Earlier text: General ArticlesTHOUGHTS ON DANIEL.
By Uriah Smith
CHAPTER VII.—THE FOUR BEASTS.
VERSE 9. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the Judgment was set, and the books were opened. A SUBLIMER description of a sublimer scene is not to be found in the English language. But not only on account of the grand and lofty imagery introduced should it arrest our attention; the nature of the scene itself is such as to demand most serious consideration. The Judgment is brought to view; and whenever the Judgment is mentioned, it ought to take an irresistible hold upon every mind; for all have an interest in its eternal issues. By an unfortunate translation in verse 9, a wrong idea is almost sure to be conveyed. The words "cast down" are from a word which in the original signifies just the opposite, namely, to set up. Dr. Clarke says "that it might be translated erected; so the Vulgate positi sunt [were placed], and so all the versions." The Septuagint has etethean, which is defined to mean, "to set, put, place, to set up, to erect." The thrones are not the thrones of earthly kingdoms which are to be thrown down at the last day, but thrones of Judgment which are to be set up, just before the end. The "Ancient of Days," God the Father, takes the throne of Judgment. Mark the description of his person. Those who believe in the impersonality of God are obliged to admit that he is here described as a personal being; but they console themselves by saying that it is the only description of the kind in the Bible. We do not admit this latter assertion; but granting that it were true, is not one description of this kind as fatal to their theory as though it were repeated a score of times? The thousand thousands who minister unto him, and the ten thousand times ten thousand who stand before him, are not sinners arraigned before the Judgment-seat, but heavenly beings who wait before him attendant on his will. An understanding of these verses involves an understanding of the subject of the sanctuary, to works on which subject we refer the reader. The closing up of the ministration of Christ, our great High Priest, in the heavenly sanctuary, is the work of the Judgment here introduced. It is an investigative Judgment. The books are opened, and the cases of all come up for examination before the great tribunal, that it may be determined beforehand who are to receive eternal life when the Lord shall come to confer it upon his people. John, as recorded in Rev. 5, had a view of this same place, and saw the same number of heavenly attendants engaged with Christ in the work of investigative Judgment. Looking into the sanctuary (as we learn from Rev. 4 that he was), in chapter 5:11, he says, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." It will appear from the testimony of chapter 8:14, that this solemn work is even now transpiring in the sanctuary above. VERSE 11. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; their lives were prolonged for a season and time. There are persons who believe in a thousand years' triumph of the gospel and reign of righteousness over all the world before the Lord comes; and there are others who believe in probation after the Lord comes, and a mixed millennium, the immortal righteous still proclaiming the gospel to mortal sinners, and turning them into the way of salvation. But both of these systems of error are completely demolished by the verses before us. 1. The fourth terrible beast continues without change of character, and the little horn continues to utter its blasphemies, and hold its millions of votaries in the bonds of a blind superstition, till the beast is given to the burning flame; and this is not its conversion, but its destruction. See 2 Thess. 2:8. 2. The life of the fourth beast is not prolonged after its dominion is gone, as were the lives of the preceding beasts. Their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season. The territory and subjects of the Babylonish kingdom still existed, though subjected to the Persians. So of the Persian kingdom in respect to Grecia, and of Grecia in respect to Rome. But what succeeds the fourth kingdom? No government or state in which mortals have any part. Its career ends in the lake of fire, and it has no existence beyond. The lion was merged into the bear; the bear into the leopard; the leopard into the fourth beast; and the fourth beast into what? Not into another beast; but it is cast into the lake of fire, under which destruction it rests till men shall suffer the second death. Then let no one talk of probation or a mixed millennium after the Lord comes. The adverb then, in the sentence, "I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake," etc., seems to refer to some particular time. The work of investigative Judgment is introduced in the verses before. And this verse would seem to imply that while this work is going forward, and just before this power is destroyed and given to the burning flame, the little horn utters its great words against the Most High. Have we not heard them, and that, too, within a few years? Look at the Vatican Council of 1870. What can be more blasphemous than to attribute infallibility to a mortal man? Yet in that year the world beheld the spectacle of an Ecumenical Council assembled for the purpose of deliberately decreeing that the occupant of the papal throne, the man of sin, possesses this prerogative of God, and cannot err. Can anything be more presumptuous and blasphemous? Is not this the voice of the great words which the horn spake? and is not this power ripe for the burning flame, and near its end? VERSE 13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. 14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. The scene here described is not the second advent of Christ to this earth, unless the Ancient of Days is on this earth; for it is a coming to the Ancient of Days. There, in the presence of the Ancient of Days, a kingdom, dominion, and glory, are given him. The Son of man receives his kingdom before his return to this earth. See Luke 19:10-12, and onward. This is a scene, therefore, which transpires in the heavenly temple, and is closely connected with that brought to view in verses 9 and 10. He receives the kingdom at the close of his priestly work in the sanctuary. The people, nations, and languages, that shall serve him, are the nations of the saved; Rev. 21:24, not the wicked nations of the earth; for these are dashed in pieces at the second advent. Some out of all the nations, tribes, and kindreds of the earth will find themselves at last in the kingdom of God, to serve him there with joy and gladness forever and ever. VERSE 15. I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever. No less anxious should we be than was Daniel, to understand the truth of all this. And whenever we inquire with equal sincerity of heart, we shall find the Lord no less ready now, than in the days of the prophet, to lead to a correct knowledge of these important truths. The beasts, and the kingdoms which they represent, have already been explained. We have followed the prophet down through the course of events even to the complete destruction of the fourth and last beast, the final subversion of all earthly governments. What next? Verse 18 tells us: "The saints shall take the kingdom." The saints! those of all others held in low esteem in this world, despised, reproached, persecuted, cast out; those who were considered the least likely of all men to realize their hopes; these shall take the kingdom and possess it forever. The usurpation and misrule of the wicked shall come to an end. The forfeited inheritance shall be redeemed. Peace shall be restored to its distracted borders, and righteousness shall reign over all the fair expanse of the renovated earth. VERSE 19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. Of the first three beasts of this series, Daniel had so clear an understanding, that he had no trouble in reference to them. But he was astonished at this fourth beast, so unnatural and dreadful; for the farther we come down the stream of time, the farther it is necessary to depart from nature in forming symbols to accurately represent the degenerating governments of earth. The lion is a production of nature; but it must have the unnatural addition of two wings to represent the kingdom of Babylon. The bear we also find in nature; but as a symbol of Medo-Persia, an unnatural ferocity must be denoted by the insertion of three ribs into its mouth. So the leopard is a beast of nature; but to fitly represent Grecia there is a departure from nature in respect to wings, and the number of heads. But nature furnishes no symbol which can fitly represent the fourth kingdom. A beast, the likeness of which never was seen, is taken; a beast dreadful and terrible, with nails of brass, and teeth of iron, so cruel, rapacious, and fierce, that from mere love of oppression, it devoured, and brake in pieces, and trampled its victims beneath its feet. Wonderful was all this to the prophet, but something still more wonderful appears. A little horn comes up, and, true to the nature of the beast from which it springs, thrusts aside three of its fellows; and lo! the horn has eyes, not the uncultivated eyes of the brute, but the keen, shrewd, intelligent eyes of a man; and stranger yet, it has a mouth, and with that mouth it utters proud sayings, and puts forth preposterous and arrogant claims. No wonder the prophet made special inquiry respecting this monster, so unearthly in its instincts, and so fiendish in its works and ways. In the following verses some specifications are given respecting the little horn, which enable the student of prophecy to make an application of this symbol, without danger of mistake:— VERSE 21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22; Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. The wonderful wrath of this little horn against the saints particularly attracted the attention of Daniel. The rise of the ten horns, or the division of Rome into ten kingdoms, between the years A.D. 356 and 483, has already been noticed. See chapter 2:41. As these horns denote kingdoms, the little horn must denote a kingdom also, but not of the same nature, because it was diverse from the others. They were political kingdoms. And now we have but to inquire if any kingdom has arisen among the ten kingdoms of the Roman Empire, since A.D. 483, and yet diverse from them all; and if so, what one? The answer is, The spiritual kingdom of the Papacy. This answers to the symbol in every particular, as is easily proved; and nothing else will do it. See the specifications more particularly mentioned in verse 23. Daniel beheld this horn making war upon the saints. Has such a war been waged by the Papacy? Fifty millions of martyrs, with a voice like the sound of many waters, answers, Yes. Witness the cruel persecutions of the Waldenses, the Albigenses, and Protestants in general, by the papal power. It is stated, on good authority, that the persecutions, massacres, and religious wars, excited by the church and bishop of Rome, have occasioned the shedding of far more blood of the saints of the Most High, than all the enmity, hostility, and persecutions, of professed heathens from the foundation of the world. In verse 22, three consecutive events seem to be brought to view. Daniel, looking onward from the time when the little horn was in the height of its power, to the full end of the long contest between the saints and Satan with all his agents, notes three prominent events that stand as mileposts along the way: 1. The coming of the Ancient of Days; that is, the position which Jehovah takes in the opening of the Judgment scene described in verses 9, 10. 2. The judgment that is given to the saints; that is, the time when the saints sit with Christ in judgment a thousand years, following the first resurrection, Rev. 20:1-4, apportioning to the wicked the punishment due to their sins. Then the martyrs will sit in judgment upon the great antichristian, persecuting power, which, in the days of their trial, hunted them like the beasts of the desert, and449poured out their blood like water. 3. The time when the saints possess the kingdom; that is, the time of their entrance upon the possession of the new earth. Then the last vestige of the curse, of sin, and of sinners, root and branch, will have been wiped away, and the territory so long misruled by the wicked powers of earth, the enemies of God's people, will be taken by the righteous, to be held by them for ever and ever. LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—OCTOBER 15.
"The announcement that Jesus was to enter into his glory as Messiah, by suffering shame and death, shocked all the preconceptions of the disciples; they could not understand it, and were sorely discouraged. They needed to be cheered in their despondency, and led gradually to accept the disclosure of his approaching humiliation. His promise that some of them, before their death, should see his kingdom come with power, was doubtless treasured in their hearts; but they little thought its fulfillment was so near. "Six days past; or eight, including the first and last days; full, doubtless, of sad and grave, as well as joyous, thoughts; sad that their Master spoke of suffering violence and death; grave that he should not only have dashed all their hopes of a national regeneration, but should have painted their own future in colors so sombre; yet joyous, amidst all, in vague anticipations of the predicted spiritual glory of the new kingdom, of which they were to be heralds. Little by little they would be sure to catch more of his spirit, from daily intercourse with him, and learn imperceptibly how the purest joy and the noblest glory come from self-sacrificing love; how, in the highest sense, it is more blessed to give than to receive. We are told nothing of this sacred interval, but may well conjecture how it passed. "The scene of the transfiguration, like that of nearly all other incidents in the life of our Lord, is not minutely stated. St. Luke, indeed, calls it 'the mountain,' but gives it no closer name. It seems, however, certain, that the tradition which from the days of St. Jerome has pointed to Mount Tabor as the locality, is incorrect. The summit of that hill—an irregular platform, embracing a circuit of half an hour's walk, was apparently from the earliest ages fortified, and Josephus mentions, about A. D. 60, that he strengthened the defenses of a city built on it. Picturesque, therefore, though the hill looks, as the traveler approaches it over the wide plain of Esdraelon, it could not have been the spot where Jesus revealed his glory, for it could not offer the seclusion and isolation indicated in the gospels. Nor is there any reason to think that the twelve and their Master had left the neighborhood of Cæsarea Philippi, for St. Mark expressly mentions that they did not start for Galilee till at least the day after. "It was, doubtless, therefore, on one of the spurs of Hermon, 'the lofty mountain,' near which he then found himself, that the transfiguration took place. Brought up among the hills, such a region, with distant summits, white in spots with snow even in summer, its pure air and the solitude of woody slopes and shady valleys must have breathed an ethereal calm and deep peaceful joy, seldom felt amidst the abodes of men, on the wearied and troubled spirit of our Lord."—Geikie's Life of Christ. "Verse 3. Moses and Elias. Elijah came from Heaven in the same body which he had upon earth, for he was translated, and did not see death, 2 Kings, 2:11. And the body of Moses was probably raised again, as the pledge of the resurrection; and as Christ is to come to judge the quick and the dead, for we shall not all die, but all shall be changed, 1 Cor 15:51, he probably gave the full representation of this in the person of Moses, who died, and was thus raised to life; and in the person of Elijah who never tasted death. Both their bodies exhibit the same appearance, to show that the bodies of glorified saints are the same, whether the person had been translated or whether he had died. It was a constant and prevalent tradition among the Jews, that both Moses and Elijah should appear in the times of the Messiah, and to this very tradition the disciples refer, verse 10.—Clarke. "Jesus now returned to his work of ministering to the people. As the throng caught sight of the Saviour, they ran to meet him, greeting him with much reverence. But he perceived that they were in great perplexity. This was because of a circumstance that had just transpired: A man had brought his son to the disciples to be delivered of a dumb spirit that tormented him exceedingly. But the disciples had been unable to relieve him, and therefore the scribes had seized upon this opportunity to dispute with them as to their power of working miracles. These men were now triumphantly declaring that a devil was here found whom neither the disciples nor their Master could conquer. "As Jesus approached the scene he inquired the cause of the trouble; the afflicted father replied: 'Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him; and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not.' Jesus listened attentively to this narration, and then met the failure of his disciples, the doubts of the people, and the boasting of the scribes, with these words: 'O faithless generation! how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me.' "The father obeyed the command of Jesus; but no sooner was his son brought into the divine presence than the evil spirit attacked him with violence, and he fell upon the ground in agony, and writhed, and foamed at the mouth. Jesus permitted Satan to exercise his power thus over his victim, in order that the people might better understand the nature of the miracle he was about to perform, and be more deeply impressed with a sense of his divine power. Jesus proceeded to inquire of the father how long his son had thus been afflicted by the demon. The father answered:— "'Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the water, to destroy him; but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.' The failure of the disciples to heal the deplorable case had sadly discouraged the father, and the sufferings of his son now wrung his soul with anguish. The question of Jesus brought to his mind the long years of suffering endured by his son, and his heart sank within him. He feared that what the scribes asserted was true, and that Jesus himself could not overcome so powerful a devil. Jesus perceived his dispirited condition and sought to inspire him with faith. He addressed him thus: 'If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.' Hope was immediately kindled in the father's heart, and he cried, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' "The distressed father realized his immediate need of help, and that no one could furnish that help but the merciful Saviour, and he relied alone upon him. His faith was not in vain; for Jesus, before the whole multitude, that flocked about to witness the scene, 'rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.' And immediately the demon left him, and the boy lay as one dead. The action of the evil spirit upon him had been so violent that it had overcome all his natural strength; and when it left him he was powerless and unconscious. The people, who had witnessed with awe the sudden change that came over the lad, now whispered among themselves, 'He is dead.' But Jesus stooped and with tender pity 'took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.' . . "Jesus had conferred upon his disciples the power to work miracles of healing; but their failure in this case, before so many witnesses, had deeply mortified them. When they were alone with Jesus they asked him why it was that they were unable to cast out the devil. Jesus answered that it was because of their unbelief, and the carelessness with which they regarded the sacred work that had been committed to them. They had not fitted themselves for their holy office by fasting and prayer. It was impossible for them to vanquish Satan except as they received power from God; they should go to him in humiliation and self-sacrifice and plead for strength to conquer the enemy of souls. Nothing but entire dependence upon God, and perfect consecration to the work, would insure their success. Jesus encouraged his disappointed followers in these words: 'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.' . . . "Previous to his transfiguration, Jesus had told his disciples that there were some then with him who should not see death until they should see the kingdom of God come with power. In the transfiguration on the mount, this promise was fulfilled, for they there saw the kingdom of Christ in miniature. Jesus was clothed with the glory of Heaven, and proclaimed by the Father's voice to be the son of God. Moses was present, representing those who will be raised from the dead at the second coming of Christ; and Elijah, who was translated to Heaven without seeing death, represented those who will be living on earth at the time of Christ's second appearing, and who will be changed from mortal to immortal, and be translated to Heaven without seeing death."—"Life of Christ," by Mrs. E. G. White. God deals with us singly, and we must deal with God singly. We have little concern with what others do, but everything with what we do ourselves. Let us strive so to live, and think, and speak and act as if we and God were alone, and as if the whole weight and responsibility of his work upon earth lay upon us, as it does to the full extent of our power to bear it. We are not only responsible for our own souls, but for the souls of others. How different a state the world would be in, if every one had his heart on fire with divine love, and like the Christians of apostolic days, told the old, old story continually. Not only in public to many, but one by one, in the frank, candid, spontaneous, unaffected speech, with which one who loves Christ may tell another the beauty of his Master. If each were so to act, what an enormous power would be set to work! What a blessing might be expected from above, if every man did what he might do for Christ! God puts it in our power to do all that he means for us to do. He has not given us time, talent, money, position, influence, to be thrown away. We only need the zeal, the heaven-given fire of the Spirit; the all-constraining, all-subduing love of Christ. THE SABBATH-SCHOOL A PLEASURE.
The Sabbath-school is the place of worship; it is also a place for Bible study. It is not a sociable; it is not a place for lounging; it is a provision for restful work in the intellectual and spiritual line; in the intellectual because of an inner spiritual. That there may be profitable study, there must be good order. There is less wear and tear of the nervous system in one hour of well-disciplined order and restraint than in one hour of freedom and confusion. Rest is change of occupation rather than suspension of activity. A true student rests by reading lighter or different literature from that upon which he has been concentrating his attention closely. A laboring man rests by thinking and reading. The service of song and prayer and class study, which we call the Sabbath-school, should be rest to all who participate in it, even when its order is strict, its worship thoughtful, and its intellectual exertions intense. We should not make the Sabbath a dread to our young people, but, by kindling in them spiritual tastes, and impressing upon them the importance of spiritual truth, make them eager to know about the "things of the kingdom." They study five days in the week in the secular schools and learn nothing about God; they need on the Sabbath-day to bring the same mental forces which are employed during the week, and consecrate them to the study of the divine character, law, and government. That Sabbath-school which has the best order, the closest programme, the sharpest drills, the most concentrated intellectual attention, the most fervent spiritual exercises, is the Sabbath-school which is most restful to its members. The Sabbath day that is filled from early morning until dewy eve with home devotion and conversation, public worship and Bible study, is the Sabbath from which people go forth rested and invigorated, and prepared for the activities of the following week.—S. S. Journal. HE that refuses to be led by the hand of mercy may expect to be driven by the sword of justice. MARIOLATRY NOT CHRISTIANITY.
By Editor
THE Scriptures teach that Christ is the minister of righteousness, but is not the minister of sin; that the prayer of him who turns away from the law of God is an abomination. Prov. 28:9. But “the church” teaches that devotion to Mary is accepted and will be rewarded even though the devotee be living in open and wanton sin. The gospel of Christ enforces the strictest morality and regard for God’s law, and denounces as hateful hypocrisy any service offered by him who loves sin; but the Roman system countenances sin, and connives at immorality by teaching that a man may openly disregard the law of God and live in the constant commission of crime, and yet be regarded with favor in Heaven if he shows respect for Mary. If this be proved, then it is again sufficiently proved that Mariolatry is not Christianity; it is as different from the gospel of Christ as sin is different from morality—as unrighteousness is from righteousness. It is no disparagement to our argument that they deny this conclusion, and affirm that they do not admit of license to sin. We will present the proof and leave the reader to judge. “In the year 1604 there lived in the city of Flanders two young students, who, instead of attending to their studies, gave themselves up to excesses and dissipation. One night, having gone to the house of a woman of ill fame, one of them, named Richard, after some time returned home, but the other remained. Richard having gone home, was undressing to go to rest, when he remembered that he had not recited that day, as usual, some ‘Hail Marys.’ He was oppressed with sleep and very weary, yet he roused himself and recited them, although without devotion, and only half awake. He then went to bed, and having just fallen asleep, he heard a loud knocking at the door, and immediately after, before he had time to open it, he saw before him his companion, with a hideous and ghastly appearance. ‘Who are you?’ he said to him. ‘Do you not know me?’ answered the other. ‘But what has so changed you? you seem like a demon.’ ‘Alas!’ exclaimed this poor wretch, ‘I am damned.’ ‘And how is this?’ ‘Know,’ he said, ‘when I came out of that infamous house, a devil attacked me and strangled me. My body lies in the middle of the street, and my soul is in hell. Know that my punishment would also have been yours, but the Blessed Virgin, on account of those few ‘Hail Marys’ said in her honor, has saved you.’”—Glories of Mary. pp. 464-5. “Father Eusebius Nierembergh relates, that there lived in the city of Aragona a girl, named Alexandra. who, being noble and very beautiful, was greatly loved by two young men. Through jealousy, they one day fought and killed each other. Their enraged relatives, in return, killed the poor young girl, as the cause of so much trouble, cut off her head, and threw her into a well. A few days after, St. Dominic was passing through that place, and, inspired by the Lord, approached the well, and said: ‘Alexandra come forth,’ and immediately the head of the deceased came forth, placed itself on the edge of the well, and prayed St. Dominic to hear its confession. The saint heard its confession, and also gave it communion, in presence of a great concourse of persons who had assembled to witness the miracle. Then St. Dominic ordered her to speak and tell why she had received that grace. Alexandra answered, that when she was beheaded, she was in a state of mortal sin, but that the most holy Mary, on account of the rosary, which she was in the habit of reciting, had preserved her in life. Two days the head retained its life upon the edge of the well, in the presence of all, and then the soul went to purgatory. But fifteen days after, the soul of Alexandra appeared to St. Dominic, beautiful and radiant as a star, and told him that one of the principal sources of relief to the souls in purgatory is the rosary which is recited for them; and that as soon as they arrive in Paradise they pray for those who apply to them these powerful prayers. Having said this, St. Dominic saw that happy soul ascending in triumph to the kingdom of the blessed.’” pp. 273-4. Thus Mary saves those who go through the mummery of reciting the rosary, though they live and die in mortal sin. The gospel of Christ has no such salvation. It is no wonder that Romanists dislike to have their votaries read the Bible, for the reading of the word of God sweeps away such refuges of lies as this. “We read in the chronicles of the Capuchin Fathers, that there lived in Venice a celebrated advocate who, by fraud and evil practices, had become rich. His whole life was very bad, and it appears that he had but one good habit, that of reciting every day a certain prayer to the holy Virgin. Yet even this little devotion saved him from eternal death, through the mercy of Mary. It happened in this way: Happily for himself he had a great esteem for Father Matthew de Basso, and urged him so much to come and dine at his house that one day the Father gave him this pleasure. Having arrived, the advocate said to him: ‘Now, Father, I will show you something that you have never seen. I have a wonderful ape, who is my valet, washes my glasses, lays the table, and opens the door.’ ‘This may not be an ape,’ answered the Father: ‘it may be something more than an ape; order him to come here.’ The ape was called again and again, search was made for him everywhere, and he could not be found. At length he was discovered hidden under a bed in the lower part of the house, but he would not come out. ‘Come then,’ said the religious, ‘let us go and see him;’ and he went with the advocate to his hiding-place. ‘Infernal beast,’ he said, ‘come forth, and in the name of God I command you to tell me what you are.’ And behold, the ape answered that he was the devil, and that he was waiting until that sinner should omit some day to recite his accustomed prayer to the mother of God; for the first time he should omit it, God had given him leave to strangle him and take him to hell.’” pp. 251-2. “Father Charles Bovius relates that in Domans, in France, lived a married man who held a criminal connection with another woman. Now the wife being unable to endure this, continually besought God to punish the guilty parties; and one day in particular went to an altar of the blessed Virgin, which was in a certain church, to implore vengeance upon the woman who had alienated her husband from her; and this very woman went also every day to the same altar to repeat a ‘Hail Mary.’ One night the divine mother appeared in a dream to the wife, who, on seeing her, began her accustomed petition: ‘Justice, mother of justice! Do you seek justice of me? Go and find others to execute justice for you. It belongs not to me to do it for you. Be it known to you,’ she added, ‘that this very sinner offers every day a devotion in my honor, and that I cannot allow any sinner who does this, to suffer and be punished for his sins.’” pp. 301-2. We have now abundantly proved our proposition. No more proof can be needed. But we will refer to one more case, because of another point involved. For the sake of brevity we will not copy. A young man promised his mother to recite a “Hail Mary” every day. He led a very wicked and dissolute life, and became a highway robber, but never omitted the “Hail Mary.” He fell into the hands of justice and was condemned to death. In prison the devil appeared to him and offered to release him if he would obey him. First he ordered him to renounce Jesus Christ and the sacraments, which he consented to do. Then he ordered him to renounce the Virgin Mary. “‘This,’ exclaimed the young man, ‘I will never do,’ and turning to Mary, repeated the accustomed prayer.” The devil left him, and he was led forth to execution. On his way to the gallows he passed before a statue of Mary, and saluting her with a devotion, “the statue, in the presence of all, inclined its head and saluted him.” Having obtained the privilege of kissing the feet of the image, the Virgin, through the image, put forth her hand and held him fast. Of course he was released, and Mary was greatly honored. Thus the “Hail Marys” of an abandoned, dissolute highway robber were efficacious for his salvation. Had he renounced Mary and clung to Jesus Christ he would have been lost, “for all who are saved are saved through Mary.” She is the actual throne of grace—the “only hope” of the sinner. This is authentic Catholic doctrine, which no one can deny. We appeal to our readers—to the Catholics themselves—if we have done their system any injustice. Another instance: A vicious youth was reduced to beggary. A sorcerer introduced him to the devil, when the following conversation passed:— “‘If he will obey me,’ said the enemy, ‘I will make him richer than before; but in the first place, he must renounce God.’ At this the youth shuddered, but urged on by that cursed magician, he yielded, and renounced God. ‘But this is not sufficient,’ said the demon, ‘he must also renounce Mary; for it is to her that we attribute our greatest losses. Oh, how many souls she has snatched from us, and led back to God and saved!’ ‘Oh, this I will not do,’ exclaimed the youth; ‘deny Mary! why she is my only hope.’ I would rather be a beggar all my life.’” P. 183. This is recorded approvingly, and shows, again, that, in the estimation of the Catholic church, to renounce God is a small matter compared to renouncing Mary. In renouncing God there is ample chance of recovery; but renouncing Mary is fatal. “We acknowledge that one alone in Heaven is solicitous for us, as St. Augustine says of her.” P. 740. Giving a quotation from St. Anselm. Liguori adds:— “‘By which he gives us to understand that the sinner, being hated by God, is rendered odious and abominable in the eyes of all creatures; but if he has recourse to the refuge of sinners, Mary not only does not despise him, but affectionately embraces him, and does not abandon him until he is pardoned by her Son and our Judge, Jesus Christ.’” Pp. 746-7. Every Bible reader knows that this is contrary to the declarations of the gospel. John 3:16. “‘She could in no way show greater charity than by offering her Son for our salvation; so that St. Bonaventure says: Mary so loved the world as to give her only begotten Son.’” P. 612. We offer no more; we might multiply such testimonies, but this is enough. We pity the blindness of those who are so shamefully misled. We cannot fraternize such a system; it is not the gospel, nor even a resemblance to it. It is a human device to build up a system of worldliness and pride.