Observations on the Present State of the World in Connection with Prophecy.
By Cunningham
THE extraordinary aspect of the present times cannot but arrest the attention and excite the awe of all thinking persons, whether they believe in the Scriptures or not. But it is he only that takes heed to the sure word of prophecy as a lamp shining in a dark place, who is enabled to see light in the midst of darkness, to behold undismayed the convulsions which agitate the nations of the earth, and, possessing his mind in perfect peace, to rejoice in the near prospect of a better and brighter day, when the “earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord;” and the Lord shall arise upon Zion, and his glory shall be seen upon her. The events of the period in which we live call upon us to sit loose to temporal things, and to remember that the fashion of this world passeth away. We have, indeed, no warrant in the Scriptures to neglect the duties of our secular callings; on the contrary, we are commanded to be diligent in all lawful business, and God has, in various instances, marked with his peculiar approbation the industrious performance of worldly duties. When he first appeared to his servant Moses at Mount Horeb, Moses was occupied in tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro. When the nativity of Christ was announced by an angel from Heaven, he was sent to shepherds who kept watch over their flocks by night in the plains of Bethlehem. The true secret of Christianity is to attend diligently to all the duties of life; yet to do it not in the spirit of the world, but with the temper and feelings of those who are habitually impressed with the great realities of eternity—to do all to God, and not to man. Possessed of such views, the true servant of Christ, amidst the whirlwinds of divine wrath which go forth to destroy the wicked, shall be enabled to lift his head above the storm and to stand unmoved. He must, indeed, expect to partake of suffering, in common with the world in which he lives, until that happy hour when he shall be called on to meet his returning Lord and Saviour above the clouds. In waiting for that glorious event, “his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” He rejoices that “there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.” We may infer from the present state and prospects of the world, connected with the declarations of prophecy, that there is no safety, either for individuals or communities, but in repentance and faith in the Son of God. It is, however, in an especial manner, to the great and noble, the counsellors of princes, and princes themselves, that the calamities of the times, and the awful judgments of God, address themselves, as with a voice of thunder. Nor does this voice sound with less loudness or importunity in the ears of the bishops and ministers of the Protestant churches. No human establishments are now safe; we are surrounded with the ruins of thrones and kingdoms which have crumbled into dust. Where is the earthly throne under which we may now take shelter, and say, Here are peace and safety. The repentance which Christianity requires is not merely an outward reformation. The gospel of Jesus Christ calls upon us to feel and acknowledge that we are sinners. In this respect it tells us, that all men, from the prince upon the throne to the meanest of the people, are upon a level. None are exempt from the corruption of a fallen nature, or the pollution of many actual transgressions. The prince, therefore, and the peasant, the noble and the plebeian, are equally called upon to acknowledge that corruption, and to confess these transgressions, to amend their ways, and to believe in the Son of God, who came down from Heaven to save us from our sins by the sacrifice of himself upon the cross. It seems evident that the dashing to pieces of the nations, like the vessels of a potter, which is mentioned in the second Psalm, is at hand. That Psalm, though it is quoted in the Acts of the Apostles, in the way of accommodation, as relating to the opposition made to the kingdom of Christ in the days of our Lord’s personal ministry, does yet properly refer to the events of the last times, which immediately precede the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. The solemn and affectionate counsel which is addressed in the above Psalm to the kings and rulers of nations, belongs, therefore, in an especial manner, to the present period, “Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth; serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”—Cunningham on the Apocalypse.