USA > Indiana > Indiana Methodism: a series of sketches and incidents grave and humorous concerning preachers and people of the West with an appendix containing personal recollections, public addresses and other miscellany > Part 27
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grating hordes."
This picture is true in general, and it shows the moral and psychological reasons of the final dissolu- tion of the western empire of Rome. In the Chris- tendom of the fifth century, we see something of Paul's great "falling away," and the coming of "the man of sin" in the near future.
The last three of the seven trumpets, are trumpets of woe. As the woeful voices of these trumpets roll forth in thrilling thunders, fiery images of porten- tous import, rush through the ghastly twilight, and chill, of "the dark ages," and shadow forth the grand struggle between Christ and anti-Christ, until "the Captain of our salvation," shall reign without a rival.
At the sound of the fifth and first woes trumpet, figures of terrific prophecy rise up from the black depths of hell and fill the whole scene.
A fallen star from Heaven, the angel of hell, the Hebrew "Abaddon,"the Greek "Apollyon," bearer of the key of hell-given him by the Great Supreme- and king of the error-demons of hell, was seen to darken "the sun and the air," with the smoke of his infernal realm, and to let lose hellish swarms of in- fernals, to hurt,sting, and torment men, during the dark ages.
These mighty armies of infernals, were seen to march through Christendom, "with all the deceive- ableness of unrighteousness,"-human in look,men- like in the dignity of their faces, women-like in the glory and beauty of their hair, and golden crowned victors,-but their basal natures, were devilish and brutal ; for they bit with "the teeth of lions, and stung with the stings of scorpions." God's creations
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are no democratic chaos. He who gave to Satan the key of hell, gave command to his error-demons, "that they should not kill, but torment men ;" but only those men who have not the seal of God.
God is the God of order, in heaven, earth, and hell ; and men who will not be governed by God and his angels, must be governed by the devil and his angels. The horrible picture of Satan and his error-demons, has had ages of history in all Chris- tendom. How have the souls of men been poisoned, hurt, and tormented by the hell-born, infernal,soul- corrupting errors of Papalism,and Mohammedanism, even in times when they did not kill the body ? How has life been made a misery, and death a de- sire, to untold thousands of the profane world, by the hellish lies of these two great systems of error? How has human life been distracted, by the eternal racket, and the infernal noise, made by the error- demons of Romanism and Mohammedanism ? How have men, and the French nation of the past, been driven into atheism, by the stupendous lies of Rome ? But, though we have had a thousand years of darkness, there has been twilight all the time,and now the morn of the Reformation shines forth upon the world. Yet when we look through the "Middle Ages," before the Star of the Reformation, rose up- on the long night of Christendom's sorrow, it is no wonder, that the cherub-"eagle"-not angel, is the adopted reading by all scholars-flew through mid- heaven, crying, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the trumpets of the three angels, which are yet to sound."
At the sound of the sixth and second woe-trumpet,
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strange forms of war-furies, blazing in wrath, cast their predictive shadows upon the scenes of the dark and terrible future. "A voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," where an angel with a golden censer personates Christ, offer- ing clouds of fragrant incense, "with the prayers of all Saints"-this voice cried, "Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates," and the wars of the Christian ages began. The sacred four is the number of universals, and bespeaks the sum total of the wars of the Christian centuries, until "the nations shall learn war no more."
The four angels,shadow forth the universal war- spirits of Christendom, which have filled the world with their deeds of vengeance.
The great river is not the Euphrates of old Baby- lon, but the Euphrates of our new Roman Babylon, "which sitteth upon many waters ;" and we are plainly told, that the waters are "peoples and na- tions."
The war-spirits of the peoples and nations are bound until God's great hour, day, and year shall come ; and when he says "Loose them!" the minis- ters of vengeance spring forth, and divine Justice is seen, in the strange work of judgment.
"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth." At the word "Loose," from the voice of heaven, ten, raised to the seventh power of two-hundred millions of cavalry-ten raised to the seventh power and redu- plicated-to say nothing of the infantry, sprang into the vast field of vision, and fought the bloody wars of the Christian ages. These hundreds of millions were war-demons, and symbols of war-furies, per-
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sonating the countless millions of war-men, that have baptized the earth with blood, through all Christian centuries.
The horsemen were seen with breastplates of dull, smoky, fiery red, with a brimstone hue ; and their lion-headed horses, breathed out fire, smoke and brimstone ; and the serpent-headed tails of their horses, hurt, and poisoned the men of false religions. They are swordless, arrowless war devils, under king Abaddon, Apollyon, Destruction; and their business is, to raise hell on earth, and move war-men to slaughter the devotees of false religionism. The divine voice commissioned them, "to slay the third part of men ;" and in the wars of the ages, there , have been more blessings than woes, and divine mercy has rejoiced over the demands of Justice. But neither the riches of mercy, nor the curses of Justice, in the devastating, impoverishing, demora !- izing, and barbarizing wars of Christendom, have made pagans, and Christians who are virtual pagans repent of their false religions, "their murders, their fornication, and their thefts." Two thirds of the profane world, unsealed of God, though punished by the most infernal wars, have remained wicked ; showing that wars may kill, and demoralize, but they cannot reform men.
In these views of Apocalyptic prophecy, there is no wresting of Scripture, no taking from it, no add- ing to it, no "exegesis run wild," and no ultra-his- torical force work; but an honest comparing of scrip- ture with scripture; of Apocalyptic prophecy with all Bible prophecy ; and an honest comparing of the scenes of prophecy with the scenes of history, Apocalyptic
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prophecy, like prophecy elsewhere in the Scriptures, pictures things to come, as though they were the things of the present or the past ; and some of the pictures we have seen, fit exactly in the frames of history.
When we see the prophetic pictures in their own historic picture-frames, matching each other per- fectly, we feel quite sure, that they were made for one another, by God in prophecy and in history.
As all pictures seen in glasses, and in clear waters, and on the walls of our homes, and in galler- ies of art, are likenesses of real persons and things; so the historic and prophetic images of the Apoca- lypse, picture things that were, and persons and things that are, and that are to come. As persons and things, cast their shadows upon sun- lit grounds; so the historic and prophetic persons and things of our Apocalypse, cast their shadows upon the divine- ly illumined scenes of the past, present and fu- ture.
As in the plain words of prophecy, as well as in all its pictures and shadows, "we see as in a glass darkly," and see and know but in part ; so in all the fulfillments of prophecy in history, while we see and know more, still we see and know but in part ; and only the eternities of heaven and hell, can fill up the grand outlines of prophetic history. Nearly 2000 years of Christian prophecy have gone into history, and while the great masters and scholars may disagree in some things, still their general agreement, on the fulfillments of prophecy in his- tory, is full of assurance. So then, "we have a more sure word of prophecy, to which we do well to give
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heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts."
In the study of prophetic paintings, we must not mistake the pictures, for the picture-frames, or for the reals, or for the occasionals, in the character and rank of the actors in the machinery of the predictive part of the panorama; nor must we put the prophet- ic pictures in wrong historic frames. We must not mistake the enthroned form of the Father, for that God who fills all space.
We must not mistake the slain seven-horned and seven eyed Lamb, for the real form of Christ. WVe must not mistake the seven fires before the throne, that picture but one revealing and purifying Spirit. We must not mistake the occasional forms of the cherubs, for the real forms of these ruling angels. Nor, must we mistake the seven angels, as merely occasional characters in the predictive drama,rather than angels of permanent rank in the divine gov- ernment. As well say, that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,and the twice twelve princely elders, as pict- ured in revealing and predictive scenes, are occa- sional, and not permanent persons of official rank, as to say this of the seven angels, the four cherubs, or of "Michael, one of the chief princes." Nor must we mistake the half hour of silent worship in heaven, nor the five months of the error demons, nor the hour, day, month, and year, of the war-demons, as notes of real time,or of symbol time, and then look in- to actual history, to find the exact length of time indi- cated. All that these time words mean, is, that at the divinely-fixed times and seasons, which the Father has in his own power, the error-demons will spring
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forth to torment men, and the war-demons will dash through the Christian ages, taking vengeance on them that know not God, whether heathen pa- gans or Christian pagans ; but only in the final ov- erthrow of Babylonic Rome, will she be "rewarded even as she rewarded" the martyrs and saints of Jesus, and receive "double" punishment for all her hellish corruptions, and furious persecutions.
Dear Dr. Smith, your epistle with its words of cheer, so welcome to my lonely heart,came to hand. Lonely heart,did I say ? Not alone ; for lo, "Christ is with me always." He shall be magnified in my body, whither by life or death. If Heaven wills, I will send you another paper on the still greater trumpetings, of the seventh angel, with the grand prelude and interludes which distinguish this part of Apocalyptic prophecy.
God bless you, more and more, my manly, gen- erous, and noble friend. Grace, health, and joy to you. Amen.
Yours as ever, J. W. T. MCMULLEN.
VII.
LaFayette, Indiana, May, 2, 1885.
DEAR DR. SMITH :-
I send you another paper. I do this, because I know you have a tender regard, for my feeble think- ing. The old masters, have greatly helped me in
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all my thinking on prophetic themes. I follow no new lights, however learned they may be. The old teachers are the best. Theirs is no ultra-idealism, or ultra-historic realism, in Bible exegesis ; but a Scriptural ideal realism, and thus figure, symbol, and picture, are made to speak sense, and not nonsense.
I trust the view I have given of the eleventh chapter of the Apocalypse-"the cross of interpre- ters"-will give you pleasure. Dr. Whedon, has helped more than all others : yet I venture to give my own thought, even when I differ a little from so great a man. I quote but little; because a man of your reading, does not require it. I simply give you the result of my Apocalyptic studies.
I send you a song of the morning dawn of eter- nity, by a nameless poet. "Why asketh thou the name, seeing it is a secret."
I work hard in the garden and orchard, and write you, a little at a time, morning, noon, and at night. I hope I do not weary you with my words.
We are all quiet in churchly things. The Lord looked on his church once, to see if there was a man among them ; and he wondered that there was no man. There is no man among us, to awaken us, or like the sackcloth witnesses, to "torment" us with their testimony. The Lord send us the dew of the morning, and "the time of refreshing."
Health and peace to you, my glorious friend.
Yours, as ever, J. W. T. MCMULLEN.
P. S. You know how I prize your great ability. Please give me your judgment on the defects of my papers. J. W. T. McM.
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THE DAWN OF THE MORN OF ETERNITY.
See new heavens, like crystal waters bright; See a new sky, blushing in rosy light: See a new earth, resplendent as the sky: See golden plains, and hills, and mountains high: See sparkling spring, and fountains clear as air; See the pure river, radiant and fair: See trees of life, with leaves of fadeless hue; See all, so pure, so good, so new, and true! See old nature, etherial and new;
See such lands and skies, as man never knew: See rich flowers, of rarest, sweetest bloom; See holy ones that breath the rich perfume: See old things changed, and worthy of a God; See such a world, as mortals never trod: See the great globe, roll on in light divine; Clothed with rainbows, God's own most gracious sign, The rolling orb, leaves no place dark and cold; As in the former world, in days of old: No pole of Aretie ice, shall there be seen;
No deadly night shade, shall brood o'er the seene: No dread malaria, shall taint the air;
No poisoned winds, spread sickness everywhere: The light of life, in trembling waves shall move; And all the sky, shall blush in warmest love. Imperial world! broad, grand-the great sun! Home of the Infinite,-the Holy One! Home of the saved, and all the morning stars! Home! home! sweet home! forever free from jars ! Home! home! free from all elemental wars! Home! where flowers never skirt eternal frost! Home! where none shall ever say, I am lost! Power divine, upholds the shining ball; All world's move round it at Jehovah's eall: Almighty force, supports the steady pole; The eternal wheels of nature round it roll. No storms shall ever sweep, the howling skies; No chilling vapors from the earth arise: No crystal fountains, play in burning sands;
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No river winds its way through thirsty lands. All is new, -new grass, everywhere is seen; New flowers grow in all the living green: The fields are fragrant, with the scented rose; The gay lilies, their richest sweets disclose: The spicy woodlands, cast a pleasing shade; And all, in richest glory, are arrayed: The great sun world, moves on in gladsome light; And dims all suns, and moons, and stars of night. See the sun-girt city! see its azure dome! See golden mansions! see God's palace home! See streets of gold, flashing soft purple light! See ethereal homes, that charm the sight! See the wide river, as it flows in smiles, Mid the street, for more than three hundred miles! See jasper walls, and bulwarks diamond square! See gates of solid pearl! see Jesus there! Beauteous city ! so vast, high and wide! More than three hundred miles, on every side! Equal in breadth, and length, and depth, and highth! The glory of all worlds, in most lovely light! Twelve foundations, each a vast precious stone; Throw out the splendors of the Monarch's throne: The clear green jasper-most delightsome hue; Vies with the sky-like sapphire-an azure blue: Chalcedony, in perfect blue and white; Mingles rich glories, with celestial light: From the green emerald, finest lustre goes; The great red sardonyx, blushes like the rose: The red sardius, shines like rosy morn; The golden chrysolite, the scenes adorn. Sea-green beryl, light green topaz, beam afar; The golden chrysoprasus, gleams like a star : Rosy jacinth, and amethyst, smile in love; And rainbow splendors. in soft light waves move. Lovely rainbow! seen o'er the throne of thrones! Seen in the twelve massive, foundation stones! Seen in the twelve gates, of orient pearl! Seen flashing ten thousand tints, o'er the world! Seen in the jasper walls, of tender green!
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Seen in all the soft light, of love serene! God of the rainbow! Lord of glorious might! God and Christ, shine in the great home of light! The central glory, drives all night away; And radiates a rich, vernal, endless day: On the high mountain, from its lofty crown: See the queenly city, from heaven come down: Sparkling with gold. and gems, and precious stones; Throwing light and life, o'er new and changeless zones: The crystal glory, of God's jasper throne; Blushes in smiles, like the rosy sardine stone; This pure force, long so dark to mental sight; Now gives new power, new life, new forms of light: God makes all new, out of long wasted force; Which pours from all the planets in their course; His son prepares for all his saints a place; In crystal, -- golden realms, -of purest space, Suns, systems, and every glittering star, May go out. and become a frozen char; But the eternal forces, still remain; To raise up new forms, and new life sustain. Has pure force done this in the dateless past? And raised up all realms, and made them stand fast? If God be not, cannot force do once more? What it did, long eternities before? Hail imperial city, one in three! One, in four sublime harmonies agree! One, in seven rainbow splendors, glow in light! One, in sacred twelves. shines gloriously bright! Metropolis of heaven! stupendous! vast! Luminous, massive, it shall ever last! Its many-hued brilliants, shall ever shine; As the form of God, and in light divine. Genius never painted, a scene so grand; As the home of God, in the heavenly land: Thought never grasped, such material things; As form the great world, of celestial kings. Body of heaven! condensed ether! clear-bright! Like sky-blue sapphire-illustrious sight! Earth, clear as crystal! like a sea serene!
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And all heaven's richest colors, paint the scene. Pure bride of Christ! queen of celestial birth! She gives the morning star, to all the earth; And from her dewy locks, shakes sweetest beams, O'er all nations, in softly tender gleams. Joyous, motherly, charming, gracious queen! In the dew of youth, she is always seen: From her golden hair, flies the beams of the morn; To cheer countless millions, of her first born. Twelve angel-sons, ruling twelve angel states: Walk in her light, and stand before her gates: Twelve princely sons, of Israel's great race: Present twelve tribes, before the Father's face: Twelve apostles, present Adam's Gentile line: And all behold, God's tender rainbow sign: These thrice twelve sons, of everlasting fame; Reign over thrice twelve states in God's great name: Twice twelve names, on gates and bulwarks strong; Flame out in beauty o'er the land of song: And o'er these names, rich rainbow banners wave; In lofty triumph, o'er death and the grave. ".It is done:" Spirit and bride say, come home: The resurrection sons of light that roam, O'er pleasant lands of beauty, near or far, Approach with songs of joy, the morning star: And in God's royal presence, bend and fall: And sing him One in Three, and all in all. They eat ambrosia, from great trees of life: Drink crystal nectar, and live free from strife: They walk in green shades, on the river shore; Theirs are heavenly pleasures, forevermore. Great kings, and all saved nations, walk in white; And bring their wealth, to God's own home of light :- A wealth of being, character, and fame; Won on the sin-cursed earth, in Christ's dear name. Kings reign in love, o'er few, or many realms; They rule in harmony, and blessed rythm: The saints all rule, in sweetest self-control; And rest, in body, spirit, mind, and soul. No trump from mountain throne, sounds angry law:
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No judgment trump, makes nations wail in awe: No dread trumpets, sound woes from earth and hell: No more work of angels who from heaven fell: No more the crystal sea, beneath God's throne, Throws out red wrath, upon the heavenly zone: No more sickness, forever,-no more pain: No more dread wars, -no more in battle slain: No more sorrow,-no one in grief shall cry; No more parting, -like angels, none shall die; No more weeping, -God wipes away all tears: No more curse, through all the eternal years: No more shall days be numbered, to the blest: No more weary ones,-but endless rest.
Dear Dr. Smith : -
The third apocalypse is introduced by a magnifi- cent prelude. This grand prelude precedes the sounding of the seventh, and the third and last trumpet of woe. "Another mighty angel" appears on the scenes. His majestic chest is clad with a cloud. His glorious head is wreathed with a rain- bow, which reveals him as the representative of the enthroned Father. His splendid limbs and feet be- neath his skirts, dazzled like the white heat of melt- ed brass, which declared him the personal representa- tive of the Son of God. His voice of seven thunders, showed him to be the representative of the Holy spirit, as the great revealing one. His burning feet,on earth and sea, indicated the world-wide domain, over which he presides, as the representative of the Holy Trinity. His face beams as the genial sun, and his tall, immense form, proclaims him worthy to repre- sent the divine, as the World-Angel, announcing world-destinies.
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Who is he ? Michael is named in this third apoc- alypse, and his rank is known. But who is this ma- jestic herald, whose voice roars like a lion ?- the most majestic sound from living nature. It is Ga- briel, named in the book of Daniel, and in the Gos- pel of Luke. He stood before Daniel as a "man." "His body"-an angel has a spiritual body-shone like the green and blue splendors of the beryl. "He was clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with fine gold." His face was like lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet like polished brass, and his voice like the voice of a multitude. He re- sembled Jesus, as he appeared to John in Patmos. His likeness, as given by Daniel and John, are pict- ures of the same great personality. Gabriel means, God's strong one, and John calls him, "a mighty angel." Mighty as he is, neither he, nor Michael, "who is like God," was worthy to open the seals of the second apocalypse ; for angels of the highest rank, like the cherubim Ezekiel saw, can only reveal, as they are moved by the Spirit. Gabriel could only bring a little book from the Divine Revelator -symbol of the great predictions about to follow- and give it to John ; for like the apostle, he could only speak, as he was moved by the Holy Ghost. As seen in Daniel, and in the apocalypse, Gabriel is the great prophet-statesman among the angelic princes ; for he deals with the affairs of state, wheth- er in heaven, earth, or hell. August being ! now clothed with the glory of the sun and the splendour of flame, tinted with the green, blue, and golden col- ors of the beryl ; and now flaming with the splen- dour of the sun and of fire, and clad with a cloud,
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woven of the finest vapor drops, and sparkling like dew, and crowned with the rainbow of the eternal throne.
If, the enthroned presence, in sight like crystal, and like the red blush of the sardine stone, with a rainbow-arch over his head, touching the crystal sea on either side ;- if a lamb with seven horns and sev- en eyes, and seven fire· flames, were worthy like- nesses of Father, Son and Holy Spirit ; then it be- came the divine, to make Gabriel the representative of the Great One in Three. As the angel cried his loud wail at man's coming doom, seven thunders gave their response-the thunders co-ordinating with the divine sevens, and expressive of God's om- nipotence. As the seer was about to write the un- revealable mysteries uttered by the Spirit, he was forbidden ; for they were intended for the angel, and for John alone ; and possibly, refered to the "finished mystery of God," and the last judgment. Had he written the utterances of the seven thunders, God's friends might not have been able to bear them ; and his enemies, such as Julian the apostate, knowing too much, might have attempted to defeat and shame prophecy, instead of being unconscious workers to- gether with God, in the punishment of apostate Christendom, and in the punishment of the world. The angel's great oath sweeps the wide range of creation, and through "the days of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, to the end of time, and the day of judgment." So all-comprehending is the seventh trumpet, that a fresh order is given to commence again ; and the apostle is made a world-wide and a world-long prophet, to "peoples," "nations,"
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"tongues," and "kings." To all who read and hear his words, he is still prophesying to the world.
We have now an interlude of thrilling interest. Under the image of the Jewish temple and the court of the gentiles, we catch a glimpse of the true and pure Church, and of the apostate Church, for 1260 years. This is the first time this adverse number is given in the Apocalypse, and Scripture teaches us again and again, that days mean years. Daniel and John employ the same famous symbolism of time, and the very same symbols of the Roman em- pire ; and, doubtless, record the explanations of the symbols, as given by the same interpreting angel- God's mighty Gabriel. Symmetry and analogy re- quire us to view John's and Daniel's 1260 days, as so many years ; and as an approach to a definite peri- od, during which, the true Church of Christ, should be trodden down by the last power of Rome. John's great numbers, the 144,000, the 200,000,000, the 7,- 000, and the 1,000, are the exact for the inexact ; but, like Daniel's seventy weeks, the 1260 years, of the last Roman power, is very nearly literal. For 1260 years, was the pure Christian Church, to be trodden down by a fallen gentile Church ; for 1260 years, the holy Church has stood the siege, and held the fort for God and his Christ. For 1260 years, John's measuring reed,-the sceptre of sacred truth- has revealed the true Church, that appears in histo- ry, in "the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ." It is pictured as the inmost temple-Church of God, and as "the holy city"-the pure Jerusalem Church-for our apostle is always loyal to the old Church. It is the Church of God within the univers-
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