The Judgment of God upon the Nations.
By Editor
We had the curiosity, not long since, to compare all the books on unfulfilled prophecy, within our reach, to see how far they were agreed as to the precise position which the present generation occupies in prophecy. The writers belonged to so many schools of interpretation that we were not at all disappointed in discovering that there were very few points in which they were agreed, and the comparison was not by any means confirmatory of the idea, that prophecies were intended to be understood in their details before they are fulfilled. We are aware that there seems to be a blessing pronounced upon him who reads and understands them, but it is a blessing which we fear but very few in this age of the church can claim. There is one point, however, in which most of these writers do agree, and it is to that that we specially invite the attention of our readers at this time. They all agree that we are on the eve of very great changes and revolutions of some kind. The plot of the world’s history seems to be thickening fast, great revolutions are to follow each other in quick succession, and crowd themselves into a very short space of time. We were struck with the very great changes which were supposed by most of these writers to be predicted as to take place from the year 1848 to 1866. The latter is the time fixed upon by some of the millennarians as the end of the 1260 years of Daniel and John, and as the period of the second coming of Christ, which is, according to them, to be preceded by great convulsions among many of the nations, and the infliction of terrible judgments upon them by God. It is fixed upon by many of the advocates of a spiritual millennium as the time when that delightful season is to commence; others place it later, making it commence about the close of this century, and making the millennium the seventh thousand of the world’s history. Both classes of writers, however, agree that the period styled the millennium is probably not very far off, and that it is to be immediately preceded by great changes of some sort, and most of them by great and sore judgments being sent upon the nations of the earth. We undertake not now to decide which view of the millennium, or whether either, is right. It is a subject upon which dogmatism, as it seems to us, is exceedingly out of place. Our object in referring to it now, is simply to turn the attention of our readers to the contemplation of the subject, and to prepare their minds, by a calm and confiding reliance upon God, for whatever may await us as a nation or them as individuals. If we look to the present condition of the nations of the Old World, they appear to be passing through fiery ordeals and convulsions which are to shake them to their very foundations. The prospect now is that the whole of Europe and a portion of Asia will be involved in the fearful struggle which has commenced between Turkey, France, England, and Austria on the one side, and Russia on the other. The Vienna Conference has been, and is likely to be, wholly barren of results, except to render the question of a permanent peace more difficult, and to put off the time of its consummation to an indefinite period. The most sagacious statesmen have predicted, from the time it was proposed, that any peace which it might effect would only be temporary, to be followed by fresh struggles, in which some of the parties to the contest would change places. When we think of the immense armies that are, or can be, marshalled for the conflict, the almost inexhaustible resources of the belligerents, and the increase in the facilities of destroying life, which modern improvements have placed within the reach of the parties, the coming struggle almost overwhelms the mind with its greatness and with the destruction of life and the amount of human suffering which it will probably cause. China, too, that great nation, containing nearly one third of the whole race of man, which had by outsiders been supposed to be stereotyped, and secure against revolutions, is now in a state of revolution, at sea without compass or chart, drifting, none but God knows whither. What other neighboring nations she will involve in her struggles, before they are over, none can tell but an omniscient being. We know so little of the continent of Africa, that we can give no guess as to what changes are awaiting her. Should her exiled sons and daughters be returned to her in large numbers, bearing with them the seeds of civilization and Christianity, they may infuse new life and vigor even into her, and effect changes which may even cause Ethiopia to stretch forth her hands unto God. On our own continent, the South American and Mexican Governments are mere ropes of sand which may be broken into a thousand fragments at any moment. They are sleeping volcanoes whose internal fires may burst forth in an hour, and spread desolation all around them. And what shall we say of our own nation? Are all the other nations to be scourged and convulsed and we alone to remain calm, prosperous and happy, with no causes to hinder our onward march to greatness? If we have fewer sins than other nations, have we not had greater opportunities to do and be good, than they, and have not our temptations to sin been less than theirs? Where much is given, will not much be required? If exalted to heaven, will we not be cast down to hell, if we do not make a proper improvement of our blessings and privileges? Has not God already begun to deal with us, in the fearful drought of the past year, and who of us is certain that he has yet finished the process which he then commenced? Have we learned the lesson which that Providence was intended to teach? Then, what mean those distant thunders of a coming struggle between the North and South, which a few years must precipitate upon us, unless God in his great goodness avert its fury, before wicked demagogues precipitate the crisis? The great, the wise, and the far-seeing men, who had sufficient force of character to risk their standing at home and reputation abroad, to enable them to lay their hands upon both parties, and hush to silence their angry passions, and bring them into harmony, are nearly all gone, and sectional men from both regions are likely to get into their places. Our hope is in God alone. He can bring light out of darkness, order out of confusion, and cause the wrath of man to praise him. If he has great and wise purposes for us to accomplish as a united people, which is our hope, he will continue us as such, and can easily raise up the instruments to do it with. If our sins have provoked his wrath, as we have too much reason to fear, and if our cup of iniquity has become full, as that of many of the nations of the Old World seems to have done, we may look out for the rod to be heavily laid upon us as upon them. We know that God will overturn and overturn amongst the nations, until everything which he wishes torn down has been destroyed. The only safety for individuals, or for nations, in such times of the out-pourings of his judgments, is to secure his favor which is life, and his loving kindness which is better than life. He will hide his friends and favorites in the hollow of his hand, until the calamity be overpast. They may confidently say, with his servant of old: “the Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice!” “Though the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olives shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” God’s people, and the nations whom he loves and approves, are safe, though he may chasten them, and none are safe but they. He keeps those in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on him.—Pres. Herald.