p. 1 | THE WARNING VOICE by Uriah Smith

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Mar 17, 1853

THE WARNING VOICE

By Uriah Smith

-OF-

TIME AND PROPHECY.

BY URIAH SMITH.

O'ER all the moral world, where, otherwise, No light would come, or through its midnight gloom No cheering ray appear, to dissipate The darkness, God has set a guiding star— A luminary bright—whose rays divine Should pierce the night—the deep'ning shades dispel, Which o'er the earth in sullen silence brood. Nay, more, a ray of God's own brightness, sent Direct to man from off his radiant throne; That those who gladly should the light receive, And follow where it led, should here enjoy A glorious foretaste of the bliss of Heaven.

It is God's Holy Word, immutable, Through life's bewildering maze alone can guide The wandering traveler to eternal rest. Without it, man were lost—lost in the deep, Dark labyrinth of dread uncertainty— Where doubts distract, and fearful thoughts arise— With nought his steps to lead, save the dim lamp Of human reason, whose misguiding flame Would serve to make the gloom still more profound, The darkness deeper, and more keenly felt.

But 'twas not God's design to leave man thus, In error's devious paths, to grope his way; So, through his Sacred Word, his will revealed, And pointed out the narrow path, that bright And brighter shines, e'en to the perfect day. And none need err therein, nor is this world's Vain wisdom requisite, or judgment deep, Or reason proud; for in their loftiest strain, These all are nought but foolishness with God. The least the truth may know, so plain it is, And known and followed, leads us through to Heaven.

Our daily course defined, and duty shown, Indebted more to mercy infinite, In that ere His designs he consummates, Or mighty schemes perfects, or judgments sends Upon a guilty world—man is forewarned. And to his chosen ones, the prophets, men Of holiness and truth—and worthy all Of favors so divine—he has revealed The secrets of his purposes and plans. Yea, in their visions, he removed the veil, The mysterious veil which o'er the future hangs, And bade them look far down the stream of time, Until that stream was in eternity's Vast ocean lost.—E'en to the day When this dark, weary, groaning earth, again, In Eden glory shall rejoice anew; The curse, the blighting curse, of sin removed, And all its hideous progeny destroyed; Until the righteous from all ages saved, Rejoicing in the glory of their God, And in eternal life through Christ the Son,

Shall round his throne their songs of triumph raise, And then go forth—immortal forms and fair— With shining crowns, and harps of glittering gold, To dwell for ever on the earth renewed, And praise for ever their Eternal King,— And as they, wondering, gazed, and saw events, Crowding upon events, in order come, As the last great event drew swiftly on; And saw mid mighty revolutions, as They rolled around the world, kingdoms arise And fall, as others rose and fell, in turn, Until the last great kingdom was set up, Which should not be destroyed, nor have an end; Then troub'd, asked they, when these things should be; And then God gave them time, prophetic time, That they might know—and so thro' them the world— The times that God in wisdom has ordained, His purpose to fulfill and end his plans; And knowing, thus, might all keep pace with truth.

But man! unthinking man! how prone to err! And let earth's vain allurements, like a mist, Obscure the light, and misdirect his steps; For when the path of truth too close becomes, Too narrow and too strait, for worldly pride, And gaudy trappings, vain, with which he loves To deck his poor, frail tenement of clay, Full soon he turns aside, to folly clings, And in his own self-righteousness exclaims: "I ne'er can think the Bible means, a line So straight to draw, or standard raise so high; As for myself, I can see nothing why I am not with my friends on equal ground, And just as good—as well prepared for Heaven." And losing thus his guard, he lets his pride Pass judgment on God's word, and shape his course; Makes a criterion of his fellow men, Instead of truth, by which to judge himself.

But hear him more, though further yet from right: "The visions, prophecies, prophetic times, By prophets written of old, of standing long, We cannot comprehend, or understand; To us they're closed and sealed, and deep involved In an impenetrable mystery; Expressions figurative, denoting what, Is something yet for man to ascertain; Or if, indeed, in meaning literal, Such a fulfillment we shall ne'er behold; For what portends it, or proclaims it, what? Why then in useless toil our strength exhaust, On secret, hidden things, from which to draw But idle, groundless theories, at best! Live up to what of truth we already know; This doing we are safe, and all is well."

O, peace and safety! Baneful sentiment! Siren of death to all man's future hope; For what in worldliness they wish might be, They to their bosom fondly, blindly hug, Till forced belief proclaims the phantom true. 'Tis this oft baffles conscience, stops her voice, And makes men slumber on the verge of death, Nor rouse themselves to see or know the truth; Lulled by the Siren song to calm repose.

Has God for nought his secrets, then, revealed? For nought his word bestowed on man, to guide, Because in mystery so deeply veiled? And have his servants prophesied in vain, And poured their warnings on the empty air, Since none their meaning or their import know? Is such God's wisdom, or his judgment such?

Nay! 'tis not so; false reasoning! how absurd! God is not mocked! nor are his works in vain! And his eternal truth will stand, unmoved, Nor in one jot or tittle fail, till heaven And earth shall pass. Ay, it will triumph; And as it onward moves, majestic, high, Sublime, and sheds afar its radiance bright O'er the dark waves of error, sin and death, All, all who will, may then the light receive. All who reject, alone the guilt must bear.

But God will have a people, who, above The world's wild turmoil and unceasing strife, By earth-born cares unbound, from passions free, Shall ever on its bright unfading beams, Their steady gaze direct, and heed it well. And who with honest hearts, and pure, fit shrines For his own precepts—holy, just and good— Shall with unwearied steps, and fervent zeal, Press ever on to where it points—to Heaven.

"The wise shall understand;" there it remains, Bright on the list of his unfailing words; And though men laugh and mock, and fiercely strive With worldly wisdom, vain, to prove it false— In living, flaming characters of light, It still remains, "The wise shall understand."

Thus spoke the Angel to the Seer beloved: "O, Daniel, thou, the vision close and seal; The book shut up, until the time of the end; For increased shall knowledge be, and to and fro Shall many run; and then the wicked shall Do wickedly, and none of them the truth Shall know; but ah! The wise shall understand."

Time of the end! Time when the day draws near, In which the finger of Almighty God, The final period shall place to this World's history: when the great clock of time, Probationary time, which now has beat, For near six thousand years, earth's rapid course, Shall toll its final hour, and all merge in The endless cycles of eternity.

Time of the end! Time then above all time, That man the age should know in which he lives, And throwing off the garb of worldliness, A covering of righteousness and truth Secure, with which to be protected then, Will well become him in the day of His Unmingled wrath, and awful vengeance dire, Which day, appointed, God will surely bring. For man to thus prepare, is wisdom true, But folly, worse than folly, to defer.

Time of the end! When is it? Who shall know? Who would not know, and so in time prepare For things to come? For man to strive to know, Is wisdom too; then let us all be wise, And for ourselves examine, if perchance, The time foretold is not already here, And we the very ones for whom to sleep— On ruin's trembling verge to sleep—is fraught With danger awful; thus to put far off The evil day, till like a thief it come, And take us unawares—the harvest past, The summer ended, and our souls not saved. Time of the end! Momentous, solemn time! When signs and wonders shall be manifest, To warn a world of its approaching doom. In the last days, saith God, shall come to pass, That in the heavens above, and earth beneath,

Great signs will I show forth, and fearful sights, And wonders strange, in sun, and moon and stars; For into darkness shall the sun be turned, The moon her light withhold, the stars from heaven Shall fall, ere the great day, and notable, Of God shall come—when in the clouds of heaven Shall they behold, with power and glory crowned, The Son of Man descending in his ire.

Now of the fig-tree learn a parable: When yet her branch is tender, and her leaves She putteth forth, ye know the Summer's nigh; So likewise know, when all these things ye see, The Everlasting Kingdom is at hand. For verily this generation—which Shall all these wonders witness—shall not pass Till all shall be fulfilled; for heaven and earth May pass; but my words, never can they fail.

Clear are the signs, and plainly, too, foretold; And who, when he shall see them take, in course, Their stand amid the records of the past; And mark what harmony exists between Events of time and words of prophecy; Who, then, will not exclaim, "The day is near, The end approacheth, yea, is at the door." But do men thus believe? Alas! for truth. Let history the mournful facts reveal: There let men look, and looking, be condemned; There let them read sign after sign fulfilled— In unison with prophecy, fulfilled— And then seek out with their devices strange, What cloak they may to shield their unbelief.

The day has passed, the day of terror, when The sun his glories veiled, and dim, withdrew Behind the thick'ning gloom; when darkness rose, And over mid-day brightness, giant-like, His sable mantle threw—unfettered then, With freedom stalked, throughout a frightened land. And when the night came on, and fair, and full, Down from her lofty throne, the moon refused To give her light, the pall of darkness dense, And denser yet became, e'en to be felt.

And not far back, among the wonders rare, Of modern times, behold, in bold relief, The fearful night, when fell the stars from heaven; As her untimely figs a fig-tree casts, When fiercely shaken of a mighty wind: When all the starry hosts, innumerable, In wild confusion seemed, and sad dismay; And countless myriads of meteors, bright, Shot flaming forth, east, west, and north, and south. Marking their swift career with vivid lines Of coruscating light, which meeting oft, All heaven appeared a net-work, bright, of flame, And earth with floods of dazzling brightness filled.

And what, O, Sceptic! are those northern fires, That from earth's icy regions fitful gleam, And o'er the frozen zone together blend Their fiery sheets, then to the zenith, dart Their forked tongues, and, lambent, lick the skies. And when at Learning's shrine, with firm resolve, Ye bow devoted, with inquiries deep, For some fixed law of Nature hidden there, By which to solve such mysteries as these, Why is she mute, and all your search in vain?

Thus have the sun, and moon, and stars received Their mandate from His throne, and terror-clad, Gone forth to do his bidding; messengers Of his firm purpose, and unchanging will, Have they fulfilled their mission, and fulfilled It well; for as they each appeared, mankind, Awe-struck and pale, their utter weakness felt, Their insignificance, and trembling saw The dreadful warning given; and many then, The judgment day believed, was close at hand. Well had they cherished that belief, and taught Their children so, then had they had the truth. But no! No sooner is the terror past, Than they tenacious to their idols cling; Their idols—Reason and Philosophy—

Which gods with more idolatry they serve, Than ever heathen worshiped, wood or stone; To these they cling for aid, and as the signs Of coming wrath, are, one by one dealt out, Upon a sleeping world, they straight assign, What they term natural causes, and explain By philosophic laws, the wonderful Phenomena; then to the world exclaim, "'Tis clear, and all can be accounted for, On scientific principles!" which means, Interpreted, You're safe, sleep on! sleep on!

Thus poor, proud, feeble man unwilling seems, To own an act of Heaven's almighty arm; And doubts that aught within the universe Can come, that human science cannot grasp, Or human agency perform.

Here, then, The nursery lies, of stubborn unbelief, That springs full soon, rank and blasphemous springs, Into its vigorous growth; this, the foul nest, Where infidelity, undaunted, rears, Her vile, infernal brood, which, harpy-like, Corrupt the soul of man, blight, and destroy. But let such learn this truth, ere time shall teach The bitter lesson, with experience sad, That all the theories mind can fabricate, On human bases reared, though fortified However much by science, or confirmed By worldly wisdom, or adopted by Earth's proudest sons—have neither power to change, Or hasten, or impede, fulfillment sure, Of written prophecy; and as the signs Are given, as such, and registered in Heaven, Though the whole human race their truth deny, And though all literature combine to prove The plain events from natural causes sprung— In the stern judgment hour, will they rise up, And witnessing against, condemn a world.

In the day of His preparation, then, With flaming torches shall the chariots be, And in the streets shall rage, and one against Another, in the broadways, justle, they Shall seem like torches, like the lightnings run. Lo! how fulfilled! Ye, who behold upon The iron rail, impetuous and swift, The ponderous train, with fiery steeds, drawn on; Or in the crowded streets, mark how the tide Of busy action ceases, till, apace, The heavy chariots have justled by— Through every wheel, and bar of polished steel, Through every breath the panting engine draws, The Prophet speaketh, and he speaks to you. These are the chariots, these, with lightning speed, And flaming torches, which, unanswered, say, That God's great preparation day is here.

[TO BE CONTINUED.]