صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

But before the Missionary starts forth from this mount of mustering for the armies of heaven, who go forth to evangelize the world, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, let him first see whether the Augean stable is cleared out at home. For while the second woe of the Turks is passing away in the East by the armies of the "Prince of Rosh," or the Greeks, the last battle of the Beast occurs according to Rev. xi. 7. Now how is it that the kings of the earth are against the Word of God? Why, plainly because the Word of God is against them. For wherever in the Word of God is to be found any thing written about "Church and King," or "Church and State," except as a "great whore, sitting upon," or "carried by a ten horned beast?" Or wherever is there to be found in the Word of God any dispensation for a Protestant King to "commit fornication" with the church, and none for a Catholic one? Now the fact is, the Protestant Reformation was nothing more, according to Scripture, (Rev. xvi. 2), than “a noisome and grievous sore," upon the men who had the mark of the Beast. It was nothing more than a sort of ill humour, arising out of the corruption of Mother Church. It was the mere transferring of the same set of slaves from one Catholic Pope to many Protestant ones. The great whore was as whole and compact in all its ten divisions afterwards, as before it changed hands, for not a tenth part of her, whatever any Protestant daughter of Rome may say, fell by the Reformation, nor will fall, according to Scripture, till the "rest of the men repent," Rev. xi. 13, who were not afflicted by the Popish woe, Rev. ix. 20, 21, which, Scripture says, they have not as yet done. Rev. xvi. 11. There was nothing of the King of kings, and Lord of lords in the Reformation, it was all kings and lords who had the management and the profit of it. Rev. xix. 16. Then what is the proper "battle of the great day of God Almighty," if God will not recognize the Reformation as His? Why what says the Word of God? MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. John xviii. 36. And what say the Beast and the Kings of the earth? That it is a kingdom of this world, the property, the creature of kings and lords, and "vested interests," and to be bought and sold like any thing else. And what says the Word of God again? That he is "King of kings, and Lord of lords." Rev. xix. 16. Now this is the

battle. For so long as the alliance of Church and State lasts, or the great whore is carried by the beast, (and let every whining monk hear it, who, pretending to save souls, does not like to meddle with "religious politics," as he calls it, and thus overlooks the great impediment to his business), so long as the alliance of Church and State lasts, and kings, and courtiers, and colleges, and bishops, and lay patrons, have the insolence to thrust upon the flock whomsoever they please without the flock's consent, or power of refusal, contrary to the primitive practice, and institutions essential to the kingdom of our blessed Master, the KING OF KINGS AND Lord of lords, so long are the kings of the earth opposed to the Word of God, and the salvation of souls impeded, for so long as the flocks do not possess their Primitive rights, the interests of the pastors and those of their flocks need in no one case be mutual. Now let the impudent church, who has the brazen face to talk of the pureness of her discipline before the respectable, and talented, and conscientious Pastors of the Protestant Dissenters, hear this, and redden for shame; or let her try to hide her nakedness by her "purple and scarlet" garments. The filthy bare-faced harlot! How will she be able to stand "the sharp sword which proceedeth out of the mouth of the Word of God?" Rev. xix. 15. But better things are to be hoped of Englishmen. Not all have the same froglike impudence. For not all have "purple and scarlet" enough to cover their nakedness; and this is one good thing. Already is the cry of " Church Reform" heard from some within her precincts. Already is there a voice from her temple; and possibly she may be a nation born in a day. The same individual, who gave a blow to the Beast on the Continent, may destroy the Beast at home; the emancipation of Dissenters and Catholics in 1828, and 1829, is no bad omen; and if that individual cannot untie the Gordian knot of Church and State, there is still another way left, he can cut it. But if the Church goes, what becomes of the State? Now we are not careful to answer in that matter. But we will say, Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all the rest shall be added unto you: and so long as the unrighteous intercourse of Church and State exists, put down the misery and distress of the country to that account, and you will not do wrong, if there be any connexion

between God's general providence and his Book. We will say also, that the people are tied down to no particular form of civil government by God, but only to that which best suits their present circumstances; and we are a free-born Englishman to confess, in character of our membership in our other kingdom which is of this world, the State, that if the Harlot cannot go without amputating the members of her paramour, then be it so; and let us have that form of government, which works best with a dissolved alliance. But we have no occasion to fear for the State. Neither kings nor lords are so fond of the harlot, as to risk their fate with her's. The Bible assures us that they will "stand afar off for fear of her torment," Rev. xviii. 10, 15, and that the kings themselves will pillage her. Rev. xvii. 16. The State has only to fear from the confederacy from the Continent; and if England should become a province of France for two or three years, (for there is no concealing that England is the mount of mustering for the armies of heaven, whence they go forth to evangelize the world,) why then, what she will suffer from the insults of her enemies, will be amply repaid by her regeneration afterwards. And if the carcase of the Empire should not be suffered to be decently interred during the period of her demise, but Englishmen should be mocked with the corpse of their beloved constitution under the vassalage of the King of France and the Pope, why then, we can only say, " Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth," and that " No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby." When England rises again, then the tenth part of the false church will fall as a prelude to the fall of the rest. In the meanwhile, "Let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage. Let us hold fast the kingdom which we have received;" for says the Apostle, "We wrestle not only against our own flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. vi. 12.*

Passive obedience is not the doctrine of the Bible, as some ignorant churchmen of the English Harlot, who seem not to know the principles of the Reformation whence they derive their church,

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs out of

the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of

the beast, and out of the mouth of the false 14 prophet, (for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles,) go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 (Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that

watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he 16 walk naked, and they see his shame.) And they gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon, i. e. the Mount of Mustering, or Muslerings, or Meetings, or Congregational Churches.

SECTION VIII.

Seventh Stage of the Session or Republication of the Mystery.

The scattering of the power of the holy people being accomplished by the last war of the Antichristian confederacy on the witnesses of the truth, or, the mystery of God being finished, the last woe is now sent on the

teach: nor is that unclean spirit of active resistance,which any demagogue of radicalism may raise out of the brute passions of an excited multitude, congenial to our holy faith; but the doctrine of the Bible is a sort of PASSIVE resistance, which was exhibited in the conduct of our Blessed Master, who, when he was smitten by an officer of the High Priest, by no means tamely and silently submitted, but said, Why smitest thou me? (John xviii. 23.) And this PASSIVE RESISTANCE arises from a calm conviction of its expediency, and from enlarged views of the general interests of mankind, and not from any hasty and intemperate ebullition of popular feeling, excited by artful and designing demagogues. This doctrine is expressed in the motto which we have affixed to our book.

Empire and Papacy, which undergoes a tremendous revolution. Every state loses its former political existence; and the Empire is divided into three parts. The heads of the Roman nations, who have been hitherto confederated with the Church of Rome and her daughter harlot establishments, persuaded by those worldly-minded agents of the devil, her ambitious and crafty churchmen, that government could not be carried on without her, being now undeceived, pillage her of her endowments and riches, and utterly exterminate her. The great slaughter also now happens without the city for the space of one thousand six hundred furlongs, in which the blood rises up to the horse-bridles, possibly in the contest for the Papal States. The Northern Power also, perhaps taking advantage of the weak state of the Empire, overwhelms it with his numerous armies. A.D. 1843.

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 18 IT IS DONE. 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. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierce20 ness of his wrath. And every island fled away, 21 and the mountains were not found. And there

fell upon the men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent and the men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceedingly great.

« السابقةمتابعة »