of the Lord which " run to and
fro " throughout the earth, to show Himself strong
in behalf of them " whose heart is perfect towards
Him." (2 Chron. xvi. 9.) It is a word therefore
that indicates diligence and activity of observation
and search ; and seems to teach us that there shall
continue unto the end, servants of God who shall
diligently observe the signs of the times, and seek
after and glean truth, whereby knowledge shall be
increased. This progressive increase of knowledge
could not be if the book were hopelessly sealed.
\_When he shall have accomplished to scatter the
power of the holy people, all these things shall be
finished.~\ It is remarkable how the name " holy
people " is still given to Israel, even in the midst of
their apostasy and sin. So also Zion is called the
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XT. AND XII. 269
glorious holy mountain, even when the tabernacles
of Antichrist are there ; and the Court of the Temple
still called the Holy Place, even when the abomina-
tion of desolation is there, and the Temple deserted
by God.
Israel is represented at that time as having power
that needs to be scattered. At this moment they
are gathering to themselves great power. " When
they go back in their sins to Jerusalem, their land
will be full of silver and gold, neither will there be
any end to their treasures ; their land also will be
full of horses, neither will there be any end of their
chariots." (Isa. ii. 7.) All this greatness must be
scattered by the Lord, until they are brought very
low, and have no strength left.
[ Then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of
these things f] This was evidently a request for
minute and specific instruction respecting the things
spoken of, such as Daniel had before received in some
of the previous prophecies respecting the Chaldaean
Empire ; for he had been able specifically to point
out Nebuchadnezzar, and to say, "Thou art this
head of gold." If the things prophesied of in this
vision had been in the same manner present, no
doubt Daniel would have been enabled to understand
and explain them specifically ; but seeing that the
vision was to be " laid up " for many days, and was
to receive its accomplishment only at the time of
the end, no specific interpretation could be given.
Even we, for whom Daniel and the prophets prophe-
270 CHAPTER XI.
sied (1 Peter i. 12), cannot at this moment specifi-
cally name the Ten final Kingdoms, or tell the exact
place or period of Antichrist's rise. The prophecy
is " preserved/' and we consult it from time to time,
and by means of it watch the progress of events ;
but it is only when " the time of the end " comes,
when Antichrist appears in Jerusalem, that we shall
be able to explain its specific references, and point
out by name each individual, and each kingdom
to which they apply. Use of the prophecy, and
understanding its specific details, are two different
things.
[Many shall be purified and made white and tried:
but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked
shall understand; but the understanding ones shall
understand."] This has no doubt a continuous appli-
cation to the whole period from Daniel to the present
hour, but will be peculiarly true at " the time of the
end." Antichristianism as it increases will so blind
the eyes of men, that they will not understand any
of these things ; but there shall be " understanding
ones."
[And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be
taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate
set up there shall be 1,290 days.] This evidently
refers to some event of blessing on Jerusalem, be-
cause the destruction of Antichrist, which will occur
thirty days previously, will be the termination of
Jewish chastisement. What this event of blessing
may be, is not revealed ; but as it appears to have
ON PARTS OF DANIEL XI. AND XII. 271
some connexion with the sanctuary, and since the
sanctuary is cleansed, and the idolatrous worship
there ended, at the conclusion of the 1260 days from
the fixing the abomination, it is not improbable
that this further date may refer to the renewal
of accepted worship in the sanctuary thirty days
after.
Again, forty-five days after this, some further
event of blessing will occur ; but what it is, is not
revealed. The return of the Divine glory to the
Temple, and the inauguration of the government of
Christ in glory on Mount Zion, are some of the
events which are to occur about this period ; but as
it is the object of the prophecy of Daniel to reveal
the sorrows, and not the glory of Israel, the vision
here closes.
272
CHAPTER XII.
ON 2 THESSALONIANS II.
THE literal translation of this chapter may be given
as follows :
" But we ask of you, brethren, on behalf of the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering
together unto Him ; that ye be not soon shaken from
your understanding, or be troubled, neither by spirit,
nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as if we had
said, that the day of the Lord* had commenced. See
that no one deceive you by any means : for that day
will not commence, except there first come THE
Apostasy ; and the man of Lawlessness! be revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth
himself against every one that is called God or that
is worshipped, so that he seateth himself in the
Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not that whilst I was yet with you I
told you these things ? And ye know that at pre-
sent there is that which restraineth in order that he
* Tou Kupiou. See Tregelles and all critical editions.
f C O avOponros rrjs avofiias. I here follow the reading of
X and B. placed by Dr. Tregelles in his text, although he
places TTJS apapTias in the margin as nearly equal in
authority.
ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 273
might be revealed in his season [and not before].
For the mystery of Lawlessness is already working
(only there is at present one that restraineth) until
it become developed out of the midst, and then shall
the Lawless One be revealed whom the Lord shall
consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy
by the brightness of His coming : even him whose
coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and deceiving wonders, and with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish, because they received not the love of the
truth that they might be saved."
We learn from this passage, that the Thessalonians
were being deceived by some who had told them,
that the Apostle had said, that the Day of the Lord
had commenced in heaven.
I say in heaven, because they well knew from
every sign around them, that it had not commenced
in earth. The world was prospering their perse-
cutors were strong they themselves were worn out
by suffering. All these, and many other like things,
daily reminded them that the Day of Christ had
not commenced below. They well knew, that as
soon as it was manifested in the earth, they would
be taken to the Lord, and sudden destruction would
fall upon their persecutors. (See First Epistle to
the Thessalonians.)
They understood therefore, that it had not com-
menced in the earth, but they were not indisposed
to believe that it had commenced secretly in heaven ;
where indeed it will first commence, unseen by the
eyes of men, whenever the time shall come for the
T
274 CHAPTER XII.
Ancient of Days to sit, and for the Son of Man
to be brought before Him, to be invested with the
power of earth.
They were not wrong therefore, in thinking that
the Day of the Lord will commence in heaven,
before it is known or manifested to any on the
earth. But they ought not to have believed that
it had commenced, or that St. Paul had said that
it had commenced, because he had before told them
that it would not commence, even in heaven, until
the apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness had first
been manifested in the earth. The teaching of
St. Paul could not contradict the Old Testament
Scriptures ; and it had been expressly revealed in
Daniel, that the blasphemies of Antichrist would
not only precede, but also be the immediate cause
of the Session of " the Ancient of Days," and the
investiture of Christ with the sovereignty of earth.
The Apostle therefore besought the Thessalonians,
not to believe that he had ever said (either when
speaking under the immediate inspiration of the
Spirit, or in any of his communications either in
letter, conversation, or otherwise) that the Day of
Christ had commenced. He besought them not " to
be shaken from their understanding," nor disturbed
by the excitement of untruthful expectation.
It is well to observe the earnestness with which
he beseeches them not to be deceived as to these
things. " Let no man deceive you by any means."
" Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you,
I told you these things ?" We can easily appreci-
ON II. THESSALONIANS IT. 275
ate the value of these warnings, when we consider
the evil that has again and again been produced in
the Church by false and excited expectation on these
subjects. We must ever remember that truth only
sanctifies error never can. And when one seed of
error has been sown and fructifies, incalculable
results of evil (unless God mercifully interferes^) are
sure to follow.
" Let no man deceive you by any means, for that
day shall not commence, except there come THE
apostasy first, and THE Man of Lawlessness be re-
vealed," There is only one event to which the ex-
pression " THE Apostasy " is applied in Scripture,
viz. the open renunciation by Israel, and by the
Roman nations, of all acknowledgment both of
God and of Christ. All Scripture reveals this as
about to be before the return of the Lord Jesus in
glory.
But although THE Apostasy and THE Antichrist
were then as they still are future ; yet the princi-
ples which were to end in this manifestation of evil
were even then secretly working. " The mystery
of lawlessness/' said the Apostle, " doth already
work."
What this "Lawlessness" will be, at the period
of its full development, may be gathered by con-
sidering the course of him whom the Devil will be
permitted to raise up to defy God. By him the in-
stitutions and laws of the Most High will be for a
season effectually trampled under foot. The Law-
less one will " think to change times and laws, and
276 CHAPTEB XII.
they shall be given into his hand until a time
and times and dividing of time." Dan. vii.
But even at the time when the Apostle wrote, the
falsehoods and abominations of Jewish Sacerdotal-
ism, and Sacerdotalism as exhibited in Gentile
Paganism, had disgusted the hearts and consciences
of men, and given them an excuse for becoming
sceptics. Many besides Pilate were saying, "What
is Truth ?" When the soul has learned proudly
and scornfully to ask this question, " lawlessness "
is sure to follow; for if the heart recognises in
nothing the authority of God, self-will must become
its master. In the time of the Apostle, scepticism
was becoming so prevalent among the Sadducees
and the educated Gentiles, and also among those,
who, after tasting the pure truths of Christianity,
had turned away and blasphemed them (See He-
brews vi. 4 and x. 26), that the seeds of a godless
infidelity had become widely scattered so widely
and so successfully, that nothing except the restrain-
ing power of God could account for the repression,
through so many ages, of the open avowal of
atheistic Lawlessness. Professing Christianity by
its priestcraft, idolatries and worldliness, has now,
in its turn, produced wide results of hardened infi-
delity. As soon as the renovated voice* of infidelity
* German Neology, works like " Good Words " and "Ecce
Homo," and the " Essays and Reviews," and the writings of
such men as Jowett, Stanley, Maurice and others of the like
school, have given an impulse to Infidelity more potent than
any afforded by the efforts of Bolingbroke, Voltaire, or
ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 277
among the Gentiles shall be responded to by
latitudinarianised Judaism, the hour of " THE
Apostasy" will be very nigh. The mystery of
lawlessness which has been long working under the
surface will " become developed out of the midst,"
and the most cultivated, civilised, and advanced
section of mankind, will be allowed to develop what
it has gained to itself by its abandonment of God.
There are two contrasts to be noted in this passage.
The period during which the wickedness spoken of
works secretly, is contrasted with the time of its
palpable development, when, to use the language of
the Apostle, it " becomes out of the midst:" (jtyverai
e/c fieaov) : and the period during which God is the
Hestrainer (6 /care^v) is contrasted with the period
when the restraining power (TO /carexpv) which He
instrumentally employs is stayed I say stayed,
because it is no where said to be taken out of the
earth.
It has been imagined by many that the Thes-
salonians were acquainted with the agency, by
which God was restraining the manifestation of the
wickedness. But we have no authority for saying
that they knew anything more respecting it than
we ourselves know. They knew, and we know, that
there is a restraining power, but what that power
is, and how and by what instrumentality it works,
Proudhon. Those men were open blasphemers, but in most
of the modern neologian school we have " the horns of a
lamb " connected with the voice of the Dragon. Few, how-
ever, detect the latter.
278 CHAPTER XII.
they were even as we are now ignorant. * To
understand this, would be to understand the secrets
of the providential government of God, and these
He does not reveal even to His saints. Who has
ever known the manifold agencies by which God
acts upon the hearts of men, in restraining their
evil and in restraining the power of Satan ? We
know that there is a Restrainer, and restraining
agency. But who that Eestrainer is, whether it be
God Himself, or an angel, or a power 'appointed by
Him, we know not.
Many have also supposed that this Restrainer, or
restraining agency, is to be taken away; but this
notion arises from a wrong apprehension of the
meaning of the word yiyvecrOai, etc pea-ov. See notes
that follow. It is true indeed, that restraining
power will no longer be exercised, when the appointed
hour of the manifestation of the mystery of iniquity
shall have come. But for the intervention of God's
power in checking the progress of lawlessness to
cease, is a very different thing from the power itself
ceasing to exist, or being withdrawn altogether from
the earth. Even if the words yiyveaOai etc pecrov be
understood to imply removal, it would be removal of
INTERVENTION, and not removal from the' earth.
The power of God, which is now being employed
in hindering, will, when it ceases to hinder, be
employed in accelerating.
The Apostle speaks of "the mystery of lawless-
ness as already in his day working, and he tells us
* See Notes subjoined to this paper.
ON IT. THESSALONIANS II.
279
also respecting its future development under Anti-
christ as its head, when it will be a mystery no
longer ; but of the history of this " mystery " during
the period which intervenes between its commence-
ment and development, the Apostle says nothing.
In Zechariah, however, we find, that at a period
between the limits just mentioned, " wickedness "
becomes identified with the Woman hidden in the
Ephah. That the system of mercantile greatness
finally to be established in the lEast, and which is now
arising around us, will be infidel when developed,
is plain from Scripture, and from facts. The con-
nexion therefore of this special form of "wicked-
ness"' 34 " with the Ephah, will be the precursor
* " And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into
the midst of the Ephah." (See preceding paper on Ephah.)
'O ditopos, rendered by our translators " the wicked one,"
as answering to the $&*$ f Isaiah *i. 4 , should be rather
rendered "the Lawless one," for JH is the word by which the
Hebrews were accustomed to denote the turbulence and
rebelliousness of manifested evil. The Hebrews seem to
have imagined that a person might commit "sin," (d/za/mai>)
and yet be altogether free from the guilt of that advanced
form of evil which is denoted in the Old Testament by SH
rebellious wickedness, and in the New Testament by ai/o/itu
lawlessness. But this cannot be. There is a connexion
between youth and age ; between incipiency and maturity.
The most matured form of development is nothing more
than the manifestation of that which is hidden in the germ.
Hence the Apostle says, " Every one that is a doer of sin is
likewise a doer of lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness"
TTO.S 6 Troieoi/ rf}v a/j.apTiav KOI TJ]V dvo/jLiav TroieZ, KOI r) d/xapria
<TT\V f) ai/o/zia. I. John iii. 4. 'Avofu'a is not to be ren-
dered as if it were fj irapdj3a(Tis rou i/o/<iou.
280 CHAFIEK XII.
almost the immediate precursor, of its development.
The Land of Shinar will be the place the Ten
Kingdoms the sphere and Antichrist the function-
ary and Head of the developed Apostasy.
At present we may see signs of the infidelity of
Jew and Gentile finding a common centre, in the
rising system of commercial greatness. The time,
therefore, cannot be far distant when " Lawless-
ness," still working as a mystery, and at present
hidden in the Ephah, will come forth out of its
hiding place, and take its stand in lordly strength
in the land of Shinar, and be cherished and sus-
tained by Antichrist, and gather to itself the alle-
giance and affections of mankind. It will be a
mystery no longer then.
281
NOTES ON 2 THESSALONIANS II.
Uerse f.
"But we ask of you, brethren, on behalf of the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering
together unto Him"
Be vp,a<;, a8eX<o/, vnrep -rijs
&c. The preposition virep is not here used in the
sense of obtestation ; nor would it be accurate to say
that it is used like irepl in the general sense of
"concerning." Inclusion of an object within the
scope of our inquiries or remarks, is implied by
Trepl ; but vjrep indicates more than this. It im-
plies that we feel a kindly interest respecting that
which is included in our remarks. We speak not
only concerning it, but we speak in its interest, or
on its behalf. Thus in the present case, the Apostle
implies that the truth respecting "the coming of
the Lord Jesus, and our gathering together unto
Him/' had been wronged by the false thoughts
which had come into the minds of the Thessa-
lonians. Therefore he asks, on behalf of these
injured and outraged truths, that they should cor-
rect these thoughts.
It should be observed that the expressions " com-
ing of the Lord" and "our gathering together unto
282 CHAPTER XII.
Him," are placed in the original under the same
article ; whereby these two events are associated as
to time. They are similarly associated throughout
Scripture.
" That ye be not quickly carried away from your
understanding [or mind], or be perturbed [excited],
either by spirit or by word, or by letter as through us,
as if we had said, that the day of the Lord had set in "
[or commenced].
Carried away from your understanding^. " Shaken
in mind " is a very faulty translation of aaXevOrjvaL
airo TOV w?o9. MTTO is "from," not "in." The
figure is that of a vessel tossed and driven by
the surge, and so carried away from its anchorage.
Our understanding, that is, our new spiritual under-
standing, should ever be to us as an anchor. When
prejudice, terror, fear, or even affection, act strongly
on the feelings, then the exercise of the understand-
ing is peculiarly needed as the stay. Our spiritual
state can never be otherwise than unhealthful, if
there be not the concurrent exercise of the under-
standing, the conscience, and the affections. The
Thessalonians were not duly exercising their under-
standing. They were drifting, therefore, from their
anchorage.
Or be perturbed.] Or " excited."
means the being thrown into a tumultuous condition
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 283
of thought and feeling. Tapaa-crea-daL, not 6poel<r6ai,
is used for the perturbation of distress. SpoelcrOai,
occurs twice besides, in Matt. xxiv. 6, and Mark
xiii. 7, where it is similarly used of perturbation
and excitement caused by wrongness of expectation
as to the end being immediately nigh, when it was
not.
As through us.^\ *if2? 8^' YJ/JLCOV co? on, &c. The
ellipsis must be supplied by Xefavreoi/ co? cV T^UWJ/
co? Xefavrcov ort, evecrTrjicev, &c., " as through us, as
if we had said," &c. If, says the Apostle, any one
should affirm that we, either when speaking autho-
ritatively in the Spirit, or in conversation, or in a
letter, have declared that the day of the Lord had
" set in," and so become a present existent reality,
believe them not. We have constantly affirmed the
very reverse.
The translation of eve&Tvttev, given in our version,
is most faulty. It never means " is at hand." It
is never used to signify the approach of anything
not yet existent. " Hath set in " is its literal mean-
ing, as when we say, " the tide has set in," or " the
winter has set in :" the question "Where?" still
remaining to be asked. And seeing that that which
has set in upon us is present to us, this word may, in
certain cases, be regarded as equivalent in meaning
to the being present, and is not unfrequently so
rendered in our version. See, for example, Heb.
ix. 9, " for the time then present " [ ei? TOV icaipov
TOV eveo-TijKora], literally, *' for the time that had
284 CHAPTER XII.
then set in." So in Rom. viii., " Things present
(evearrjKOTa) or things to come" things that have
set in and things future. So also in 2 Tim. iii., " In
the last days perilous times shall come (evo-rrjaov-
rcu) literally, " shall set in." It is frequently
used in the Apocryphal books, and always in this
sense. St. Paul would never have said that the day
of the Lord was not at hand. It is at hand. What
he said was, that it had not " set in," or commenced.
In the Latin translation of the Arabic version it is
rightly rendered, " advenerit^ hath come.
See that no man deceive you by any means, because
that day shall not set in, etc.
Whatever word we employ as the translation of
evio-Ttjfju, in the second verse, we must also use when
we supply the ellipsis in the third verse.
I have already observed that the Thessalonians
were not wrong in believing that the day of the
Lord, when it does commence, will commence in
heaven ; and that the event by which it is com-
menced will be unseen on earth. The event by
which the day of man will end, and by which the
day of the Lord will be commenced, will be the
Session of the Ancient of days in heaven. That Ses-
sion is fully and solemnly described in the seventh
chapter of Daniel ; and yet there is, perhaps, no
event so little believed in, or expected by the Church
of Grod. Their eyes seem utterly blinded as to this
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 285
great coming act of God. The object of that Ses-
sion will be to pass sentence on the matured iniqui-
ties that will mark the closing period of Gentile
dominance, to take for ever from the hands of men
the administration of the governmental power of
earth, which the Throne of God has delegated to
them for a season, and to invest it in the hands of
the Son of Man, " whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and of His Kingdom there shall be no
end/' This is the period of which the Lord spoke
when He said that He was as a nobleman going
" into a far country to receive for himself a king-
dom [or sovereignty], and to return." This is the
time to which the words of Rev. xi. 15 belong:
" There were great voices in heaven, saying, The
sovereignty of the world (17 fiacriXela rov KOOT/JLOV)
hath become the sovereignty of our Lord, and of
his Christ. . . . We give thee thanks, Lord
God Almighty, because thou hast taken to Thee Thy
great power, and hast reigned." Whenever the
Son of Man shall be brought before the Ancient of
days in the manner described in Daniel, then will
He take unto Him His great power, and then the
day of the Lord will in heaven begin.
The Thessalonians, in their carelessness, had been
induced to believe that the Apostle had said that
the day of the Lord had thus commenced ; not in-
deed on earth (they knew that it had not commenced
there), but in heaven. In believing this they had
drifted away from the anchor of their understanding.
If the day of the Lord had commenced, the day of
286 CHAPTER XII.
Gentile dominance and of Jewish rejection must
have terminated : the last great apostasy must have
been consummated : Antichrist must have reached
the end of his career, and all that Daniel had pro-
phesied respecting the proud course of Gentile pros-
perity and power must have been accomplished.
But it was altogether otherwise. No wonder, there-
fore, that the Apostle was grieved at the facility
with which the Thessalonians had been beguiled.
Aptness in receiving error is a symptom of great
spiritual unhealthfulness in God's people. If they
lay aside the lamp of God's revealed truth they will
receive no other, and will (until recovered to repent-
ance) go on to grope and stumble in darkness.
What can be more express and emphatic than the
Apostle's testimony? "LET NO MAN DECEIVE
YOU BY ANY MEANS : for that day shall not
commence unless there shall have come THE
APOSTASY first, and the man of lawlessness shall
have been revealed, the son of perdition : who
opposeth himself and exalteth himself against every
one that is called God, or that is worshipped ; so
that he taketh his seat in the temple of God, show-
ing himself that he is God".
This is that of which Daniel testified that which
the Lord Jesus Himself confirmed. He said that
He would not return until after He had received the
sovereignty which He went to heaven to receive.
" They thought that the kingdom of God should
immediately appear. He said, therefore, A certain
nobleman went into a far country to receive for
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 287
himself a kingdom, and to return." He cannot
receive this kingdom until the Ancient of days shall
sit ; and the Ancient of days will not sit until THE
APOSTASY shall not only have commenced, but
shall have run its course. See Dan. vii. Then, but
not before, the day of the Lord will commence in
heaven, and (seeing that the day of man will then
end) the manifestation of the power and glory of
the day of the Lord on earth will immediately follow
its commencement in heaven. To imagine (as some
in these later days have done) that Christ will take
to Himself His great power, and that after that
Antichrist will be revealed, and reign gloriously
over Israel and dominate in the earth, is to suppose
that man would triumph most after the day of man
had ended. The Ancient of days does not sit, and
the Son of Man does not take to Himself His great
power until the three years and a half of Anti-
christ's glorious power have ended.
The Apostasy'] . Men may apostatise, that is, depart
and remove themselves away from certain truths
and positions which God has commanded them to
maintain, and yet may not reach that culminating
point of rebellion which is termed in Scripture
THE Apostasy. THE Apostasy will be marked by
the rejection and abandonment of every thing that
God has ever revealed respecting Himself, whether
through Christ, or previously. He will be rejected
both as the Jehovah of Israel, and as God the Cre-
ator. Even in Protestant England creation is now
pronounced to be " an unphilosophical thought : "
288 CHAPTER XII.
yet they who utter this blasphemy are not discarded
by society, but rather cherished and honoured.
"The wicked walk on every side when vilenesses
are exalted over the children of men."
As God']. These words should be omitted. (See
Tregelles, and other critical editions). Such words
might be applied to a person who, like the Pope,
blasphemously assumes to be the vice-gerent of
God: but Antichrist will do more than this. He
will assume to be God. " So that he in the temple
of God taketh his seat, showing himself that he is
God."
"Serge m.
" Ye know that at present, there is that which
restraineth, in order that he may be revealed in his own
season" [or appointed time].
There are many reasons that compel us to reject
the rendering of this passage as given in our English
version. If St. Paul had said, " At present ye
know" it would have implied that a time would
come when they would cease to know which is
impossible, for such knowledge, if once communi-
cated, would not be subsequently withdrawn. The
object of the passage is not to contrast a present
possession of knowledge with a future cessation of
knowledge, but to contrast a period during which
an appointed restraining power would repress and
keep back the concealed working of "lawlessness"
with another period when such repressive power
would cease to act.
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 289
In the concluding part of this verse, the connec-
tion of the word "now" (apri) with " one that
restraineth " [" Ye know that there is now one that
restraineth "] proves that the corresponding word
" now " (vvv) in the commencement of the verse must
also be connected with " restraineth" and not with
u know." The second " now " (aprt) in the con-
cluding clause is nothing more than the representa-
tive of " now " (vvv} in the first clause. The word
opposed to this twice repeated "NOW" is THEN
(Tore), the contrast being between the period during
which " Lawlessness " is restrained, and works
secretly under the surface of society as a mystery
hidden, and another period during which it is to be
no longer restrained, but ceasing to be a mystery,
becomes "revealed," as a developed organised system
under a recognised Head "the man of Lawless-
ness," Antichrist.
If the Thessalonians had been made acquainted
with the agency by which God restrains the work-
ing of evil, they must have been taught respecting
all the methods of His providential government
methods, that are, for the most part entirely hidden
from our view. The Thessalonians did not know,
and it was not intended that they should know, the
manifold agencies by which God counterworks and
restrains Satanic and human evil. The sentence
only requires the supply of elvai or inrap'xew, and
should be translated, " And ye know that there is
at present that which restraineth."
290 CHAPTER XII.
Uerses nit. an& Dili.
"For the mystery of Lawlessness dotli already work,
only there is at present One that restraineth, until he be
removed out of the way, and then shall the Lawless One
be revealed," etc.
Or,
" For the mystery of Lawlessness doth already work
(only there is at present one that restraineth) [and as a
mystery it will continue to work] until it become
developed out of the midst, and then shall the Lawless
One be revealed" etc.
Such are the two translations that have been
given of this. passage. My reasons for preferring the
latter are given in "Notes on Greek of the First
Chapter of the Romans" (page 89), as advertised
at end of this volume.
Here I would merely observe that the words eo>9
K /jieaov yevr/rai, simply taken, do not mean " donee
de medio tollatur," but "donee e medio fiat" until it
become out of the midst a sense eminently suited to
the subject of which the whole passage treats, for it
speaks of something that is now working secretly in
the midst of society, becoming developed. When
we speak of a person who had been hidden in a
crowd appearing " out of the midst " of that crowd
or of a horn springing out of the head of an animal,
there is in neither of these cases any thought of
removal or talcing away, but simply of manifestation.
So it is in the present instance. That which is now
working secretly in the midst of men, is soon to
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIANS II. 291
come forth in palpable development, and then it will
cease to be a mystery.
There is nothing in the words e/c fieaov, to signify
removal, or taking away. They mean simply
"e medio" out of the midst. In other passages they
are connected with the verbs apTra^co to snatch
away (Acts xxiii. 10) ; aipco, to take away (1 Cor.
v. 2) ; egepxpfjLai,, to come out from (2 Cor. vi. 17),
and in these cases there is of course the sense of
separation or removal, a sense derived entirely from
the verb which is appended to e/c fieaov, and not from
etc fjuecrov itself. The word with which it is here
united, viz., <yevr)Tat,, has not in itself at all the sense
of removal, but rather of origin or existence.
If the translation be thus corrected, "the mystery
of iniquity" becomes the nominative to yevrjraL.
The words " only there is at present one that
restraineth," are in a parenthesis ; TO yap pvcrr^piov
77877 evepyeirai, TT)<$ avoids (JJLOVOV o /care^cov apri]
fc>5 K fjueaov yevrjTai, Kai rore, etc. for the mystery of
Lawlessness is already working (only there is at
present one that restraineth) and will continue to
work until it be developed out of the midst and then
shall the Lawless One be revealed.
Many most unsatisfactory attempts have been
made to explain this passage, on the mistaken sup-
position of its implying the removal from the earth
of some power now present. Some have supposed
that it means that the Holy Spirit is to be taken
from the earth ; but this is untrue, for Christ said
" Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the
292 CHAPTER XII.
age." Others have supposed that all the saints are
to he taken away, hut this also is untrue. It is con-
tradicted by the words of our Lord just quoted; and
we also read of those, who " keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus" during the terrors of
Antichrist's reign. Moreover, the tares and the
wheat, the wise and foolish virgins, are not sepa-
rated until the end of the age, when the Lord comes.
Besides this, the expression used, viz., "He that
restraineth '' (6 Kare^wv), being masculine and in
the singular number, is a word inapplicable to the
saints collectively.* Nor can the word /care^w, which
properly signifies to hold fast forcibly, be ever applied
to the relation which either the Saints or the Holy
Spirit hold towards the mystery of iniquity. They
testify, but they never use violence or compulsory
power.
Others have interpreted this passage of the Roman
Empire, and have supposed that the Head of the
Roman Power was the Restrainer. But the whole
body of Roman power is to be concentrated in Anti-
christ; he is the eleventh horn of the Roman
Monster, and that Monster is not to be destroyed,
nor the Image to be smitten, till Antichrist falls.
How, then, can it be spoken of as removed ? But I
need not pursue this question, if these thoughts
arise from a mistake in the translation of the
passage.
The expectation of the removal of the Roman
Empire, and the habit of representing the Anti-
christian period as one, manifestly and palpably
Satanic, operated most injuriously in the early
NOTES ON II. THESSALONIA.NS II. 293
ages. Satan, in this dispensation, acts in and
through men : and although faith, guided by the
Scriptures, discerns .Satan, yet to the outward eye
the actings appear to be those of Empires or indi-
vidual men. Thus the symbol by which God repre-
sents the condition of the ten Roman nations, at the
commencement of the last 1,260 days, is a ten-
horned dragon ; the dragon representing Satan,
Faith, therefore, understands that Satan will be
guiding then the action of the Ten Kingdoms ; but
to the eye of man nothing will appear, beyond the
ordinary action of ten human governments, con-
curring to persecute Christianity.
The nominal conversion of the Roman Empire
its gradual dissolution the establishment and wane
of Popery the history of nominal Protestantism-
the subjection of the Ten Kingdoms (when they
shall have been formed) to a federal commercial
system sustamed by Antichrist the destruction of
that federal system and the assumption of all the
power of the Ten Kingdoms by Antichrist alone :
are all connected events consequent one on the other,
as links in a chain. Throughout the whole period
there is a moral connection in the progress of the
evil most important to be watched. If the moral
connection be not seen, if it be expected that the
present condition of things, is, in such sense to be
removed as to be succeeded by something that has
not originated in, and grown out of present circum-
stances, then, the moral power of prophecy is lost,
as bearing practically, on the circumstances now
around us.
294
CHAPTER XIII.
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS OF MEN AND
GOVERNMENTS TO GOD.
Ix the preceding papers, it has, I trust, been suffi-
ciently shown, that it is the desire of God that His
Church, throughout the whole of the present Dis-
pensation, should neither individually nor corpo-
rately, be entangled with the administration of
secular power. They who are connected with " the
Stone" that smites the Image, should be dissociated
from all which that "Stone" is to destroy. They
who through God's marvellous grace are united
with the Son of Man now, and will be associated
with Him in the glory of His Kingdom hereafter,
should be separate from all that that Kingdom will
destroy with judgment, when it is manifested in its
glory.
But because the Church is to keep itself separate
from the administration of power that is not di-
rected by the principles of Christ, it is not, on that
account, to stand apart in listless or hard-hearted
carelessness, as if it could in nothing act toward the
nations for good. The being beneficent to all men
the hearing, like the good Samaritan, the cry of
distress simply because it is the cry of distress, are
features of character for the display of which the
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS, ETC. 295
present condition of the nations affords increasing
opportunity. The Lord Jesus fed unbelieving mul-
titudes, and was kind to the unthankful and to the
evil.
But the Lord Jesus did more than this. He was
the Minister of grace, and has entrusted His Church
also, with the ministration of grace to every lost
child of Adam. The Church is instructed to say,
" God hath so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
might not perish, but have eternal life." The anti-
typical Serpent of brass, is placed as it were in their
hands. They can bear it into every dwelling, and
place it>-before the eyes of every sinner. They can
speak of Jesus as the Saviour appointed by God,
and say to all, that " through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins, and through Him
all who believe are justified from all things/'* Be-
hold, the Lamb of God/'
Every one who casts himself on God, thus testi-
fying of Christ, as the Lamb slain, is immediately
placed in new circumstances. The value of Christ's
name the preciousness of Christ's blood is imputed
to him. Union is granted to him with Christ risen,
* It is most important to observe in John iii. the con-
nexion between regeneration and faith in Jesus crucified.
Nicodemus said, u How can a man be born again?" The
Lord does not seem to answer the question, but turns appa-
rently to another subject ; for He suddenly speaks of the
Serpent of Brass. But in speaking of it, He does answer the
question most fully ; for He says, that whosoever shall look
296 CHAPTER XIII.
whereby lie is associated with all the peace and all
the glory of the new creation of God. He " has
passed from death unto life" he "is born of God."
He is accepted in the meritoriousness of Another.
But because of this new relation to God (the only
one of unchanged and everlasting blessing), we
must not forget, that there is also another relation
in which man, as man, stands to God. There is a
natural relation, which man, as the creature of God,
holds before Him.
The air we breathe, the sunshine, the rain, the
fruitful seasons, are proofs that the natural relation
in which God stands towards His guilty creatures, is
offe of beneficence and goodness. His providential
interferences likewise, as "when they cry unto the
Lord in their distress, and He bringeth them into
the desired haven" His warnings also, and His
chastisements are results of the relation which He
bears towards man, as their Creator. It is of this
relation, that His servant Jonah said : " I knew that
thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the
evil." Jonah iv. 2.
to Him and to His Cross, as the dying Israelite looked to the
Serpent of Brass, "hath eternal life" in other words, is
born again. If, therefore, the soul says, " Have I been born
again ?" it may ask itself another question, " Have I looked
at Jesus crucified as the Israelite looked at the ' Serpent of
Brass V " If we say, u Is there anything that I can place
before others dear to me, that they might be regenerated 1"
the answer is, " Yes speak to them of Jesus as the Serpent
of Brass, and whosoever believeth, hath everlasting life."
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS, ETC. 297
Mercies such as these, are, it must be remem-
bered, the purchase of Christ's blood. The necessary
holiness of God prevents the extension even of tem-
poral mercies towards a guilty world, except on the
ground of the intervention of One, who, having
honoured and sustained the governmental holiness
of God by that which He has rendered unto Him,
does, in consequence thereof, receive from God
mercies for others, which could not be granted or
dispensed, unless the claims of God's essential holi-
ness had first been adequately met. Many a mercy,
many a bestowment of the Divine goodness, visits
the path of the careless and unbelieving world ; but
all such mercies are purchased mercies purchased
by the blood of Jesus. Noah builded an altar, offered
sacrifice, and " the Lord smelled a sweet savour," in
consequence whereof summer and winter, day and
night, seed-time and harvest, recur in their sea-
sons all purchased mercies. And yet they for
whom these mercies are purchased may despise the
sacrifice that purchased them (that sacrifice which
Noah's offering prefigured) and never be themselves
brought under its saving efficacy. Every one that
is born into the world momentarily receives (though
he may be utterly unconscious of it) blessings
through Christ; but none except those, who are
brought into personal reliance on His blood, have a
title to say that they are brought into His Church,
or that they are under Him as " the Mediator of the
new covenant," or that they are under the new
covenant, or that they are under Christ as their
298 CHAPTER XIII.
Priest, or that they are under the value of His
atoning blood. His blood is preached to men as a
refuge from the wrath to come ; but as men they
are not personally under it. To receive blessings
through it, and to be under it, are far different
things. To be under it is everlasting salvation.
If the conscience of any bear witness to these
things if they recognise that countless mercies
have thus been bestowed upon them, but that their
responsibility has been increased thereby, and their
guilt aggravated because of the unprofitableness and
ingratitude, and rebellion with which, on their part,
these mercies have been met, then, we can preach to
them the Gospel of the grace of God. We can tell
them that God, who well knows that all mercies
received by men as men (seeing that they are sure
to be misused) only aggravate condemnation, has
been pleased to appoint that that same holy and
most precious blood, through which He is able to
bestow these mercies, should also be made the
ground of pardon and everlasting acceptance to
every one who, as a sinner, casts himself thereon.
" Christ is exalted as a Prince and a Saviour to give
REPENTANCE (for repentance is needful) and
REMISSION of sins/' Thus, even that wonderful
relation of grace which God has assumed, in that He
Himself undertakes the ministry of reconciliation
and " preaches peace through Jesus Christ," is to be
numbered amongst the other relations of love in
which God stands towards man as man. We can
say to every man, that natural mercies, providential
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS, ETC.
299
mercies, and the preaching of everlasting forgiveness
of sins through Christ crucified, are all results of a
relation of goodness and mercy which God occupies
towards men as lost sinful children of Adam.
We must indeed be careful, as I have already
said, not to confound these relations of God to men,
with those spiritual relations which subsist only be-
tween God and those who are brought by faith into
His Church. The relations of the Church are alone
those of abiding blessing : nevertheless the relations
of man are not on that account, to be forgotten.
Let us suppose the case of the father of a family,
who, having received the Gospel, has himself been
brought by faith into the Church of God. He may
perhaps be surrounded by children, who have not,
like himself, received the Gospel, who are therefore,
not capable of answering to Christian responsibilities.
Whilst in this condition, he cannot treat them as if
they had been brought into the spiritual relation-
ships of the Church : but shall he on that account,
say that there are no natural relations of God, re-
specting which he can teach them? Although he can
not expect them to receive truths, or act on principles
which none but Christians can appreciate, yet, he
must not keep back from them such truths, or such
principles as their consciences are able to under-
stand. He has to teach them, that there is one God,
and to show to them the proofs of His holiness, His
power, and above all, His goodness. He has to tell
them that the Bible is the Book of God, and that in
love He has sent it into the world, that men might
300 CHAPTER XIII.
have a light to guide them into the way of peace.
He must teach them who Jesus of Nazareth was,
and why He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter.
He must tell them of the desire of God to receive
sinners and to grant to them forgiveness of sins
through Christ's blood. He must speak to them
also of the holiness of God, the universality of
human sin, the coming of the day of wrath and the
everlasting torment of the wicked. He has to tell
them also of the everlasting peace and glory and
blessedness of those whose garments are washed and
made white in the blood of the Lamb. The actually
subsisting relations between God and all His crea-
tures, whether believers, unbelievers, angels, or
devils, should form the subject of his instructions.
He has to teach them these things as truths and
facts, fixed and sure, because revealed on the au-
thority of God : and although it be true that the
mere acknowledgment of such facts does not make
men Christians, yet the repudiation of them places
them in double distance from God. It makes them
atheists, infidels, blasphemers, adversaries.
Again, if we suppose the head of a family who is
not brought by personal faith into the Church of
God, to have, nevertheless, such regard to God and
to the Scriptures, as to make him desirous of guard-
ing himself and his household against the denial of
certain truths which his conscience has apprehended
as revealed in those Scriptures would not such a
father, and such a household be, and be regarded by
God as being, in a condition different from one in
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS, ETC. 301
which the Scriptures were scorned, and the facts,
which God had asserted respecting Himself and His
Son, blasphemously denied ? The former would not
indeed be a condition of salvation. Perhaps nothing
more might result from it than certain transitory
blessings here, which God, in the order of His moral
government, not unfrequently connects with the
observance of His natural laws. But still the
conscience of such might be expected to be less har-
dened against the appeals of God. At any rate, it
would be a condition not marked by the same cha-
racteristics of obdurate guilt as when the scornful-
ness of the scorner is added to the transgression of
the sinner.
And now, let us consider these principles in re-
lation to the government of nations. There are
governments which have for ages endeavoured to
act as if they and their subjects were really brought
into the Church of God. They have, in consequence,
found themselves entangled in many a difficulty,
from which they are now seeking to free them-
selves. They see that for a Legislature to pretend
to act on the principles of the Church of God, when
they and those for whom they legislate do not be-
long to the Church of God, is hypocrisy. They find
also, that nothing is gained by the fiction. They
have discovered that modern principles of govern-
ment, most especially, are hindered rather than
assisted thereby*.
* It is not difficult to expose the weaknesses and follies
into which real as well as pretended Christians have fallen,
302 CHAPTER X11I.
The withdrawal of governments from a Church
position, and their resolution to free themselves
from principles, which, however binding on the
Church of God, are neither applicable to, nor under-
stood by them, cannot be regretted. However much
we may deprecate the motives of that withdrawal,
and the manner in which it is being effected, we
cannot wish to maintain a fiction, nor to induce
in their endeavour to maintain governments and nations in a
fictitious church position. The falsity and hypocrisy of such
a position, and the disastrous consequences resulting there-
from, have been exposed skilfully and very unsparingly by a
popular historian of the present day. His work suits the
temper of the hour, and many are rejoicing in it. True, as
well as professing, Christianity, has exposed itself to these
rude assaults, by its follies and its sins.
It is easy for such writers to destroy ; but what do they
substitute in the room of that which they overthrow ?
Nothing, except virtual infidelity. They have no desire to
lead men to the Bible. They scorn and hate it.
We are told by these writers, that revealed truth has no
more to do with right government than with the right manu-
facture of a machine by a mechanic ; in other words, we are
asked to believe, that although governors stand in a moral
relation to God, and in a moral relation to their subjects, yet
they are in nowise concerned with the moral principles re-
vealed by God, and can rule better without the Bible (which
alone declares what those principles are), than with it !
Such is the path by which governments, pretending to
retire merely from a church position, are, in reality, retiring
from all truth, and wooing the darkness by which Satan is
exultingly quenching the light of the Scriptures of Truth,
and leading society blindly onward to the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgments of God.
ON THE NATURAL RELATIONS, ETC. 303
men to profess to be what really they are not. But
the withdrawal from a Church position, is made the
excuse for withdrawing from something more. It
is made the excuse for renouncing other principles,
which, in virtue of natural relation to God, are
binding both on them and on their subjects, not
because they are God's Church, but because they are
God's creatures.
It cannot be indifferent to God, whether or not
governments encourage principles which subvert
such truths as men by natural conscience are able to
recognise. There are some truths, which can be
recognised by the converted only; but there are
other truths, which men, as men, can and do
acknowledge. They belong to a sphere in which
man, as man, is placed ; and although the acknow-
ledgment of such truths does not bring into a
spiritual relation to God, yet the rejection of them
involves in the guilt, either of Infidelity, or Idolatry.
The consequences of the rejection of the Gospel of
salvation, may be seen, perhaps, only in another
world ; but the rejection of truths, which even na-
tural conscience recognises, and which it is one of
the great offices of government to maintain, meets
with visitation even here ; if not in the way of out-
ward chastisement, yet surely in a judicial harden-
ing of the heart.
A government is not asked to act as if it belonged
to the Church of God, when we seek of it, that it
should not cherish, or give effect to principles that
destroy the natural relations in which man stands
304 CHAPTER XIII.
to God relations that man is able to recognise in
the Word of God, and sometimes in the works of
creation.
The eternal power and Godhead of God, are
borne witness to, both by the Scriptures and by the
works of creation. It is a fact wliich man's con-
science is capable of recognising. Consequently, the
denial of His existence, or the acknowledgment of
other gods, or idolatry, i. e. the ascription to crea-
tures of attributes that belong only to the Creator,
is a breach of a natural relation in which man
stands to God. The shutting up the Book which
God has written, and the refusal to allow Him
thereby to speak immediately to His creatures, is an
interference with His prerogatives as God, as well
the breach of a natural duty.
Again, to deny that the Lord Jesus is God, and
that He is now administering the government of the
Universe, is to deny an actually subsisting fact.
Men may, to use the language of Scripture, count
themselves unworthy of everlasting life, and spurn
the salvation of their souls through faith in the
great Sacrifice. They may reject Him as their
Saviour, and refuse to submit to the principles on
which He guides His Church. But they need not,
on that account, plunge deeper into sin, and unite
with the Jew or the Infidel, in denying His present
existence and government at the right hand of
power. The Lord Jesus has been made " both Lord
and Christ ; " and in that character, is administering
the government of the Universe on the Throne of
NATURAL RELATIONS, &C. 305
His Father. To deny this, now that it has been
revealed as a subsisting fact, has the same character
of sin as a denial of the government of God.
Whenever, therefore, a government fosters any
system, or forwards the influence of any individual
that assails such truths as these, it forsakes the duty
which it naturally owes to God. It is not a Church
question, or a spiritual question it is a question of
natural duty. It is a question, whether, after that
God has plainly declared certain things to be facts,
men shall be encouraged to say, that they are not
facts. Heathenism Romanism Judaism Infide-
lity are all systems which assail, not only the
truths belonging to God's Church, but those also
which concern His government of man, as man.
Heathenism denies the eternal power and Godhead
of the One God, and fixes men in idolatry. Roman-
ism hides the Book of God, says that the traditions
of men are " equal " in authority with the Scrip-
tures of God, and, in bearing on the idolatrous
Gentile world, whilst making war on heathen idols,
leads back by pretended Christianity, to idolatry
again. Judaism denies the existence (save as of a
malefactor who has perished in his sins) of Him,
who is now controlling the Universe and upholding
all things " by the word of His power."
There was a time, when this country govern-
mentally maintained a testimony against idolatry,
and refused to cherish institutions, or to pay the
ministers of a system that practised idolatry and
kept the Scriptures of God from His creatures. This
x
306 CHAPTER XIII.
testimony was given at a time when the fiction was
maintained of the government being so one with
the Church, that no one could hold a legislative or
magisterial appointment who did not receive the
symbol of Church communion. And yet, notwith-
standing this fiction, we know that the testimony of
of England against idolatry, and her national
acknowledgment of the Word of God, were so far
owned of God, that the desolating wars, which for
nearly half a century swept over Europe, were
averted from these shores. The history of Protest-
ing England supplies many an evidence of the pro-
vidential interferences of God on her behalf. But
she has become weary of Him now. She is aban-
doning God more and more every day. His word
is honoured no longer as the one repository of
Truth. Lies are welcomed ; and idolators and blas-
phemers honoured. Antichrist and Armageddon
await her. England will be numbered among those
nations that shall "drink, and be drunken, and spue,
and fall, and rise no more." (Jer. xxv. 27.)
Those who wish to banish all regard to the truths
of God from the governmental arrangements of
human society, have said much respecting the na-
tural rights of men ; but surely, no one can have a
right to require of another, under whose authority
God has placed him, that he should be raised into a
position where he might more effectually labour for
the destruction of God's governmental verities. On
the contrary, the Governor has a right to expect of
such an one, that he should respect the fundamental
NATURAL RELATIONS, &C. 307
principles of God's natural government, no less than
those of the human government tinder which he
may be placed. No one in this land is deemed fit to
hold authority, who disowns the Sovereign as su-
preme who refuses to promulgate her. laws, or who
assigns to others allegiance or homage that is due
only to her. Is less due to the Sovereign who rules
in heaven ? Less cannot be due. How then, can
we avoid the necessary conclusion, except by saying,
that God has never promulgated one principle that
affects human society upon earth, nor revealed one
fact that can be understood by them ? Few, I trust,
would venture on the expression of such a sentiment.
What remains, then, except to say, that His prin-
ciples are first of all to be regarded if from no
higher motive, yet that there might be escape from
consequences of sorrow and judicial visitation here.
Let it not however be supposed that I mean, that
the mere refusal to cherish Infidelity or Idolatry is
all that should be expected from a government that
recognised these natural responsibilities. It might
in many things act positively as well as negatively :
it might promote, for example, the spread of the
Holy Scriptures. Nevertheless, as things now are,
there would be a joy in seeing any government
refrain, because it feared God, from nurturing and
encouraging antichristian evil. It might refuse to
uphold the idolatries of Ritualism and the blas-
phemies of Neology.
The condition of Agrippa was doubtless very far
from satisfying the desires of the heart of Paul.
x 2
308 CHAPTER XIII.
Yet evidently it was with a certain joy that the
Apostle said : " King Agrippa, belie vest thou the
prophets ? I know that thou believest." His ac-
quaintance with the Holy Scriptures did not make
Agrippa all that he should have been ; but it did
place him in favourable contrast with the infidelity
of Festus, and the careless and ignorant levity of
Gallio. The light of Scripture had reached the
conscience of Agrippa. It afforded a ground of
hope to the Apostle that the testimony of Christ's
truth might yet fasten upon his soul ; and it did pre-
vent his becoming the persecutor of the servant of
God. Who, therefore, would not rejoice to see a
reverence for the word of God so far at least
awakened in the bosom of rulers as to save them
from the abyss into which they are now hastening.
It is vain to hide from ourselves that the govern-
mental system of England has of late made rapid
progress in renouncing the principles of God. The
endowment of Popish seminaries the deference and
adulation shown to Popish Ecclesiastics the honour
paid in India and elsewhere to Popish and Heathen
ceremonies the determination to uphold and honour
in the Anglican Establishment, the patent idolatry
of the Sacerdotalist, and the no less open infidelity of
the Neologian, are evidences of this departure. The
Jews recently have been invested in this country with
governmental power. The Jews are a people who
pronounce Him by whom " Kings rule and princes
decree justice/' to be accursed. They are them-
selves under a peculiar judicial visitation from the
NATURAL RELATIONS, &C. 309
hand of God. They have said, in reference to the
Holy One, "His blood be on us and on our children."
A curse more terrible than the curse upon Cain rests
on their heads. They are in a peculiar manner
driven out from the presence of God. Will, then,
investiture with magisterial and legislative authority
bring governmental power nearer unto God, or will
it remove it into yet further distance, where it will
go on ripening for the hour of Antichrist ? The
influence of the Church (I speak now of real
Christians) has rather accelerated, than repressed,
the tide of evil. Some, with godly intentions, but with
a zeal undirected by the word of God, have urged
on the governmental body the maintenance of a
Church-position. Such appeals, however, fell power-
less on the consciences of those to whom they were
made. The position was seen to be fictitious, and
the attempt to maintain it, to be a kind of hypocrisy ;
consequently, the moral influence of those who ad-
vised it was gone. In addition, not a few who have
argued on these questions have used against their
opponents weapons not taken from the armoury of
God. Recrimination and bitter revilings have not
unfrequently marked their controversies, as the
recent history of Protestantism in Ireland too plainly
shows. Can we wonder that the hearts of the rulers
should resolutely steel themselves against such ap-
peals as these ? Again, another large section, of
the Church (and they have been chiefly found
among the Dissenters) have strenuously opposed
the efforts of their fellow Christiana ia these
310 CHAPTER XIII.
things, and have vehemently maintained that it is
unlawful for the governmental body, under any con-
ceivable circumstances, to hold a Church-position.
Many among them, in doing this, have not feared to
speak evil of dignities, and have united with men,
to whom those well-known and awful passages in
Jude and Peter emphatically apply. Moreover, in
their anxiety to compel the relinquishment of a
Church -position, they have entirely overstepped the
limits of truth. They have drawn no distinction
between truths that pertain to the Church, and those
that belong to men, as men, and have advanced
principles which, if they were true, would render
the coming reign of our Lord and Saviour impos-
sible. For, although not now, a time is coming,
when the Church-position shall be held by the go-
verning power of earth when the Kingship and
the Priesthood shall be united in One ; and the
Headship of Power shall be identified with the
Headship of Truth. That cannot, therefore, be
abstractedly wrong which is to be effected then.
Christianity has tried, in the title of a Church-
position, to govern the world. It has also tried, in
a Church-position, to be governed by the world.
Thirdly, it has tried to keep its Church-position
separate from the world, and while it has exhorted
the Church corporately not to seek to rule the
world, has encouraged the individual members of the
Church to covet secular greatness, as one of the
surest means of ensuring the universality of the
Kingdom of Christ. But if Popery has displayed
NATURAL RELATIONS, &C. 311
the evil of the first of these attempts, and the
established churches of Protestantism the second,
surely the days of Cromwell, when the principles
of dissenting Christianity were allowed full scope
for their development, exhibit a no less deplorable
failure. It was, indeed, an attempt to put a new
patch upon an old garment. Strange that it should
not be instantly apparent to every Christian heart,
that that which is. corporately wrong cannot be indi-
vidually right, and that a Christian may not act
upon Christ's principles in the Church, and adopt
the world's principles for his guidance in the world.
Christ lived, even as we, at a time when the " fourth
beast " of Daniel was ruling in the earth. He sought
neither to destroy it, nor to control its course. He
owned its authority in the person of Pilate, as being
from God, and was content to suffer. His Apostles
followed in His steps, and why should we adopt
other principles now ? *
If any one can rule now with the Bible in his
* I have already referred to the attempts that are being
made by some, to substitute for the systems of Christian or
church-fraternisation which have failed, a system of mere
human fraternisation. Certain of the principles and pre-
cept of Christ, selected at discretion, are permitted to form
part of the code of this new fraternity of man. See the prin-
ciples avowed in. the French Assembly by the Protestant
M. Coquerel and others, and the writings of many in our own
country.
This movement is essentially infidel in its character, but it
is assisted by many misguided philanthropists, who, though
not infidels, are not only endeavouring to make the world act
CHAPTER XIII.
hand, guided by that alone, by all means let him
rule. But if he cannot do this (and how soon must
the impossibility become apparent to any one who
tries) , then what can he do except retire retire and
wait for the time of rectification ; when He who is
now hidden in the heavens shall return, and esta-
blish righteousness and judgment in the earth, and
" the isles shall wait for His law." Yet, whilst in
patience of hope waiting, we may (and it is our
duty) warn, admonish, and plead with those in
power. We nlay beseech them not to spurn the
authority of God, or trample under foot His holy
word. We may rejoice if we find an Agrippa who
upon principles intended solely for the Church of, God, but
are also taking away from the world the principles which
pertain to it by the express appointment of God, whilst it
remains in its present condition. For example, the Scrip-
tures say, that the magistrate is " a revenger" the minister
of God for wrath," that " he beareth not the sword in vain "
(Rom. xiii.); but this, misguided philanthropy joins the infidel
in denying. " The penalty of death," say they, " is a ven-
geance, and vengeance is an illegitimate act." In vain has
God said (not at Sinai, but to Noah) " Whoso sheddeth man's
blood, by man shall his blood be shed." The human mind,
when under certain influences, is unaffected by the plainest
statements of Scripture Truth.
Results of mercy are far more likely to be attained by
adhering to the enactments of God, than by substituting for
them devices of our own. A murderer's soul is far more
likely to be driven to the one Rock of Refuge by being sub-
jected to the terrors which God has appointed to bear on
him here, than by having those terrors removed by the un-
authorised and disobedient action of a human hand.
NATURAL RELATIONS, &C. 313
believes the Prophets, even as we weep when we see
a Herod rage, or a Grallio carelessly and contemptu-
ously turn away.
If, instead of forcing half- Christian principles on
an unchristianised world, the Church were to draw
its own principles from the Word of God, and,
taking its own separate place, were thence to act
upon the world wisely making the right distinc-
tions between things that differ, there would cer-
tainly be restored to the testimonies of Christianity
a truthfulness and a vigour which have been long
absent from them. We might become the means of
saving many individuals, and it may be govern-
ments, from association with the coming Apostasy.
Individuals, if not nations, might be saved from
joining the hellish compact into which, under Anti-
christ, Israel and the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman
world are about to enter, and might refuse with
them to say of Jehovah and of Christ, " Let us
break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords
from us."
314
CHAPTER XIY.
ORDER OF EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE APPEAR-
ING OF CHRIST AND HIS MILLENNIAL REIGN.
EACH of the visions we have been considering
attests that which, indeed, all Scripture teaches the
gradual but steady progress of iniquity, until the
day of visitation from the Lord revealed in His
glory. Whether we consider the Jews, or the Ten
Nations of the Homan Earth, or the Heathen, or
the Professing Church as a body, we find them all
unprepared evil having abounded in all. But the
Ten Nations, and a large portion of the Jews, will
be not only unprepared : they will also be involved
in the blasphemies of Antichrist, having said both
of Jehovah and of Christ, "Let us break their
bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
(Psalm ii. 3.)
All the descriptions of the antichristian period
that we have read in Daniel show that the blas-
phemies of Antichrist will be allowed to ripen into
full maturity before the Lord interferes in judg-
ment. God will be denied, both as to His creative
and providential power, and the truths, both of
Jewish and Christian revelation, will be alike blas-
phemed. Antichrist "will exalt himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped." He will
ORDER OF EVENTS, &C. 315
change times and laws, and they are to be given
into his hand for an appointed period. All the
arrangements of human life, throughout the whole
sphere of his dominion, are to be remodelled by his
Satanic skill. The saints (as many as are within
the scope of his power) will be persecuted ; and
not a few will seal their testimony by their blood.
" He shall wear out," it is said, " the Saints of the
High Places." But they will be strengthened to
endure, and "will not love their life even unto
death." Such will be the character of the evil,
which God's own mercy will confront with the Al-
mighty power of Christ, that it may be swept
away for ever. For this, even the saints will pray,
saying, " Lord, how long ? "
The matured blasphemies of Antichrist and of the
Roman Nations are the immediate cause of the Ses-
sion of " the Ancient of Days." In the vision in the
seventh of Daniel, thrones were seen to be set, and
the Ancient of Days came, and inquisition was made
into the condition of the nations who had given
themselves over to the blasphemies of Antichrist.
The thrones were judicial not regal. It was not
the court of God's government, but of His solemn
assize, appointed especially for inquisition on the
governing nations of the earth. Nations, not indi-
viduals, are to be the subjects of that enquiry.
Neither the dead nor the living were placed before
the Throne to be individually judged. The whole
chapter belongs to the Ten Nations governmentally.
The effect produced upon the earth, by means of
316
CHAPTER XIV.
the power which had been so long entrusted to
those Nations, is the subject of the enquiry. They
will be weighed in the balances, and found more
than wanting : they will be united in blasphemous
rebellion against God.
The Session of the Ancient of Days, will be a
scene manifest only to heaven. No eye beneath
will discern it, no heart be conscious of it. They
who watch the signs of the times will know, from
the condition of the nations and from the duration
of Antichrist's blasphemies, that the hour is nigh.
But the Ancient of Days will sit in heaven, and in-
quisition into the condition of the blaspheming anti-
christian nations be made, and sentence be passed upon
them, and the Son of Man will be brought before
the throne of the Ancient of Days and solemnly
invested with the governmental power of earth,
without any of these things being made manifest
to any earthly eye.
The withdrawal of governmental power from those
to whom it had been delegated in the earth, and its
transfer to the Son of Man, is the event which ter-
minates the Day of man, and commences " the Day
of the Lord." It is in heaven that "the Day of
the Lord," will commence, unseen and unknown
by any on the earth. It is in heaven, not on earth,
that it will be first said, " The sovereignty of the
world hath become the sovereignty of our God
and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever
and ever."
The first visible intimation which the earth re-
ORDER OF EVENTS, &C. 317
ceives of " the Day of the Lord " having commenced
in heaven is conveyed by the signs in the heavens,
mentioned in the gospels. " There shall be signs
in the sun and moon and stars." " The sun shall
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her
light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then
shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.''
These signs will be the immediate precursor of the
descent of the Lord Jesus into the air. All the
holy angels will attend Him when he descends from
heaven into the air ; but His saints will not be with
Him, because it is said, they shall be taken up " to
meet Him in the air." (1 Thess. iv. 17.) There His
descent will be for a short period stayed. Thence
He will send forth His angels to gather together all
His believing people " all who are Christ's at His
coming." They shall be caught up in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air, before He has reached the
earth and when He descends from the air to the
earth, they come with Him, and surround Him
when His feet stand on the mount of Olives. That
is the moment of which it is said in Zechariah
" The Lord my God shall come, and all the Saints
with Thee." *
* The word in Thessalonians translated, " meet "
means properly, to meet and come back with the person met.
It is used of those who went out to meet St. Paul at Appii
Forum, and accompanied him back to Rome. Thus the
saints meet the Lord in the air, in order to accompany Him
in His further descent to the earth. Anavrav and its deriva-
318 CHAPTER XIV.
The condition of the earth at the period of the
Lord's descent into the air is to be regarded in four
aspects.
Fir sty there will be the Jews partly .in their own
tives are never used in the New Testament in any other
sense than that of " to meet and come with." This will be
seen if the corrected readings are observed. Thus, in Matt.
xxv. 1, vTravTTjviv, not a7ravTr)<riv, is the true reading.
It is very commonly said, that the rapture of the saints
will take place " in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ;"
but this is not so. The resurrection of the saints who have
fallen asleep, and the change of those who are alive, will take
place " in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ;" but between
the resurrection, or change, of the saints, and their rapture to
meet the Lord in the air, a certain period is to intervene.
The interval will be doubtless very brief to be measured by
minutes rather than by hours nevertheless, there will be an
interval. This is distinctly taught in the Scripture, by the
use of the word eTreira, in I Thess. iv. 17. ETreira means
" afterwards," not then, as it is wrongly rendered in our ver-
sion. "Afterwards, we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up," Scc.
The existence of such an interval is necessary to the accom-
plishment of Matt. xiii. 49 ; for after the true professors of
the name of Jesus are changed, holy angels descend, and
separate from amongst them the false professors of the name
of Jesus, who remain unchanged. " So shall it be at the end
of the age : the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked
out of the midst [ex /ueo-ou] of the just." These words, it
must be remembered, are, by the context, limited to those
who are found professedly " in the kingdom of heaven," i.e.,
the professing church. It is of that body only that the
parables in 13th and 25th of Matthew treat. The "tares,"
" the bad fishes" enclosed in the same net as the good, the
"foolish virgins," "the goats," do not represent either
ORDER OF EVENTS, &C. 319
Land, as at the time of the Crucifixion, partly scat-
tered throughout the nations, and many of them in
captivity.
Secondly, there will be the Ten Nations of the
heathens, or Jews, or Mahomedans, or anti-Christian infidels.
They represent only those who are professedly the subjects
of Christ's kingdom. He will gather " out of His kingdom
[not out of the whole world] all things that offend, and them
that do iniquity." Matt. xiii. 41. He will not thus act
towards the whole world, for He will spare and convert many
Jews and many heathen.
If, in any part of the world, a true believer should in that
day be found standing by the side of a heathen, the believer
would be taken, the heathen left. If one of Christ's true
people were standing by a Jew, he would be taken to the
Lord, the Jew left ; if by the side of a Mahomedan, the
believer would be taken, the Mahomedan left. Some of those
left amongst the Jews, and amongst the heathen, and those
of irresponsible age, would be spared and converted ; the
others would be destroyed by some visible judgment, inflicted
on them before they were removed into the unseen world.
On the other hand, if ten professing Christians were at
that time assembled together, of whom five had really, five
nominally, believed, those who had truly believed would, at
the sounding of the trumpet, be, " in the twinkling of an
eye," changed : the other five would remain unchanged.
Immediately holy angels will appear, and separate those who
are unchanged "out of the midst" of those who are
changed, after which the latter will be caught up, together
with the saints who have been raised, to meet and come with
their Lord.
Moreover, after the true saints (" sheep ") have been thus
separated from those who only nominally profess the name of
Christ ("goats"), both will be presented before the Lord
whilst He yet remains on the Throne of His Glory in the air.
320 CHAPTER XIV.
Roman World all owning Antichrist all apostate
from God their armies gathered around Antichrist
at Armageddon, and advancing upon Jerusalem.
(Rev. xvi. 16 ; Joel iii.).
Thirdly, there will be many countries still sunk
in the darkness of heathenism countries, of which
it is said, that up to that moment they have not
heard the fame of Jehovah, nor seen His glory.
(Isaiah Ixvi. 19.)
Fourthly, there will be throughout the earth vast
He will then declare the reason why the one are adjudged to
be " sheep," and the others " goats." The latter have never
discerned, nor desired to discern, between those who are
truly, and those who are nominally, Christ's people ; and con-
sequently never given even a cup of cold water to a disciple
in the name of a disciple. On the other hand, each of the
"sheep " will be found to have ministered, on some occasion
or other, to Christ's people, on the ground of their being His
people. How important to mark well this principle ! Mere
philanthropy will not be recognised in that day ; only such
philanthropy as is combined with the recognition of Christ
in His people.
It should further be remembered, that this is not the final
judgment of those denominated " goats ;" it is merely a
declaration of the ground on which they are adjudged to be
what they are. At the last resurrection (see Rev. xx., 11),
each of those here denominated " goats " will be called before
the Great White Throne, to be judged individually each one
according to his works. After having been adjudged to be
" goats," they will be taken to the unseen place of punish-
ment, there to await the judgment of the final day. The
saints, on the other hand, after having been adjudged to be
sheep belonging to the fold of the Great Shepherd, will fall
into the train of the Lord's glory, and will come with Him.
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 321
multitudes of Gfentiles, who will retain the profes-
sion of the name of Christ. Few that acknowledge
the name of Christ will be found in the Ten King-
doms of the Eoman World ; for there, profession
will, for the most part, be swallowed up by Apos-
tasy. But throughout the rest of the earth,
wherever Christianity has penetrated, multitudes
will be found still bearing the name of Christ.
Some will be His in truth ; others only in profes-
sion. The first He has named in one of His own
Parables, " wheat " the others He has denomi-
nated "tares." These together compose what is
called in Scripture "the kingdom of heaven" or
" His" that is, Christ's kingdom. It is named
according to its profession. (See Matthew xiii.)
This His kingdom, will be the first subject of
visitation from the Lord. We learn in the Gospel
of Matthew that as soon as the Lord has descended
into the air He will send His angels to gather out
of His kingdom all things that offend, and them
that do iniquity .* At the same time, His saints
will be gathered to Himself, and will shine as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father.
* It is not said that He will gather out of the earth all that
offend for that would not be true, inasmuch as many of the
unconverted Jews and Heathen will be spared and converted.
Neither is the earth regarded as having been His Kingdom,
though it is about to become such. The expression, " His King-
dom," is limited in this passage to the Professing Church out
of that, He gathers all that offends. Neither Jews, nor Apos-
tates, nor Mahomedans, nor Heathen, are in this kingdom ;
and, therefore, cannot be gathered out of it.
Y
322 CHAPTER XIV.
The gathering of the living saints to the Lord is
preceded by the change of their mortal bodies, as
also by the resurrection of all who have ever fallen
asleep in Jesus. The same moment that changes
the living saints the moment of the last trump
is also that which awakens the dead that have died
in the Lord. They arise in bodies incorruptible, and,
together with the living saints in whom also mor-
tality is swallowed up of life, are caught up to meet
the Lord in the air.
"We should accustom ourselves to consider the
realities of that hour as they are revealed in the
Scripture. It will be an hour solemn and terrible
to nature ; although the feeblest Believer may wait
in peaceful expectation, as knowing that grace, and
only grace, is to be brought unto him at the revela-
tion of Jesus Christ. The signs in the heavenly
bodies are spoken of in Scripture as occurring before
the saints are changed. They will be yet on the
earth, and behold these premonitory signs before
the trumpet sounds. " When these things [i. e.,
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars]
begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your
heads, for your redemption draweth nigh/' But as
soon as the Lord descends into the air, the same
trumpet that announces His presence changes them,
and angels are sent to gather them to the Lord.
Angels are also sent to seize on those who are un-
changed, and to gather them from among the
righteous (Matt. xiii.). But the saints are changed,
and cease to be the subjects of mortal feelings before
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 323
that separation is effected otherwise they might be
unable to bear its agony. "Herein is love made
perfect in its dealings with us (in order that we
might have confidence in the day of judgment), be-
cause as He [Christ] IS, so are we in this world."
(1 John iv. 17.)
Few living saints, and few mere professing Chris -
* The day of God's judgment begins as soon as the Lord
Jesus returns. The principles of God's holiness are then
manifestly applied to the condition of human things. The
raising all who have fallen asleep in Christ, and the leaving
all the rest of the dead unraised, is an act of discriminative
judgment. Another is the separation of the "Tares" and
the " Wheat " another the destruction of the anti-Christian
nations, and the visitation on Israel. Indeed, the whole of
the Millennium has, more or less, the character of discrimina-
tive judgment. Then also, " He will give reward to His ser-
vants the Prophets, and to the Saints, and those who fear His
name, the small and the great."
In order that we might have confidence in the day in which
the principles of His holiness are applied to the condition of
human things below, the love of God has been pleased al-
ready to grant to the feeblest Believer union with, and
acceptance in, His Son : in other words, to make him, even
whilst here, what Christ IS. We are already accepted in
the Beloved already we are regarded as one with Christ
and when He returns, we are instantly to be changed, and
made manifestly like Him, whilst we are yet beneath the
skies ; and thus we shall have confidence, even whilst behold-
ing the glory and the terror of that day, when the heavens
and the earth shall shake. In this, we shall prove the per-
fectness of His love in its dealing with us. The being
changed in the twinkling of an eye, into Christ's heavenly
likeness, will give us confidence in that " Day of Judgment.
Y 2
324 CHAPTER XIV.
tians, will be found in the Antichristian Kingdoms
at that hour. Neither those kingdoms, nor heathen
countries, are the first subjects of the dealing of the
Lord's hand. Nevertheless, seeing that the Anti-
christian Kingdoms and the Land of Israel have
been, in past ages, the home of multitudes who have
died in the Lord, the graves of such will open, and
every sleeping saint will be seen awakened for the
glory of the first resurrection. The whole earth,
therefore (for some believers may have died in, or
be living in even heathen lands), will teem with
glorified saints, and with angels sent forth to gather
them to the Lord. The Lord will be visibly present
in the air, whilst these things are transpiring in the
earth below.
It is thus that the Day of the Lord commences in
the earth. It will commence by signs in the created
heavens (Luke xxi.) ; by the withdrawal of all
natural sources of light ; by the descent of the Lord,
accompanied by the holy angels, into the air ; by
the trumpet being blown ; by the dead saints rising
from their graves in glory, and by the living saints
being changed and glorified whilst yet in the earth ;
by the instantaneous severance, through the instru-
mentality of angels, of the changed saints " out of
the midst " (e fjuecrov) of their professing brethren
who remain unchanged (see Matt, xiii.) ; by the
taking up of all the glorified saints into the air, to
meet and to come with their Lord. For as soon as
His saints have been gathered to Him and have
fallen into their appointed place in the train of His
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 325
glory, and as soon as (e the tares," (i. e. those who are
found to be mere professors of His name), have been
borne away by angels to their place of punishment,
the Lord will instantly descend to the earth. " His
feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives.
* ' * * Jehovah, my God, shall come, and
all the saints with thee." Zech. xiv. His object
will be the rescue of Jerusalem, for the time of her
forgiveness and glory will have come. Antichrist
will have gathered all the strength of the Ten
Kingdoms to Armageddon, not knowing, or not
believing, that he will gather them there " for the
war of the great day of God the Almighty," (ew
TOV iroXefjiov TT)? iJyLtepa? TT}? ftefdfaft TOV Qeov
TOV Travro/cpdropos). See Rev. xvi. 14. Whilst
encamped at Armageddon, he will assail and cap-
ture Jerusalem, which will have rebelled against
him, will carry half of the people into captivity,
(see Zech. xiv. 1) and will destroy the two witnesses
of God (Rev. xi. 7) when they shall have fin-
ished their sackcloth testimony. But not satis-
fied with this, he will further seek, in union with
Moab, Ammon, and others of the ancient enemies of
Israel, to crush Israel utterly, and to blot out their
name from the earth. " They have said, Come and
let us cut them off from being a nation ; that the
name of Israel may be no more in remembrance."
Ps. Ixxxiii. 4. But the Lord will interpose. He
will, indeed, scourge Jerusalem and purge out
thence the sinners; but He will also forgive and
defend it. In that day shall " Jehovah of 'Hosts
326 CHAPTER XIV.
defend Jerusalem." Isaiah xxxi. 5. In the second
and third chapters of Joel we find the description of
that great " day of battle and war." See Job xxxviii.
23. " Assemble yourselves and come, all ye Gentiles,
(D^iUT/3) and gather yourselves together round-
about ; thither cause thy mighty ones [saints and
angels] to come down, Jehovah. Let the Gentiles
be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jeho-
shaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the Gentiles
round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest
is ripe ; come, get you down, for the press is full, the
fats overflow ; for their wickedness is great. Mul-
titudes, multitudes in the valley of decision ; for the
day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the
stars shall withdraw their shining. Jehovah also
shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from
Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake;
but Jehovah will be the hope of His people, and the
strength of the children of Israel." Joel iii. 11, 16.
The claim which the Lord has upon one city of the
earth as the city " which He hath chosen to put His
name there," becomes the instrumental means of
bringing the armies of earth into immediate con-
flict with the Hosts of Heaven. The very city which
God hath chosen for Himself that He might make
it the joy and the praise of the whole earth that
city to which He will say, "Arise, shine, for thy
light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen
upon thee/ J is the very city around which men will
gather in fierce fury that they might utterly destroy
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 327
it, that they might cut off the remembrance thereof
from under heaven. " Spirits of devils working
miracles," will have gathered the Kings rrfc oi/cov-
/jbevw 0X77? of the whole Eoman World (Rev. xvi.
14.) for this object. But which shall triumph ?
Man leagued with Satan, or Jehovah ? " Thus hath
Jehovah said unto me, Like as the lion and the young
lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of
shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be
afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise
of them ; so shall Jehovah of Hosts come down to
fight for Mount Zion and for the hill thereof. As
birds flying, so will Jehovah of Hosts defend Jeru-
salem ; defending it also He will deliver it ; passing
over he will preserve it And
Jehovah shall cause His glorious voice to be heard
and shall shew the lighting down of His arm, with
the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of
a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest and
hailstones." Isaiah xxxi. 4, and xxxii. 30.
Yet not even the knowledge that the Lord has
come in manifested glory to take Jerusalem under
the shield of His protection, will prevent Antichrist
and those who are with him from continuing their
assault upon it, and so rushing upon the thick
bosses of the buckler of the Almighty. He, and the.
Ten Kings of the Roman Kingdoms that are with
him, are distinctly described in the Revelation as
daring to confront the majesty and the glory of
Christ's own presence. "These shall make war
with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them;
328 CHAPTER XIV.
because he is Lord of lords and King of kings ;
and those that are with Him are called, and chosen,
and faithful." Eev. xvii. 14. "And I saw the
Beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies
gathered together to do battle with Him that sat
upon the horse and with His army." Rev. xix. 19.
It will not, indeed be the first time that man will
have dared to confront and resist the visible presence
of the glory of God. Neither the miracle of the
divided waters of the Red Sea, nor the presence of
the fiery cloudy pillar spreading darkness over the
Egyptians, but light over Israel, prevailed to stay
the wrath of Pharaoh and to prevent him from
rushing into the midst of the divided waters. There
also the subject of the contest was the fate of God's
earthly people. Pharaoh said, "I will destroy them:"
God said, "They are my people." We cannot marvel
therefore if like madness of fury should be mani-
fested again ; especially when we remember that
Antichrist and his armies will be gathered into the
land of Israel by the immediate agency of unclean
spirits. Those spirits of evil that will just before
have dared to struggle against Michael the Arch-
angel and his angels even in the presence of God's
own glory in Heaven, (see Rev. xii. 7.) may well
be expected to renew the struggle in the earth
beneath, inhabiting the bosoms of mortal men,
strengthening for the last time their tongues to
blaspheme, and their hands to resist the God whom
they hate.
The destruction of Antichrist and those who are
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 329
associated with him, is distinguished, both as to time
and as to circumstances, from the destruction of those
who retain the nominal profession of the name of
Christ. Nominal Christians as represented in the
parables of Matthew by " Tares " sown among the
Wheat, and by " bad fishes " mingled with the good
in the gospel-net, are not destroyed by judgments
poured on them in the earth, but are removed by
holy angels from the earth, that their souls might
await in an unseen prison-house and in punishment
the final judgment of the great day. On the other
hand, all those who shall be gathered under Anti-
christ, to serve and to worship him, will be visited
with visible judgment here. " Their flesh shall
consume away while they stand upon their feet, and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and
their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."
Zech. xiv. 12. They will be trampled in the wine-
press of the fury and wrath of God here (see Rev.
xiv. 19) ; their bodies will then be revived, they will
be cast into Tophet and their eternal torment
will begin. See Rev. xiv. 8. The " Tares " will be
gathered by angels ; the Antichristians destroyed by
the Lord Himself. The " Tares " will be gathered
and removed, whilst the Lord is yet in the air,
whither the saints also are to be caught up ; the
Antichristians will be destroyed after the Lord has
descended to the earth. The Antichristians, in
revived bodies, will be consigned to their eternal
torment at the commencement of the Millennium,
whereas all nominal professors will, in a disembodied
330 CHAPTER XIV.
state, await in punishment the final resurrection
and the judgment of the great day.
This is the hour so often referred to in Daniel,
when "the stone" shall smite "the Image," and
cause it to become as the chaff of the summer
threshing-floor when " the Beast shall be slain, his
body destroyed and given to the burning flame "
when " that determined shall be poured upon
the Desolator " when " he shall come to his end
and none shall help him" when "Michael shall
stand up," and the remnant of Israel be delivered.
That remnant is continually mentioned in the Pro-
phets, but it is sufficient to mention one passage.
" And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith
the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die ;
but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring
the third part through the fire, and will refine them
as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is
tried : they shall call on my name, and 1 will hear
them : I will say, It is my people : and they shall
say, The Lord is my God." (Zech. xiii. 8, 9.) They
are also mentioned as an afflicted and poor rem-
nant, who shall trust in the name of the Lord;
but of whom it is said, that He will make them " a
strong nation."
It is no wonder that their hearts should be sub-
dued and broken. They will have witnessed the
terrors of the reign of Antichrist will have seen
the plagues of the Revelation poured out upon Israel
and the Antichristian nations will have beheld the
heavens darkened the Lord descend in glory the
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 331
graves open the saints taken the Day of the Lord
come upon Jerusalem the Heavens and the Earth
shaken. They will see, and yet find themselves pro-
tected through all these things ; delivered forgiven
and not forgiven only, but accepted in all the
preciousness of that Name, which they and their
nation had rejected and abhorred. " They will look
on Him whom they have pierced/' and He will corn-
comfort them, and will say, with fuller love than
Joseph said unto his brethren, " Now therefore be
not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold
me hither : for God did send me before you to
preserve life. And God sent me before you to pre-
serve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your
Jives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you
that sent me hither, but God." Not one ray of light
that had been sent to break the gloom of man's past
history, will be absent in that hour of fulness. Every
such joy has been typical or anticipative, and points
onward to an hour of accomplished blessing, that
will then have come. All these joys will be verified
then, either in the Saints above, or in Israel below
different branches of " the one family in heaven
and in earth."*
* As an attempt has been made by many to alter the trans-
lation of this most important passage, respecting the one
family in heaven and in earth, I would earnestly request
that my remarks on this text may be read in " Occasional
Papers," vol. i., p. 31.
There will be many others spared besides the remnant of
Israel ; principally among the heathen. Thus it is said, that
God will send those who are spared in Israel, " to the isles
332 CHAPTER XIV.
The spiritual blessings of each individual Israelite,
and of every other Believer who lives during the
afar off, which have not heard His fame, nor seen His glory ;
and they shall declare His glory among the Gentiles."
There is no reason to believe that the heathen nations
will, when the Lord returns, be in any material respect, other
than they now are ; except that some of them, may become
more hardened through intercourse with anti- Christian, or
with nominally Christian nations. It is not likely that many
more heathen nations will, as nations, assume the profession
of Christianity ; although many individuals among them may
bear the name of Christ some truly others nominally.
It is, however, the plain duty of believers to preach the
Gospel to every creature ; and to visit, if they can, every land.
Right prophetic expectation will quicken, not impede, true
missionary energy. Nevertheless, we know that every
land will not be visited by the Gospel before the Lord comes,
else it would not be said, that there would be regions " that
had not heard His fame," at the hour of His return. St. Paul
says, that in his day " the Gospel had been preached IN all
the creation " (/ navr) TTJ KT-IO-CI, Col. i. 23) ; and this was
true as soon as it ceased to be confined to Israel, and was
preached among men, as men : but Scripture nowhere says
that it has been, or will be preached to every creature in the
present Dispensation. The Church was commanded to preach
it to every creature ; but what the Church was commanded
to do, and what it has done, are different things.
Although those who are gathered at Armageddon, ?'.<?.,
the armies of all the Antichristian nations, utterly perish
under visible judgment, inflicted immediately by the Lord ;
and although all among those nations who have borne the
mark of Antichrist will also perish ; yet some (those doubt-
less of youthful age) who have not worshipped Antichrist
will be spared. Thus we find it said, that every one that
is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall
even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of
hosts. (Zech. xiv. 16.)
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 333
Millennium, will be essentially the same as ours in
this present Dispensation : our distinction being,
that we are "first-fruits," (Rom. xi.) those who
have^rs/ trusted in Christ". (irporpvir mores). Indeed
we may give as the description of our Dispensation,
that it forestalls the spiritual blessings of Israel in
the Millennium we having those blessings in the
midst of tribulation and sorrow, whereas they will
have them when all the outward circumstances of
life around them will be circumstances of tranquillity,
peace, and joy Satan being bound, and the Prince
of Peace reigning. We have already been brought
under that New Covenant, which will then be made
with the House of Israel, and with the House of
Judah. It is a covenant of grace, primarily designed
for them, which they for a season have despised ;
but we, through abounding mercy, have already been
brought under its provisions. Every blessing that
we receive as saints, we owe to the being graffed into
their olive tree, from which they, for a season, have
been broken off. But they are again to be graffed
in, to receive in more unhindered power than we, of
the freshness of its sap, and of the riches of its ful-
ness. Every vessel of the Tabernacle that typified
to them the blessings of redemption, is a type
already fulfilled to us. From the Altar to the Mercy-
seat, all is ours. But it will be equally theirs. Often
therefore, from the language of their future thanks-
giving, we borrow the expressions of our present joy.
Israel in the Millennium will still be in bodies of
flesh and blood, still having experimentally to prove
334 CHAPTER XIV.
that in the flesh " dwelleth no good thing." The re-
moval of Satan and his temptations will not change
the inherent evil of man's nature : and if, when the
stimulus of Satan's temptations is removed, and the
external order of human life regulated according to
God, the flesh be still found to lust against the Spirit,
the inveteracy of its evil will only be the more con-
sciously proved, and the more painfully felt. The
nearness of the glory and holiness of Christ, the
visible presence of saints and angels, the possession
of every outward blessing abundantly poured upon
creation and themselves, will make them the more
acutely sensible of the presence of an evil principle
within themselves, still opposed to holiness, and to
God something that " is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be." None therefore, will
have more occasion to say, " His blood is drink
indeed : " none will more need to think of Him, who
will be " the Lord their Righteousness," and whose
priesthood will sustain them in the presence of God.
They will require, and will receive the grace of that
same Spirit the Spirit of the Father and the Son,
who now indwells in the people of God. In them,
He will be still the Spirit of hope, for they will look
forward with joy, to the hour of their resurrection,
when they shall be changed into the likeness of Him
with whom they will be united in life ; and join the
rest of the redeemed in " New Heaven's and a New
Earth/' where fallen flesh will no longer be, but
where all shall be perfect in the likeness of Christ.
There are certain truths, dependant on the immu-
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 335
table character of God, and on the nature of evil in
man, which no circumstances can alter, no variation
of Dispensations change. The great truths of re-
demption, and the arrangements of God consequent
thereon, as made known in the New Testament, must
be as true in the Millennium, as now. It is an un-
changeable truth, that without shedding of blood is
no remission : that if any one be in Christ Jesus, he
is a new creature : that he that is in the flesh, cannot
please God : that every one, who through faith
"receives abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness," shall finally " reign in life." These
and such like blessings pertain necessarily to all the
redeemed, and by considering them, we gain clear
and certain knowledge of the condition of the Mil-
lennial saints as to all that affects their essential and
eternal relations to God. The Epistles reveal their
spiritual the Prophets their outward blessings. By
combining the descriptions of both, their condition
is given with a minuteness, that leaves little to be
desired.*
* It is almost impossible to estimate the amount of evil
that has arisen from representing the spiritual blessings of
Israel in the Millennium, as different from ours. Many have
been hindered thereby, from considering millennial doctrines
at all ; for they have not unreasonably asked, whether they
are expected to believe, that the doctrines of Christianity
are mutable, and that saintship in the Millennium, is some-
thing essentially different from saintship now. They have
consequently refused, and rightly so, to lend any ear to
statements which involve such consequences.
There are few parts of Scripture, which believers are
336 CHAPTER XIV.
The distinctive spiritual characteristics of Christi-
anity, therefore, will not alter in the Millennium : on
the contrary, it will be the sphere in which they will
be exhibited more perfectly than they ever have been.
accustomed to read with more comfort, than those parts of
the Psalms and Prophets, which speak of the spiritual
blessings of Israel after they are brought under the New
Covenant. But those who maintain the system of which
I speak, instead of teaching us to distinguish between the
spiritual and the outward blessings of Israel, and to appro-
priate to ourselves the former without the latter ; refuse
to us the application of millennial Scripture altogether, and
represent the Christianity of the Millennium as something
essentially different, both as to its condition, and as to its
final prospects, from Christianity now.
Millennial Israel will be sons of God (Hosea i. 10 and
Jer. iii. 19) so are we.
They will be under the Mediatorship, Sacrifice and
Priesthood of the New Covenant (Jer. xxxi. 31) so are
we. (Heb. ix.)
They will be circumcised by the circumcision made with-
out hands : i. e. by the death and resurrection of Christ
(Col. ii.) so are we.
They will "please God," and therefore, must have been
brought into living union with Christ, through the Spirit,
even as we, for "they that are in the flesh" (i.e. they who
are unregenerate) " cannot please God." (Rom. viii. 8.)
They say to Him, "The Lord our Righteousness" so
do we.
They will be raised in His likeness, at the last resurrection,
in virtue of being IN Him we are similarly raised at the
j :rst resurrection, in virtue of being IN Him. (See 1 Cor. xv.
throughout.)
They will look forward to New Heavens, and a New Earth,
(Isaiah Ixv.) so do we. (2 Peter iii.)
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 337
In this present Dispensation, the corporate testimony
of Christianity early failed. The Church at Jeru-
salem was scattered the Gentile Churches retained
not their separateness the corporate testimony of
Christianity ceased to bear witness for God and
/that of individual Christians has been isolated and
feeble in the midst of abounding evil. " Because
iniquity shall abound, the love of the greater part
(rcov 7ro\\a)v) shall wax cold." But when the cor-
porate testimony of Christianity has been transferred
to Israel, it will never again fail, or be dishonoured.
Christ, as the Head of Israel, will discipline and sus-
tain them. They shall have " teachers who shall not
be removed into a corner any more" " their eye shall
behold them" " the Spirit shall be poured out upon
them from on high" they shall hear a voice, that
shall say, " this is the way, walk ye in it." Their
Church -position is symbolised in the Scripture, by
one golden candlestick fed perpetually by golden oil
a candlestick never to be removed. (Zech. iv.)
A nation, thus made the depository of Christ's
Truth is the nation through which, instrumentally,
the whole earth is to be ordered. " Out of Zion shall
go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem." They are not only to be "a golden
candlestick" they are also to be " a royal diadem
in the hand of their God " a royal, as well as a
priestly nation. "Thou shalt also be a crown of
glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem
in the hand of thy God." (Isa. Ixii.) Christ also,
the Head of Israel, is to sit as a Priest upon His
z
338 CHAPTER XIV.
Throne. There will be no discrepancy then, between
the Truth of God and the governmental arrange-
ments of the nations. The Temple is to be sus-
tained by Him who occupies the Throne.
But the Person of Christ is heavenly ; His glory
heavenly ; His home, Heaven ; and it will continue
to be so, even when He is administering the govern-
ment of Israel and the earth. When God legislated
for Israel of old, He really descended on Sinai ; but
He did not relinquish the Throne of His glory in
the heavens. When Moses and Elias appeared in
glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, they actually
stood upon an earthly mountain, and were seen by
earthly eyes ; but their home was in the clouds of
glory into which they ascended. And thus in the
day of Christ's manifested glory, the saints who are
associated under Him. and with Him in it, are
distinctly called, "the Saints of the High Places ;"
and the Kingdom is called, "the Kingdom of
Heaven," because it is administered by heavenly
hands.
The mention in Ezekiel of the visible glory of
the Lord returning to Jerusalem the Psalm which
says, " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," THERE
are set the Thrones of the house of David" the pro-
mise to the Apostles that they " shall sit on thrones,
judging the twelve Tribes of Israel" are all
evidences, that the seat of Christ's administrative
government in the Earth, will be established in Je-
rusalem, no less truly and visibly, than God was
manifested on Sinai. " At that time they shall call
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 339
Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the
nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the
Lord, to Jerusalem." (Isa. iii. 17.) " Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto
David a righteous Branch, and a KING shall reign
and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice
in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and
Israel shall dwell safely : and this is His name
whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS." ( Jer. xxiii. 5, 6.) " Of the
increase of His government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom.
..... The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform
this" (Isaiah ix. 7.) The Temple at Jerusalem is
also expressly spoken of in Ezekiel, as one of the
places of Divine Glory. " Afterward he brought me
to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the
east : and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came
from the way of the east: and His voice was like a
noise of many waters: and the earth shined with
His glory And the glory of the Lord came
into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect
is toward the east .... and, behold, the glory of the
Lord filled the house And He said unto me,
Son of man, the place of my Throne, and the place
of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the
midst of the children of Israel for ever." (Ezekiel
xliii. 1.) This is the period of which it is said in the
Psalms, " Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall
kings bring presents unto thee." (Psalm Ixviii. 29.)
But in the prophecies which speak of the future
340 CHAPTER XIV.
glory of Jerusalem, Mount Zion is peculiarly spoken
of as the hill or mountain of God's glory. Thus the
sixty-eighth Psalm, speaking of Zion, says, " The
hill of God is as the hill of Bashan ; an high hill as
the hill of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye high hills ?
this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in ; yea,
the Lord will dwell in it for ever."
The two mountains of power brought into con-
nexion with Israel, are Sinai and Zion : Sinai the
place of righteousness according to Law ; Zion
of righteousness according to grace. The relation of
Israel and Jerusalem to Zion, by and by, will be as
real and as visible, as the relation of Israel to Sinai
of old. The glory of God was seen on Sinai. The glory
of God ivill as truly be seen on Zion. Israel was
gathered around Sinai, and thence received care and
legislation from God. Israel will be gathered around
Zion, and receive care and legislation. At Sinai, were
the terrors of unsatisfied holiness. At Zion, there
will be grace, mercy and peace from God the Father,
through the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be found
" Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant, and the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. " At Sinai, if a beast touched the
mountain, it was to be stoned, or thrust through with
a dart : but the sides of Zion shall be a vision of
peace. The cow and the bear shall feed, their young
ones shall lie down together, they shall not hurt nor
destroy in all God's holy mountain. " And the Lord
will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion,
and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day,
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 341
and the shining of a flaming fire by night : for upon
all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be
a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the
heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert
from storm, and from rain." (Isaiah iv. 5.)
Thus the sides of Zion will be the scene of peace,
glory, and miraculous protection. But " the height
of Zion," is the place, where that heavenly power is
fixed, from which this protection, and these blessings
flow. " They shall come, it is said, and sing before
the Lord in the height of Zion." The glory of God
was in the height of Sinai ; whilst the Camp of Israel,
the Tabernacle, the cloudy Pillar, and the virtually
royal seat of Moses (for he was King in Jeshurun)
were all at the foot of the mountain below. Zion is
twice mentioned in the New Testament once in the
Hebrews, and once in the Revelation, as the place
of Divine Glory, and of the glory of risen Saints, in
which flesh and blood could not share. On Zion
were seen standing, those who were redeemed from
the earth able to learn the song that was sung
before the throne above able also to follow the
Lamb whithersoever He went. In other words, they
were able to do the will of God in earth, AS it is
done in heaven. This can only be true of those, in
whom mortality is swallowed up of life and there-
fore, to such, the government of earth is committed
tf Saints of the High Places." " They go from
strength to strength, every one of them in Zion ap-
peareth before God." (Psalm Ixxxiv. 7.) Zion being
the centre of the earth's government, it is the place
in which they might be expected to appear.
342 CHAPTER XIV.
The great distinctive characteristic however of
Zion, will be, not so much in the glory that is on it,
as in the glory which is above it. " Ye shall see,"
said the Lord Jesus, " heaven opened." The heavens
were not opened in peaceful blessing over Sinai.
Sinai was the claim of God's unsatisfied holiness
and it ended in the heavens being as brass, and the
earth as iron. But Zion will be the witness, that
the claim of holiness has been satisfied, and that the
sweet savour of peace, through the one accepted
sacrifice, has ascended into the heavens. The heavenly
places therefore, not made with hands, shall be opened
towards Zion and the earth, and the Heavenly City
of the saints made manifest, in token, that God has
by ONE, even by Immanuel, the Son of His bosom,
been glorified in the earth, and that He thencefor-
ward designs to give according to the value of that
which He hath received. It will be the hour of
descending blessing.
The truths that pertain to Israel (for to them
belong the promises and the covenants)* have not
been inoperative during the time that the nation of
Israel has been scorning them. They have reached,
quickened, and comforted multitudes, who have
found in them, the cause of their sufferings, and the
subject-matter of their service through dark and
* " To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and
the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service
of God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers, and of
whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all,
God blessed for ever. Amen." (Rom. ix. 5.)
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 343
troubled hours of conflict and of sorrow. But where
will the suffering children of the truth be when the
hour of the promised glory comes? They will
belong to no earthly city. Their blessings will be
in a new creation in the city of the Living God,
the Heavenly Jerusalem. But they are not only
to be blessed themselves ; they are to be employed,
and made a blessing to others. They, and the
Heavenly City in which they dwell, will be among
the gifts bestowed on those, who will have been
made heirs of salvation in the earth below.
After the blessings received in the Person, re-
demption, and offices of the Son of God, there are
probably none at which converted Israel will marvel
more than in the provision made for them in the
risen saints, and in the heavenly City. The " Sons
of Aaron the Priests " were accustomed of old to
enter on behalf of Israel into the tabernacle of God.
The risen saints will be the antitypical priesthood ;
but they will minister in no Temple made with hands.
The Heavenly City, and Heaven, will answer re-
spectively to the Holy Place, and to the Holy
of Holies in Israel's ancient Temple. In both
of these, the risen Saints will act for Israel. But
they are not a Priesthood only; they are a Royal
Priesthood Priests and Kings, and as such will come
forth in kingly power, to teach and to guide those
in the earth beneath. Israel, softened by grace,
humbled by affliction, and humbled by mercy, will
be no longer too proud to receive the guidance of
heavenly wisdom. The character of " the Saints of
344 CHAPTER XIV.
the High Places/' who will then watch over Israel,
is taught in the symbols by which God has been
pleased to indicate the excellency of the Heavenly
City in which they dwell. The varied lustre of the
precious stones which adorn it the purity of the
pearl gates, on which were written the names of the
twelve Tribes of Israel the transparency of its
golden streets, well suited to the feet of those, who
are represented as standing on a sea of crystal are
all symbols of a heavenly excellency, which will, by
them who possess it, be necessarily communicated in
measure to those who are morally fashioned under
their care. Accordingly, the earthly Jerusalem will
be made, in some degree, to answer to its heavenly
pattern. There too, we read of stones of fair colours
being found. "Behold, I will lay thy stones with
fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy
gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant
stones. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord ;
and great shall be the peace of thy children." Such
are the effects of the heavenly agency directed
towards the Beloved City. It becomes in measure,
the counterpart of the city that is above, and forms
as it were, another court of the same Holy Temple.*
* The Courts of the Temple appear to have been the in-
tended type of the millennial arrangements Heaven itself
being the anti-type of the Holy of Holies the Heavenly
Jerusalem answering to the Holy Place.
Both thse Courts were covered, and were therefore in-
visible to the worshippers without. They were called vaos in
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC.
It is well fitted, therefore, to be the centre of truth,
and the centre of governmental influence in the
earth ; and being sustained in righteousness through
grace, it will not fail in its high calling. " In
righteousness thou shalt be established." " Their
seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their
offspring among the peoples : all that see them shall
acknowledge them, that they are the seed whom the
Lord has blessed." "The children of Jerusalem
shall be made princes in all the earth," and the nations
shall at last be regulated according to God. They
shall be made glad as with new wine wine which
they had never tasted before no longer the wine
contradistinction to iepov, which last was applied to all the
sacred inclosure. The inner courts could only be entered by
Aaron and his sons, who typify the Church of the First-born
in their millennial relation to Israel. (See Lev. ix.) The veil
being rent between thes.e two courts, the heavenly Priest-
hood have access into both.
The earthly Jerusalem will answer to the external court
where Israel worshipped ; and exterior to this was the court
of the Gentiles ; for the Gentiles also will become worship-
pers in the Millennium.'
In the arrangements for the worship of Israel of old, the
offerings of those who were not personally permitted to enter
the Holy places were brought by them no further than the
outer court : nevertheless the honour of the gift was re-
garded as rendered to the Holy Places, and to Him who
dwelt there. So will it ba in the Millennium. The Kings
of the earth will not be able personally to enter into the
heavenly City ; (nor indeed any who yet continue in bodies
of flesh and blood,) but they will bring their glory and
honour unto (cis) it, mediately through the earthly City,
which will be the external court of the One Temple.
346 CHAPTER XIV.
of the wrath of the fornication of the daughter of
Babylon. We can well understand, therefore, why
it should he said ; " for Zion's sake, will I not hold
my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest,
until the righteousness thereof go forth as bright-
ness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth
.... ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not
silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and
till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." *
The full and ordered glory of the Millennium, how-
ever, is not introduced until some time after the
Day of visitation upon Jerusalem, That Day of
visitation will be only one day. " It shall be one
day, known unto the Lord." (Zech. xiv.) In it,
Israel will be nationally forgiven ; and the remnant
spared in the Land of Israel, will look on Him whom
they have pierced, and mourn. But the greater part
of Israel will be in distant lands some having been
carried captive during the days of Antichrist, others
scattered by his persecutions, whilst others will be
* It is very commonly thought that the Ten Tribes have
been lost since the time of their first captivity : and they are
supposed to be still dwelling in some unknown region. But
there is not the slightest authority in Scripture for saying
that they are lost : on the contrary, " both the Houses of
Israel," are declared to have rejected Jesus. " He shall be
for a sanctuary ; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a
rock of offence to both the houses of Israel" Moreover, Paul
says, " to which promise our twelve tribes instantly serving
God day and night, hope to come:" and James writes ex-
pressly to the converts among the twelve tribes. The Scrip-
ture therefore does not regard them as lost.
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 347
voluntarily sojourning in the uttermost regions of the
earth, worshippers of the wealth and mercantile great-
ness of Babylon and Tyre. These will not escape
the judgments that fall, more or less, upon the whole
house of Israel : " As I live, saith the Lord God,
surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched-out
arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you ;
And I will bring you out from the people, and will
gather you out of the countries wherein ye are
scattered, with a mighty hand and with a stretched-
out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will
bring you into the wilderness of the people, and
there will I plead with you face to face. Like as
I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the
land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the
Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the
rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the
covenant. And I will purge out from among you
the rebels, and them that transgress against me : I
will bring them forth out of the country where they
sojourn, and they shall not enter into the Land of
Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord."
(Ezekiel xx. 33.)
But if the wilderness be the place where this part
of Israel is " pleaded with," and purified; it is also
the place where they shall find mercy. " Therefore
behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the
wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And
I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley
of Achor for a door of hope ; and she shall sing there,
as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when
348 CHAPTER XIV.
she came up out of the Land of Egypt." (Hosea ii.
14.) "According to the days of thy coming out
of the Land of Egypt, will I show unto him marvel-
lous things. The nations shall see and be confounded
at all their might : they shall lick the dust like a ser-
pent, they shall move out of their holes like worms
of the earth : they shall be afraid of the Lord our
God, and shall fear because of thee." (Micah vii.
15.) This is the time of which it is said : " I will
even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the
desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the
dragons and the owls : because I give waters in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to
my people, my chosen." (Isa. xliii. 19.) " The
Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian
Sea ; * and with His mighty wind shall He shake
* Tongue or " bay " of the Egyptian Sea. This word
" tongue," is rendered " bay," three times in Joshua xv. and
xviii. The bay of the Egyptian Sea is that part of the Red
Sea which Israel formerly crossed. It is a bay about 200
miles long, extending from the promontory of the wilder-
ness of Sinai to Suez. The land of Israel will by and by
include the wilderness of Sinai. (See Ezekiel.) Thus when
the seven streams of the Nile, and the bay of Suez, shall be
dried up, Egypt, Israel, and Assyria will stand in close and
uninterrupted connexion the closeness of their physical con-
nexion symbolising the intimacy of their moral union. The
millennium abounds with arrangements intended to symbo-
lise higher blessings. It is as it were a system of living
symbols. The union of Egypt, Israel, and Assyria is thus
mentioned in the Scripture. " In that day shall there be a
highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come
into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 349
His hand over the river, and shall smite it in the
seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
And there shall be an highway for the remnant of
His people which shall be left from Assyria, like as
it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of
the Land of Egypt." Besides those who are thus
immediately gathered by the Lord, we read of others
brought by the nations at the commandment of the
Lord. " I will say to the north, Give up ; and to
the south, Keep not back : bring my sons from far,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth/' (Isa.
xliii. 6.) " In that time, shall the present be brought
unto the Lord of Hosts, of a people scattered and
peeled, and from a people terrible from their begin-
ning hitherto ; a nation meted out and trodden under
foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place
of the name of the Lord of Hosts, the Mount Zion."
(Isa. xviii.)*
shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be
the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the
midst of the land : whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying,
Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my
hands, and Israel mine inheritance." (Isa. xix. 2325.)
* Whilst Israel is being gradually assembled, judgments
are sent upon many nations, which, although they have
escaped Antichrist, have nevertheless been rebellious against
the Lord, and persecutors of Israel. It is during this period
apparently, that the Gog and Magog nations assail the land
of Israel, in the manner narrated in Ezekiel. See ch. xxxviii.
The ordered glory of the millennium will not have been in-
troduced (although Israel is forgiven) at the time when they
are thus attacked. This invasion must not be mistaken for
the rebellion mentioned at the close of the millennium.
350 CHAPTER XIV.
Whilst the Lord is thus re-gathering Israel, and
at the same time sending many judgments among the
spared nations, who are to be broken before they are
healed, He will introduce His saints into their
heavenly mansions above, according to the promise
" I will come again and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there ye may be also. In my Father's
There appears to be a considerable interval between the
appearance of the Lord in destructive glory, and the period
when He will be " inaugurated " on Zion, and introduce the
peaceful glory of the millennium. There was a considerable
interval between the destruction of Pharoah and his hosts at
the Red Sea, and the descent of God, as the manifested
Legislator of Israel on Mount Sinai : and the conflict of
Israel with Amalek intervened. So there will again intervene a
period betwixt the destruction of Antichrist and his hosts,
and the inauguration of Christ's glory on Zion in which
interval Israel's conflict with Gog and Magog and other
enemies, will occur. Christ's glory, when He first appears to
take His saints, and to deliver Israel, is symbolised by the
Morning Star, which rises before the sun, whilst the earth is
yet sunk in the deepest darkness of night. " The stars," as
not belonging to our system, are fit emblems of distant and
unknown glory. But when the hour comes for the peaceful
glory of the millennium to be brought in, then the Lord is
represented as the Sun arising with healing on his wings.
His glory will then be adapted to the condition of the earth
and of men upon it, as when He was seen by human eyes
on the Mount of Transfiguration. But when seen in the
sphere of His unearthly glory, a even John fell at His feet as
dead." Flesh and blood can have no communion with His
glory as the bright and morning star : but the changed saints
will. "To him that overcometh will I give the morning
star; " i. e. he shall be brought into the sphere of my own
unearthly glory.
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 351
house are many mansions." This is the period of
which it is said, that He who loved the Church and
gave Himself for it, will present it unto Himself " a
glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing." (Eph. v.) See also Rev. xix.
" And I heard as it were the voice of a great multi-
tude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia : because the
Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned. Let us be
glad, and rejoice, and give glory to Him, because
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His "Wife
hath made herself ready. And it was given to her
that she should be arrayed in fine linen bright and
pure ; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the
saints." ("Rev. xix., Tregelles' version ) The Church
unitedly, and each believer individually, will recog-
nise themselves to be perfect then, and the joy of
each will be full. Christ will be known as their
redemption, their righteousness and their life.
The value of the Atonement once perfected on the
Cross will then be fully proved by them. The
blood of the Holy One shed in death was at once the
witness that the great Surety had fully borne the
appointed wrath, and that He had fully perfected
and sacrificially presented the appointed obedience.
Whilst "made a curse" and bearing the veritable
wrath of God in the stead of His believing people,
He did at the same time give Himself for them,
" an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-
smelling savour." The sin-offering " burnt up "
without the camp, and the burnt offering "burned"
352 CHAPTER XIV.
OD the altar, present us with different aspects of
Christ's death, but they are both combined in the
one sacrifice. Although the sin-offering was itself
" burnt up " without the camp, yet its fat was burnt
for fragrance on the altar. " Jehovah smelled a
sweet savour." Thus the excellency of Christ's
obedience in life and in death, and the value of all
that He was as the sin-bearing Sufferer, was sacri-
ficially presented for us on the Cross as on an altar,
and under the full value of the imputation thereof
all believers stand. "By the obedience of One " we
are " constituted righteous." By working out a
righteousness for us on earthy He hath become "the
Lord our righteousness ;" and the righteousness so
provided is the ground of our acceptance and blessed-
ness alike in time and in eternity. We are bles
not on the ground of any personal change wrought
in us or on us, but solely on the ground of a
righteousness provided for us by the obedience and
suffering and death of another, even of Immanuel
God manifest in the flesh. Hence in the offering of
the Cross we find " redemption." We are redeemed
from wrath and redeemed unto God. There, too, we
find " righteousness," for all the claims of God have
been met by the obedience consummated in the one
finished oblation of the Cross. Therefore God is
able to recognise us as right in relation to the claims
of His judicial Courts. We are found to be and
pronounced to be "en regie" in relation to the
requirements of those Courts. We find in the
Cross "sanctification " also, for Christ having given
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 353
Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God of
a " sweet- smelling savour," the sanctity of that
oblation is reckoned to us, so that we draw nigh
into the Courts of God's worship His Temple-
Courts, under the imputation of the holiness of the
oblation offered on the Cross. Incense fills the
sanctuary, and we stand under its fragrance. There-
fore we read, " sanctified by the offering of the body
of Jesus once," " Sanctified by His blood." Christ
is made unto us wisdom from God, both " righteous-
ness and sanctification, as well as redemption."
But whilst the saints individually and collectively,
are thus filled with all fulness in Him ; there will
also be awarded to each, the individual meed of
grace. Each will be placed before the tribunal * of
* I have used the word tribunal in preference to judgment-
seat, because less liable to misapprehension the thought
commonly connected with judgment-seat being that of
arraignment as a criminal.
Indeed the thought of criminal arraignment ought to be
connected with the " great white Throne," before which the
wicked dead raised at the close of the millennium will stand,
to be judged out of things written in books according to
their works. This is strictly judgment (/t/nW) ; but it is
said that he who believeth shall not come into judgment.
(apio-is.) See John v. 24. All who have believed in Jesus
previously to His return, will be raised in the first resurrec-
tion, and will reign with Him during the millennium : conse-
quently, they will not stand before the great white Throne
at all. Nor will the saints who live during the millennium
stand before it to be arraigned, because the Book of Life
will be opened, and their names will be found written
there. Consequently, they too will not come into judgment
A A
354 CHAPTER XIV.
Christ not to be judged (he that believe th shall not
come into judgment /eptert?, John v.) but to be re-
The prayer of every saint, in every dispensation
must be, "Lord, enter not into judgment with Thy servant;
for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified."
But although the saints are not to be brought before this
judgment-seat of Christ to be arraigned, they are to stand
before the tribunal of Christ to "give account" of their past
services and ways, in order that He may discriminate between
that which is precious in those ways, and that which is
worthless and, having already forgiven them the evil, may
reward them for that which is good. Thus, the victorious
General of old, was accustomed, at the close of a campaign,
to call his soldiers before his tribunal, not to arraign them,
but to enquire into their conduct, and to reward them.
There is one passage in 2 Cor. v. 10, which seems to teach,
that believers will stand before the tribunal of Christ, to re-
ceive according to that which they have done, whether good
or bad ; in which case, saints would receive according to their
evil. But the passage, rightly translated, does not teach
this. It does not state that the saints are to receive accord-
ing to that which they have done, but with reference to (Trpos)
that which they have done. If a parent, at the close of the
day, were to call his children before him, in order to enquire
into their conduct, and after pointing out to them those
things which they had done amiss, were to say, " These are
things which, although I forgive them, I cannot reward ; but
these other things which are praiseworthy, I will reward "-
in such a case, the children would receive with reference to
what they ha 1 done, but they would not receive according to
that which they had done.
It would appear, from the close of the twenty-fifth of
Matthew, that those who are found professing the name of
Christ at His return, will instantly be separated by the
Angels into two bodies ; according to the reality or falseness
of their profession. After having been thus divided, they
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 355
warded to receive from Him, recognition of all
that He can recognise for praise, in their past ser-
vices and ways. Then the cup of cold water will
be remembered then it will be seen, that he who
has received a Prophet in the name of a Prophet,
shall receive a Prophet's reward, and that he who
has received a righteous man in the name of a
righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's re-
ward. To one it shall be said, Have thou authority
over five ; to another over ten cities. This differ-
ence of reward is not inconsistent with each indi-
will be placed for a short moment before the Throne of His
glory in the air, in order that the evidences of the one being
His people, and the other not being His people, might be
declared, and the one be rejected, the other received. But
although the sentence that consigns the one to misery, and
the others to blessedness, is openly pronounced ; yet the
goats are not then finally judged, nor the sheep definitely re-
warded. The first are, at the close of the millennium, to be
placed before the Great White Throne, to be judged accord-
ing to their works the latter are to stand before the Tribunal
of Christ to be rewarded. The separation therefore of the
sheep and goats is not strictly a judgment scene. It is
merely the public declaration of that principle, which is al-
ready every day acted on by the Lord, in consigning some
to the place of torment, where their souls are reserved for
judgment, and in taking others to Himself in Paradise
This is not called judgment, although in a certain sense it
is judgment. The ground of His thus acting is to be openly
proclaimed by-and-by : but before that houi comes, He
teaches us respecting it in this prophetic parable, in order
that it may bear influentially on us throughout this dis-
pensation. " Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
356 CHAPTER XIV.
vidual saint being made like unto Christ. The
promise is not restricted which says when He shall
appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him
as He is. All shall " awake up in His likeness and
be satisfied."
After these things the Heavenly City, which is
one especial sphere of the saints' glory, descends
from God out of Heaven. But although descending
from, and therefore contrasted with, Heaven ; yet it
does not descend into the Millennial Earth. The
Adamic Earth is not adapted to its glory. It
remains therefore throughout the Millennium, con-
nected indeed with the Earth, but not in the Earth
and it is not until the first Heavens and Earth
have passed away and new Heavens and a new
Earth created, that it descends again, and finds in
the new Earth a place suitable for the habitation of
its glory.
Its relation to Heaven and to the Earth during
the Millennium, is analogous to that which the Holy
Place occupied in the Temple. It was situate interme-
diately between the Holy of Holies and the external
court where Israel worshipped. The Holy Place was
the place of Priestly service, the place of interces-
sion, the place where the golden Candlestick was
set the type of Christ, in that pure, perfect, un-
changing heavenly light, wherewith, whether in
Earth or Heaven, He hath shone and ever shineth
for His people. All this, and more, the Heavenly
City will be. Thence the regulations of Gfod's
government, as well as the instructions of His grace,
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 357
will reach Israel and the earth. " The nations shall
walk by means of the light thereof, and the Kings
of the Earth shall bring their glory and honour unto
it." There, also, remedial means will be provided
for meeting the exigencies of mortal life below. In
the vision of the City were seen Trees of Life; and
" the leaves of the Trees were for the healing of the
nations/'
The connexion of the power and glory of the
New Creation with the circumstances of a fallen
Earth, will thus be the great secret of Millennial
blessing. This, indeed, is not a new principle in
the works of God. The present condition of His
saints affords an analogous example. Without
changing their old natures, but allowing their flesh
to remain flesh, He has been pleased to connect
therewith that which is new " the new man which
after God is created in righteousness and true holi-
ness ; " which also He sustains by the indwelling
power of His own blessed Spirit. Hence, the re-
pression of the evil that would otherwise be dominant
in us, and the production of fruits of heavenly
origin, where otherwise, all would be earthiness and
corruption. But God, in bestowing blessing, is not
satisfied with the mere repression of evil. All that
is of the first Adam in us, whether in body, soul,
or spirit, is finally to pass away ; and all is to be
made new. Everything that is outward and every-
thing inward in us, is to be brought into the
likeness of Christ, according to the power of the
new creation of God.
358 CHAPTER XIV.
Throughout the Millennium, the frame- work of
this lower world remains essentially unchanged.
Although creation will no longer groan as now in
the bondage of corruption, yet corruptibility and
death will still remain in plants, and animals, and
men. In men there will also be the presence of in-
dwelling sin. But there will be a power of life
operating from above from Heaven, and from the
Heavenly City, whereby the working of corruption,
whether physical or moral, will be restrained, and
the Earth be caused to teem with living blessing.
This will especially be the case in the Land of Israel,
which will then " be the joy of all lands." * " Thou
shalt no more be termed forsaken : neither shall
thy land any more be termed Desolate : but thou
shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah :
for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall
be married." It would be impossible to quote all
the passages, which speak of the fulness of bless-
ing manifested, when once Israel and the Earth
are regarded by God as taken possession of by the
Lord Jesus in the title of redemption. All the
Prophets and Psalms abound with descriptions of
that hour.
Nor are these descriptions limited to outward
blessings. The Psalms describe also, the peace,
humility, and inward grace which will characterise
Israel then. See, for example, such Psalms as the
131st : "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine
eyes lofty : neither do I exercise myself in great
* Extending then from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 359
matters or in things too high for me : .... my soul
is even as a weaned child." And again, " Behold
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity ; it is .... as the dew of
Hermon, which descendeth on the mountains of
Zion, for there Jehovah hath commanded the bless-
ing, even life for evermore." Then, too, they will
say with deeper feeling than we, " Bless the Lord,
my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not
all His benefits ; who forgiveth all thine iniquities ;
who healeth all thy diseases." (ciii.) And again, " I
will extol thee, my God, King, and I will bless
thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless
thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and
ever .... My mouth shall speak the praise of the
Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever
and ever." (cxlv.)
The imprisonment of Satan and his angels, the
presence of the visible glory of Christ and His
saints, the investiture of the Son of Man with the
sovereignty of earth, the establishment of Jerusalem
in a Church-position, as the pillar and ground of
truth, its establishment also as the centre of govern-
mental influence throughout the earth, the release of
creation from its groan, the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit upon all flesh these and other like things,
will give to the millennial age a character, as con-
trasted with that of the ages that have preceded it,
as the works of Christ are contrasted with the works
of Satan. Christianity, although still militant, will
360 CHAPTER XIV.
cease to occupy the place of suffering and reproach.
It will be no longer needful to go without the gate,
bearing His reproach, because the city itself will be
the place of righteousness and truth. The Church
of the present Dispensation quits the wilderness,
leaning, as one weak and exhausted, on the arm of
the Beloved : but she is succeeded in her place of
service and of testimony by another, who "looks
forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the
sun, and terrible as an army with banners." Israel
will succeed into our place of testimony ; but it will
be a place no longer marked by weakness. Truth
will be sustained by power, and surrounded by cir-
cumstances worthy of its essential excellency.
Nevertheless, the servants of the truth, who yet
remain in the flesh, will not be without their dan-
gers. The pride and vain glory of man's nature
will still remain in all except those who are glorified
in heaven; and past experience teaches us, that
hearts that have stood well through hours of adver-
sity, have failed when brought under the sunshine
of prosperity and joy. The preservation, therefore,
of the saints of the coming dispensation, when sur-
rounded by circumstances of dignity, and rest, and
glory, will be another instance of the manifold grace
of God which is alike able to manifest its protective,
preserving power whether they who are its objects
be in lowliness, or in exaltation, in tribulation, or in
triumph.
But however great the blessings of the millennial
age, they still fall very short of the perfection of
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 361
God. Sin, death, and occasional transgression, will
yet be there, and repressive power (something un-
known in heaven) will be perpetually needed, in
order to prevent manifestations of evil, and sights of
sorrow. The spirit therefore of the millennial saints
will long for something more perfect yet to come.
They will be taught, even as we, to look for New
Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth right-
eousness.*
The distinctive characteristic of the Millennium
therefore, is not to be found in the greatness of its
blessings ; for blessings higher and more abundant
will be in the New Earth. The great distinctive
characteristic of the Millennium is this, that it is the
period when Christ assumes and exercises power in
order to subjugate every enemy. This is the object
avowedly proposed when Christ takes to Himself His
millennial power. Its exercise is seen in the destruc-
tive judgments whereby the Millennium is com-
menced in breaking up the evil systems of every
nation throughout the earth in punishing disobe-
* In Isaiah Ixv. 17, the subjects of joy and thanksgiving,
presented to Israel at the commencement of their millennial
blessing, are two one future ; the other, present. The final
intention of God to create New Heavens and a New Earth,
is first spoken of, and presented to them as an object of
hope : next is mentioned, that which God will at that time
be giving them, as a present joy; for at that time He will
make Jerusalem and her people a joy.
" Behold, I create new heavens and anew earth," strictly
Behold, I, the Creating One of new heavens, &c. For this
abstract use of the present participle as not defining time,
see " Occasional Papers," No. II. page 96.
362 CHAPTER XIV.
dience in destroying the rebellious nations at the
close of the millennial reign in finally punishing
Satan, and destroying Death. The subjugation of
enemies is so distinctively the object of the millen-
nial reign, that the power which Christ assumes for
this purpose, He lays down as soon as it is accom-
plished. "Then cometh the end, when He shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
Father ; when He shall have put down all rule, and
all authority, and power. For He must reign, till
He hath put all enemies under his feet. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is Death .... And
when all things shall have been subdued unto Him,
then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him
that put all things under Him, that God may be all
in all." (1 Cor. xv.) How wonderful therefore, that
a dispensation whose distinctive characteristic is,
power exercised for the subjugation of enemies,
should be one distinguished also by blessings so tran-
scendant that they seem to irradiate earth with the
light and glory and happiness of heaven. Millions
too will be saved, who would have been lost for
ever, if the history of man in the flesh had been
made to terminate at the commencement and not at
the close of the millennium.
The millennium, however, does not conclude,
without affording another instance of the inveterate
evil of the human heart. Unregenerate man can
neither be gained by mercy nor subdued by terror.
Unawed by the judgments that introduce the millen-
nium, and uninfluenced by the mercies that charac-
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 363
terise its course, unwarned by the experience of
preceding ages, and heedless of the lessons furnished
by their own, the millennial Gentile nations,* as
soon as Satan is again allowed to tempt, will in-
stantly fall into the snare, and give themselves to
him. They will deliberately assemble, in order to
confront the visible glory of Christ, which they will
long have known as present in the earth, and filling
it with blessing. They know that Jerusalem is " the
Beloved City," and Zion " the citadel of the saints,'*
they know that the glory of Christ is there ; and
yet none of these things will hinder the mad pre-
sumption of their evil. " And they went up on the
breadth of the earth, and compassed the citadel of
the saints about and the beloved city; and fire came
down out of heaven and devoured them." Thus
ends the earthly history of unregenerate man. The
general judgment follows : the dead are judged, and
then He that sitteth on the Throne will say : " Be-
hold, I make all things new."
The glory of " the New Heavens and New Earth/'
we little apprehend. Even the present creation was
made excellent and glorious. "The heavens de-
clare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth
His handy work : day unto day uttereth speech, and
night unto night showeth knowledge." The sun in
the firmament, and the lily of the field, alike declare
the wisdom and the power of God. But all this
creation, so wonderful and so glorious, was connected
* The Gentile nations only will apostatise. Jerusalem
and Israel will remain faithful to the Lord.
364 CHAPTER XIV.
with, one, who was of the earth earthy: with him,
the heavens and the earth were created, and with
him the heavens and the earth pass away.
If, then, a creation so glorious was connected with
one who was of the earth earthy, what will be the
glory of that which is to be created in adaptation to
Him who is the Second Man, the Lord from Heaven
a creation to be placed under His Headship, and
to stand for ever in His blessedness ? If we could
estimate the difference between the person of Adam
and the person of the Son of God, we might then
appreciate the difference between the glory of the
first, and the glory of the New Creation.
We are thus led on by Scripture to the first day
of the completed blessing of the redeemed the first
day of their new history ; when the Heavenly City,
the Bride of the Lamb, descends into the New Earth.
She had not descended into the Millennial Earth.*
She had been connected with it, and ministered to
it ; but she had not descended into it. She had
been kept apart, as it were in holy separateness,
until nothing should remain beneath, unsuited to
her own purity and glory. The Heavenly Bride-
groom had, throughout the millennium, been exer-
cising His power in order to subdue every enemy ;
and when that had been effected, and all things had
* It is very important to observe the difference between
individual and corporate symbols. Individually the saints
do visit the millennial earth, and act in it but in their
corporate glory, represented by the heavenly city, they do
not enter in.
ORDER OF EVENTS, ETC. 365
been made new, she is introduced as His Bride into
the new inheritance. How different the thoughts
with which we contemplate the old, and the new
history of man. The Scripture, which had com-
menced with the first day of his first history, con-
cludes with the first day of this his new history.
We know not all that is beyond ; but we know that
He who hath made us for ever kings and priests
unto God, has not restricted us even to the New
Heavens and New Earth, but will give us to behold
and to share His own glory above the heavens ; and
that He who is His Father, and our Father in Him,
has promised to show, in the ages to come, the exceed-
ing riches of His grace, in His kindness towards us
through Christ Jesus.*
* The contrast between the new and the first earth ; and
between the heavenly and the earthly Jerusalem is so plainly
marked in Scripture, that it seems wonderful that it should
have been overlooked by any. For example, it is expressly
said, that " the first heavens and the first earth pass away,
and no place is found for them," before the New Heavens and
New Earth are created. In the New Earth, there is to be no
sea in the millennial earth, the sea is continually mentioned.
In the new earth, there is no more sickness or death in the
millennial earth, remedial means are used against sickness
and death ; the last enemy is not destroyed until the close.
In the New Earth, there is no sin, nor any liability thereunto
in the millennial earth, sin remains in the flesh of man ;
Satan can never enter into the new earth, nor into the
Heavenly City : but he will re-enter the millennial earth, at
the close of the Millennium, and will effect a great apostasy.
The contrast between the heavenly and the earthly Jeru-
salem during the Millennium, is no less marked. In the
366 CHAPTER XIV.
heavenly there is to be no Temple but we read much of
the millennial Temple of Israel. In the heavenly city, there
is to be no succession of day and night. There shall be no
night there. But whilst the first earth remaineth, seed time
and harvest, day and night shall not cease.
Difficulty has been occasioned to some, by not observing
that the ninth verse of "Rev. xxi. should be made the com-
mencement of a new chapter. The first eight verses of the
twenty -first chapter^- describe the relation of the heavenly
city to the new earth whereas, the subsequent part of the
chapter retraces, and describes its relation to the millennial
earth.
The twentieth chapter should commence at the eleventh
verse of the nineteenth chapter beginning "I saw heaven
opened," and be continued to the end of the eighth verse of
the twenty-first chapter : for the subject of all this passage
is strictly consecutive. It begins by a vision of the glory of
the heavenly Bridegroom, with which He is prepared to meet
His enemies, and subdue the earth next the destruction of
Antichrist and his armies then the binding of Satan then
the millennial reign the concluding apostasy the passing
away of the first heavens, and the first earth the judgment
of the dead the creation of the New Heavens and the New
Earth, and the descent of the heavenly city into the new
earth. These events are spoken of consecutively as they
will really happen ; and therefore the passage which treats
of them continuously, should of course be read as one
chapter.
That the latter part of the 21st chapter after the 8th
verse, and the commencement of the 22nd chapter refer to
the relation of the heavenly city to the earth during the
Millennium, is manifest from this, that means are thence
employed for "the healing of the nations." In the new
earth, there are no nations that need healing. The words,
" and no curse shall any longer be," are of course to be re-
stricted to the subject spoken of that is, the heavenly city.
They will not be applicable to the earth, until all in the earth
is made like the heavenly ci^y.
367
APPENDIX.
(A.)
I HAVE already referred to the works of several of
the early Christian writers, to show how generally
it was believed that the fourth or Roman Empire
would finally be divided into Ten Kingdoms, accord-
ing to the prophecy of Daniel ; and that a personal
Antichrist would arise at the end of the age.
It may interest some, to be supplied with further
references; but before I make any more quotations,
I again explicitly state, that I do not refer to these
writers as having any authority whatsoever. It
may be interesting to know the opinions of these
early writers, and to trace some of the rays of light,
which, through God's mercy, mingled with the
deep, deep gloom of the earliest years of post- Apos-
tolic Christianity. But no one who appeals to the
Fathers, as guides, can understand, or appreciate
the Scriptures : for no two things can be more con-
trasted, than the Revelation of God in His Holy
Scriptures, and the errors and omissions of the
Fathers.
Let us take, for example, one of the most im-
portant doctrines of our holy faith the union of the
368 APPENDIX.
Believer with. Christ as the risen Head of the
redeemed. We are not only, from the moment we
believe, forgiven all trespasses through the blood of
His Cross, but God has also granted unto us union
with Him as now glorified in the heavens. As truly
as the first Adam, by his transgression, entailed on
us the imputation of his guilt, and brought us from
Paradise into this sorrowful world, and made us
heirs of his fallen condition of being and of his
corruption, so truly has Christ, by means of the
righteousness which He wrought out for us during
the time of His obedience and suffering on earth,
entailed on us the imputation of that righteousness ;
in consequence of which imputation, and as an
attestation of its infinite meritoriousness, union with
Christ, heirship with Him is granted to us in that
new creation of which He has become the risen
Head, when finally we are to be made partakers of
His holiness and to share His glories. How seldom
do we find even an allusion to these truths in the
early Fathers.
Nor is the gospel of grace taught there in its
simplicity. It is not sufficient to say, that Christ
has been offered as a sacrifice for sins. We may
own that, and yet maintain, that the being brought
under the power of that sacrifice, is not, in itself
alone, a condition of everlasting salvation; or we
may say, that the instrumental means employed to
bring sinners into saving connection with that sacri-
fice, are, the ceremonial ministrations of the Church,
and not " the foolishness of preaching." We may,
APPENDIX. 369
if we please, reverse the word of St. Paul, and say,
"Christ sent me to baptize, not to preach the
gospel:" so we destroy the Gospel.
The Fathers too, appear to have been entirely
unconscious qf what the Apostle meant, when he
said to the Gentile olive-branch, that it should be
cut off, unless it continued in God's goodness. They
seem never to have considered what was involved
in Gentile Christianity not having continued "in
God's goodness;" and were strangers to the pro-
phetic history of our Dispensation.
Some of the Fathers accepted the doctrine of the
Millennial reign of Christ : others did not. Jerome,
for example, derided it and called it " a fable ;" not
choosing to distinguish between the speculative and
absurd theories which they who maintained Mil-
lennial doctrine associated with their statements,
and the manner in which that doctrine is taught in
Scripture. The early writers, in treating of the
Millennium, were not careful to put the Jews in
their peculiar and pre-eminent place of blessing ;
they were anxious to appropriate to themselves that
place of rest and supremacy that is reserved for Zion
and Jerusalem in the next Dispensation ; for they
desired to " reign as kings " now, and eschewed
the suffering and reproach that is the appointed
portion of the servants of Christ till the present Dis-
pensation closes. They failed also in apprehending
the distinction between the condition of the Mil-
lennial earth, which is Adamic, and the condition
of the New Earth which will be made (after the
Bli
370 APPENDIX.
Millennium has closed) worthy of the risen glory of
the Last Adam, the Son of the living God: and
they perceived not the difference between the Jeru-
salem to which Israel will be gathered on earth an
earthly city inhabited by men yet in the flesh, and
the new and heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the risen
and glorified saints, into which "flesh and blood"
cannot enter. The Fathers also, one and all, utterly
failed in recognising that this Dispensation is one of
failure throughout. They received not the truths
revealed in the eleventh of Romans. They saw not
that the Gentile olive-branch that w r hich sym-
bolizes professing Christianity amongst us Gentiles,
is to be "cut-off" under judgment, because like
Israel before, it has not continued in God's good-
ness. They hid from themselves the consequences
of their own failure.
It is a melancholy truth, that most of the
Christianity of these later days has been as little
sensible as the Fathers of the failure of Gentile
Christianity, and as blind with respect to its coming
doom. The Millennial prospects of Israel are still
for the most part ignored ; and Gentile Christianity,
" wise in its own conceits/' continues to appropriate
to itself the triumph and the glory reserved for
Zion and Jerusalem in the coming Dispensation.
Later Christianity has done what the Fathers did
not do, that is, misrepresent the closing events of
this Dispensation as respects the nations. The sub-
joined extracts will show that many of the con-
cluding events of our Dispensation were pourtrayed
APPENDIX. 371
by the Fathers scripturally and clearly. They saw
the destiny of the Ten Kingdoms of the Eoman
"World. They recognised the coming and reign of
THE Antichrist. They taught that the season of
unequalled tribulation "tribulation such as never
was " is yet future, and will conclude this present
age. They saw that the Coming of the Lord in
glory would terminate this age, and the brief though
terrible reign of Antichrist. As to these things
their testimony was truthful. They did not, as to
this, do what later Christianity has done ignore
the coming judgments, and prophesy peace where
there is no peace.
QUOTATIONS FROM THE FATHERS.
First Century.
THE Personality of Antichrist, and the rise of the
Ten Kingdoms is distinctly referred to in the Epistle
of Barnabas the companion of St. Paul. It was
written between the years A.D. 70 and A.D. 80.
" The consummating period of trial as has been written,
and as Daniel says, draws near ; for the Lord has cut short
the times and the days, in order that His beloved may hasten
to His inheritance. Thus saith the prophet, Ten Kingdoms
shall reign on the earth, and after them shall arise a very
little one (pusillus) who shall subdue three at once .... Of
this one, Daniel says again, And I saw the fourth Beast,
wicked and strong, and fiercer than the other Beasts that
came from the sea ; and on it there appeared ten horns, and
there came up another short horn in the midst of them, and
overthrew three of the great horns. Therefore we ought to
understand." (Latin version of iv., Greek original being
lost.)
Again in xv.
"In the six thousand years all things shall be finished.
And He rested on the seventh day ; this means, when His
Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the TVicked
One (TOV Kaipov Ai/o/zou) and shall judge the ungodly, and shall
change the sun and moon and stars ; then He shall rest
gloriously (KaXwy) on the seventh day."
APPENDIX. 373
Of these quotations it may be observed :
I. That the expression " consummating period of
trial " is a virtual reference to the last verse of the
ninth of Daniel and to other parts of Daniel where
" Consummation " or equivalent expressions are ap-
plied to the concluding period of the Dispensation.
II. The words, " hath cut short the times," is a
virtual quotation of the 24th of Matthew, respecting
the unequalled season of tribulation which season
is not connected by Barnabas with the destruction
of Jerusalem (which had just taken place) but with
the future actings the little Horn of the fourth
Beast.
III. The use of the word avo^o?, " "Wicked One,"
is a reference to the second of Thessalonians, and to
Isaiah xi. where that name is given to Antichrist.
Second Century.
Justin Martyr, A.D. 150 thus speaks of Anti-
christ :
"He who is about to speak blasphemous and audacious
things, against the Most High, being already at the doors
whose continuance Daniel signifies as about to be for a time,
times, and half a time." (Trypho, p. 159.)
And again :
" Foolish are they who do not understand, what indeed has
been pointed out by all the testimonies of the Prophets, that
two Comings of Christ are spoken of ; one in which He is
preached as the Sufferer inglorious dishonoured and cruci-
fiedthe second, that in which He will come with glory from
374 APPENDIX.
Heaven, at the time when the Man of Apostasy, who speaketh
great things against the Most High shall be on the earth,
and dare wicked things (avopa) against us Christians."
Justin Martyr allows to Trypho the Jew, that
Elijah, the Prophet, will come before the advent of
the Lord in glory and fulfil the prophecy of Malachi.
He contends, also, that John the Baptist was, in
principle, Elias, as coming in his spirit and power.
Irenaus. A.D. 180.
Irenaeus, the disciple of Poly carp, who was the
companion of the Apostle John, writes more fully on
these subjects than any of his predecessors. He
speaks of Antichrist as an " impious, unjust, and
lawless " monarch, exalting himself as the one only
Idol " an idol which included, in itself, the mani-
fold wickednesses (varium errorem) of all other
idols."
Irenaeus quotes the greater part of 2 Thess. ii. re-
specting the Man of Sin, and applies it to Antichrist
says that the Temple in which he will sit, is the
Temple in Jerusalem quotes Matthew xxiv. as to the
abomination, and unequalled season of tribulation,
and applies it to the time of Antichrist's blasphemy
in Jerusalem speaks of his arising as the little Horn
after the ten last Kings of the Roman Empire and
quoting the words of Daniel " time, times, and the
dividing of time," explains them of the three years
and a half of Antichrist's reign. (Usque ad tempus,
tempora et dimidium temporis hoc est, per trien-
nium et sex menses.)
APPENDIX. 375
Irenaeus also quotes Dan. viii. respecting "the
King of fierce countenance/' and interprets it ojf
Antichrist acting in Jerusalem. He then quotes
Dan. ix,, the last verse of which, he applies to Anti-
christ, and says
a At the half of the hebdomad, Daniel saith, the sacrifice
and libation shall be taken away, and in the Temple shall be
the Abomination of desolation and until the consummation
of the time, a consummation shall be appointed upon the
desolation, (et usque ad consummationem temporis, con-
summatio dabitur super desolationem) but the half of the
hebdomad is three years and six months." (Irenaeus adver.
Her. ch. xxv.)
In the 26th chapter, Irenaeus again speaks of the
ten kings, and quotes Rev. xvii. and Dan. ii. as
referring to them. He speaks of these Kings as
destroying Babylon, which he supposes to be Imperial
Rome, and there concurring to give their power to
Antichrist.
In the 30th chapter, he observes further :
" But when Antichrist shall have ravaged all things in this
world, reigning three years and six months, and shall have
sat in the Temple at Jerusalem, then the Lord shall come
from Heaven in clouds in the glory of the Father, to cast him
and those who obey him, into the lake of fire. But He will
bring in for the righteous, the times of the kingdom, that is
to say rest : the seventh day sanctified ; and will restore
to Abraham the promise of the inheritance, in which king-
dom, saith the Lord, many shall come from the East and
West, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
Irenaeus, like most other of the early Christian
376 APPENDIX.
writers, supposes that Antichrist will arise from the
tribe of Dan.
Tertullian, A.D. 190200.
Tertullian expounds 2 Thess. ii. of Antichrist.
He observes :
"The breaking up and dispersion of the Roman State
among the ten kings, will bring on Antichrist ; and then
shall be revealed that Wicked One, whom the Lord Jesus
shall slay with the Spirit of His Mouth, and shall destroy by
His appearance."
" Also in the Apocalypse of John, there is laid down the
course of the times, during which the souls of the martyrs
beneath the altar, demanding vengeance and judgment, are
instructed to wait. First, the earth must drink in its plagues
from the vials of the angels ; and that harlot city must suffer
merited destruction by the ten Kings, and the Beast Anti-
christ with his false prophet, make war upon the Church of
God ; and then the Devil being banished for a season to the
bottomless pit, the privilege of the first resurrection will be
adjudged from the Thrones, and afterwards, fire having been
sent down, the sentence belonging to the universal resurrec-
tion, will be pronounced from the books.
Respecting the Witnesses he observes :
"Enoch and Elias are translated ; their death is not found,
being delayed. Yet they are reserved to die, that with their
blood they may extinguish Antichrist/' (Tertullian, quoted
by Mr. Maitland in his Apostles' School of Prophetic Inter-
pretation, p. 165.)
Cent. III. Hippolytus.
For quotations from Hippolytus, who lived in the
APPENDIX. % 377
very early part of this century, [see " Babylon, its
revival and final desolation" as advertised at end].
He is, I believe, the only writer* who intimates, that
the admixture of clay and iron in the toes of the
Image, had reference to the rise of popular power.
He says, speaking of the Image :
* After these come the Romans, being the iron legs of the
Image strong as iron : in order that the democracies which
are about to arise, might be pointed out, answering respec-
tively to the ten toes of the image, in which there will be
iron mingled with clay." (Mai ; Chain on Daniel.)
He, too, considers Enoch and Elijah to be the two
witnesses.
Origm. A.D. 225.
Even Origen, who introduced such a fatal habit of
allegorising Scripture, maintained the doctrine of a
personal Antichrist. * After referring to 2 Thess. ii.
he says :
" To explain the whole of this, is not our present business.
But there is in Daniel a prophecy about this same Antichrist,
which cannot but excite the admiration of any one who will
read it with common sense and candour. For there, in words
truly divine and prophetic, are described the kingdoms that
* Unless the words of Lactantius be considered an excep-
tion, when he says, speaking of the fall of the Roman Empire ;
" The empire will be subdivided, and the powers of govern-
ment being frittered away and shared among many, will be
undermined. Then will follow civil discords, and there will
be no respite from destructive wars, till ten kings arise at
once, dividing the world among themselves, to consume,
rather than to govern it."
378 APPENDIX.
were to come, beginning from the time of Daniel down to the
destruction of the world. And this prophecy may be read
of all men. Now see if Antichrist is not spoken of there
also in these words, In the end of their kingdom when their
transgressions are filled up, there shall rise a king impudent
of face and understanding problems, &c,
" And that which I have already quoted from the words of
Paul, that he shall sit in the Temple of God, showing himself
that he is God even this also is said by Daniel, and in this
manner, In the Temple shall be the abomination of desola-
tion ; and until the end of the time shall a consummation be
given against the desolation." (Origen, as quoted by Mait-
land, p. 171.)
Thus Origen considered ~t he 2nd of Thess. ii. and
the last verse of Dan. ix. respecting the abomination,
to belong to Antichrist in Jerusalem.
Victorinus.
Yictorinus lived towards the end of the Third
Century, and is highly spoken of by Jerome. Speak-
ing of the false Prophet in Rev. xiii. he says that,
"He will cause that a golden Image of Antichrist should
be placed in the Temple at Jerusalem ; and that an apostate
angel (angelus refuga)* should enter thereinto ; thence to
utter voices and oracles. He will also cause that slaves and
free men should receive as a mark on their foreheads or in
their right hands, the number of his name, that otherwise
no one might buy or sell." (Yict. in locum.)
Yictorinus considered Enoch and Jeremiah to be
* For " refuga" used in this sense, see Augustine Civit.
Dei, lib. xx.
APPENDIX. 379
the two witnesses; and explains the "abomination/'
of the idolatrous worship of Antichrist in Jerusalem.
Cent. IV. Lactantius. A.D. 300.
The following is his account of Antichrist. He
speaks of him as one who by the assistance of a false
prophet, will perform signs and wonders, whereby
he will allure men to worship him.
" He will command fire to descend from Heaven, and the
sun to stand still in its course, and an Image to speak .; and
these things shall be done at his command. By these pro-
digies the greater number even of wise men, will be enticed
by him. Then he will attempt to overthrow the Temple of
God, and will persecute the righteous people ; and there shall
be pressure and trial, (pressura et contritio) such as never
has been from the beginning of the world.
" All who shall believe in, and receive him, shall be marked
by him, as so many sheep : but they who shall reject his
mark, shall either fly to the mountains, or be seized and put
to death with exquisite torments. He shall also roll up
righteous men in the books of the prophets, and so burn
them. And it shall be given him to desolate the world for
forty and two months. This is the period in which righteous-
ness will be cast out, and innocence detested. This is he
who is called Antichrist but he will feign himself to be
Christ, and will fight against the true Christ." .(Lact. Inst.
vii).
Lactantius is vivid in his descriptions, but does
not sufficiently limit himself by Scripture. "Where,
for example, does he learn, that Antichrist -will stop
the sun, or burn the righteous by heaping around
them the writings of the Prophets ? He seems more
380 APPENDIX.
guided by the pseudo-Sibyl (whom he continually
quotes), than by Scripture in many of his statements.
He believes also that there will arise immediately
before Antichrist, another king very like him in
wickedness; and to this supposed forerunner of
Antichrist he applies many descriptions that belong
to the true Antichrist. Long after the time of
Lactantius, a notion prevailed that the last king of
the Franks, after reigning with vast power, would
lay down his authority in Jerusalem and be suc-
ceeded by Antichrist. (See Hoveden and others.)
These notions may have arisen from the circum-
stance of Antichrist's being invested, during the last
1,260 days, with a totally different character of
power from that which he holds previously, while
the servant of the woman (Rev. xvii.) i.e., whilst
sustaining the Babylonish system. It is exceedingly
important to distinguish these two periods in the
history of Antichrist.
Before the death of Lactantius, the Roman Em-
pire, under Constantine, assumed the profession of
Christianity. On the twentieth anniversary of his
conversion, Constantine invited the bishops of the
whole empire to dine with him. Eusebius speaking
of that banquet, says that it surpassed all power of
description. The cuirassiers and spearmen drawn
up in a circle, guarded with naked swords the
entrance to the palace; and through the midst
walked fearlessly the men of God, on their way to
the inner chambers. There some reclined beside
the emperor, whilst others occupied couches ranged
APPENDIX. 381
on either side. The whole seemed to shadow forth
an image of the kingdom of Christ, being more like
a dream than a reality. (Eusebius quoted by Malt-
land.)
A great change (says Mr. Maitland) for Eusebius,
who had lived in the days when the sword grew
blunt and the lictor weary in the massacre of Chris-
tians. For it was not so much as hinted in prophecy
that the Iron Kingdom would become a nursing
father to the Church. It was strange, therefore, to
see Constantine circulating, at the imperial expense,
costly editions of the Scriptures, and stranger still to
see the bishops drinking wine with the representative
of the fourth beast; now no longer stamping and
blaspheming, but uttering words of piety and praise.
For thus spoke the Autocrat of East and West:
" Now that the Dragon is removed from the admi-
nistration of affairs, through the providence of the
supreme God, and by my instrumentality, I imagine
that the divine power has been made clear to all
men."
By this Dragon Constantine meant the devil ; and
in order to advertise more publicly his religious in-
tentions, he caused an allegorical painting to be set
up before the gate of his palace. In this picture,
executed in wax, in the encaustic manner, Constantine
was the principal figure: above his head shone the
cross, and beneath his feet, skulking in the depths of
the sea, writhed the Dragon, "that adverse and hostile
beast, who, through the tyranny of atheist monarch s,
had aforetime ravaged the Church of God."
382 APPENDIX.
To heighten the effect, Constantine was made to
hold a dart, the point of which was buried in the
body of the Dragon. In illustration, Eusebius
quotes from Isaiah xxvii. : "He shall smite the
Dragon, that fugitive serpent, and shall slay the
Dragon, that is in the sea."* (Septuagint.)
It was no wonder that in the midst of all this
evil, the testimonies of Prophecy should be neglected
or perverted; "Eusebius," observes Mr. Maitland,
" still handled the prophecies, explaining them as
much as possible in reference to things past; and
when that was impracticable, neglecting them alto-
gether." Arianism succeeded to this, and occupied
all in controversy. It may be regarded as a scourge
upon the evil that had abounded.
Hilary of Poictiers, A.D. 350.
" Antichrist, being received by the Jews, will occupy the
holy Place, in order that, in the very spot where God was
wont to be worshipped by the prayers of saints, there he
might be venerated and received with divine honours by the
unbelievers." (Hilary, on Matthew xxiv.)
After speaking of the mother of James and John,
being told that the honor she sought for her chil-
dren, could only be granted to those for whom it
was destined by the Father, Hilary observes,
" Tet truly that honour seems to me in such sense to be
reserved, that the Apostles will not be altogether distant
* See Maitland, p. 209.
APPENDIX. 383
from it, inasmuch as they will sit on the seat of the twelve
Patriarchs, and there judge Israel. And as far as we may be
allowed to form a judgment from the Gospels themselves,
Moses and Elias will be His (the Lord's) assessors in the
kingdom of heaven. For when the Lord had promised, that
some of the Apostles, before they tasted death, should see
the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, He took Peter, James
and John, and appeared in glory ; Moses and Elias, being His
companions on the Mount."
Hilary proceeds to state his conviction, that Moses
and Elias are the two prophets that are to precede
the advent of the Lord, and to be slain by Anti-
christ : and, that although very many have supposed
either Enoch or Jeremiah to be one of the witnesses,
yet he feels convinced that Moses will be the com-
panion of Elias partly, because of his having been
on the Mount of Transfiguration, and partly, because
of the peculiar circumstances connected with his
death and burial.
Ambrose*
Ambrose, who lived about the close of the same
century, A.D. 380, thus writes of Antichrist.
[When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies.]
"Truly Jerusalem has been compassed by an army, and
stormed by a Koman general ; whence the Jews thought the
abomination of desolation was set up when the Eomans,
mocking the Jewish ceremonial, threw a swine's head into
the Temple. With which I am not so mad as to agree
(quod ego nee furens dixerim) for the abomination of desola-
tion is the abominable advent of Antichrist who with ill
omened sacrilege (sacrilegiis infaustis) will defile the inner
384 APPENDIX.
chambers of men's minds, and will moreover sit literally in
the Temple, usurping the throne of Divine power * * * *
then will come desolation, seeing that most will fall away
from true religion, and lapse into error. Then will come the
Day of the Lord."
Ambrose then quotes 2 Thess. ii. Like most of
the early writers, he supposes that Antichrist will
rise from the tribe of Dan. (page 523, vol. I.) He
thinks that the Apostle John will be united with
Elias and Enoch in their final testimony, misunder-
standing, I suppose, the last verse of the 10th chap,
of Revelation, his words are :
"For that Beast, Antichrist, ascends from the abyss to
contend against Elias, Enoch and John, who will have
returned to earth for the sake of the testimony of the Lord
Jesus."
Gregory Nazianzen.
Gregory Nazianzen, who was born in A.D. 324,
after describing the convulsed and torn condition of
Christianity, (over which one might weep like Jere-
miah,) thus writes :
" To what will these things grow, and at what point will
they stop ? I fear lest the things now around us should be
the smoke of the expected fire, lest Antichrist should come
in upon these things and make our failures and weaknesses
the occasion of his own greatness ; for he will not, I suppose
assault those, who are in sound spiritual health, nor those
who are fenced about with love." (Oratio 21. p. 419.)
The following fragment is found in the works of
Gregory, but probably wrongly ascribed to him.
" With respect to the abomination of desolation standing
APPENDIX. 385
in the holy place, they say that the Temple at Jerusalem
will hereafter be built Antichrist being about to be believed
on by the Jews as Christ, and being about to seat himself
there, and to appear king of the whole Roman world (TTJS
oiKovfjifvrjs), but he shall come for the desolation of the world,
for he is the abomination of desolation."
Cyril, A.D. 360.
Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem. He writes as
follows :
" These things we teach, not inventing them for ourselves,
but learning them from the divine canonical Scriptures, and
especially from Daniel (just before quoted). Even as Gabriel
the Archangel interpreted, saying, that the fourth Beast
should be the fourth Empire on the earth, and should surpass
all the Empires that had gone before. I have already said,
that ecclesiastical writers have delivered down, that this
Empire is the Eoman. For after the Assyrian Empire had
risen into distinction first second, that of the Medes and
Persians third, that of the Macedonians the fourth Em-
pire, which at present exists, is that of the Romans. Gabriel
proceeds to explain, that its ten horns are ten kings who
shall arise : and after them, shall arise another king, who
shall exceed in evil all that have gone before not only the
ten, but all who have preceded ; and he shall subdue three
kings And who this person is, and from what energy he
acts, do thou, Paul, signify. ' Whose coming,' he says, ' is
after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and
deceiving wonders,' intimating this, that Satan uses this
person as an instrument, personally acting in him (avro-
Trpoo-uTrus evepyuv.) Again, the Apostle says ; 'Who opposeth
and exalteth himself against every thing that is called God,
or that is worshipped .... so that he seateth himself in the
Temple of God.' What Temple ? The destroyed Temple of
the Jews. God forbid it should be that in which we are.
c
386 APPENDIX.
Why do I say this ? I will tell the reason, in order that I
may not be thought to be showing favour to ourselves. If
he comes to the Jews as Christ, and desires to be worship-
ped by the Jews, in order that lie might the better deceive
them, he will be most diligent about the Temple, thus
causing it to be thought that he is of the family of David,
the one destined to raise the Temple built by Solomon ....
At first he will assume the appearance of philanthropy but
afterwards, will show himself full of stern severity, especially
towards the saints of God ; for he says, ' I beheld, and that
horn made war with the saints,' &c. and again, * There shall
be a time of tribulation tribulation such as hath not been,
since the time there was a nation upon earth.' On this
account, the Lord knowing the mightiness of the adversary,
gives permission to the godly, saying, ' Then let those who
are in Judtea, flee,' &c.* But if any one be conscious in him-
self of being strong, so as to conflict with Satan, let him
stand fast : (for I do not despair of the nerve of the Church)
and let him say, 'Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ ?' Let the cowardly consult for their own safety
but let them who are of a good courage stand fast .... but
thanks be to God who has circumscribed the greatness of
the affliction within the compass of a few days for he says,
that 'for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.'
Antichrist shall reign three and a half years only. I say not
this from the Apocryphal writings, but from Daniel ; for he
says, ' and it shall be given into his hand until a time,' &c.
now a time is one year," &c. (Cyril, Catech. XV.)
Chrysostom.
Chrysostom, who lived A.D. 390, wrote on the
* It cannot be said that there is A permission granted to
the saints to remain either in Judaea or Jerusalem : for the
command to depart is most express. What Cyril says may
perhaps apply to those who will be in other parts of the Ten
Kingdoms.
APPENDIX. 387
2 Thess. ii. just as the others who preceded him.
Speaking of Antichrist, he says :
" He is called a son of perdition, because he himself will
perish. And who is he ] Satan ? By no means ; but a certain
man, receiving all the operation of Satan. There shall be
revealed, it says, the man who will be extolled above all that
is called God, or that is made an object of worship. For he
will not incite men to worship idols, but it will be himself
an Antitheos. He will put down all gods, and command men
to worship him as the very God. And he will sit in the
Temple of God ; not only that which is in Jerusalem, but in
the churches everywhere."
Chrysostom speaks of Elias coming to restore all
things. Of John the Baptist he says :
"How then did John come in the spirit and power of
Elias ? By receiving the same ministry : for as the one was
forerunner of the first coming, so will the other be fore-
runner of the second coming in glory."
. Cent. V. Jerome, A.D. 400.
" Therefore let us say, that which all ecclesiastical writers
have delivered, that at the end of the world, when the
kingdom of the Romans is to be destroyed, there will be ten
kings to divide the Roman world amongst themselves, and
that there will arise an eleventh, a very little king (regem
parvulum) who will overcome three of the ten kings,
after the destruction of which kings, the seven other king
will submit their necks to the conqueror. And behold, he
says, there were eyes like the eyes of a man in that horn.
Let us not think, according to the opinion of some, that he is
either a devil or a demon, but one from among men, in whom
the whole of Satan is about to dwell bodily. And a mouth
speaking great things : for he is the man of sin, the son of
388 APPENDIX.
perdition, so as to sit in the Temple of God, showing that he
is God.
" ' I beheld on account of the great words that the horn
spake,' &c. The judgment of God comes to crash pride :
therefore the Roman Empire will be blotted out, because
that horn spake great things Time signifies a year,
times (according to the idiom of the Hebrews, who them-
selves have a dual number) signify two years half a time,
six months ; during which period, the saints are to be given
over to Antichrist, that the Jews might be condemned, who,
not believing the truth, have taken up with a lie. Con-
cerning which period also the Saviour speaks in the Gospel,
' Unless those days were shortened there should no flesh be
saved.' "
Speaking of the vision in the eighth of Daniel,
Jerome says :
" Most of our people (plerique nostrorum) refer it to Anti-
christ and say, that what was done under Antiochus in type,
is to be fulfilled under the other, in reality."
Apollinarius, as quoted by Jerome, speaks of
Antichrist as placing, during the last hebdomad,
the abomination of desolation, i. e. an idol, and the
statue of his own god in the temple, and that it
would be the last desolation and condemnation of
the people of the Jews, who having despised the
truth of Christ, have received the lie of Antichrist.
Augustine, A.D. 410.
Augustine quotes at length 2 Thess. ii., and ob-
serves :
"No one doubts that the Apostle said these things of
Antichrist ; and that the day of judgment, which he here
APPENDIX. 389
calls the Day of the Lord, will not come, unless he, whom he
calls an apostate, that is to say, from the Lord God, shall
first come But in what Temple of God he is about to
sit, is uncertain ; whether in that ruined Temple, which was
constructed by Solomon, or in the Church : for the Apostle
would not call the temple of any idol or daemon the Temple
of God."
His observations on the 2nd of Thessalonians ii.,
are chiefly remarkable for a peculiar explanation of
the passage respecting the "mystery of iniquity."
After saying that he had no opinion of his own to
give, he states the following as an interpretation
which he had heard from others.
"They consider the words, * Ye know what hindereth? and
' the mystery of iniquity worketh ' to be spoken concerning
those evil and false professors who are in the Church, until
they arrive to so great a number as to make a vast multi-
tude for Antichrist ; and that this is the mystery of iniquity,
because it seems hidden. The Apostle therefore exhorts the
faithful to persevere tenaciously in holding fast the faith,
saying, 'Let him who holds fast continue to hold fast (i.e.
the faith) until it (the mystery of iniquity) come out from
the midst (donee DE medio fiat) that is, until the mystery
of iniquity which is now hidden, come forth from the midst
of the Church. For they consider the words of John in his
Epistle to pertain to the self-same mystery' They went out
from us; but they were not of us,' &c. As therefore before
the end .... there have gone out many heretics from the
midst of the Church, whom he calls many Antichrists, so all
will by and by go out who belong, not to Christ, but to that
last Antichrist, and then he will be revealed."
Augustine considers that the miracles wrought by
Antichrist will be, not pretended but real miracles,
performed by the agency of Satan. He refers to
390 APPENDIX.
the instances of Satan's power, in the Book of Job,
in confirmation.
Augustine speaks of the four Empires mentioned
in Daniel, as being those of Assyria, Persia, Macedon,
and Rome ; and refers to the commentary of Jerome
on Daniel as a book which he highly approved.
He adds that it is impossible for any one to read
Daniel in the most careless manner, without seeing
that the reign of Antichrist, although brief, will be
most fierce against the Church. He interprets the
time, times, &c., &c., as meaning three years and a
half, and speaks of the unequalled season of tribula-
tion as future. (Augustine, De Civitate Dei, Lib.
'xx., Cap. 19 and 23.)
Theodoret, 430.
Theodoret, like those who have preceded, explains
the metals of the second chapter, and the beasts of
the seventh, as referring to the four successive
empires of Assyria, Persia, Greece and Rome.
Speaking of the little horn in the seventh chapter,
he says that the prophet thereby indicates Anti-
christ. He supposes that it is called little, because
Antichrist will arise from a little tribe of the Jews.
He quotes and applies the 2 Thess. ii. in the same
way as the writers above quoted. He forcibly de-
scribes his violent persecution of the saints, and says
that they are to be delivered into his hands for three
years and a half, at the end of which time he will
be destroyed by the personal appearing of the Lord
Jesus.
APPENDIX. 391
In his commentary on the eleventh of Daniel, he
explains the prophecy respecting the vile person, of
Antiochus Epiphanes considers that those who are
described as strong and doing exploits in the 32nd
verse, are the Maccabees and thinks that Anti-
christ is not mentioned in that chapter until the
36th verse, as " the king who shall do according to
his will." After speaking (says Theodoret) of
Antiochus Epiphanes, the prophet passes from the
likeness to the antitype ; for Antichrist is the anti-
type of Antiochus, and Antiochus the likeness of
Antichrist. He then quotes the 2 Thess. ii., and the
words of our Lord in Matthew respecting the un-
equalled tribulation, and applies them to the period
of Antichrist.
In his commentary on the 2 Thess. ii., Theodoret
t'hus notices the opinion of some, as to the restrain-
ing power :
" Some have imagined the Roman sovereignty to be the
restraining power others, the grace of the Spirit, for, say
they, whilst the grace of the Spirit restrains, Antichrist can-
not come But it is not possible that the grace of the Spirit
should altogether cease, for how could those prove superior
to Antichrist's wiles, who are deprived of the assistance of
the Spirit ? As to the other supposition, there will be no
other Empire that will succeed the Roman, for the divine
Daniel has represented the Roman Empire by the fourth
beast, but it was on this beast that the little horn sprang up
that was to make war with the saints. This is the very
person concerning whom the Apostle said the things that
have just been quoted [i. e. from the Thess.]. I do not believe
that the Apostle meant either of these things (i. e. Theodoret
did not believe that either the Roman sovereignty or the
392 APPENDIX.
grace of the Spirit was the restraining power), but I conceive
that to be the truth, which has been said by others, namely,
that since it is the appointment of Almighty God that he
should appear at the time of the end, it is God's decree that
now hinders his manifestation."
Theodoret, in his commentary on Daniel xii.,
speaks very fully of the mission of Elijah, previously
to the return of the Lord Jesus.
Andreas.
Andreas, who was Bishop of Cassarea late in the
fifth century, wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse.
It appears that some persons at that time supposed
the Babylon of the Revelation to be the Euphratean
city. On this Andreas remarks :
"We might indeed wish that it were so, and that on that
city should fall the punishment of proudly raging against
Christ and His servants. But to that opinion it must be
opposed, that the ancient teachers of the Church conside:
these things to be prophesied against the Babylon of the
Romans, because the ten horns belonged to the fourth beast,
that is, to the Roman Empire. And out of that beast grew
one horn, which is to root up three and subdue the rest, and
to become king of the Romans.* And this, under pretence
* It is obvious that there is no more difficulty in Anti-
christ's reigning over the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman
Empire from Babylon, than in Constantino's reigning over
the Roman Empire from Constantinople. It is not true that
Antichrist destroys the City of Babylon. He destroys a
certain governmental system which had been located in
Babylon, and which is represented by the Woman of the 17th
of Revelation. She is destroyed 1,260 days before the City.
The woman is the City morally, not the City physically.
APPENDIX. 393
of fostering their power ; but in truth to overthrow it
utterly. Therefore if anyone chooses here to understand a
condensed representation of that kingdom which has ruled
from the beginning until now, and which has indeed shed the
blood of Apostles, prophets, and martyrs, he will not err
from the meaning. (Andreas, as quoted by Maitland.)
Cent. VI. Cassiodorus, A.D. 520.
Cassiodorus, who was a Roman senator, again
suggests the thought of Babylon in the Revelation,
meaning the Chaldean city.
" When John wondered who the Harlot could be, whom he
had seen sitting on a Beast which had seven heads, and ten
horns, the Angel gave him an interpretation. Some under-
stand the Harlot to represent the city of Eome, situate on
seven mountains, and exercising sole dominion over the
world. Others say that it is spoken 1 rather of Babylon, sup-
(For further remarks on this subject, see " Babylon, its
Revival," &c., as advertised at end. See also " Thoughts on
' the Apocalypse.")
Scarcely any one could read the works of Hippolytus,
without the thought being suggested, that the Chaldeean
Babylon, and the Babylon of the Revelation were identical ;
for he quotes Isaiah and the Revelation as referring in their
prophecies concerning Babylon to the same event, and who
can doubt that Isaiah refers to the Chaldiean Babylon ?
The words which Hippolytus addresses to the Apostle
John, viz., " She, blessed John, was the cause of thy banish-
ment" forbid our positively saying that Hippolytus con-
sidered Antichrist's Babylon to be the Euphratean City, but
he may have thought that as Babylon had migrated from
Chaldsea, through Persia and Greece, to Rome, so it might, in
the latter day, return to the Land of Shinar again.
394 APPENDIX.
posing what is said of her position to refer, not to mountains,
but to arrogancy of power (praetumidis potestatibus.) He
says that the Harlot will be utterly destroyed by those
nations whose former mistress she appeared to be. He states
also, that ten Kings will have power in the earth, but that
one of them, who is called Antichrist, is reserved for the end
of the age, and makes war against Christ, but his iniquity
succumbs under the conquering hand of the Lord." (Com-
plex, in Apoc. p. 235.)
Aretas, who is supposed to have lived about 650,
again mentions Antichrist in connexion with Baby-
lon. Speaking of the Saracens, he says, that the
seat of their sovereignty (TO ap^eiov avrcov) is at
Babylon, and that Antichrist, the King of the
Romans, will become their master. Aretas himself
seems to doubt whether the term Babylon is to be
understood generally as referring to the world and
worldliness, or whether it means Constantinople.
He considers that Rev. xvi. 19, does refer to Con-
stantinople. "This is no other," he says, "than
the city of Constantine, in which righteousness once
prevailed, but now murderers." Aretas speaks of
the Roman Empire being divided into its final parts,
a little before the appearance of Antichrist, and says
that Elias and Enoch will oppose his miracles for
three years and a half in Jerusalem.
Gregory of Tours, born A.D. 559.
" Concerning the end of the world, I believe what I have
learnt from those who have gone before me. Antichrist will
assume circumcision, asserting himself to be the Christ. He
APPENDIX. 395
wi]l then place a statue to be worshipped in the Temple at
Jerusalem, as we read that our Lord has said, ' Ye shall see
the abomination of desolation standing iii the holy place.' "
Gregory was a friend of Gregory the Great, who
wrote much in the same way.
After this, the darkness which had been increas-
ing for ages settled into the deep night of Popery.
Nevertheless, the expectation of THE Antichrist
remained ; although all right knowledge of the
Millennial reign, and every connected truth, seems
utterly to have been lost ; * and a false Church used
its very knowledge of the evil to come as a means
of sustaining its own position of sin.
* Thus Alcuin, who lived in the time of Charlemagne, and
died in A.D. 804, in the midst of much that is superstitious
and erroneous, says : " But if by the Beast we understand
Antichrist merely, his ascent from the pit will be his nativity
from that part of the Jewish people which is sunk in the
deepest impiety namely the tribe of Dan
And because the persecution will be most cruel at Jerusalem,
therefore the martyrdoms of the saints are spoken of as being
there : for the Jews will be the principal adherents of Anti-
christ, until they who are to be saved among them are con-
verted by the preaching of Elias and Enoch." (Alcuin in
Apocalyp.)
About the year 1400, Berengaud, in the midst of much that
is worse than worthless, says : " The time of persecution, as
appears to me, is limited to three years and a half, in which
Antichrist will labour with all his might, both by his own
agency and by that of his disciples, and by the display of
wondrous signs, to get the worship of mankind concentrated
in himself." He applies the last verse of Rev. xiii. to Anti-
christ.
396
APPENDIX.
The opinions of the middle ages on these subjects
can be clearly gained from Roger of Hoveden, who
lived in the reign of Henry II. of England. It is not
necessary to credit his history, nor to receive his nar-
rative respecting Richard the First, in order to gain
from him some of the current opinions of the time.
Hoveden states that Richard the First, on his way
to Palestine, sent for Joachim, an abbot of a Cala-
brian convent, to meet him in Sicily, as he was
desirous of hearing him speak on prophecy.*
Joachim came. Amongst a great many other things
that were false, he told Richard that Saladin was
the immediate forerunner of Antichrist, who was
already born at Rome, and would be raised to the
Papal throne. This the King resisted, and said to
Joachim, " I thought that Antichrist would be born
at Antioch, or at Babylon from the family of Dan,
and would reign in the Temple of the Lord at
Jerusalem, and would walk in that Land in which
Christ walked, and reign in it for three years and a
half, and contend against Elias and Enoch, and
would kill them, and afterwards himself perish."
Hoveden, after relating this story, whether true
or false, goes on to give an account of the generally
prevailing doctrines respecting Antichrist. It is
very diffuse, and too long to be transcribed here.
It may be seen in the Scriptores Anglicani, fol. p.
681. It is chiefly remarkable for the distinct
* Joachim speculated wildly on prophetic subjects. He is
considered to be the first inventor of the system of 1260
years.
APPENDIX. 397
assertion of Antichrist's connexion with Babylon.
Hoveden says, " As our Lord and Saviour provided
for Himself Bethlehem, that there He might for us
deign to assume humanity and be born, so the Devil
knows a fit place for that abandoned one, who is
named Antichrist, whence that root of all evil ought
to spring, namely, the city of Babylon ; for in that
city, which was of old the illustrious and glorious
city of the Gentiles, and the head of the kingdom of
the Persians, Antichrist will be born." . . . ."After
having been born in the city of Babylon, he will
come to Jerusalem and assume circumcision, saying
to the Jews, * I am the Messiah promised to you,
who have come for your deliverance, to gather and
defend you who have been scattered/ y
In reviewing these extracts, it is manifest that
throughout all these writers a general agreement
exists as to the closing hours of this dispensation
being hours of darkness and not of light : they did
not expect the progress and universal triumph of
truth. Moreover, they knew that the Head of the
Apostasy would be a secular person, and the Head
of the Roman Empire whether the seat of that
Empire were Rome, Constantinople, or Babylon.
This was maintained before as well as after the rise
of Popery. They remembered also the connexion of
the Jews and Jerusalem with the final Apostasy.
It is lamentable to think that Protestantism, with
the recovered Scripture in its hand, should have
extinguished the last remains of prophetic light that
glimmered in the midst of fallen Christianity.
398 APPENDIX.
If we now desire the truth, we must turn simply
and exclusively to the Holy Scriptures as our guide.
Peter said, speaking of the darkness of the latter
days, " Remember US the Apostles of the Lord and
Saviour." He who blindly adopts as his guide
the principles of Barnabas or Irenaeus or those
of the day of Constantine or even those of
the Reformation in many things, will find himself
carried away from the pure streams of the Scrip-
tures of God. It is easy to see how a dread of
rising Infidelity and the discovery of the mistakes of
Protestant writers on prophetic subjects, may drive
many back to the principles of the early ages, and
thereby into the current which finally carries into the
abyss of Popery. A recognition of the early fall of
Christianity (for how early did the Gentile Churches
cease to answer to their symbol of golden candle-
sticks) and ability to distinguish between mere
ceremonial Christianity and that which is the result
of the pure testimony of truth, are essential to a
right understanding of prophetic Scripture. He
who does not see that the Gentile olive branch has
failed to continue in God's goodness, will be little
able to apply any part of the Scriptures aright.
It is very manifest, that the corrupt systems of
Christianity, in the East and in the West, have not
renounced one of their evil practices. On the con-
trary, they are rather rivetting their chains of dark-
ness. It is equally plain, that none of these systems
are becoming universally dominant ; though it may be,
that some are being strengthened in certain spheres
APPENDIX. 399
in which, they are to be permitted to operate. In
the mean while the secular systems, profiting by
the divisions and jealousies of religious systems, are
acquiring increasing power over them. Yery re-
cently the representative of the secular power of
France, surrounded by the ministers of his govern-
ment, called on Popery to minister subordinately in
his presence; and Popery obeyed.* He stood as
the King ; and the Priest ministered in his presence.
The present relation of false religious systems to the
secular Powers, is becoming far more analogous to
that of the false Prophet to Antichrist, than any
thing that is found in the past records of Ecclesias-
ticism. If the secular Governments are content to
press nothing as having exclusive claim to be be-
lieved if they will consent to sustain any system
of falsehood, whenever expediency requires, there is
little doubt that they will, for a time at least, remove
many a difficulty from their path in a world in
which Satan rules. Their system will, for a season,
prosper more than any system, that has preceded.
!N"or will it be pure Antichristianism. But it will
introduce Antichristianism. It will be the Harlot ;
though not the Beast.
Men are not prepared for the hardened infidelity
of Yoltaire. When, during the first French Revolu-
tion, its terrible voice was heard from Paris, the
nations trembled. Neither governments nor their
subjects desire the restoration of the ancient rule of
* This was written in 1849.
400 APPENDIX.
Popery, nor tlie introduction of Atheistic Infidelity.
But when it is said, under the guise of philanthropy
and charity and humility, We know not what Truth
is ; let us discard all regard thereunto in our social
and governmental arrangements men listen. They
forsake the Bible, and give their energies to the
formation of a system, to which, when it is finished,
Antichrist will succeed.
This is the path into which the secular systems
have entered ; and they are treading it with a proudly
resolute step. Nor is it, I believe, possible, for any
individual or any system, to avoid assisting them in
their course, except by cleaving simply to the Scrip-
tures as our only guide, and separating from every
thing that refuses to bow to their authority and
submit to their control.
APPENDIX. 401
(B.) ' . -
Extract from Jewish Chronicle of November 9, 1849.
The following extract, from a letter in the Jewish
Chronicle, shows how rapidly the Jews are ripen-
ing for the reception of the last great Deceiver.
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye re-
ceive me not, if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive." The infidel rejec-
tion of what God has revealed respecting the
eternity of wrath and the resolution to determine
for themselves what does or does not befit His
goodness together with their rejection of Him by
whose stripes only they can be healed, place their
heightened anticipations of prosperity in their Land
in a light in which it is indeed fearful to contem-
plate them. The same Journal from which I extract
this letter contains the following note " Reason and
Faith God has created two great lights ; the greater
light to rule man's busy day, that is, Reason ; and
the lesser light to rule his contemplative night, that
is, Faith. But Faith herself shines only so long
as she reflects some bright illumination from the
brighter orb."
EXTRACT.
"But whilst the contending Nazarenes dispose of Palestine
and Mosaism, each in full accordance with the peculiar essence
of his effervescent zeal, what says the poor Jew, who is the
DD
402 APPENDIX.
innocent cause of all this theological strife ? Ask him, l Will
the Jews again be restored to their native Palestine ?' and he
will refer you to his greatest authority on earth : ' The Lord
thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon
thee ; and will return and gather thee from all nations
whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.' This is the
golden age in the womb of futurity, which constantly upholds
the desponding Israelite under the bitterest tribulation ; this
is the goal of his dearest and fondest hopes ; awake or asleep,
at the altar or at the mart, in prosperity or misfortune, Jeru-
salem, dearly, fondly cherished Jerusalem, is engraven in the
innermost recesses of his heart, never, never to be erased.
Thus whilst the heathen poet looked back to the past for the
excellence of a bygone golden age, the Israelite, with unfading
hopes and undying faith, still beholds in perspective that
glorious vision of a golden age yet to come, which every
generation lives in the hopes of attaining. ' Whoever goes
into the grave,' says Leopold Dukes, ' without having lived to
see its attainment, can at least take the hope with him, that
his successors will be more fortunate than himself.' And yet,
good Heavens ! this fond remembrance, this doatiug and un-
dying love for the laud of his fathers, which forms such a
bright feature in the character of the Jew, has been held up
before an honourable and enlightened assembly as a just and
sufficient cause for his disfranchisement !
* * * * *
" But whilst all orthodox and patriotic Jews look forward
with hopes unfaded and faith unshaken, towards the final
fulfilment of that heavenly promise of restoration which for
eighteen dark and dreary centuries has been their solace in
exile and misery, whilst they look forward to the re-posses-
sion of Palestine with as much certainty as we look for the
rising of the daily sun, there is yet one point whereon there
fe much of conjecture and speculation. How will the Jews
be restored ? Will a great and glorious Messiah lay prostrate
the nations of the earth, and bid the eagles in the air to bring
the scattered Israelites on their expanded wings ? Will the
APPENDIX. 403
days of miracles again be revived as of yore, when the God
of the Hebrews said, ' Let my people go, that they may serve
me V Or, will a second Cyrus proclaim, ' Let the house be
built V Will a true Barchocab, with glorious majesty, sparkle
in the horizon over ' a people scattered and peeled, whose
land the rivers hare spoiled T Will he close up the breaches
thereof, and raise up the ruins, and build it as in the days of
old ? Will he, with ' grace poured into his lips/ enrapture,
the world, and stand triumphant, ' fairer than the children of
men V or, shall he conquer with meekness, and be ' the de-
spised and rejected of men ?' Will he ' deal prudently,' and
be ' exalted, extolled, and very high V or must he first be
' bruised for our iniquity,' that the ' chastisement of our
peace come upon him, and with his stripes we be healed V
Must he, like a mighty warrior, ' with dyed garments from
Bozra,' wade his way through opposing squadrons ? or shall
he, with ' the spirit of wisdom and understanding, smite the
earth with the rod of his mouth ?' Will the order of nature
be inverted, that we may have signs and wonders ? or, must
we expect in him a second Maccabee, who will re-establish
the kingdom of David, whose valour will outshine all wonders,
whose patriotism will outdo all miracles ?
*' But whilst we must leave it to learned divines and theo-
logians to enlighten us on these topics, let us examine the
question as mere laymen. Firstly, How far is the restoration
of the Jews by mere mortal aid practicable ? Secondly, Can
we reasonably suppose that the attempt at such a restoration
would be repugnant to the will of Providence ?
" 1. One of the greatest difficulties which stands most pro-
minently in the way of the restoration of the Jews by mere
mortal aid is, the impression which is indelibly fixed in the
heart of every religious Jew, that none but a heaven-inspired
Messiah can accomplish this important mission. Hence,
were the most powerful empire on earth to undertake their
restoration, the Jews (unless convinced by ocular demon-
stration that such was Heaven's will) would themselves have
but little confidence in its successful issue. Some would ab-
404 APPENDIX.
solutely refuse to emigrate to Palestine ; and those who, out
of great love and patriotism, might eagerly embrace the
opportunity of once more beholding the land of their fathers,
would feel most bitterly disappointed on finding that even in
Jerusalem, with every freedom and encouragement, Mosaism,
without a direct miracle from heaven, could never again be re-
established in its original splendour. Were the temple once
more reared on its ancient foundation, were the priests ready
at the altar, and nothing else were wanting but ihe fire from
heaven,, no priest dare proceed with his office, for no strange
fire must come upon the altar of God. What kind of Jewish
restoration then, is practicable ? and how far can we expect it
from mortal aid ?
" Judge Noah, who is no visionary, has pointed out to us
the rapid advancement of the Christian power. He shows us
Turkey deprived of Greece, Eussia assailing the wandering
hordes of the Caucasus ; he points to England's contests
with the native princes of India, and its war with China ;
France he beholds carrying its victorious arms through the
north of Africa ; and Russia he sees, with a steady glance and
firm step, approaching Turkey in Europe. ' England,' says
he, must possess Egypt, as affording the only secure route
to her possessions in India through the Red Sea. Then
Palestine, thus placed between the Russian possessions and
Egypt, reverts to its legitimate proprietors ; and for the safety
of the surrounding nations the Jews are placed there, by and
with the consent of the Christian powers.' This hypothesis
of our highly gifted co-religionist has been good humouredly
sneered at by the ' Athenaeum' (one of the most respectable
periodicals in this laud, and one which, for the last thirteen
years, to my certain knowledge, has constantly and invariably
shown a most friendly disposition towards our race) ; and
yet far more unlikely things have taken place in this wonder-
ful world of ours. When the American printer Franklin
visited England, and foresaw the future greatness of his native
land, he too was sneered at, but what were the ' Colonies '
then, are now the United States. Let but the spirit of demo-
APPENDIX. 405
cracy make the same rapid progress in the next half century,
as it has dpne in the preceding one, and what is humble
Palestine now, will yet rise into the Republic of Judea. The
European powers will not need to put themselves to the
trouble of restoring the Jews individually or collectively.
Let them but confer upon Palestine a constitution like that
of the United States, where every man, by a three years'
residence, acquires the rights of citizenship, and the Jews
will restore themselves. They would then go cheerfully and
willingly, and would there piously bide their time for a
heaven-inspired Messiah, who is to restore Mosaism to its
original splendour. They would go, and what is now a
barren, desolate, and impoverished wilderness, would again
become a land flowing with milk and honey, as it was in the
days of yore.
* * * *
"Now, the principal and greatest sin our forefathers com-
mitted against God was idolatry, the wrath of heaven was
kindled against them, and the first temple was destroyed.
Banished and captives, they were sent to Babylon, and as a
natural result, the children partook of the punishment of
their parents unto the third and fourth generation. After
seventy years' captivity, a patriotic Jew obtained a great
monarch's permission, and the innocent descendants were re-
stored to the land of their fathers. Again the Jews sinned,
and the second temple fell in ruins before the Roman's mer-
ciless torch; the Israelites suffered the penalty of their
transgressions. But they are idolaters no longer. In this
wide world there is not a people or class which is freer from
idolatry, bigotry, or immorality. The most civilised and
enlightened nation on earth is not freer from sin than are
the modern Jews. If, then, the glory of God consists in His
goodness; if He visits not the sins of the parents on the
children beyond the third and fourth generation ; if the pre-
sent Jews are as free from sin as any nation on earth, how
can we reasonably suppose that our restoration would be
repugnant to the will of Providence ? If it is not against
406 APPENDIX.
the will of Providence that other nations should possess
kingdoms and governments, why should the Jews, who are
not less worthy of His goodness, mercy, and forgiveness,
still remain exiles and wanderers ?
"The Jew must and will aspire to restoration ; and
' Heaven helps those who help themselves' Those who main-
tain that the Jew of the 19th century must suffer for the
sins of his fathers committed in the first century, insult the
dignity and justice of an all-merciful and just Providence.
They conceive a god of clay, and mould him after their own
form, and after their own image. I remain, Sir, with great
respect, yours faithfully,
"HERTZ BEN PINCHAS."
APPENDIX. 407
(0.)
On Dacian Hungary.
The following extract from a letter written from
Temesvar, October 29th, 1849, will be read with
interest. It shows that part of Hungary which was
included in the Ancient Roman province of Dacia,
is altogether in a different condition from that part
of Hungary west of the Vallum Romanum, which
was not included in the Roman Dacia. Traces of
the occupation of this province by the Romans, are
still most discernible ; and it seems far more sus-
ceptible of improvement than the other parts of
Hungary which did not come within the Roman
Empire. In Roman Hungary, the feudalism of the
Magyars, whose principle is, " that nations must be
moulded to governments, not governments to nations" is
likely to be supplanted by more liberal principles,
which the Austrian Government is desirous of in-
troducing among the Daco- Romans. If Dacia is to
be considered an integral part of the Roman Empire,
such principles are likely to flourish in these eastern
parts of Hungary, but not in the central districts
west of the Yallum Romanum. The Vallum ran
north from the Danube to Temesvar. The Banat
(i. e. Duchy) of Temesvar was anciently Dacia
Ripensis.
" Temesvar, Oct. 29, 1849.
"The Banat of Temesvar is the cornucopia not only of
Hungary, but of the whole Austrian Empire ; even Lombardy,
408 APPENDIX.
highly as it is favoured by nature, must yield precedence to
the Banat of Temesvar, and one must go to the Delta of the
Nile to find a similar soil. This may be easily understood,
when we reflect that the lower part of rivers having large
alluvial deposits, are necessarily the richest, and on referring
to the. map, it will be seen that by a very peculiar geograph-
ical configuration, the Banat has the best part of the alluvial
washings of the Theiss, the Maros, the Save, and the Danube.
.... Intersected by the 45th degree of latitude, and thus
midway between the Equator and the Pole, the Banat is for
all these reasons the granary of the Austrian Empire, and
produces wheat of a quality nowhere else to be found in the
Imperial States. But the eastern part, being hilly, is rather
fitted for wine culture, which is of a very pleasant quality,
its white sorts resembling Moselle and Rhine wines. The
mineral wealth of this part of the Banat is not less remark-
able. In the vale of Mehadin ***** General Count
Hamilton, re-discovered in 1736, after an interval of more
than a thousand years, those sulphurous springs renowned
through all the Roman Empire for their power and efficacy ;
and in the extensive coal mines of Oravieza, near Weiss-
kirchen, the King of Hungary possesses a treasure more
valuable than all the gold of Schemnitz and Kremuitz, if it
become, as proposed, the terminus of the great railway which
in a few years will stretch over Central Hungary to
Temesvar. * * * * The substratum of the population is
Wallachian, to distinguish whom from the inhabitants of
the Ottoman principalities of the Danube, we shall hence-
forth adopt the designation of Daco-Rotnans. As far as the
dark obscurity of the history of this country before the
Roman conquest allows us to inquire, the Dacians, the
aborigines, spoke a language resembling the Thraciau, but
here, as well as throughout most of Europe, the Roman con-
quest and colonisation made a tabula rasa of the original
element. Ancient Dacia, which, under Decebalus, its native
king, offered so obstinate a resistance to the legions of Tra-
jan, was gradually forgotten, and its three great divisions
APPENDIX. 409
received Latin names, corresponding to its physical geography.
The Banat was called Dacia Ripensis, from the rivers that so
peculiarly define it ; Transylvania was called Dacia Trans-
alpina ; and Bessarabia and the present principalities
adjoining the Black Sea, Dacia Mediterranea. Hence, at
this moment, between 7,000,000 and 8,000,000 men inhabit-
ing these provinces speak a dialect that is susceptible of a
grace and elegance little, if at all, inferior to that of their
fellow Romans on the banks of the Tiber ; and notwithstand-
ing a certain admixture of Sclavonic words, dating from the
irruptions of the seventh century, the Daco-Roman forms
usually approach even nearer to the Latin than the Italian
does ; but in consequence of their subsequent connexion with
the Lower Empire and the Oriental Church, arising from
their easterly position, Cyrillian letters are preferred to
Roman in writing the language, notwithstanding the efforts
that have been made to restore the original character. Of
these populations about 3,000,000 inhabit the Austrian Em-
pire, principally in the Banat and Transylvania ; and painful
as civil wars are in their operations and results, it is impos-
sible to help feeling satisfaction in the emancipation of a race
whose history and language are linked with the classic recol-
lections of our youth, from the galling despotism of a faction
that sought to extirpate the very language and nationality
of the Daco- Romans. Italy has a self-developed civilisation,
and needs no art, science, or literature from Germany ; but
Austria is certainly fully entitled to the thanks and sym-
pathies of the Daco-Romans of the Danube.
"From 1718 to 1779 the Banat was an integral part of the
Austrian Empire, and in that period the aspect of the duchy
was completely altered from that of a desolate Turkish
Pashalic to that of a flourishing and prosperous European
province. Millions were expended by the cabinet of Vienna
in cutting the great navigable canal that connects Tetnesvar
with the confluence of the Theiss and the Danube, in draining
the marshes, settling German colonies on the reclaimed
lands, and in rebuilding Temesvar (the capital) iu the truly
410 APPENDIX.
pompous style of Louis Quatorze, then the favourite passion
of Charles VI. Owing to this interregnum of an improving
European government between 1718 and 1779, or a period of
60 years, the Banat has not the least resemblance to the inte-
rior of Hungary ; and if a stranger were to have his eyes
bandaged, he would suppose that he had been carried back
towards the centre of Europe instead of being nearer the
Turkish frontier. The results of this period are seen not
alone in the straight streets, Italian portals, and somewhat
too ornate mouldings of the fa9ades of Temesvar, but are
most striking and palpable in the contrast which the Ger-
man colonies show to the Asiatic, Sclavonic, and Roman
races around them. Keresztur is the last Magyar village
I passed through on my way from Szegedin ; there the com-
plete backwardness terminates ; and at St. Miklos, a town
of 1,700 inhabitants, principally German, and partly Wal-
"iachian, the civilisation re-commences. ***** But
to return to the Banat, the German colonist, in spite of
his unamiable, litigious spirit, which degenerates to avarice,
and his independence, which amounts to obstinacy, is
morally, physically, and intellectually the superior of the
Roman. This is shown not only in dwellings and persons,
but by other signs ; for instance, the wheat of the very
same soil is in the market of Temesvar, worth twenty per
cent, more, if grown on a German than on a Daco-Roman
farm The great cause of the abasement of the
Daco-Roman is the gulf that has hitherto separated him
from his superiors. The Austrian material improvements
in the Banat last century, had little or no effect on his
moral and intellectual culture. The Magyarcmania, which
adopted the principle that nations must be moulded to
governments, not governments to nations, roused his indig-
nation. The Constitution of the 4th of March, embracing
the opposite principle of giving the Daco-Roman access to
superior education, to tribunals, to the enjoyment of offices
lay and clerical, and trial by jury in the natural channel of
his own language, has been hailed with satisfaction by the
APPENDIX.
411
whole nation (some few of whom are large landed proprietors
in the Banat), while, if energetically carried out, it opens up
a new era for the revival of civilisation among races that ex-
cite an imperishable interest in the bosom of every European
who remembers that the laws, the letters, and the arts of
the more fortunate nations of the West of Europe have their
bases in the jurisprudence of the political fabric of the
Roman Empire."
412
CONCLUSION.
REMARKS ON THE FRANCO - PRUSSIAN
WAR AND ITS RESULTS.
THE first edition of this work was, as I have already
said, prepared in 1848 a period when democratic
violence seemed to threaten the stability of almost
every Throne in Western Europe. Many changes
have since been, and many are still in progress.
Nevertheless the anticipations then expressed have
not been falsified. Monarchic absolutism has not in
any portion of the Roman world succeeded in extir-
pating " the clay" nor has democratic violence
succeeded in ridding itself of " the iron" There
may, possibly, yet be many wars, many convulsions,
involving vast national and individual suffering ; but
the end is not uncertain. Ten democratic monarchies
will divide between them the Roman world (TIJV
olKovfj,evr]v), and will, federally united, inaugurate,
and, for a season, sustain the reign of latitudinarian
Antichristianism, until at last, wearied and harassed
by the confusion and strife which Latitudinarianism
must necessarily engender, and desiring also a more
complete annihilation of the Truth than Latitudina-
CONCLUSION. 413
nanism can, in consistency with its principles, effect,
the Monarchs of the Ten Kingdoms will give them-
selves over to an organised system of atheistic in-
fidelity, will avowedly reject both Jehovah and
Christ (see Psalm ii.), and, being of one mind, will
" give their power and authority to the Beast "
Antichrist. Then, throughout the whole Roman
world all whose names are not written in the Lamb's
book of life will glorify and worship him ; for " the
Dragon will give him his power, and his throne,
and great authority." Rev. xiii. 2. Such will be
the end of the boasted liberty of human thought.
Just in proportion as men throw off from themselves
the restraint of God and of His truth, they become
debased, abject servants and slaves of Satan. Whilst
imagining themselves to be free, they blindly seek
after, serve and worship, whatever Satan proposes
to them.
The progress that has been made, during the last
twenty-five years, in bringing into closer association
with each other most of the countries of the Roman
world, and in separating (either legislatively or com-
pletely) from the Roman kingdoms countries that
do not fall within the Roman boundary, has been
very marked. The Crimean war brought the eastern
part of the Roman world into a much closer asso-
ciation than before with the western Roman nations ;
and the union then formed does not seem likely to
be even temporarily interrupted. Community of
interest, especially in a day like the present, is a
bond of wondrous tenacity and strength. The
414 CONCLUSION.
Crimean war* too, recovered the greater part of Bess-
arabic (for Bessarabia belongs to the Roman world)
from the grasp of Russia. Hungary, the centre of
which does not fall within the Roman boundary, has
been legislatively separated from Austria, and fur-
ther changes are imminent there, and in all those
non-Roman countries which Austria has vainly en-
deavoured to fuse into political identity with her-
self. The seemingly indissoluble bond which kept
Austria in close political association with Prussia
and the other non- Roman states of northern Ger-
many was severed so suddenly and unexpectedly as
to electrify Europe. The work of centuries was
destroyed in a moment. Yet men needed not to
have so marvelled. It was a necessary event ; for
the Roman nations, being appointed to be the centre
of the world's greatness during the closing period
of its evil history, must move in a separate circle,
and have a peculiar history of their own. Ireland
(which is non-Roman) feverishly restless and, by
England, victimised to priestcraft, is yearly weaken-
ing the ties by which she has been linked to Eng-
land. Italy which, twenty years ago, seemed more
distant than ever from attaining the objects of her
long-cherished hopes, has at last succeeded. Rome
is hers, and constitutional or democratic monarchy
is established both in Italy and in Austria. Austria
once the great pillar of the Papacy, and the enemy
and trampler-down of Italy, has changed her course,
and become Italy's friend. The temporal sovereignty
of the Papacy has ceased : and although the canon
CONCLUSION. 415
law is still, throughout western Europe, struggling
with the civil law for supremacy, yet the latter
triumphs. The supremacy of ecclesiastical power
must finally give way to the stronger sceptre of the
secular monarch. Becket must yield to Henry.
The struggle may be prolonged and disastrous in its
consequences, but the issue is not doubtful.
There has been, it is true, one most important
event that has seemed to stay or turn back the tide
of progress, as respects the territorial development
of the Ten Kingdoms. The Franco- Gferman war,
instead of giving back to France those portions of
Roman territory which Prussia had annexed, has
ended in giving more to Prussia, so that Prussia's
position on the west bank of the Rhine, instead of
being weakened, has been materially strengthened.
This may seem to be a retrograde movement ; and
in one respect it is : but in another and more im-
portant point of view, it is not. The Franco- Grerman
war will be found in result to have accelerated rather
than retarded the expected development.
For many years past, France (though, in some
cases, as in her war with Austria, her plans have
been marvellously overruled) has been the great
obstructer to the development of the Ten Kingdoms.
France and the Papacy have been confederates in
obstruction. France, had for her darling object,
pre-eminence among the nations of Europe. Des-
pising equality, she coveted leadership. Professedly
the patroness of liberty, she was, nevertheless, quite
willing to keep on other countries (such as Rome
416 CONCLUSION.
and Spain) the most cruel and oppressive yokes, if
her own pre-eminence was aided thereby. Accord-
ingly she schemed for a Latin league, of which she
was to be the head, and which was in western
Europe to extirpate " the clay," and to return to
" the iron " alone. What was " Caesarism " but
this ? Imperialism was to sustain Ecclesiasticism,
and before this two-fold power the modern " clay-
iron " governmental theories were to perish. Ac-
cordingly, Italy and other neighbouring states were
kept down by France, and their native energies
crippled. Italy was to be terrified by threats,, and
Spain debased and enfeebled by priestcraft. Even
the development of the East was by France impeded
unless the development accorded with her desires.
If Egypt advanced, it must be under the tutelage of
France, and Tunis was to be a French appanage. A
plot formed by the Imperial Government in France,
and the Papal Government in Home against the
liberties of western Europe and against Protestant-
ism, was doubtless the immediate cause of the war
with Prussia. Soldiers supplied by France, and
legions of priests supplied and controlled from in-
fallible Rome, were to inaugurate and sustain the
new regime. It was a dark and deadly plot ; but
God mercifully interposed and frustrated it. God
fought against France, and in one moment dashed
to the ground her atrocious schemes. Instantly, the
secular power of the Papacy fell. Italy, for the first
time became really free, and the iron hand of France
was removed (in all probability, finally) from her
CONCLUSION. 417
and from other nations. The establishment of the
freedom of Italy, the confirmation of the severance
between Austria and Northern Germany, the fall of
the temporal power of the Papacy, the determination
evinced in Italy and elsewhere to secure the supre-
macy of the civil over the canon law are, as respects
the progress of the Ten Kingdoms, events of far
greater moment than the temporary annexation to
Germany of a few provinces of France. It may be
that France may not regain her lost territory until
the development of the Ten Kingdoms in federal
union ; or they may be regained previously, either
by convention or by the sword. The present mon-
arch of Prussia and Germany fears and honours
God, and God has prospered him ; but his subjects,
previously leavened with infidelity and radicalism,
have, since their contact with France, received much
added moral poison. The horizon of Germany is
not devoid of clouds of dark and threatening aspect.
The storm may be comparatively distant ; but if it
come, it will probably come with a violence and
fury as yet unparalleled. See Heine's anticipations
respecting the future of Germany. An explosion
there would strike Europe more terribly than any
that has occurred in France ; for there is a strength
and vigour and manhood in Germany that the
childishness and fickleness, and quickly cowed spirit
of France knows not. But it is vain to speculate.
It is sufficient, as to the present question, to say that
the moral changes that are in progress through the
late victories of Prussia, are of infinitely greater
EE
418 CONCLUSION.
moment than the temporary loss of provinces by
France. It should be remembered, too, that terri-
torial changes are not, like moral changes, necessarily
slow. They may be accomplished in a day. Eng-
land once possessed far more of France than Prussia
now holds ; and she held it, apparently, on a far
more secure tenure : for Normandy and other cir-
cumstances had brought England into relations to
France far closer than Germany has ever held. Yet
in a moment the energy of a fanatical peasant- girl
scattered the armies of England, and restored whole
provinces to France, and took from England well
nigh every token of her dominion there, save an
empty title which, at a comparatively recent period,
our monarchs have been wise enough to resign.
TTe must not forget that God has not ceased to
be the Governor of the universe. Although, for
the most part, He hides the operation of His hand,
and often permits men to pursue their godless
schemes successfully, and allows them to defy His
power and to spurn His wisdom and love, yet He,
nevertheless, does sometimes intervene to check the
course of triumphant evil, to award punishment
where punishment is due, and thus to make it mani-
fest, by some marked intervention of His hand, that
He only is supreme, and that He is " a God by whom
actions are weighed."
Is there any nation upon the earth which, since
the period of the Reformation, has more daringly
outraged and defied God than France ? Inconstant
in other things, she has been constant in her rejec-
CONCLUSION. 419
tion of God. At the time of the Reformation she
was favoured with much Protestant light. Many a
herald of mercy was sent to her, and one of the
chief pillars of the Reformation was raised up from
amongst her own people. The history of France
differs from that of Spain as to this. Spain was not
to the same extent, favoured with light. Spain,
never had a Calvin. But the trumpet of Truth was
loudly sounded in the ears of France, and marked
results followed results that gave to France pro-
longed opportunities of judging between light and
darkness, God and Baal. Deliberately she chose
Baal. Was there ever a night in the annals of
Christendom more marked with malignant, demo-
niacal atrocity, than the night of the twenty-fourth
of August, 1572. That was one of the answers of
France to the mercy of God in sending her that
light which, on the night of St. Bartholomew, she
quenched in blood. Another answer was given by
her when she revoked the edict by which protection
had been granted to Protestantism, and so drave it
from her borders. That deed, though less ostensibly
atrocious than the slaughter of the night of St.
Bartholomew, brought sufferings no less deadly in
result on many a fugitive martyr who refused to ex-
change the Bible for Tradition. So Truth was
trampled down, and Priestcraft enthroned. It
reigned in France until outraged human nature,
disgusted by its falsehoods, sickened by its moral
depravity, and terrified by its cruelties, made, at the
end of the last century, a spasmodic effort, and sud-
420 CONCLUSION.
denly burst the hateful and intolerable yoke. The
licentiousness which had reigned in the Tuilleries,
and the savage cruelties of which the Bastille was
the exponent (both being the results of a pries t-
directed despotism) received just retribution, and
fell before an outbreak of revolutionary fury, the
like to which civilised Europe had never before
beheld. Blood compensated for blood : shackles
were struck off, and liberty was gained. Bat it was
not holy liberty ; it was not liberty that sought to
be directed by Truth. It was the liberty of unsanc-
tified, unregenerate hearts, that wearied and dis-
gusted with sacerdotal fictions, had steeled themselves
into infidelity and believed nothing. The wit and
sarcasm of Voltaire, seeing that it amused and pro-
mised liberty of thought and action, were far more
grateful than the mumbled falsehoods of the priest
that had so long enthralled them ; and they cared
not to distinguish between true Christianity and its
counterfeits. Thus, Satan being chosen, not God,
a reign of godless, blaspheming infidelity followed
the reign of Priestcraft. The name of God was
openly rejected ; His holy word avowedly renounced ;
liberty was found to be license ; and fraternity soon
proved itself to be such fraternity as exists between
the tiger and his prey. France clothed herself in
garments that reeked with the blood of her own
citizens. Terror reigned, and treachery lurked in
every dwelling. Such was the retribution from
Heaven, which often appoints that evil should punish
evil. And when France ceased from civil strife, it
CONCLUSION. 421
was only that she might spread woe and desolation
over Europe. The heart of Germany still thrills at
the remembrance of the deeds of those, who, like
so many fiends, entered her hamlets and her cottages
to let loose their brutality, and to gratify their lust.
Under the leadership of one who foreshadowed the
arrogance, selfishness and cruelty of Antichrist more,
perhaps, than any monarch that has yet been,
France, through a long series of years, devastated the
terrified nations of Europe, and deluged them with
blood, giving them no rest, till, at last, exhausted
by her efforts to ruin others, herself succumbed, and
sank for a season into paralysed decrepitude. Since
then, France has had many a vicissitude. Time for
reflection has been allowed her ; opportunity for
becoming acquainted with the Scripture has been
afforded, but again every mercy has been despised.
It may, I believe, be safely said, that France was
never more morally depraved, that she was never
more socially and governmentally base, and that her
rulers were never bent upon a fouler and more
abominable design than when she made her sudden,
tiger-like spring at Prussia. France hated Prussia,
but Rome hated Protestantism, and Rome was again
potent in France, and on Rome the enfeebled govern-
ment of France leaned. Before the military strength
of France, aided by the well-trained priestly hosts
that had been located in Germany, it was hoped that
Prussia, and with her western Protestantism, would
fall. But God had other thoughts. The blow
which France intended for others was caused to fall
422 CONCLUSION.
upon herself, and Protestantism unworthy, worldly,
slumbering Protestantism, though for her sins she
well deserves to be smitten to the dust received
unmerited protection from the long-suffering mercy
of God. It is a lesson given from Heaven. Has
France learned from it? Has England taken
warning?
England, absorbed in the pursuit of " material"
interests, having Mammon for her idol, and lavish-
ing honours and rewards on Intellect, wherever
found, if only she thinks that such intellect will
consent to serve and worship her Idol England
takes warning from nothing. Her eye is closed,
her ear heavy. Syren- sounds, which Satan has
gathered around her, have lulled her, and she de-
sires not to awaken. Her responsibilities are
greater even than those of France ; for a period
of light, far brighter and more extended in time
than that granted to France, has been vouchsafed
to her ; and she had opportunity to profit by the
lessons that the histories of France, and Spain,
and Italy have afforded. She has had full oppor-
tunity of considering the difference between nations
in which the Bible has been honoured, as the one
authoritative record of God's will, and nations in
which Ecclesiasticism has reigned. England, on
many occasions of danger and need, has had the
shield of the Most High God marvellously stretched
out over her, because the Bible, and not the so-
called Church, was acknowledged as having the
authority of God. But now all is changed. Not-
CONCLUSION. 423
withstanding the withering curse that Popery has
so manifestly brought on neighbouring nations
(witness the present condition of Spain) not-
withstanding the deadly savage infidelity that has
sprung up in those nations as a result of the igno-
rance and moral debasement resulting from Priest-
craft, a large and influential section of the high-
born and educated in England are rushing back
into the darkness and idolatries of Homanism, with
an unreflecting, fanatical eagerness that astonishes,
while it delights, the well- trained emissaries who
have been sent out to decoy. They have little need
of their subtlety ; little need of their practised
skill. The net is scarcely spread, when the willing
foot hastens into it.
The cold, stolid, heartless indifference of England
to that which the powers of darkness are effecting
within her borders, is one of the most appalling
spectacles that the history of mankind has yet pre-
sented. The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth
century was a work of God, as sure and certain as
any which He has ever wrought on earth, in behalf
of His truth and people. Consequently they who
avowedly set themselves against it must be adver-
saries of Gfod. They set themselves against God to
trample down, and to hinder the effects of, the
greatest work, which in these latter days His Spirit
has wrought. Men may learn the solemn truth too
late ; but the last great day will show that they who
have, either through indifferentism and ignorance,
or through worldliness or antipathy to the Truth,
424 CONCLUSION.
helped in casting down the distinctive truths of
Protestantism, have set themselves against the work
of the Holy Ghost. " It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God ; " a fearful thing
to meet that " fiery indignation which shall devour
the adversaries."
Forty years ago, a plan to subvert the doctrines of
the Reformation was organised in Oxford. The
character of the movement was evident from its very
commencement to all those who chose not to hide
from themselves the truth. It was a plot, dark and
deadly, that ought from the beginning to have been
sternly resisted by all those who feared God. The
character of the Serpent marked it from the begin-
ning: its methods were tortuous, double-tongued,
and subtle. Every position should have been aban-
doned, every tie broken, every friendship renounced
that might even seem to unite to those who were
engaged in working this mine of Satan. The com-
plete and finished legislation of God is contained in
Holy Scripture, and in it alone. To put down the
Scripture from this place and to invest with legislative
authority a body of uninspired, unauthorised, carnal
men, was one of the first objects of the Tractarian
school. The manner in which the plan was carried out
was not less revolting than the object proposed. To
write ambiguously and suggestively to say, and yet
not to say definitely to mingle with preponderating
falsehood some portion of qualifying truth, lest a
too naked exhibition of error should alarm ; to
nullify truth (if some recognition of truth was expe-
CONCLUSION. 425
dient) by some neutralising statement of error, lest
truth too nakedly exhibited should lead into the
light ; to make subtle distinctions, and to mystify
by words ; to magnify petty and circumstantial dif-
ferences, so as to hide essentiality of likeness such
methods were, from the very first, not altogether
eschewed by the Tractarian teachers. At last the
moral sense of those who listened became deadened,
and the doctrine of " nvn-natural " interpretation
was unhesitatingly avowed. Can we wonder that
men of honourable and upright feeling should have
been stumbled ? Can we be surprised that a mind
such as that of Dr. Arnold should have revolted
from a system in which he saw the falsehoods of
ancient Ecclesiasticism stealthily revived with a
subtlety that seemed to throw into the shade the
tortuousness of former days? I justify not Dr.
Arnold's course. Doubtless, he laid in Oxford the
foundations of that Sadducean infidel movement
which is now, in this country, struggling with
Sacerdotalism, for ascendancy. Alarmed and dis-
gusted by the teaching of Dr. Newman, he became,
in an evil hour, acquainted with Bunsen, and was
beguiled not knowing that in Bunsen he had met
with one whose system required that the neo-
logian principle of " non-natural " interpretation
should be employed to neutralise Holy Scripture
just in the same way that Dr. Newman and
Dr. Pusey had employed it to nullify obnoxious
Protestant Confessions and Articles. I justify not
Dr. Arnold; but I say that fearful responsibility
426 CONCLUSION.
rests with those who, instead of leading his unsettled
mind to the Scripture, scared him and others from
the truth by presenting to them sacerdotal fictions
from which, intuitively, their souls revolted. How
different might have been the result if, when he and
others were enquiring after truth, he had been met
by the acknowledgment that, as soon as the Apostles
died, declension set in throughout the whole pro-
fessing Church ; that the condition of the visible
Church, universally, is a lapsed condition ; that the
visible Church of this dispensation (symbolised in
Scripture by the Gentile olive branch (Romans xi.)
has not " continued in God's goodness," and is to be
" cut off ; " that the doctrines, practices and arrange-
ments of Christendom now, no more resemble those
of the Apostolic period than the condition of Israel
in the days of Jeremiah or Malachi resembled
Israel's condition in the days of Joshua or David.
If the lapse of professing Christianity in this dispen-
sation had been acknowledged as Scripture has pour-
trayed it ; if Scripture had been appealed to and not
tradition, or post- Apostolic usage ; if the mistakes,
worldliness, and transgressions of Protestants had
been acknowledged ; if it had been admitted that
the foundations of all things were out of course, and
that there would be no rectification of the general de-
rangement until the Lord shall take to Him His great
power (see Eev. xi. 17, and Dan. vii. 14), and return;
if the Scripture had been honoured and appealed to
as the alone test, and the alone rule ; if there had
been true humiliation and confession, and a seeking
CONCLUSION. 427
to the mercies and forbearance of God, how different
might have been the result ! *
Society in England were not unaware of the
efficient efforts made by Dr. Newman, Keble, Dr.
Pusey and others, to subvert that work of mercy
and grace which, at the time of the Protestant
Reformation, the Holy Ghost had wrought. But they
looked on with careless eye. They had heard that
the Reformation was an act of God's mercy; but
* I am sorry that I am not able to put my hand on a pass-
age which I remember to have read in one of Dr. Arnold's
published letters, in which, after speaking of his utter
dissatisfaction with the past and present condition of Chris-
tendom, he asks, whether it be possible that we have been
altogether deceived in imagining that there has been since
the days of the Apostles progress in good whether the fact
may not be just the reverse whether, since the Apostles
died, Christendom, as a whole, may not have steadily ad-
vanced in error. I do not profess to quote the exact words
of Dr. Arnold, but such is the general sentiment of the
passage to which I refer. If at this interesting and im-
portant era in his life anyone had been near him to cherish
and develop this germ of truth and to direct him to Holy
Scripture, and he had been taught to wait for these times of
" restitution " and rectification which are to be when the
Lord shall at last " take to Himself His great power and shall
reign " (Kev. xi.), how different might have been Dr. Arnold's
course ? But he fell into the toils of Bunsen, who moulded
his mind and determined his future path. Bunsen clearly
saw the corruption of Christendom, but he turned 'not to
Scripture, but to a Christ within, which virtually amounts to
a self-rectifying power possessed by human nature. Hence
the theory of the verifying faculty which, in result, makes
every man a god to himself.
428
CONCLUSION.
they were not prepared to pronounce dogmatically
about it. There had been many divisions among
Protestants. Gallio careth for none of these
things. "Why should he, if his own material
interests are not involved? Indifferentism was
ready to welcome any form of compromise, so
the work was allowed to advance. It was a
system that suited excitable and imaginative minds.
It suited those who, having aesthetic tendencies,
craved after the gratification of the eye and ear. It
suited minds that were silly, weak, and womanish.
It suited those who preferred to be thought for
rather than to think for themselves. It suited
all who refused to enter any path except one in
which they could walk " by sight," and who there-
fore refused to recognise an unseen heavenly Temple
not made with hands (see Hebrews ix.), and an
unseen Priest, and an unseen Intercession based on
an unseen (because once-finished) sacrifice, and who
insisted on having, instead of this presence of
God, a visible material Sanctuary, formed by their
own hands, and visible priests consecrated by them-
selves, and visible sacrifice appointed and offered by
themselves, or else would have nothing. "Well, they
have made their choice; but where does it leave
them? It leaves them just where Israel was, when,
refusing to wait for the return of Moses saying,
" "We wist not what is become of him," they
formed a visible object of worship for themselves,
and (although still professing to serve Jehovah,
see Exodus xxxii. 5) served him by bowing down
before an idol which their own hands had made.
CONCLUSION. 429
The Reformation was not the result of any self-
devised scheme for changing or remodelling ex-
isting arrangements, either in the Church or in the
world. It was the result of deep personal exercise
of soul in some, who having learned their danger,
had said in bitterness of Spirit, " What must I do
to be saved ? " Although the atoning work of
Christ had been in word acknowledged, yet it was
not acknowledged in the manner in which it is
set forth in Scripture. The true doctrines of our
holy faith had been exterminated, buried, lost.
For what is the distinctive doctrine of the Gospel
of God ? It is this, MERITORIOUSKESS
SAYETH. But what Meritoriousness saveth?
Our own ? We have none. How could we, when
God has said, " He that offendeth in one point is
guilty of all." What meritoriousness then saveth ?
The meritoriousness of Another Even the meri-
toriousness provided by God in the vicarious obed-
ience and vicarious suffering of a Divine Substitute.
This obedience and this suffering sacrificially pre-
sented on the Cross and by God accepted, is some-
thing wholly external to ourselves. From be-
ginning to end, it was the work of Another. But
how can a work external to ourselves, become as
to its meritoriousness ours ? There is only one way
in which the meritoriousness of Another's work
can become ours, \iz., by ascription or imputation.
If the meritoriousness of the sacrificial service of
Immanuel, God manifest in the flesh, become ours,
it can only become ours because God is graciously
430 CONCLUSION.
pleased to ascribe to us the yalue of that which is
not our own. Therefore we enlarge our definition
and say, Meritoriousness made ours by imputation
saveth. He who had before been God the Creator
became, through the Cross, God the Redeemer, to all
His believing people. That there is this way this
one only way of being saved, through the imputa-
tion of another's merits, is made known by the
preached Gospel. God "preacheth peace by Jesus
Christ." " By the foolishness of preaching," not by
ritual ordinances, " God saveth them that believe."
God, in the Gospel, proclaimeth the meritorious
work of Christ as that which giveth to all who cast
themselves thereon, a sure title to salvation and
glory. They, consequently, who credit the Word
of God, and who, in accordance therewith, rely
on that which God proposeth to them as the
appointed object of reliance, have justifying faith.
"Faith cometh by the report or message" (aKorj),
"and the report by the Word of God." Thus
faith (fiducia, not simply fides), wrought in the soul
by the Spirit using the written or preached word, is
the appointed link that connecteth with that merito-
riousness which, when imputed, giveth the sure
title to salvation and to glory. "Whom He justified
them He also glorified." In the Covenant of
Grace the covenant of redemption, a King, Shep-
herd, Bishop, Priest, and Advocate is provided, who
ever watcheth in all faithfulness over all those who,
through faith, are brought under that Covenant
guiding, sustaining, chastening, as necessity may
CONCLUSION. 431
require. "He is able to save to the uttermost them
that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them." Shall we, for pre-
servation, instruction, and guidance, trust in Him,
or in the services of a pretended Church, and its
self-constituted Priests, who have no commission
from God ? The priests of Ecclesiasticism are un-
known in the New Testament. The Apostles of our
God and Saviour, through whom, as inspired, the
final legislation of the Church was given, never
dreamed of arrogating to themselves the power, or
of exercising the functions, to which the priests of
Apostate Christendom aspire. They would have
deemed such pretensions blasphemous. Imagine an
Apostle, after having written, " THERE RE-
MAINETH NO MORE OFFERING FOR SIN,"
seeing that Christ hath once and for ever offered
imagine an Apostle, after having written, by the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, such words as these,
daring to subvert the statement by declaring that it
was necessary still to offer ''propitiatory sacrifice,
both for the living and the dead," and that he was
empowered to offer it ! * What should we have
said of such an one ? Should we not have deemed
* The third canon of the 22nd Session of the Council of
Trent, says, "If anyone shall say that the sacrifice of the
Mass is only one of praise and thanksgiving, or that it is a
mere commemoration of the sacrifice accomplished on the
Cross, but that it is not propitiatory, or that it profits the
recipient only, and that it ought not to be offered for the
living and the dead for sins, punishments, satisfactions and
other necessities, let him be accursed." See also Catechism
432 CONCLUSION.
him to be a Judas ? I give but one example.
There are numberless others, whose enormity is not
l^Cia fl o r-*n -* 4-*
less flagrant'
of Council of Trent, p. 249. u We therefore, confess that the
sacrifice of the Mass is one and the same sacrifice with that
of the Cross : the victim is one and the same, Christ Jesus,
who offered Himself, once only, a bloody sacrifice on the altar
of the Cross. The bloody and unbloody victim is still one
and the same, and the oblation of the Cross is daily renewed
in the eucharistic sacrifice, in obedience to the command ot
our Lord : ' This do, for a commemoration of me.' The
Priest is also the same, Christ our Lord ; the ministers who
offer this sacrifice consecrate the holy mysteries not in their
own, but in the person of Christ. This the words of conse-
cration declare ; the priest does not say, * This is the body of
Christ/ but, ' This is my body ;' and thus invested with the
character of Christ, he changes the substance of the bread
and wine into the substance of His real body and blood.
That the holy sacrifice of the Mass, therefore, is not only a
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, or a commemoration of
the sacrifice of the Cross, but also a sacrifice of propitiation,
by which God is appeased and rendered propitious, the pastor
will teach as a dogma defined by the unerring authority of a
General Council of the Church. If, therefore, with pure
hearts and a lively faith, and with a sincere sorrow for past
transgressions, we immolate and offer in sacrifice this most
holy victim, we shall, no doubt, receive from the Lord
" mercy and grace in seasonable aid." So acceptable to God
is the sweet odour of this sacrifice, that through its oblation
he pardons our sins, bestowing on us the gifts of grace and
of repentance. This is the solemn prayer of the Church ; as
often as the commemoration of this victim is celebrated, so
often is the work of our salvation promoted, and the plena
teous fruits of that bloody victim flow in upon us abundantly,
through this unbloody sacrifice.
"The pastor will also teach that such is the efficacy of this
CONCLUSION. 433
The rapidity with which the worst dogmas of
Jesuitism and Ultramontane Popery have taken
sacrifice, that its benefits extend not only to the celebrant and
communicant, but also to all the faithful, whether living or
numbered amongst those who have died in the Lord, but whose
sins have not yet been fully expiated. According to Apostolic
tradition the most authentic, it is not less available when
offered for them than when offered in atonement for their sins,
in alleviation of the punishments, the satisfactions, the calam-
ities, or for the relief of the necessities, of the living. It is
hence easy to perceive that the Mass, whenever and wherever
offered, because conducive to the common interests and
salvation of all, is to be considered common to all the
faithful." Such is the doctrine of Trent.
It will be observed that the expression u unbloody sacri-
fice" is used in this extract. The general wariness of the
Romanists fails them here. They should not have used the
word " unbloody," for by it they overthrow their own great
doctrine of Transubstantiation. Elsewhere they dwell upon
the presence of the actual body and blood.
Besides, if they were to adhere to this word, which an
infallible Council ought never to have sanctioned, how could
there be remission of sins through an "unbloody" sacrifice ?
" Without shedding of blood is no remission." The passage,
as a whole, needs no comment. It carries with it its own
condemnation to every one really taught by the Spirit of
Christ. The Council of Trent were afraid to deny in so many
words, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ ; no
doubt they had acuteness enough to see that all who deny it
must deny also that He gave Himself for us, an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. If there be
no imputation of His righteousness, there can be no impu-
tation of the value of that which He offered. Accordingly,
they do not deny the fact of imputation, but they make the
extraordinary statement that we are not justified by the
FF
434 CONCLUSION.
root in England, is marvellous. It reminds us of
those awful words, " God shall send on them strong
mere imputation of the righteousness of Christ [sold imputa-
tionejustitice Christi], as if it were possible for the righteous-
ness of Immanuel to be ascribed to any one, and yet that
he to "whom it was ascribed was not thereby regarded as
possessed of perfect righteousness ! Is there deficiency in
the righteousness of the Holy One ?
"By the obedience of THE ONE shall the many be con-
stituted righteous." We must either accept this verse, or
cancel it. The truth respecting justification is admirably
expressed in the eleventh Article of the English Confession:
" ONLY on account of the merit of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, through faith, not because of our own works and
deservings, are we reputed righteous before God." See also
the following extract from the " Helvetian Confession:
"To speak properly, then, it is God alone that justifieth us,
and that only for Christ, by not imputing unto us our sins,
but imputing Christ's righteousness unto us. Rom. iv.
23 25 Faith doth apprehend Christ our righteousness,
and doth attribute all to the praise of God in Christ ; in this
respect justification is attributed to faith, chiefly because of
Christ whom it receiveth, and not because it is a work of
ours ; for it is the gift of God. Now, that we do receive
Christ by faith, the Lord showeth at large, John vi. 27, 35 ;
48 58, where he putteth eating for believing, and believing
for eating. For, as by eating we receive meat, so, by believ-
ing, we are made partakers of Christ. Therefore, we do not
part the benefit of justification, giving part to the grace of
God, or to Christ, and part to ourselves, our charity, works,
or merit ; but we do attribute it wholly to the praise of God
in Christ, and that through faith. Moreover, our charity
and our works cannot please God, if they be done of such as
are not just ; wherefore, we must first be just, before we can
love, or do any just works. We are made just (as we have
said) through faith in Christ, by the mere grace of God, who
CONCLUSION. 435
delusion that they should believe a lie/ 7 Nothing
that has occurred since the Reformation has more en-
couraged the hopes of the Romanists than that which
has taken place in England. Even the doctrine of
" Development " (a doctrine which only apostatising
hearts could receive) has been welcomed here. It is
a doctrine utterly subversive of all that a Christian
heart counts dear, but it is one absolutely needed to
sustain the truthless fabric of Romanism. I say
"truthless," because Romanism, as to all that dis-
tinctively brings it into contrast with Protestantism,
is truthless. It is not easy to defend a truthless
system, so long as that system professes to adhere to
truth truth as revealed in Scripture. The Romanists
doth not impute unto us our sins, but imputeth unto us the
righteousness of Christ; yea, and our faith in Christ He
imputeth for righteousness unto us." ix. ; chap. xv.
In this passage there is much precision of thought and
language. It is the only Protestant Confession as far as I am
aware, in which the important distinction between God
imputing to us the righteousness of Christ (Rom. v. 19), and
imputing faith FOR (\oyifco-dai eir Rom. iv.) is mentioned.
See this subject further considered in Tract entitled, " The
doctrine of Justification in a risen Christ considered" as
advertised at end : also " Occasional Papers" No. I. p. 87. It
may be observed also that the expression " made just or
righteous," being ambiguous, would be better expressed by
the Scripture words, "constituted righteous" (Rom. v.), by
which is meant that Christ's obedience, which can only be-
come ours by imputation, places us in a condition in which
God is able to recognise us as right in relation to the claims
of His holy courts, which admit the principle of the right-
eousness of a substitute being pleaded.
436 CONCLUSION.
were not unconscious of this difficulty at Trent, and
they have encountered it many a time subsequently.
!Xot only Scripture, but even many of the statements
of the Fathers, are thorns in the way of Papal pro-
gress. The Papists have found it hard to argue
against plain passages of the Scripture, or plain quo-
tations from the Fathers ; and sometimes their own
past traditions or practices have encumbered them.
Jesuitism wants a clear field for its operations where
no inconvenient references to the past may interfere
with its present sovereignty and its title to legislate
afresh. A nullification of the past is needed, and
this the doctrine of " Development" effects. If the
Apostolic period was, doctrinally and practically, a
season of infancy merely if manhood, strength,
and knowledge were not to be expected then if
maturity in the doctrines of Christ was only to be
reached after centuries of progressive instruction
had passed if the Holy Ghost, as given to the inspired
Apostles, was sent permanently to abide in a chosen
body on earth, and was gradually to lead on that
body to perfectness in the knowledge of Christ, then,
doctrines suited to the infancy of Christianity might,
in the days of its maturity, be set aside, and the
Church would cease to be subjected to stereotyped,
unchanging, written rules, and would stand under
the present guidance of the voice of the Holy Ghost
speaking in and through the visible Head of the
Church who, being thus officially infallible, might,
as having the authority of God, enlarge, modify, or
alter past enactments, as change of circumstances
CONCLUSION. 437
may require. Any one who reads Dr. Manning's
"Mission of the Comforter," may see that, according
to his system, God, in the person of the Holy Ghost,
is as authoritatively present in the earth now, as, in
the person of the Son, He was present in Immanuel
God manifest in the flesh. It might almost be sup-
posed that Dr. Manning thought that the Church
was an incarnation of the Third Person of the
Trinity. We cannot wonder, therefore, that it
should be held that the voice of God as truly and as
authoritatively speaks in and through the visible
Head of the Catholic body, when that Head speaks
officially, as did the voice of God in Christ Jesus.
The doctrine of Infallibility is, of course, absolutely
necessary to the maintenance of a doctrine such as
this. Wherever, or in whomsoever the Holy Ghost
speaks, He must speak infallibly. If the doctrine
of the continued authoritative presence of the Holy
Ghost be conjoined with the doctrine of "Deve-
lopment/' the desired conclusions naturally follow.
The instruction of the first Apostles was designed
for the Church in its infancy, but we have now
instruction, equally Apostolic, designed for the
Church in its maturity.* It may certainly appear
* " Those who contend most strenuously for antiquity?
admit that a change took place in the fourth century, from
the Christianity of the Apostles, to that of the Fathers.
See ' British Magazine,' Vol. IX. p. 359. ' Three centuries and
more were necessary,' says a writer in this journal, ' for the
infant church to attain her mature and perfect form and
due stature. Athanasius, Basil, and Ambrose, are the fully-
438 CONCLUSION.
somewhat strange that such a wondrous position of
infallible legislative authority as is thus claimed
should not, like that of the Apostles, be sustained
by miracle : for claims such as these require to be
authenticated by something better than the lique-
faction of the blood of St. Januarius, or occasional
apparitions of the Virgin Mary. It may seem to be
a difficulty, too, that the infallible utterances of this
new instruction do unquestionably contradict (and
that not unfrequently) the written utterances of the
Apostles of our God and Saviour utterances, more-
over, which were, by these Apostles, declared to
embody unchanging, unalterable truth. There may
be a little difficulty as to this, but shall such diffi-
culties (which, after all, are easily surmounted by a
little faith) impede the reception of a doctrine so
important, so transcendently blessed as that of the
authoritative presence of the voice of the Holy
Ghost in "the one body?" Myriads of votaries,
willing and eager to err (for delusion has come upon
them ) speak as with one voice and answer " No ! "
They severally adopt the words of Dr. Pusey, and
say : " I believe explicitly all which I know God to
have revealed to His Church ; and implicitly (impli-
cite) any thing, if He has revealed it, which I know
not. In simple words, I believe all which the Church
instructed doctors of her doctrine, morals, and discipline.'
According to this hypothesis, Paul and Peter, and John were
infants compared with Ambrose, and we are to receive a
new doctrine from the fourth century." Vigilantius and
his times, by W. S. Gilly, D.D.
CONCLUSION. 439
believes." (Pusey's Eirenicon, p. 7.) Dr. Pusey also
says: " We of course believe that God the Hoi
Ghost, the ' One Spirit/ who animates and informs
the * One Body ' of Christ, teaches truth in her in
a way different from that in which He, the Author
of all Faith and Grace, is present with all Truth,
wherever it is taught and accompanies it by His
Grace." These words, though somewhat vague, are
evidently designed to be an acceptance of Dr. Man-
ning's dogma of the authoritative and legislative
presence of God, the Holy Ghost, in the " One
Body." *
* No true servant of Christ, will, I suppose, deny, that
whilst the Holy Ghost, as the giver of grace and the giver of
gifts, dwells in each individual believer (" gift " being qualifi-
cation to serve God in the special sphere assigned, whether
it be that of Timothy, or Apollos, or of Phoebe, Gaius, or
Dorcas), He is also present wherever two or three are
rightly gathered in the name of Christ, to watch over them
for blessing. None but believers can assemble truly in
the name of Christ, and even they cannot assemble rightly
if they be unable, through ignorance, error, or want of gift,
to secure in their meetings right order and " sound speech.' 7
To gather in the name of Christ, and to gather rightly, are
different things.
Sometimes, the word "presidency," has been used to denote
the relation which the Holy Ghost holds to Christ's people
when assembled in His name. In what sense is it used ?
I can understand the word as used of the relation of the
Lord Jesus to His disciples at the Last Supper. He did there
personally preside. Is it supposed that there is any similar
presidency attributable to the Holy Ghost ?
If it be answered " Yes," how in that case did not His
presidency put an instant end to the u much disputing," of
440 CONCLUSION.
Anglicanism, as it is now being exhibited around
us, is Jesuitised Romanism that is to say, Roman-
ism of the most advanced and deadly type. Its
guiding principle is implicit, unquestioning, abso-
which we read, when the whole Church were assembled with
the Apostles in Jerusalem 1 Acts xv. 7. There was indeed
a direct interference of the Holy Ghost, but how ? Through
the instrumentality of the Apostles Peter and James. He
empowered them to speak, and after they had spoken
authoritatively by His inspiration, the letter could be written
" It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and to us," etc.
The system of Rome and of every other body that wishes
to legislate and to command authoritatively, requires that
they should claim a continuous presence of the Holy Ghost
for fresh legislation, and for authoritative interpretation of
what God has already written in the Scripture Rome has
long doubted whether she would say that this presence cf
the Holy Ghost is to be looked for in the Church when
gathered in Council, or in the Church's visible head. She
has recently decided on saying that this presence is in her
Chief Pontiff. Certainly the more such authority can be
individualised, and the more it can be made visible and
tangible, the sooner will inconvenient questions and discus-
sions be silenced. No doubt, whenever the infallible voice
of the Spirit speaks, it must be obeyed, whether it legislate,
interpret or direct. But as I have already said, all authori-
tative legislation all infallible control has ceased since the
Apostles died and the canon of Scripture closed. Blessed
be God for an infallible written rule. These men who say
they are Apostles, would like to write fresh Scripture for us
every day, and to leave us no authoritative unchanging test
of falsehood and truth.
We have great reason to remember the words, " thou hast
tried them which say they are Apostles, and are not, and
hast found them liars." Rev. ii. 2.
CONCLUSION. 441
lute submission to the voice of God reaching us
through our ecclesiastical superior, whom we are
unhesitatingly and undoubtingly to obey, even if he
command us to perform an act which our conscience
tells us to be one of deadly sin. Let any one read
the celebrated sermon of Ignatius Loyola, "De Obed-
ientid," and say whether I have overstepped the limits
of truth in saying what I have said. When the heart
and conscience are once withdrawn from the guidance
of " the Scriptures of Truth " (that is a name which
God Himself hath given to His written word) when
we imagine ourselves to be virtually in the presence
of God, manifested either in a body, or in an indivi-
dual, so that we hear His authoritative voice when
we consent to be deluded into the belief that the
concurrent testimony of our understanding, of our
conscience, and of Scripture, are to be set aside, if
the voice of God in the " One Body " so command
when we deliberately adopt a principle such as
this, we have no more title to the name of
Christian than has one who follows oracular voices
such as those which were heard in Delphi of
old, or one who obeys the Apostle of the Mor-
monites, or one who deifies his own supposed
" verifying faculty," and listens to it as to the
voice of God. God speaks in and through the
Scrip tvfes ; they are sufficient to make *' the man
of God throughly furnished unto all good works/'
He, therefore, who withdraws from that voice
and directs to other voices, must, whether he be
a priestly Pontiff or an excited fanatic, be the
442 CONCLUSION.
adversary of God, and the enemy of Christ.
" Every one that leadeth onward (6 Trpodywv) and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not seen
God." This "doctrine of Christ" we find in the
written word, and in that alone.
Is it not obvious ought it not to be patent to
everyone who reflects, whether he be statesman or
peasant, that the authority which God has mercifully
delegated to the Csesars of earth that they might
maintain order therein, must be taken from them if
there be in the earth one who is able to speak
infallibly with the voice of God ? The distinction
implied in the words, " Render unto Cassar the
things that are Caasar's, and to God the things that
are God's" a distinction absolutely vital to the
order prescribed by God during the present dis-
pensation, must be utterly set aside if there be on
earth a Throne whose occupant is able to speak
infallibly with the voice of God. In that case theo-
cratic power must have supplanted the power of
Caesar ; and therefore, in coming to the supreme
secular throne we should come, not to the throne of
Caesar, but to that of God. All mere secular autho-
rity can have no place in the presence of one who is
empowered to speak and to legislate with the infal-
lible voice of God. The system espoused by our
modern Beckets involves all this. It is a system
which has worked of old, but it is working with
greater energy than ever now. Do we smile at its
folly ? Do we call it madness ? Well, it may be
madness ; but madmen, if unrestrained, are able to
CONCLUSION. 443
spread around them terrible ruin. We are not ac-
customed to allow to madmen scope for the effectua-
tion of their destructive plans first, and to incarcerate
them afterwards. Civil government is an ordinance
of God. Are we content that it should be even
temporarily superseded by a system which, while
contradicting alike the voice of nature and the words
of Revelation, pretends to wield over us the infallible
authority of God ?
And as civil government, as instituted by God,
must perish if the pretensions of Popery be carried
out, so the true order and doctrine of the Church
must perish too. What part of the order of the
Church, as prescribed in the Scripture, would remain
if the ecclesiastical arrangements of Popery were
received? Rome aspires to be the guiding centre
of all other Churches. She wishes that all other
Churches should revolve around her like the planets
around the sun. But, if we search the Scripture,
we shall find that no such place of central authority
was ever granted to any Gentile Church. The
Churches gathered from among the Gentiles, whether
in Ephesus, Smyrna, or elsewhere, are all symbolised
by candlesticks of gold, one like unto the other,
none being exalted into pre-eminence above the
others.* A place of supreme authority, like that
aspired to by Rome, was never granted to any
Gentile Church. It is reserved for converted Israel
in another dispensation. For any body among the
Gentiles to pretend to it, is rebellion and sin.
* See this further considered in " Thoughts on the Apo-
calypse," pp. 17, 18, as advertised at end of this volume.
444 COXCLUSION.
Again, they boast of Apostolic Succession and the
like. Why then was not Paul, the great Apostle
to us Gentiles, ordained by those who were Apostles
before him? He never even saw any of the other
Apostles until after he had exercised his ministry
for years. (See Galatians i.) Here, then, the link
of succession was broken at its very commencement.
God never appointed any such succession. The
Apostles, in their distinctive office, have no succes-
sors. The distinctive place assigned to the Apostles
was that of legislation. Through them, or other
inspired men closely associated with them, the
Church of this dispensation was to receive its com-
pleted legislation. The greater part of the New
Testament was written by the Apostles themselves.
Mark was closely associated with the Apostles Peter,
Barnabas, and Paul. Luke was the companion of
Paul, and in one of the Epistles of Paul, the Gospel
of Luke is quoted as " Scripture." (See 1 Timothy v.
18, and Luke x. 7.) None ever succeeded or were
intended to succeed the Apostles in their office of
legislation. The laws of Christ are not to be al-
tered. They need not, like human laws, to be
amended or improved. As soon as the Canon of
Scripture closed by the book of Revelation befog
given, the legislation of the Church was complete.
Since the Apostles died the functions of the servants
of Christ have not been legislative but administrative.
Their duty has been to administer the laws which
by His Prophets and Apostles, God has written. All
therefore, who. since the Apostles died, have assumed
CONCLUSION. 445
to themselves the right of authoritatively legislating
for the Church, have, by that very act, constituted
themselves rebels against the authority of God.
We exceed not the limits of truth in saying, that
there is not one point in the ecclesiastical order of
Rome that is not right contrary to the order of
the Apostolic Churches. Not a fragment of Apos-
tolic order remains.
We might multiply such charges almost indefi-
nitely. No one can hold the doctrine that Rome
teaches respecting the glorification of Mary and the i
saints, without virtually adopting the heresy of
UymenEeus and Philetus, and saying, that the resur-
rection is past already. None of those who have
fallen asleep in Jesus, (and Mary and Peter have)
can rise until the hour of the first resurrection comes,
and that cannot be until the Lord returns. The
Apostle speaking of the "order " (ray pa) of the resur-
rection says, " Christ the first-fruits, afterward they
that are Christ's at His coming ; then (ena) cometh
the end" &c.* These words, unless we reject them,
* The Apostle expressly says that he is speaking of the
" order ; ' (ray/ia) of resurrection in respect of all those who
rise in the resurrection of life. "Christ the first-fruits,
afterwards (eTretra) they who are Christ's at His coming, then
(eira not Tore) cometh the end." ETTCITO and etra are par-
ticles of sequence, equivalent in this passage to secondly and
thirdly. Consequently, there cannot be more than three
periods of resurrection. I. Christ's. II. Those who are
Christ's at His coming. III. That of those who are converted
during the Millennium and rise at its close ; this last being
the period at which the wicked dead also are raised.
446 CONCLUSION.
are decisive. They forbid our saying, that either
Mary or any other of the sleeping saints can, either
by assumption or otherwise, be glorified, or can quit
the grave until " the Church of the firstborn " shall
simultaneously rise at the return of the Lord in glory.
"David," says the Apostle, "is not ascended into
the heavens " (see Acts ii. 34), and what -is true of
David is equally true of Mary, and Peter, and Paul.
Their spirits, indeed, are with Christ in Heaven,
consciously and ineffably blessed, having such corn-
Some have endeavoured to nullify this conclusion by say-
ing, that the same particles of sequence are used in the
commencement of the same chapter, and applied to the order
in which different classes of the disciples were permitted to
see the Lord after He quitted the grave.
"Afterward he was seen of James, then (eira) of all the
apostles," &c. As there were other occasions besides those
mentioned on which the Lord was seen by several of His dis-
ciples, so, it is urged, there may be several other periods of
resurrection besides those mentioned in the passage before us.
This argument may seem plausible, but it utterly fails
when examined. If in the commencement of the chapter
the apostle had said that he was going to tell us respecting
the order in which the Lord had been seen by ALL those to
whom He showed Himself, then the cases would have been
parallel. But the Apostle does not say that he is speaking
of all who had seen the Lord. He is speaking only of some.
On the other hand, in the passage in which he is speaking of
the order of resurrection in glory, he expressly says that he
is speaking of all who should so rise. As in Adam all die, so
in Christ shall ALL be made alive. But EVERY ONE in
his own order, Christ the first-fruits. None therefore can
rise and be taken to glory except at the two periods mentioned
in this passage.
CONCLUSION. 447
munications from God as it may please Him to make
to the souls of His people in their disembodied state,
but their bodies yet remain in the dishonour of
death. But even if their bodies had been raised,
and if the integrity of their personal condition in
glory had been attained, even then they could
neither hear nor answer prayer. How could any-
one in Heaven hear prayers offered on earth, unless
he were omniscient and omnipresent ? To suppose that
Mary or the saints can hear or answer prayer is to
invest them with the attributes of Deity, and to
invest any creature with the attributes of Deity is
IDOL ATE, Y. Rome is idolatrous, in that she prays
to Mary"* and the saints, as if they were omni-
* In the " Glories of Mary " it is said :
" Mary so loved the world as to give her only-begotten
Son." p. 449.
Go to Mary .... Our Salvation is in her hands.
. . . . He who is protected by Mary will be saved ;
he who is not will be lost." p. 136.
According to the same high authority, MARY is : .
"Our ONLY city of refuge." p. 90.
"The ONLY advocate of sinners." p. 90.
"The ONLY hope of sinners." p. 90.
" In Mary finally we shall find life and eternal salvation."
p. 124.
" No one is saved but through thee " (Mary). p. 135.
" immaculate Virgin, we are under thy protection, and
therefore we have recourse to THEE ALONE ; and we
beseech thee to prevent thy beloved Son, who is irri-
tated by our sins, from abandoning us to the power of
the devil." p. 233.
" No one comes to me " (Jesus Christ), " unless my mother
draws him by her prayers." p. 540.
448 CONCLUSION.
present and omniscient ; she is idolatrous, because
she worships " bread/' pretending that it is changed
into God ; she is idolatrous in that she bows down
to images, and renders to them a " homage that is
due unto God alone." " Hard is it, indeed, and
impossible, any long time to have images publicly in
churches and temples, without idolatry." (Homily on
Peril of Idolatry, xiv. part 2.) Idolatry is not only
contrary to the laws of the Church of Christ, it also
violates a natural relation in which man as man
stands to God. Consequently, nations that govern-
"She is the sinner's ladder ; she is my greatest confidence ;
she is THE WHOLE ground of my hope."?. 538.
Add to this the authority of an infallible Pope, and of the
Breviary itself :
" Modern heretics cannot endure that we should salute and
call Mary our Hope' Hail OUR HOPE !' They say
that God alone is our Hope, and that He curses those who
put their trust in creatures. This is what the heretics say;
but, IN SPITE OF IT, the Holy Church obliges all eccle-
siastics and religious each day to invoke and call Mary
by the sweet name of Our Hope THE HOPE OF
ALL."
" The Virgin Mary is OUT greatest hope ; yea, THE ENTIRE
GROUND of our Hope." Gregory XVI. (the late Pope),
August 15th, 1832.
"Thou (Mary) art THE ONLY Hope of sinners." [ "Tu
es Spes unica peccatorum."] Roman Breviary, 9th
September.
The Editor of " The Armoury," whence I have taken these
extracts, asks, as well he may, " Is this then Christianity or
a substitute for Christianity ? Is it THE Gospel or is it
' another Gospel which is not another ?' Is it Christ or Anti-
christ ? "
CONCLUSION. 449
mentally sanction ecclesiastical idolatry have been,
and will be, as nations, punished. But what is
punishment here, compared with that which shall
be when the hour of repentance and of mercy shall
have passed? Is it not written that all "idolaters"
and all "liars," even "every one that loveth and
maketh a lie," shall not only be excluded from God's
heavenly City, but " shall have their part in the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which
is the second death?" See Eev. xxi. 8, and
xxii. 15.
A terrible blow has been inflicted on Protestant-
ism in England a blow from which it will never
recover. The reaction will lead to scepticism and
neology. Dr. Newman seems to think (and few, I
suppose, will dispute the claim) that the triumph
over Protestantism in England is chiefly due to the
efforts of three men Keble, Dr. Pusey, and himself.
Very awful were the lines that suggested themselves
to Dr. Newman when he, Keble, and Pusey met
for the last time :
" When shall we three meet again ?
When the hurly burly 's done,
When the battle 's lost and won."
"Well, battles may be lost for God here, and
triumphs won for Satan. Such triumphs may be
rejoiced in now, but will they be rejoiced in in the
day of Christ ? Will not they who have won them
wish then that they had never been born ?* " What
* The action of Keble against Protestantism, although not
so ostensible as that of Dr. Newman and Dr. Pusey, was not
6G
450 CONCLUSION.
is a man profited, if lie shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?" (Matt. xvi. 26.)
less determined. Indeed, Keble was not unfrequently the
adviser of Dr. Newman.
"Dr. Newman was somewhat doubtful about remaining
vicar of St. Mary's, when he was conscious of drifting fast to
Rome, and so asked the opinions of his friends ; among others
Mr. Keble, who was in favour of the living being retained.
Thereupon Mr. Newman writes to Mr. Keble ' The follow-
ing considerations have much reconciled my feelings to your
conclusions. I do not think that we have yet made fair trial
how much the English Church will bear. I know it is a
hazardous experiment like proving cannon. Yet we must
not take it for granted that the metal will burst in the opera-
tion. It has borne at various times, not to say at this time,
a great infusion of Catholic truth without damage. As to
the result viz., whether this process will not approximate
the whole English Church, as a body, to Rome that is
nothing to us. For what we know, it may be the providen-
tial means of uniting the whole Church in one, without fresh
schismatising or use of private judgment." (See Noncon-
formist, as quoted in The Record of August 15, 1873.) Mr.
Keble, therefore, was fully cognisant of Dr. Newman's ten-
dencies and designs, and wished him to remain in the English
Church that he might undermine its Protestantism. The
stealthy progress of Anglicanism is marked by such incidents
as the following. In the early editions of Keble's hymns,
that for November 5th contains the following stanza :
" come to our Communion Feast,
There present in the heart,
Not in the hands, th' Eternal Priest
Will His true self impart."
This stanza in a later edition, published after Mr. Keble'a
death, is altered thus :
CONCLUSION. 451
'
At the time of the Crusades, the voice of Peter
the Hermit was heard as if it had been the call of
" come to our Communion Feast,
There present in the heart,
As in the hands, th' Eternal Priest
Will His true self impart."
Canon Liddon justifies this alteration on the ground that
" in Mr. Keble's own judgment and intention the words, 'not
i n the hands,' did not deny the objective reality of Christ's
presence in the Eucharist. According to Canon Liddon
" Mr. Keble used to say that the word ' not ' in the phrase
referred to was employed in the Scriptural sense of ' rather
than] instead of in the ordinary sense of a direct negative."
Alas ! what shall we say of those who are content to propose
or to receive an explanation such as this. The use of such
arguments as these is in itself sufficient to show that the
Truth of God is not with those who employ them.
Whatever judgment may be formed as to Mr. Keble's
opinions when the early editions of " The Christian Year "
were published, I suppose few will deny that ultimately he
utterly rejected (might I not say, abominated) the doctrine
of the Reformers as to the Eucharist. The Bishop of Bath
and Wells in his recent charge observes : " To confound
the adoration of our Lord in heaven, which the thankful
remembrance of his death must call forth in every devout
communicant, with the adoration of the Sacrament itself, as
Mr. Keble does in his singularly weak and painful work on
Eucharistical Adoration, is the part either of a very confused
intellect, or of a very unfair controversialist." (Charge, &c.,
p. 36.)
Yet Keble is the person in whose honour and for the per-
petuation of whose doctrines a College is built in Oxford,
whilst the stolid indifferentism of England looks on and
smiles ; or if it be for a moment startled by an apprehension
of coming danger, it seeks its refuge in " compromise," and
so hopes to ward off the day of evil. But God and right prin-
ciple are not in ts thoughts.
452 CONCLUSION.
God : and now the voice of the prophets and priests
of Anglicanism is obeyed by thousands with no less
alacrity. The broad way that leadeth to eternal
death is trodden with exulting step, and the crowd
augments so rapidly, that many a deceived heart
is led to imagine that ultimate triumph must at-
tend their course, and that the nations of earth
will finally gather themselves around the banner
of Catholic unity which Anglican devotedness has
reared.
But all these imaginations by which Satan is de-
ceiving them are false, even as regards this world.
They and their principles will have no final triumph
even here. They are not the Zion of God. They are
not that Jerusalem to which it shall be said, "Arise,
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee." The Ecclesiasticism of
God and the Ecclesiasticism of man are two different
things. No form of sacerdotal religiousness, whether
Jewish, Roman, Greek, Anglican or Mahomedan
will ever succeed in raising itself into universal
dominancy. If pontifical Rome were, as of old,
concerned with a corner of Western Europe merely
if she could confine the strength of earth to Gaul,
Spain, Italy, Austria and Britain, and keep other
nations in barbarism if the countries I have named
were made willing to subserve her designs, she
might then, perhaps, think of dominancy. But the
days of such limitation are past. The governmental
plans to be adopted now must be such as will sub-
serve the interests and commend themselves to the
CONCLUSION. 453
awakened intelligence of the wide world. Do the
counsellors of the Vatican dream that they would
succeed (even if Protestantism were extinguished) in
forcing into the narrow circle of their "infallible"
rule the rising intelligence of Egypt and Greece,
European and Asiatic Turkey and Northern Africa,
not to speak of Russia, India, China and Japan, and
of scattered but influential Israel? The drag-net
that is to enclose this multitude of peoples must be
somewhat larger than any that ecclesiastic Eome
ever has handled or ever will handle. In the
early centuries, Ecclesiasticism, when less corrupt
than at present, had a prolonged and terrible con-
flict in Egypt and the East with the Gnosticism,
Philonism, Platonism, Judaism and Pantheism that
there prevailed ; but it succeeded not in extinguish-
ing these systems, nor does it succeed in extinguish-
ing the same elements of vicious thought in Oxford
now. Ecclesiasticism and the systems with which
it contended in the early centuries did indeed in one
thing succeed. Through the influence which they
severally exercised, they succeeded in well nigh ex-
tinguishing the lamp of truth ; they succeeded in
awakening the wrath of God and in bringing down
on the East the dread inroad of Mahomedanism.
And now an hour is drawing nigh when a more
terrible personage than Mahomet will appear, and
Rome and Athens, Egypt and Assyria, Antioch and
Jerusalem, will, with England and the West, enter
his mighty " drag-net," and be for a time the ser-
vants of his glory. Before him the whole Roman
454 CONCLUSION.
world (iraa-a rj oiKovfjuevrf) will bow down and wor-
ship. See Rev. xiii. It will be the result of the
judicial infliction of God on former iniquities.
I repeat therefore, that there will be no realisation
of the present dream of Roman and Anglican
Ecclesiasticism. No form of Catholic religiousness
will reign supremely. Herod will be chief, not
Caiaphas; and Herod must become latitudinarian.
or he must cease to reign. Accordingly, in coun-
tries such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunis, where
Mahomedanism has hitherto been in the ascendant,
we are beginning to see its exclusiveness resigned.
So also in countries where Popery has dominated,
other influences are penetrating. Austria and Italy
are examples. In England, where Protestantism oac3
ruled, Popery, availing itself of the aid of that truth-
less Latitudinarianism which is seeking to introduce
equality of creeds, has strengthened itself both
within and without the Anglican Establishment;
and so the dominancy of Protestantism in England
falls. At present, a patch- work garment is being
prepared. Ultimately, indeed, when the time shall
come for Antichrist to be revealed in the full power
of his unfettered despotic sway, the hell- woven web
will become altogether black. There will be strict
unity then unity in atheistic blasphemy. But the
transgressors are not yet " come to the full." At
present, the web that Satan is intending to weave is
one of divers colours. Even true Christians may, if
only they will be sufficiently pliable, find for their
systems a place in the midst of the motley construe-
CONCLUSION. 455
tion. Let nothing, no, not even the Bible, be as-
serted to be exclusively and authoritatively true. Let
liberty be granted to human thought, and let all
men please themselves, if only they will submit to
such restrictions as governments may see fit, for the
sake of civil order, to impose. Men must consent to
forego aggressiveness. They must not irritate their
neighbours. Compromise must be lawful, nay,
more, it must be a duty, where none know certainly
what Truth is. Such will soon be the prevailing
cry. Such are the principles on which Latitudina-
rianism will establish its Throne. Before it, Eccle-
siasticism will (perhaps at no very distant period)
be made to cease from its vauntings, and will become
content to occupy a niche (it may be an humble
niche) in the Pantheon of Truthlessness. The true
servants of Christ only will refuse to join in the
unholy concord. Mordecai-like, they will refuse to
bow ; but they will have to seal their testimony with
their blood. Christianity, if it cease to be aggres-
sive, ceases to be the Christianity of God.
But although Ecclesiasticism will not finally
dominate in England, yet it may attain temporarily
vast, if not paramount influence in Western Europe.
It has succeeded already in destroying the ancient
influence of Protestantism in this country, and there
may be in the rest of Western Europe a prolonged
and disastrous struggle between Jesuitism and Lati-
tudinarianism. Before the latter finally triumphs,
Ecclesiasticism may have local and temporary suc-
cesses that may bring terrible sufferings and terrible
456 CONCLUSION.
chastisements on the countries in which such suc-
cesses are achieved. The present base abandonment
of Protestantism by England may bring on England
immediate and sore judgments. It is possible,
indeed, that the triumphs of Anglican Ecclesiasti-
cism may do no more than assist in so far destroying
the authority of the Bible, as to accelerate the ad-
vance of Neology and Indifferentism. In that case,
the progress toward the end would be smoother and
more rapid ; and England, prospering with an evil
prosperity, would have her eye more closely sealed
sealed judicially, and become the most efficient pre-
sent instrument in the world for promoting the
reign of latitudinarian Antichristianism. But it
may be otherwise. The progress of Anglicanism
may, for a season, drag England back into such
close association with the idolatries and abomina-
tions of Popery, as to bring down on our country
immediate judgment. The surging wave of godless
democratic licentiousness is very discernible in Eng-
land. Jesuitism too is rife amongst us. Jesuitism,
if not pandered to and obeyed by those who rule,
allies itself to the multitude, and not unfrequently
stimulates democracy to its worst excesses.
For many a year, England, reckless as to God's
Truth, and cowed by the frowns of Sacerdotalism,
has, in Ireland, offered hecatombs to propitiate
Rome : and she has now begun to offer them at
home. Has she attained her object ? Is Rome
satisfied ? She never will be, unless England will
go on yielding till she has nothing more left to
CONCLUSION. 457
yield. Is England prepared to denude herself
thus ? Not quite. Her " material interests " would
be touched if she were to go too far. A time, there-
fore, of resistance to the claims of theocratic Rome
must, sooner or later, come. England, will at last
be obliged to say, " I can yield no further." But
is England prepared to dare the storm which may
(might I not say, will f) burst upon her head when
she has summoned up sufficient courage to give
plain unambiguous utterance to those words ? What
would Ireland be to her then ? Has Jesuitism no
skill in effecting the disruption of society, especially
when such destructive elements are at hand, as are
supplied by the radicalism, and socialism, and infi-
delity that lurks among the masses of England ; ;
And suppose (for it is not quite impossible) that
Jesuitism should succeed in consolidating the mili-
tary strength of France, and Spain, and Belgium,
and should bring it to bear upon recalcitrant Eng-
land is England prepared, with Ireland victimised
to sacerdotalism, and with her own people Jesuitised
and democratised, her Bible and her God virtually
abandoned, her ancient political strong-holds cast
down, or else given over to the enemy is England
prepared to meet the storm ? I think not. I think
she would grow pale and tremble. I think she would
temporise, and compromise, and be like King John
in the presence of the Pope's Legate. Would that
I could think otherwise. Would that I could
think that she would humble herself before God, and
confess, and seek unto His mercies. But I dare not
458 CONCLUSION.
hope that she would. She would temporise probably,
and consent, perhaps, to join in a Latin league, and
to sacrifice Italy or anything else, if only she could
secure her own material prosperity. But would God
allow this ? I do not prophesy. I merely make
suggestions which may, perhaps, prove altogether
vain : but certainly it is not impossible that the arm
of Germany, aided perhaps by Russia, might again
be strengthened to smite the western Latin nations
(should they combine in an avowed or virtual
Catholic league) with a blow more terrible than has
ever fallen on them since they shared in the desola-
tions that accompanied the fall of Imperial Rome.
I do not say that it will be so. It may be quite
otherwise. The sources from which calamity may
appear likely to spring, are not always those from
which it does spring. Possibly, no desolation may
at present come. But when conscience tells us that
chastisement is deserved, and when there is no hu-
miliation or repentance, every cloud that appears on
the horizon may well be dreaded as the precursor of
a tempest of ruin. It may be, however, that no
storm will at present break. It may be that the
dangers of a Latin league may be escaped. Austria,
Prussia* and Italy may be allowed to consolidate
* Austria, it must be remembered, is not internally strong,
and more territorial changes impend over her than over any
other country of the western Roman world. Prussia has to
dread internal agitations, and this the Jesuits know. If
England was to sustain the joint action of these three powers
with all her influence (and that not on the ground of mere
CONCLUSION. 459
their strength and act in concord, and become for a
time the guardians of the tranquillity of Western
Europe. In that case, probably, the smooth-tongued
but godless Latitudinarianisrn (which the political
section of the Nonconformists have done so much
to cherish) may quietly and rapidly advance under
the fostering hand of England Rome herself sub-
mitting to be borne onward by a tide which she will
find herself powerless to resist. In that case, great
but godless prosperity (morally more to be dreaded
than desolation) may be allowed to lull England
into a slumber of death from which she will not
awake until, with the other Roman nations, she
meets, at Armageddon, "the great and terrible
day of the Lord." On the other hand, it may
be that the Latin nations (of which England is
one) may, after an effort to regain a mediaeval
position, succumb either to external enemies or
to internal faction, and fall, so as for the final
arrangements of the Roman World to emerge out of
a chaos of previous ruin. It is certainly possible
(though I will not say probable) that Egypt and
the Eastern nations of the Roman world, aided by
the intelligence and energy of the Jew and the
Greek, may be the actual constructors of the great
expediency, but for the sake of the Bible and in the fear of
God) there might be stronger reason of hope. But does
England ever act now except on the ground of expediency ?
It is to be hoped that Rome will not bribe England, nor act
on her through the idiosyncrasies of her ministers or the
religious recklessness of liberalism.
460 CONCLUSION.
Babylonian system of Latitudinarianism that is to
be ; and that, by means of it, the Latin nations of the
West may be revived after they have been smitten
and crushed for a season into decrepitude. Time
only will show whether the Eastern countries of the
Roman World are from the present moment onward,
steadily to advance in civilization and strength under
the tutelage of the Latin nations of the West ; or
whether the West is first to be smitten, and after-
ward to be revived by influences from the East ; or
thirdly, whether (through Russia, Prussia, or other
agencies) all the Roman nations, Eastern and West-
ern, (rraa-a 17 oiKovpevrj) are to be smitten down first,
and afterward to be revived by agencies not at the
present moment to be discerned. Time will deter-
mine these questions, and will, in all probability,
soon determine them. Whenever hardened and
unbelieving Israel are permitted to re-gather them-
selves to Jerusalem, and begin there to act as a
recognised nation, the end will be nigh, and we shall
be able to trace the steps by which that end will be
reached with a definiteness and precision that is
impossible now : for, as I have elsewhere said,
historic prophecy (that is, such prophecy as treats of
dates, personages, specific localities and the like)
is suspended during the time of Israel's national
extinction. Scripture is silent as to the history of
the nations during the time of Jerusalem's desola-
tion; but when Jerusalem nationally re- appears, the
long interrupted course of historic narration will be
resumed, and we shall be enabled definitely to
CONCLUSION. 461
trace the steps by which the consummation is to be
attained. In the meanwhile let all who fear God
endeavour to read aright the signs of this awful
hour. Evidently there is no repentance, no humi-
liation or confession, or calling upon God whose
mercies fail not.
But it may be said, "Is Protestantism guilt-
less?" "Has Protestantism no stains?" In an-
swering that question we have to distinguish be-
tween false Protestantism and true. I acknowledge
with shame that there are many bearing the name
of "Protestant" whose worldliness, godlessness,
licentiousness and covetousness, would bring re-
proach on Mohammedanism or Paganism. If there
had not been, within the circle of nominal Pro-
testantism, an apostasy from the principles of true
Protestantism, Romanism would not have attained
its present triumph in England. I do not vindi-
cate nominal Protestantism : I do not say that even
true Protestants are blameless. On the contrary,
I acknowledge that our sins have been many and
great, needing the deepest humiliation and con-
fession. Nevertheless, the acknowledgment which
true Protestantism has ever made of Holy Scrip-
ture, as the one sole depository of God's Truth among
men, gives to Protestantism a position which never
can be held either by Romanism, or any other
system that denies the sole and paramount authority
of the Word of God. Protestantism may have
failed, and has failed, in carrying out the princi-
ples of Scripture ; but it has not avowedly rejected or
462 CONCLUSION.
neutralised the authority of Scripture. It has not
set Tradition on the throne. In a word, it has
not avowedly dethroned God and enthroned Man. *
* Let anyone read the following citations (which I copy
as given in " The Armoury" of September, 1873), and say
whether my language is too strong :
EXTRACT from the " Confessio Romano-Catholica in Hungar&
Evangelicis public! prsescripta et proposita."
" IV. We confess that whatsoever new thing the Pope of
Rome may have instituted (quicquid Papa inslituerit
novij, whether it be in Scripture or out of Scripture,
is true, divine, and salvific ; and therefore ought to be
regarded as of higher value by lay people than the
precepts of the living God (ideoque a laicis majoris
cestimari debere Dei Vivi prceceptis).
* # # * *
" XI. We confess that the Pope has the power of altering
Scripture, or increasing and diminishing it, according
to his will.
* *
" XXI. We confess that Holy Scripture is imperfect, and a
dead letter, until it is explained by the Supreme
Pontiff, and permitted by him to be read by lay
people."
(Libri Symbolici Ecclesise [Romano-] Catholicse, editi a
Streitwolf [a Romanist]. Getting. 1838, Tom. ii. p.
343.)
"The Scriptures are not the foundations of the Catholic
faith." (Cardinal Pallavicini's History of the Council
of Trent ; vi. cap. 19, n. 7.)
" Tradition is the foundation of the Scriptures, and sur-
passes them." (Card. Baronius : Annal. an. Iviii. No. 11.)
" The Scriptures without the traditions are neither abso-
lutely necessary, nor are they sufficient." (Card. Bellar-
mine, " De Verbo Dei" lib. iv., cap. 4.)
CONCLUSION. 463
Protestantism, therefore, has in it a germ of life,
a ' principle of recovery. It has a sound basis on
which to build ; a lamp to guide the steps of its
repentance. But when the one light is quenched, as
it is quenched both by Borne and by Neology, what
can there be but hopelessness ?
Protestantism has greatly failed in tacitly, if not
avowedly, accepting some of those perversions of
Truth on which Ecclesiasticism, both in the East
and in the West, has based its system. For exam-
ple, Rome pertinaciously maintains that a promise
of standing indefectibly, as the corporate witness of
Truth unto the end, has been made by God to the
visible Church of the present dispensation. This
statement Protestantism should have strenuously
resisted. No promise of indefectible standing in the
earth has been made to the visible Church of this
dispensation. On the contrary, the Scripture has
explicitly declared that the place of testimony to
Christ's truth, professedly held by Gentile Chris-
tendom, would through disobedience and sin be
forfeited. The Gentile olive branch has not " con-
tinued in God's goodness," therefore it is to be
" broken off." See Rom. xi.
Protestants would not have dallied with or tole-
rated the doctrine of " development " in any of its
forms, if they had given heed to that which Scripture
teaches respecting the advance of evil in this dis-
pensation. "This know, that in the last days
perilous times shall come." The " development " of
this dispensation is development of evil, not of good.
464 CONCLUSION.
Where there is most of augmentation, there will be
found most of corruption. In a dispensation that is
to be marked by retrogression and departure from
the Truth, the way that leadeth to destruction must
be broad ; the way that leadeth unto life must be
narrow. " Fear not, little flock." Truth is not now
with the many, but with the few. Under such cir-
cumstances, " Catholicity " cannot be the mark of
those who follow God : it must be the mark of those
who follow Satan. *
There is, indeed, to be a dispensation in which
Truth will prevail. After the Lord shall have re-
turned in glory and smitten the unrepentant evil of
earth, and when He shall have bound Satan and
converted Israel, and made Jerusalem the centre of
light, legislation and government to the whole earth,
and when visible glory shall rest on Zion, and when
Christ, without quitting the sphere of His glory
above the heavens, " shall reign in Mount Zion and
in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously "
when these things shall have been accomplished,
* Christ has indeed promised that He would be with His
Apostles " alway even to the end of the age ;" and He is not
unfaithful to His promise. The Apostles, by their inspired
writings contained in Holy Scripture, continue to testify even
" to the uttermost parts of the earth," and Christ sanctions
and blesses that testimony. In promising to bless the
Apostles in their testimonies, the Lord has, by implication,
promised to bless all who accept and aid in maintaining those
testimonies ; but He has not promised to bless any who de-
part from the Apostles' doctrine and open up strange paths
for themselves.
CONCLUSION. 465
then indeed there shall be Catholicity, and unity,
and indefectibility, and the visible Church shall
be guided by and be obedient to an infallible
Head that Head being One who " shall sit as a
Priest upon his throne/' for He shall be Melchi-
sedec, a Priest-King, and by His hands all things
in earth as well as heaven, shall be controlled.
Rome rightly says that there can be nothing in
earth so precious as God's Truth, and that conse-
quently, secular power ought to be in all things its
servant. Rome errs not in saying that the world
can never be truly blessed until there be a supreme
central authority established by God, before which
all nations and kings must bow. Rome errs not
in asserting such abstract truths as these ; they
are mere truisms. Rome's sin consists in her false
application of these truths. That place of indefectible
catholic testimony and of supremacy in the earth
which Rome arrogates to herself, is not intended
for her, or for any other body in this Dispensation
of failure, corruption, and sin. It is reserved for
another people in another Dispensation. Rome seeks
to clothe her polluted self with those garments of
honour that belong to repentant and forgiven Jeru-
salem that holy City, which shall indeed be the
City of the great King. " They shall call thee the
city of the Lord, the Zion of the holy One of Israel.
Violence shall no more be heard in thy
land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders ;
but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy
gates Praise Thy people also shall be all
H H
466 CONCLUSION.
righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the
branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that
I may be glorified. A little one shall become a
thousand, and a small one a strong nation : I the
Lord will hasten it in his time." Here, at last, will
be seen indefectibility. The banner of truth, en-
trusted in the next Dispensation to the hands of
Israel, will not be dishonoured by them, or betrayed
into the hand of the enemy. The place of testimony
assigned to Israel will be maintained by them sted-
fastly unto the end.
Ecclesiasticism has ever struggled to annihilate
the future of Israel. One of the first watchwords of
the Anglican party in Oxford, was a declaration
that Israel had for ever forfeited their promised
blessings, and that those blessings were transferred
to the present Gentile body that is to say, to all
those who were gathered into the holy unity of
Catholicity by the mystic virtue of Apostolic suc-
cession. In vain the Scripture, speaking of Israel,
says, "To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the
glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law ?
and the service of God, and the PROMISES.''
" No, the promises do not pertain to Israel, they
pertain to us," say Rome and her votaries. The
cankered Gentile olive-branch that is about to be
cut off under judgment, boasts itself against that
natural branch which is soon to be graffed back into
its own olive-tree. Read the Catechism of Pope
Pius IY. See how Rome appropriates to herself
the promises of Israel there. The false use made of
CONCLUSION. 467
Millennial Scripture in that Catechism gives to it a
plausibility which otherwise it would utterly lack.
Pure falsehood is dangerous, but false applications of
truth are not less dangerous. Men are soon spell-
bound by the voice of the flatterer. No instrument
of deception is more potent than that. They soon
learn to say, " The Temple of the Lord, the Temple
of the Lord are WE." We are the Zion of God.
The Law of the Lord is to go forth from us. " Kings
are to be our nursing fathers, and their queens our
nursing mothers/' " To us shall it come, even the
first dominion." (Micah iv. 8.) Such is the cry of
the would-be mistress of Gentile Christendom, and
of those who bow down to her. They willingly
forget that it is not appointed to the people of God
in this Dispensation to reign at all, much less to
reign as Zion. The garb of the true Church now
is that of Nazareth. Its right home is Bethany
the house of the poor and afflicted one. Did the
Apostles desire to reign as kings ? Were they
not as "the filth of the world the oflscouring
of all things " ? To reign now is the token of
apostasy, not of blessing. Caesar held the sceptre
of earth, and that by God's appointment; Paul
had it not. The "morning without clouds" must
rise upon this dark earth before that new Dispensa-
tion conies, in which Truth and its servants are to
reign. But men whose chief object is their own
exaltation, and who say that in exalting themselves
they exalt God, care not about thoughts like these.
A heart loving to be deceived is quickly satisfied ;
468 CONCLUSION.
it will soon learn to feed on ashes, and declare that
it is feeding on the finest of the wheat.
I cannot deny that great guilt attaches even to
true Protestantism, in that it has not guarded, as it
should have guarded, the future of Israel ; and has
not distinguished, as it should have distinguished,
the present from the coming Dispensation. Pro-
testantism has not (as it should have done) wrested
the Millennial promises from the grasp of Rome,
and shown their right interpretation. Protestantism
has often sanctioned the ascription of Millennial
promises to men in the present Dispensation; and
not unfrequently, in rejecting false applications of
truth has, in rejecting the application, rejected also
the truth. The character of this Dispensation, both
as to its course and as to its close, and the character
of the Dispensation that is to be, have often been as
much ignored by Protestantism as by Popery ; nor
even yet has the depth of the error been recognised,
or its guilt acknowledged.
Protestantism was not, as the Apostolic Church
was, perfect in constitution, government and laws,
when it first appeared. The Protestants were men
who had, through the help of God, struggled out of
depths of darkness in which they had been buried.
An eye that has long been accustomed to darkness
is slow to bear the effulgence of light. Moreover, in
withdrawing from evil, we are far more ready- to
judge of our progress by estimating our distance from
the evil we are retiring from, than by ascertaining
the nearness of our approximation to the good that
CONCLUSION. 469
should be attained. Light very gradually dawned
on the Reformers. There was much personal weak-
ness, slender unity, many and threatening dangers
dangers before which a stouter heart than that of
Melancthon might well have quailed. Under such
circumstances to trust only in Gfod was very hard.
It was very hard practically to recognise in their
ecclesiastical arrangements that Christ was He who
held the symbolic stars, that is, the ministry of the
Churches, in His own right hand, and that He only
could give evangelists and pastors and teachers, and
that we* cannot create them for ourselves. Have we
not to acknowledge that Protestantism, finding it
hard to wait, whilst the urgency was great, yielded,
and began, and that extensively, to supply to itself
ministers, and to commission those whom God had
not commissioned.
Again, it was hard for the early Protestants, when
they found the mighty strength of Popery, then
dominant in Western Europe, arrayed against them
and ready to devour, it was hard for them to look
only to Him who, having govermnentally "the
Seven Spirits of God," was able to strengthen them
against every danger, and who did, for that very
purpose, propose Himself to them as the one and only
right object of their confidence. To trust only in
God in the practical circumstances of life is not easy,
especially when aid from other sources is available.
Aid was proffered from other quarters. Secular power
in some countries was not unwilling to throw over
Protestantism its shield: but then, Protestantism
470 CONCLUSION.
had to pay a price for the protection, and that price
was the acceptance of certain fetters, which, more or
less, prevented unrestricted freedom of service being
rendered to Christ alone. It is not too much to
assert, that if the Protestants had duly meditated on
the seventh chapter of Daniel, and had thence
formed their estimate of the course and end of secu-
lar power in the present Dispensation, they would
have discerned the snare prepared for their steps,
and refused a protection purchased at such a price.
The great preservative principle of true Protes-
tantism must ever be separation from evil, and
separation unto God separation unto God involving
obedience to His written Word, for by that Word
He guides those whom He separates. Separation
from evil has ever been the great principle of God.
God separated Israel from Egypt. A few months
passed ; Israel apostatised, worshipped the idol
which themselves had made, and a second separa-
tion was needful. " Moses took the tabernacle, and
pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp,
and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And it came to pass, that every one which sought
the Lord, went out unto the tabernacle of the con-
gregation, which was without the camp," .... and
there " the Lord talked with Moses." (See Exodus
xxxiii. 7 9.) An analogous place was assumed, and
rightly assumed by Protestantism at the Reformation.
By separating from idolatrous Christendom, and
going without its camp, Protestantism proclaimed
its conviction that they from whom it separated, were
CONCLUSION. 471
in active rebellion against God. Therefore, con-
science towards God, and obedience to His Word,
compelled Protestantism to assume a new position.
Evidently, its prosperity in that new position must
depend on the fidelity of its adherence to the Scrip-
ture. If it owns only it, and seeks so far as circum-
stances allow, to obey it t there will be blessing ; if
not, confusion and woe.
I say, " so far as circumstances allow," because it
is a dangerous delusion to suppose that, the moment
we begin to retire from the worldliness and
corruptions around us, we shall find ourselves
capable of holding the same place as the Church of
God once held whilst it retained its unity and its
government and its order, and was recognised by
God as being " the pillar and ground " of Truth.
Lengthened sickness entails decrepitude, and from
decrepitude we cannot expect the energies of health.
Nor is it expedient that they who have enfeebled
themselves by their disobedience should be exempted
from proving some of the consequences of their
sin. Did Hezekiah, and Haggai, and Nehemiah find
strength in the repentant remnants of Israel, which
were gathered around their respective leaderships,
or did they find weakness ? Even Hezekiah,
(though the weakness of Israel was not then
developed to the same extent as subsequently)
even Hezekiah was obliged to say, " The good Lord
pardon every one that prepareth his heart to
seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though
he be not cleansed according to the purification
472 CONCLUSION.
of the Sanctuary." Blessed words : and they were
heard and answered. (See 2 Chron. xxx. 18.) In
the book of Nehemiah too, we read that when
the remnant who were under his guidance were
gathered to hear the long neglected book of God
read and expounded in their ears, they " wept ;"
" all the people wept when they heard the words of
the law." (Neh. viii. 9.) Till then they did not
know the extent of their departure from the ways of
God ; nor did they till then become acquainted with
their weakness, and the consequent enfeeblement of
their ability to obey aright. Therefore they wept.
Their tears were not feigned tears ; their humiliation
and contrition was sincere ; therefore they were
comforted : " Weep not ; let joy in Jehovah be
your strength." God can prepare a way for the
steps of those who are weak, as well as for the steps
of those who are strong ; and obedience to Him is in
walking, not in some high path that is nut proposed
to us, but in that path that is proposed to us by Him
as the path specifically suited to our condition.
There are circumstances in which the first step in
the path of obedience is confession confession of
our past failure and of our present weakness, and our
ill-desert and incapacity. The remnant of Israel in
the days of Haggai and Xehemiah were not able to
stand forth in the strength that pertained to their
forefathers in the time of Joshua and David. But
they were not hypocritical. They did not pretend to
a strength which they had not. They took the place
of weakness ; and they found blessing. Are we not
CONCLUSION. 473
weak ? The want of unity that prevails is a sufficient
proof of our weakness. Can any of us pretend to the
primitive order of the Church of God ? Then let us
not be hypocrites. Let us not pretend to be Apostles
when we are not ; nor to be Apostolically ordered
Churches when we are not. A ship-wrecked few
may look back on, and regret the order, and
strength, and stateliness of their once well-officered
and well-appointed ship : but they cannot recreate
that which has ceased to be. If our King should
have supplied us with directions suited to a ship-
wrecked condition, let us use these instructions ; but
let us beware of pretending not to be what we are
shipwrecked.
Ambiguities, says one of the Protestant con-
fessions, are to be avoided in the Church of God.
There should be no doubtful sounds there. " If
the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall
prepare himself for the battle ?" (1 Cor. xiv. 8.)
The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of unity ; and He
dwells in every believer, however feeble. We ought
therefore " to speak the same thing : " we ought to be
" perfectly joined together in unity of mind and
of judgment." This the Scripture requires. (See
1 Cor. i. 10.) But are we this? And why not?
Because by insubjection of thought, and insubjection
of deed, we have in manifold ways grieved the
Spirit of God, and we are chastened. It is an hum-
bling fact to confess, (but it is true,) that if all the
servants of Christ now on earth could be gathered
together, we should find neither unity of thought,
474 CONCLUSION.
nor unity of testimony. Scarcely ten would intelli-
gently agree together in their explication of the
Scriptures of Truth.
Protestantism has had great and distinctive
blessings, and through its agency thousands have
been saved : for true Protestantism has pointed to
Christ, not to the Church, as the Ark : it has not
directed to an unreal refuge. Nevertheless, the
history even of true Protestantism is not one that
can be reflected on without sorrow. During the
reign of Elizabeth, and of the Stuarts, and even
during the Commonwealth when great liberty was
accorded to the action of many true Christians; and
also, in more modern days, when Christian Libe-
ralism has been allowed to develop its plans, many
a scheme has been formed and many a deed done,
which would not bear the test of God's Holy Word.
We are not to entice, much less to coerce or force
the unconverted world within that holy circle which
God has drawn around them that believe, and
around them only. We are not to draw the sword
even for the defence of Truth. Those who, for such
a reason, draw the sword, are to perish by it. God
will not permit His Truth to be sustained by
violence. We may and should, when we have
opportunity, reason with, entreat and instruct our
Rulers ; but we are not to threaten, nor to revile.
We have to remember Paul before Agrippa. We
are not so to separate between our official and our
individual positions as to imagine that we are
justified in doing officially that which we should
CONCLUSION. 475
regard as sin, if done by us individually. We are
not to form Jehoshaphat-like alliances with the
enemies of God. We are not to confound between
that sphere of action which God has appointed to
the World, and that which he has appointed to the
Church of Christ. The name of " Caesar " is written
over the one sphere : the name of Christ over the
other. We are not to act as if the foundations of
all things were not "out of course;" or as if they
could be righted until Satan shall have been bound
and the sovereignty of the world shall have become
that of Jehovah and His Christ. Protestantism
would have avoided many a pitfall if it had given
heed to that steady and abiding light (the light of
Prophecy) which God has sent " to shine in a dark
place " a place not only dark, but which is to wax
darker and darker, until the " morning without
clouds " shall suddenly arise upon it and abolish its
darkness for ever. But this light, so precious and
so necessary, Satan buried. At the commencement
of the present century, Israel's and the earth's pro-
spects, both in the present and in the coming Dis-
pensation, were hidden from the eyes of God's own
people. An impenetrable cloud rested upon the
future. The operations of Satan, and the operations
of God were alike hidden. But God, in undeserved
mercy, pitied our condition. Just at the very
moment when Sacerdotalism on the one hand, and
Neology on the other, were about to gather up their
strength for their onslaught on the Word of God,
and when, consequently, God's servants required,
476 CONCLUSION.
more than ever, to be " girded about with truth,"
the long-hidden light of Prophecy was again un-
veiled. The light thus restored was so clear, and
its value was, by many, so distinctly recognised,
that a new era of blessing seemed to have come.
The Scripture began not only to be searched, but to
be understood ; its various parts became harmonised ;
and many a difficulty that had seemed insuperable
was solved. The coming glories of Christ and of
His people, both in Heaven and in earth, began to
be apprehended according to the Scriptures. Har-
mony of thought, and consequent unity of testimony,
seemed to be no longer hopeless. It was a, bright
and cheering prospect ; but the brightness was soon,
very soon, dimmed. The ray of heavenly light that
had visited us from above, encountered the obstruc-
tions of our darkness, and it has now become
quenched, or else distorted. According to one
system of interpretation extensively accepted in this
country, that holy and heavenly vision in the
Revelation, where some are seen "standing on a
sea of glass mingled with fire, and singing the song
of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb " a vision that belongs only to the saints in
glory, and is too holy to be interpreted of any whilst
yet militant on earth this vision is supposed, by the
system to which I refer, to be the expression, on the
part of God, of His estimate of the present condition
of England careless, latitudinarianised, apostatising
England. "If our light be turned into darkness,
how great is that darkness!" The history of the
CONCLUSION. 477
manner in which revived prophetic Truth has been
treated, during the last forty years, adds another
dark page to the history of Christianity. Some
have despised and rejected it ; others have darkened
and perverted it; whilst they who have received,
and (to a certain extent) welcomed it, have used it
with a Laodicean lukewarmness, or with an unap-
preciating carelessness that has too clearly shown
that we have no real estimate either of its holiness,
or of its exceeding great preciousness. " Be ye
clean that bear the vessels of the Lord," " Come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will
receive you and be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty." There is no truth more holy than
prophetic truth, none that requires for its use more
personal, practical separation unto God. Have we
thus used it ? Is there not need of deep humiliation
and contrition, and repentance, amongst us all ?
A kind of sceptical hopelessness as to the pos-
sibility of attaining clear and certain views of
revealed Truth, seems to pervade even the true
people of God. Doubtfulness, and division of senti-
ment appear to be accepted as a normal and necessary
condition. Unity, if anywhere found, is a mere
apparent unity based on compromise; or else, if
there be not compromise, it is a unity not in the
service of the Truth, but in the service of some patent
error. Not a few, recognising these things, say,
" The foundations of all things are hopelessly out of
478 CONCLUSION.
course" and they sit down despairingly, or else
seek in philanthropic or evangelistic efforts to avoid
the danger of absolute inactivity. It is right to be
philanthropic, and right to evangelise; but it is not
right by such efforts to seek to silence our con-
sciences, and to make amends for our neglect of the
Word of God. Yet, sorrowful and discouraging as
the aspect is, we must not forget that the arm of
the Shepherd of Israel "is not shortened that it
cannot save, nor is His ear heavy that it cannot
hear." If there were humiliation and an earnest
cry unto Him that He would be pleased to send
forth the power of His Spirit and give, repentance
to His people, and that He would grant them
"eye-salve" that they might better know themselves
and Him in the ways of His power and of His
grace, and become instructed in that which is
written in His holy Word, and so be led into unity
of faith and knowledge if believers would pray for
these things as earnestly as they pray for other
blessings which they regard as more immediately
affecting themselves, we should soon see the present
aspect of Christianity alter. Teachers would be
raised up to unfold what is written in the Scripture,
and the trumpet would cease to give an uncertain
sound. Mariners may have great energy, and acti-
vity, and courage, but what if they have no chart,
or compass, or use them not? What if there be
one at the helm who thinks that he can steer safely
and well, though chart and compass be laid aside ?
We might recognise the daring of such a man, but
CONCLUSION. 479
should we deem such daring to be true courage, or
anticipate for the bark guided by such a pilot
anything save disaster and ruin ?
If we judge from present appearances, we, in this
generation, have, I fear, little to expect save dis-
aster. The tide of Truth seems fast ebbing ; its
channels are being dried up ; and God's people will,
sooner or later, find their little barks stranded.
They will discover at last, that faithful, efficient
service to God cannot be maintained apart from the
diligent and prayerful use of revealed Truth. We
cannot wonder if they who have attempted to serve
without it, should be allowed to prove the futility of
the effort, and be caused to find, by bitter expe-
rience, that in forsaking the light and guidance of
God's Word they have forsaken His guidance.
" Some of them of understanding shall fall, to try
them, and to purge, and to make them white, even
to the time of the end : because it is yet for a time
appointed." (Dan. xi. 35.)
Blessed will be that day when some among God's
people shall discover that they have, as God's priests
(for all believers are priests), defiled their priestly
garments, and walked (although His servants) care-
lessly and disobediently in many things. When
they shall discover this, and shall humble them-
selves, and shall cry earnestly to God that He would
be pleased to do for them what He did for Joshua
(see Zech. iii.), will God refuse to hear ? Will He
not take away their defiled priestly garments, and
clothe them with change of raiment, and give to
480 CONCLUSION.
them again a place of honoured and efficient
service honoured in His sight, though by men
rejected and despised? God can show riches of
grace towards His people, when, after having sinned
as His servants, they again turn back unto His
mercies. He can meet them in the same fulness of
grace in which He received them at the first, when
they came to Him clothed in the filthiness of their
own natural corruption. He will never " break the
bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax." Wher-
ever there is contrition and repentance, He will
cause mercy to rejoice against judgment, and He
will not upbraid with the past.
Nor is there any action of grace more blessed than
that which restores and welcomes back the servants
of God, after they have wandered and returned.
"If thy people," said Solomon, "sin against thee
(for there is no man which sinneth not), and thou
be angry with them, and deliver them over before
their enemies, and they carry them away captives,
unto a land far off or near, yet if they bethink
themselves an'd turn and pray unto thee
saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss and
have dealt wickedly then hear thou from the
heavens, even from thy dwelling-place, their prayer
and their supplications, and maintain their cause,
and forgive thy people which have sinned against
thee." (2 Chron. vi. 36.) It will be a blessed hour
when the true Church, or a remnant amongst them,
shall remember these words of Solomon. We have
indeed no visible Temple, or Priest, or Sacrifice.
CONCLUSION. 481
" "We walk by faith, not by sight." But we have an
unseen Temple, filled for ever with the fragrance of
a sacrifice once offered, and we have an unseen
Priest who "ever liveth to make intercession for
those who come unto God by Him." When the
Church, or a remnant in it, shall discern how far
they have wandered from the Word of God, and
how little they have apprehended its truths, and
shall recognise how they have individually as well
as corporately failed ; and shall, with humbled and
chastened hearts, turn to the unseen Temple, and
Sacrifice, and Priest, and say, " We have sinned
and committed iniquity, and have rebelled even by
departing from thy precepts and from thy judg-
ments/' we cannot doubt that they will abundantly
prove the sweetness and preciousness of restoring
grace that grace which, without upbraiding, brings
back to the justly forfeited place of blessing, and
wipes away tears that might justly be allowed to
flow on for ever. " Who is a God like unto thee,
that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the trans-
gression of the remnant of His heritage? He
retaineth not His anger for ever, because He
delighteth in mercy." (Micah vii. 18.)
A full, uncompromising, faithful testimony to
God's Truth as revealed in Holy Scripture will most
certainly be borne by some (they may, perhaps, be
but a few, converted, for the most part, out of Israel),
before the present Dispensation closes. If not, we
should not read in the Revelation such words as
these : " Here is the patience of the saints : here are
482 CONCLUSION.
they that keep the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus." (Rev. xiv. 12.) And again, " They
overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony ; and they loved
not their lives unto the death." (Rev. xii. 11.) These
are they of whom Daniel speaks, as " understanding
ones," who, after having been chastened through
some "fall" (the nature of which is not described)
whereby they are to be " tried," and " purged/' and
" made white " (see Dan. xi. 35), will stand forth as
God's honoured servants, just when Antichrist is
about to attain the climax of his power, and will
give a testimony the like to which has not been
since the era of Apostolic Christianity closed. They
will have read aright the lessons of the past ; they
will understand God's Word, and therefore will see
clearly into the future. Their words will be as
words of fiery rebuke against the corruptions with
which Ecclesiasticism and Latitudinarianism will
have overspread the nations ; and men, though they
may gnash with their teeth, will in their consciences
tremble. The manner in which this testimony is
raged against by Satan, on whose head the diadems
of the Ten Kingdoms are in the vision seen, and
the commendation which by voices in Heaven is
bestowed on those who bear that testimony, is a
sufficient evidence of its power. When the servants
of God are feeble, Satan raises no storm against
them, nor does God commend.
The period at which these last servants of Christ
will testify, will be a marvellous one. Man as man
CONCLUSION. 483
will have been tried ; Israel will have been tried ;
Christendom will have been tried ; and they will all
have been found wanting. Lawlessness and trans-
gression will have ripened, and will have well nigh
attained the maturity of their appointed growth.
The places, the individuals, the principles, and the
circumstances which God, through His Apostles and
Prophets, has definitely described as the signs of the
time of the end, will be fully manifested then.
Those servants of Christ of whom I speak as ap-
pointed to bear the closing testimony, will view the
scene around them with understanding and chastened
hearts. They will not deem " the Harlot," or " the
Beast " to have run their course, or to have waxed
feeble, for they will see both standing before them
in the developed plenitude of their God-defying
strength. They will not say (as so many now do)
that " the day of the Lamb's wrath " came and
passed when ancient Paganism mouldered in the
days of Constantine. They will not teach that the
vials of wrath have been poured out, or the trumpets
of woe have been sounded. On the contrary, they
will see all these long-threatened, yet long-delayed
plagues, beginning to be accomplished around them
in all the dread reality of their terribleness. The
dream that they have passed and are gone will be
dispelled then; and the equally evil dream that
these plagues belong not to this Dispensation at all,
will be dispelled likewise. They will not say (as
multitudes now do) that prophetic instruction res-
pecting things to be accomplished in the earth,
484 CONCLUSION.
forms no part of the lesson intended for the Church
of God. They will draw no false distinction
between Judceo- Christian Truth and CAwcA-truth,
nor refuse to include under the latter the instruc-
tions of the Lord, and of the Pentecostal Apostles,
and of the Book of the Revelation. They will not
follow the steps of Marcion.* They will not exclude
Abraham, and Daniel, and David, from the Church
of God in glory ; or shut out the millennial saints, or
any believer of any Dispensation from being, finally,
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
They will define the Church in glory, as being a
body chosen in Christ before the world was, and
including all who are redeemed by His blood and
quickened by His Spirit. They will not say that
the Christianity of the next Dispensation is different
from that which now- is ; or teach that there are
" two gospels, two ways, and two ends of salvation."
Instead of assigning to another and future Dis-
pensation, those parts of the Revelation which speak
of the triumphs of the Harlot and the Beast and
of the out-pouring of the vials of God's wrath,
they will see in those visions the exact descrip-
tion of the very circumstances in which they are
themselves serving. They will recognise themselves
as being Members, and honoured Members, of that
one body which Christ hath " purchased by His own
blood," and will know themselves to be sealed by
the One Spirit. As they read the visions of glory
* See doctrines of Marcion considered in "Thoughts on
Parts of Isaiah," page 187.
CONCLUSION. 485
with which the Revelation abounds (all which
visions give different aspects of the glory of the
redeemed) they will see in these visions the de-
scription of the glories, which at an hour that will
have well nigh come, await them ; and not them
only, but all who have hoped in Christ. Their tes-
timonies and their sufferings will be as to kind,
place, and all connected circumstances, exactly
those which the Revelation describes. Their hearts
will burn within them, as they read the description
which God's own hand has written of their own
peculiar history; and they will give Him thanks
and take courage. They will say, We are they who
are getting " the victory over the Beast, and over
his image, and over his mark, and over the num-
ber of his name," and soon we shall stand on the
sea of glass as conquerors, and sing the song of
Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb. (See Rev. xv.) When the day of their con-
flict begins, they will comfort one another, and say,
We are they who are noted in God's Word as over-
coming " by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of our testimony, and as not loving our lives
unto the death;" and soon God will avenge us on
our adversary, and shut him out from accusing us
and our brethren in His presence ; and, yet a little
while longer, and our adversary shall be utterly cut
off, and cease from trampling down God's people,
and God's truth for ever. Whilst their hearts will
be glowing with such thoughts and such expec-
tations, what if any one should tell them that they
486 CONCLUSION.
erred in imagining that they belonged to the
Church of God, for that the first resurrection had
already taken place, that the Church was already
complete and glorified ; and consequently that they
could not be numbered among those of whom it is
written, <c Christ loved the Church and gave him-
self for it, that he might present it unto himself a
glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing; but that it should be holy and with-
out blemish ?" What would they think of those who
should tell them that they must not expect any such
relation to Christ as this, that they must be satis-
fied with a far lower place, and with more distant
love ?
Such words would be to them idle sounds. The
Holy Ghost within them would have made them
consciously to know their "sonship '* and " heirship,"
and to realize the unities of the redeemed "one
body," " one Spirit," " one hope," " one Lord,"
" one faith," " one baptism," " one God and Father
of all/' These unities, secured by the faithfulness
and grace of God, would be too consciously present
to the apprehensions of their souls, for the voice of
any charmer, charm he never so wisely, to prevail
against the certainty of their convictions. The Holy
Ghost will dwell in them, not indeed as a Spirit en-
abling them to work signs and miracles, but as the
Spirit of truth, and holiness, and power, enabling
them to apprehend their calling, and therefore to
defy the terrors of that hour of the concentrated
power of Satan ; and strengthening them to give
CONCLUSION. 487
such a testimony .to the truths of Scripture as has
not been heard since the Apostles ceased to labour.
The voice of prophecy, rising, as it were, out of the
grave, will through them be again heard, and that
with close, clear, precise, definite application to the
persons, places, principles, and circumstances that
men will behold palpably present before their eyes.
They will still preach the " Everlasting Gospel,"
for the day of grace vouchsafed to this Dispensation,
will not have ended; but they will also say, " Fear
God and give glory to him, for the hour of his
judgments is come." They will speak of the hour
being close at hand when the axe, long laid at the
root of the trees of this world's greatness, will be
lifted up to give the long-threatened stroke. The
past history of Israel, and of Christendom, and oi
the world generally, with all its varied lessons, will
be vividly present to the apprehensions of their
souls ; and they will discern and eschew the pitfalls
into which even true* Protestantism has fallen.
* I cannot regard any Protestantism as " true," that does
not unequivocally reject the sacerdotal figment of baptismal
regeneration, and that does not regard the bread and the
wine in the Lord's Supper as simply symbolic. They are
symbolic of an absent and past event, namely, the once-made
sacrificial oblation on the cross, of the holy body of Christ
whilst yet in the flesh. That hour is past. Though we once
knew Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him
[so] no more. The symbolic bread and wine point exclusively
to the body of His flesh, once broken for us, and not to any
relation to us of that glorified and spiritual body which He
now hath above the Heavens. This alone is sufficient to
show that the supposition of the presence of His body and
488 CONCLUSION.
No wonder that Satan's servants should tremble
before a testimony like this. The Reformation was
local ; its early adherents few ; yet still it made
the ecclesiasticised and idolatrous nations of Western
Europe tremble. The voice of one man shook Scot-
land. Much more will this coming testimony, which
will be less divided, less localised (for it will pene-
trate Israel, and all the kingdoms of the Roman
World), arouse and anger the nations. For it to
prevail, would be for all that they love to perish.
They will loathe it therefore with an intensity of
hatred. Acting together with a dread concurrency
of action which Satan has never yet been able to
bestow, but which he will then be permitted to give
to the Ten Kingdoms of the Roman World, they,
instigated and guided by him, will put forth their
united confederate strength to quench this last testi-
mony to grace and truth, and they will quench it that
is to say, they will take from the beacon-light which
God's mercy had kindled, its concentration, and will
scatter the light, and employ themselves in pursuing
blood in any sense whatever at the celebration of the Supper
is false and indeed heretical. It diverts the soul from that
one especial aspect of truth which it is the object of the
Lord's Supper to present, namely, the benefits that flow from
the past, once-offered and finished SACRIFICE. As to
"baptismal regeneration" it is undoubtedly true, as one of the
Papist Bishops, that burned our English martyrs, said, that
baptismal regeneration and the doctrine of justification by
faith cannot stand together. If one be true, the other must
be false.
.; y . CONCLUSION. 489
its fragments, and in stamping out, so far as they
can, each one of its fugitive sparks. The Harlot of
Babylon will drink herself drunk with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus ; and when that city of Lati-
tudinarian Antichristianism gives place to despotic
Antichristianism, Antichrist will take up her work,
and cause that all who refuse to worship him should
be killed. The nations over whom Satan reigns
will triumph, and greatly rejoice, as they see the
light of God's truth extinguished, and His servants
crushed. But there will be other and deeper joy in
the hearts of the crushed ones, and their joy will
abide for ever. They will have heard with the ear
of faith the words that have been spoken respecting
them in Heaven "They overcame him [the Ac-
cuser] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto
the death ; " and they will remember the promises
that are made in the Psalms and in the Prophets to
the "afflicted and crushed ones;" and they will
know that the hour of their deliverance is nigh, and
they will feel that Christ is glorifying Himself in
them therefore they will rejoice " with joy un-
speakable, and full of glory."
Will any say, These things, even if true, are
future, how do they concern us ? I reply, the Church
of God is one, and what concerns it, concerns us.
But apart from this ; although Babylon is not yet
formed, and Antichrist is not yet come, yet are not
the principles that will make Babylon and Anti-
christ what they will be, working latently but
490 CONCLUSION.
energetically all around us ? We may be very sure
of this that there is not one system upon earth
that men look on as influential and potent, that is
not, more or less, helping on the progress of society
to that hour of darkness and apostasy which the
Revelation describes. Must we wait until we see
everything palpably demonstrated to the eye before
we give heed to the warnings of God in the
Scripture respecting the character of the closing
hour? Are there no such things as embryo prin-
ciples, having in them all that essentiality of evil,
which development may expand, but does not
increase ? Can we see nothing with the eye of
faith? Are the descriptions which the Prophets
have given touching the closing scene useless,
because the hour of exact fulfilment is not yet fully
come? It is not thus that faith reads the Scrip-
tures. It detects the principles of Babylon where it
sees no Babylon, and watches, and warns, and testi-
fies accordingly. It sows beforehand the very seeds
and directs to the selfsame paths that will be culti-
vated and prized by those who shall overcome " by
the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony" in that yet future hour when the Enemy
shall come in as a flood. Though we lack their grace,
and faithfulness, and vigour, yet there may be a
certain identification with them in principle, and
feeling, and desire, and such identification is not
without its honour. It is not valueless in God's
sight. On the other hand, if we despise the voice
that comes from Patmos, ratifying and confirming
CONCLUSION. 491
all that the Prophets had before spoken, what can
we expect but darkness ? Must we not become like
salt that has lost its savour ? We have not to be
wise above what is written, but we cannot be wise
apart from what is written.
CORRIGENDA.
Page 269, line 8, omit inverted commas before " when. Insert
inverted commas before their in next line.
429, 6, for "Spirit" read " spirit."
442, 3, for " hath not seen God," read " hath not God"
469, 17, &fteT -"commissioned," place note of interroga-
tion.
472, 24, for " and our ill-desert" read " and of our ill-
desert"
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