THE TWO WITNESSES by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 21, 1876

THE TWO WITNESSES.

By John Norton Loughborough

BY J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

(Concluded.)

It is said that those who slew the witnesses rejoiced and made merry. This is apparent from the account of the Festival of Reason. “They went in procession to the Convention, and the rabble, indulging their fondness for the burlesque, caricatured in the most ludicrous manner the ceremonies of religion, and took as much delight in profaning, as they had done in celebrating them. Men, wearing surplices and copes, came singing hallelujahs, and dancing barmagnole, to the bar of the Convention. There they deposited the host, the boxes in which it was kept, and the statues of gold and silver. They made burlesque speeches, and sometimes addressed the most singular apostrophes to the saints themselves. ‘O you!’ exclaimed a deputation from St. Denis, ‘O you, instruments of fanaticism, blessed saints of all kinds, be at length patriots, rise en masse, serve the country by going to the mint to be melted, and give us in this world that felicity which you wanted to obtain for us in the other!’ These scenes of merriment were followed all at once by scenes of reverence and devotion. . . . A festival was instituted for all the Decades, to supercede the Catholic ceremonies of Sunday. . . . The first Festival of Reason was held with pomp on the 20th of Brumaire (the 10th of November). . . . A young woman represented the goddess of Reason. She was the wife of Momoro, the printer, one of the friends of Vincent, Ronsin, Chaumette, Herbert, and the like. She was dressed in a white drapery; a mantle of azure blue hung from her shoulders. Her flowing hair was covered with the cap of liberty. She sat on an antique seat, entwined with ivy, and borne by four citizens. Young girls dressed in white, and crowned with roses, preceded and followed the goddess. Then came the busts of Lepelletier and Murat, musicians, troops, and all the armed sections. Speeches were delivered, and hymns sung, in the Temple of Reason. They then proceeded to the Convention, and Chaumette spoke in these terms:

“‘Legislators! Fanaticism has given way to reason. Its bleared eyes could not endure the brilliancy of the light. This day an immense concourse has assembled beneath those Gothic vaults, which, for the first time, echoed the truth. There the French have celebrated the only true worship, that of liberty, that of reason. There we have formed wishes for the prosperity of the arms of the republic. There we have abandoned inanimate idols for reason, for that animated image, the master-piece of nature.’”

“As he uttered these words, Chaumette pointed to the living goddess of Reason. The young and beautiful woman descended from her seat and went up to the president, who gave her the fraternal kiss, amid universal bravos and shouts of, ‘The Republic forever! Reason forever! Down with fanaticism!’”

—Thiers’ French Rev., Vol. 2, pp. 369–371.

Such is a sample only of the scenes of rejoicing and merriment that they indulged in.

“And they shall send gifts one to another.” It is a striking fact that those who were the prime movers and executioners in the September massacre of 1792, actually received gifts of large sums of money for their services by which they had struck terror into all religionists. From Sept. 2 to 7, they put to death 9,000 victims. The Commune paid, Sept. 4, the sum of 1463 livres as a present to these terrorists.—Thiers’ French Rev., Vol. 1, pp. 361, 365.

The scenes of horror that filled France during this reign of terror far exceeded anything of the kind in the annals of history. “While infidelity was enthroned in power, it wielded the sword of vengeance with infernal ferocity against the priests of the Romish Church, who were butchered wherever found, hunted as wild beasts, frequently roasted alive, or drowned in hundreds together, without either accusation or trial. At Nantes, no less than 360 priests were shot, and 460 drowned. In one night 48 were shut up in a barge and drowned in the Loire; 292 priests were massacred during the bloody scenes of the 10th of August and the 22d of September, 1792; and 1135 were guillotined under the government of the National Convention, from the month of September, 1792, till the end of 1795, besides vast numbers, hunted by the infidel republicans like owls and partridges, who perished in different ways throughout the provinces of France.”—Dick on Diffusion of Knowledge, p. 155.

Thiers says: “The number of persons guillotined during the reign of terror in France was 1,022,351. This does not include the massacre at Versailles, at the Abbaye, the Carmelite, or other prisons, on Sept. 2, the victims Glacière of Avignon, those shot at Toulon and Marseilles, or the persons slain in the little town of Bedoin, the whole population of which perished.”—Thiers’ French Rev., Vol. 3, p. 106. Dr. Dick, in speaking of the results of this Revolution, says: “Such was the rapidity with which the work of destruction was carried on that within the short space of ten years, not less than three millions of human beings (one-half more than the whole population of Scotland) are supposed to have perished in that country alone, chiefly through the influence of immoral principles, and the seductions of a false philosophy.”—Dick’s Improvement of Society, p. 154.

Concerning the winding up of this scene we read (Rev. 11:11), “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them, ‘Come up hither.’ And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Almost simultaneously with the close of the French Revolution, Bible societies were organized, and the Scriptures have spread with that rapidity that in all civilized countries the before obscured, or sackcloth-covered, witnesses may be read by every family. The Scriptures are so within the reach of all that their prominent position is represented by their ascension to heaven “in a cloud.”

“Their enemies beheld them.” Yes, even infidel France, with all her boasted statements that she should destroy religion, has had to behold the world-wide spread of the Bible.

Verse 13: “And the same hour was there a great earthquake,” representing the great political revolution of France, which shook many portions of the government of the Old World. “And the tenth part of the city fell.” This city is the same as the woman of Rev. 17, the Papal Church. France was one of the ten original divisions of Western Rome, which had been given into the hands of the Papal Church, by the decree of Justinian, in 1798. By the breaking out of this Revolution one of the ten parts of the Catholic hierarchy was destroyed, here represented by a “tenth part of the city” falling. “And in the earthquake were slain of men (margin, names of men, titles) seven thousand.” This Revolution was a war on titles, as the following will show: “At the same moment a member proposed to abolish the titles of count, marquis, baron, etc.; to prohibit liveries; in short, to suppress all hereditary titles.” “Its first decree relative to the ceremonial, abolished the titles of sire, and majesty, usually given to the king.”—Thiers’ French Rev., Vol. 1, pp. 150, 201. It has been estimated that something like 7,000 titles were destroyed in that Revolution, which had as its object to bring all down upon a level. In the massacres of Aug. 10, and Sept. 2, 1792, the watchword of the rabble was, “Down with the Aristocrats!” meaning all those who hitherto had had any titles of distinction or of office.

“And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Many who were zealous in this Revolution saw the folly of their course and endorsed the Bible; and even “Callot-d’Herbois died calling on that very God whom he had impiously blasphemed.”—Thiers’ French Rev., Vol. 3, p. 221. Note. I am inclined to think, however, that “the remnant” has reference to the other nine parts of the city; that is, to the same as the nations, etc., who would not suffer the witnesses to be buried. These rejoiced when they saw the horrid scene end, and the word of God exalted.

Here we behold another striking evidence that God is the author of the prophecy, Revelation, in the accurate fulfillment of these predictions concerning the treatment of his word. “The third woe cometh quickly,” is the language that follows this prophecy. That woe is now doubtless coming on the earth. National calamities are increasing. “Evil is going forth from nation to nation.” Nations are commencing to understand what is meant by being “distressed with perplexity.” Soon the nations will be angry, and God’s wrath come as marked out under the seventh trumpet. Lord, arouse thy people for the conflict, for it is surely coming, and that speedily.