in realms of endless day-more, perhaps, than have been converted since the great apostacy established its rule on earth. Blessed Savior! now ride forth in thy chariot of Salvation, sealing thy servants, and drawing the world unto thyself!

CHAPTER XIII.

WARFARE OF THE WICKED AGAINST THE REDEEMER AND HIS CAUSE.

AMONG the predictions, in the Scriptures, of what is yet to come, are the most plain and abundant assurances, that in the last times the ungodly will be excited in an extraordinary manner against the religion of our Savior-against him and his cause.'

*

The forty-sixth Psalm speaks of a great commotion and gathering against God, and of subsequent judgments, and connects all this with the ending of war. In the thirty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, mention is made of the "armies of all na tions," and of the indignation of the Lord against them. Again, in chapter sixty-six, is described

*The peculiarly violent and active hostility of the corrupt portion of mankind against God and his cause, so plainly foretold, to be manifested just as the present state of things is to close, has been much taken notice of by writers on the prophecies, especially those who write on what is termed the Millennium. Some of them have their treatises much filled with a representation of this, and the subsequent destruction of those vile enemies of all righteousness. See, for instance, Hopkins on the Millennium.

the gathering of nations and tongues, not for any good purpose on their part; for the connection tells of wrath upon them. The 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel are very generally supposed to have reference to this subject. Joel, 3d chapter, is supposed to relate to the same. There is

much reason to believe that the gathering therein mentioned takes place at a late day, from the circumstance that the mystic waters spoken of by Ezekiel, Zechariah and John, are there mentioned. I belive most Christians think that Zechariah, fourteenth chapter, has like reference.Second Thess. chapter 1, unquestionably refers to the excitement and rage of evil men just before the general judgment. It speaks of the righteous retribution upon those who shall then be troubling the saints. To John, as he describes in Revelations, it was given, to see much of this See chapter 11, verse 18; 16, verses 13, 16; 19, verse 19; 20, verses 7-9.

matter.

The hostility to the Lord and his cause of which the description is given in these Scriptures, must be of a very extraordinary character, something far exceeding any ever preceding it. For some reason those enemies to God and righteousness, appear to be all on fire with rage, exasperated to the highest pitch, and desperately bent on the destruction of Christianity. They are represented as planning and conspiring together as associating, and combining in great armies, for carrying on the warfare against hea-. Ezekiel speaks of this combination under the denomination of Gog and Magog, (and like

ven.

wise John,) and as coming in a "great company and a mighty army against the land of Israel that is brought back from the sword;" and so numerous as to be represented under the figure of a vast "cloud to cover the land." Isaiah, Joel and Zechariah mention it as the assembling together of all "nations" for warfare. The Apostle informs us that he saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and his army." And again, "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirit of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and the whole world to gather then to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." He speaks of Satan being at last let loose, to " go out and deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, to gather them together to battle, the number of which is as the sand of the sea. And they went upon the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city."

This opposition to heaven will, of course, in its essence, be Infidelity-a spirit which rejects God. The Scriptures give us to understand that this will be exhibited in a two-fold form. First, that of open, blasphemous Atheism, fearlessly mocking at all things divine and sacred. Within a century or two, a spirit of scepticism has began to manifest itself, as never before, in the increasing disposition to reject the word and authority.

of God. This spirit, though it may seem to have been checked, is by no means dying away. On the contrary, there are symptoms of its reviving with new strength. And it is likely that it will so spread and grow, that near the end of Time, and at the period when the Lord shall appear, the horrid spectacle will be witnessed, of a generation of bold blasphemers, in raging impiety, bidding defiance to the Almighty, repeating over what has already been uttered by men of this class: "No monarch in Heaven! no, thou dost not exist we defy thee!"

Secondly, that of corrupt Christianity. Of this there has already been abundance-men having a form of godliness, yet unbelievers in heart, and licentious in life. Hereafter there is to be a yet greater display of such. The description of them by Paul, Peter and Jude, is striking, and presents a horrid sight, in the depravity of such as in profession belong to the Church. Paul, 2d Thess. 2: 3-12, and 1st Tim. 4: 1, 2, speaks of an apostacy from Christianity, the subjects of which manifest an awful reprobacy of heart, as having their consciences seared as with a hot iron, so as to be incapable of moral feeling, and having pleasure in unrighteousness. This character is represented as a prevalent one at the time of the second advent. What a picture of the same is given by Peter, second epistle, second chapter. And such is to be the horrid state of the world at the latest period of time, when they bring upon themselves "swift destruction"—and what is that but the fiery destruction, "when the Lord Jesus

.

shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on all that know not God and obey not his Gospel?" Jude's description of the same Church apostates, presents them in the same character, and as existing in the earth at the last moment of time-"raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame"-until the hour when the "Lord will come with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly of their ungodly deeds which they have committed, and of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Thus we see a degenerate, corrupt Church, existing in the latter days, even at the time the Judge will come. In these corrupt professors, there will be nothing of Christianity but the name. What will the whole of the character of those professors be, but so much infidelity? Corrupt professors are, at any time, but sceptics at heart, whether they imagine themselves such or not, or however they may be regarded by the world. But frequently they are real infidels, actually holding infidel sentiments, but, from motives of policy, concealing them. So it is known to be among the priesthood, of some divisions especially, of the professed Church at this day. Many of them are at heart deists or atheists, in private sneering at religion. To a great extent the Gallic Church is infidel, and how much better is that of Spain and Italy? And how is it with the Protestants of the European Continent? Once they were in a measure evangelical. But are they not fallen?