by Rev. Lachlan MacKenzie
Behold, darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people. — Isaiah 60: 2.
God Almighty shall always have a Church to serve Him while the world remains; but the Church, as to her outward appearance, has been often like the moon — sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing. For some little time before the change the face of the moon cannot be seen. It has been thus with the Church formerly, and it is probable it will be so for a little time before her most glorious appearance upon earth. I shall give my objections for this opinion, and then answer any objections that may be formed against it.
- As to Pagans* and Mahometans, they must remain naturally in the state they are in, and proceed from bad to worse, till the time appointed for their conversion appears. That time is not yet come; there must be such a spirit of grace and supplication in the Church, that would find missionaries to convert them, as shall convince them that God is with them of a truth. The superstition, idolatry, and immorality of many who call themselves Christians is an invincible bar in the way of such an event, so that any attempt to convert them would only bind them faster in their chains of error and delusion than ever; the darkness shall only increase more and more.
* Since this was written many in pagan darkness have been brought to the light.
- As to Popery, there is no appearance of a reformation among its adherents; all the trials and afflictions that idolaters meet with send them only to their idols. Instead of forsaking the gods of silver and gold, brass and stone, when the chastening hand of God is upon them, we hear only a multitude of processions and masses, of so many prayers to saints and angels, and such trumpery as would excite the laughter of infidels and the pity of pious Christians. Though their errors and delusions have been exposed ten thousand times, we may adopt the words of the prophet concerning them, “Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone.” It is no wonder though Popery should spread far and wide; they have a pompous parade of worship, to bewitch and captivate the eyes of the vulgar. The honours and riches with which their higher clergy are endowed are a bait to men of birth, of learning, and of eclat. And though they must see, when they open their eyes on the Word of God, that their religion is a system of lies and falsehood, it is no greater wonder to see them support such a false religion than it is to see in every country where Old and New Testaments are to be found men of learning, of power, and parts, steal, murder, commit adultery, though they see these sins forbidden in the Word of God. Popery is calculated to make the common people perfectly superstitious, and to make the learned people mere infidels. To prove this we have only to cast our eyes upon France, and if these infidels will not embrace the pure and genuine precepts of Christianity, they shall return to their own religion again, or establish a new kind of Paganism. That Popery shall greatly prevail before the Millennium appears from this — that it is said a certain great enemy who would appear against the Church would build his palace in the glorious high mountain between the seas. This cannot apply to Antiochus Epiphanus; it must apply to the great persecutor, of whom he was only a type. Mount Zion has been always called the holy mountain; and if it be said by some that by the glorious high mountain is meant the Church, it may be asked what place has been built in the holy mountain, between the seas. Perhaps it will be said the Vatican. We acknowledge that the Vatican is the mount of His Holiness, and a good Catholic will acknowledge that it is accordingly the holy mountain. Even some of the followers of the beast are of opinion that, after the destruction of Rome, the Pope shall dwell at Jerusalem; and as mankind are often very ready to go from one false opinion to another, what should hinder many of the Mahometans to transfer their veneration from the false prophet to the beast, or from one false prophet to another?
A train of circumstances may make the transition very easy, and instead of going on a pilgrimage to Medina or Mecca, they may be encouraged to come to Jerusalem, not from a spirit of devotion, but the spirit of superstition. A good Christian may have a holy curiosity to see the Holy Sepulchre, but we may believe that the beast will convert it to one of the worst of purposes — that of promoting idolatry. It may be to him, while he has possession of it, a source of great riches; and if he allows and commands his followers to worship their little crucifixes, and what they call the images of Christ, is it not still more likely they will worship the spot where the sacred body lay? During the few years that he shall have possession of the Holy City, the grossest idolatry will prevail. The most spiritual Christians, and the most remote from idolatry, would have a veneration for the place where the Saviour of the world was laid; and oh! how will the Pope rejoice to have such a rich mine to fill his coffers! And whereas the poor have the blessings of the Gospel freely offered to them, on the contrary, the richest will have here the best chance of pardon and acceptance. Miracles, without doubt, will be multiplied, and cures performed without number, at this holy place. A dissipated rich man, by paying a round sum, will have permission to kiss the stone that was at the door of the sepulchre, and to kneel at the place. He will then obtain the remission of his sins, and a Papal indulgence to commit as many more as he shall pay for; and if he be a very great man, he may obtain a piece of the stone to carry home with him as a relic. They will very likely have an enclosure about the sepulchre, and the earth in this sacred enclosure will be made to work miracles; and as thousands will make a demand for a bit of the stone, miracles will be alleged to make the stone last; and instead of discouraging a superstitious and idolatrous attachment to what cannot profit their souls, this spiritual adultery shall be promoted by all the arts and ingenuity of priestcraft. Instead of worshipping the Saviour himself, they shall worship the place where he was buried. By this time the Pope shall seem in a great measure to forget his old patron, the Apostle Peter; idolatry shall be so gross, and the darkness so thick, that Papists themselves shall but seldom pray to the Queen of Heaven; they shall worship towards the holy Sepulchre. Prints and paintings of the Holy Sepulchre will be sent into all quarters of his dominions.
The veneration that was once paid to Rome shall now be paid to Jerusalem. All the relics of the saints shall be carried by a miracle to the Holy City. The destruction of Rome shall, perhaps, be imputed to their want of zeal in persecuting heretics, or to some other cause, which the time will suggest to the Pope. As all the saints and angels will go to Jerusalem, with the Head of the Church, some holy virgins will see visions, intimating to the faithful that they must now transfer their veneration from Rome to Jerusalem. The Pope will easily discern what spirit of idolatry the bulk of his followers like best, and he will avail himself of this; and it is more than probably that a new kind of idolatry not yet thought of, and not discovered till then, will be the religion of the Pope. The darkness shall be more than Egyptian darkness — a darkness that may be felt. The Pope never reigned with such triumph as he shall then reign. He shall be the Head of the Greek and Latin Churches. Perhaps the Grand Signor shall conquer Persia, and the Pope may assist him in so doing; and to reward his services, the Emperor of Russia may cause his clergy to submit to the Pope as Head of the Universal Church. But it may be asked — Will this darkness overspread even the Protestant Churches? I fear it will, in a great measure. My reason follows:— If the spirit of Popery and the doctrines of Popery will pervade the Protestant Churches, may it not be said that the darkness will overspread them, whether they retain the name or not? What is the spirit of Popery? Persecution intolerance and tyranny. And are Protestants free of this spirit? They are not. Even good men themselves have not so much zeal in appearing against the sins and corruptions of the times as they ought. If they had, they would see that Protestants can persecute as well as Papists. Let a man in England or Scotland preach against the corruptions of the times, and see if he can escape persecution. The Saviour preached against the sins of all ranks, and what was the consequence? They impeached him for treason, in that He called himself Christ or King. The prophet Nathan said to his sovereign, “Thou art the man”. In a word, let a man tell plain truth and he will meet with rough persecution even from a smooth, plain Protestant. The Popish Church rules over the conscience: but was ever the Head of their communion guilty of greater tyranny than forcing people to submit to a man whom they cannot in conscience hear? He is settled, perhaps, with a party of soldiers at his ordination or admission, and perhaps not a soul of his parish waits in church; and he very solemnly takes the charge of the souls of the people whom he knows will never hear him; and though the people complain, they get no redress. If they complain that they cannot get good to their souls, their arguments are laughed at, and they are looked on as a set of enthusiasts, who ought to be crushed. The consequence is clear. Is this, or such-like tyranny, in any Protestant Church? Let us mention some of the Popish doctrines and practices, viz, idolatry, justification by works, free will, etc. 1. The idolatry: this practice and darkness we are pretty clear of. We have another kind of darkness — many Protestants worship nothing. Whether is he the more respectable character, who bows to the image of Christ or one of the saints, or the pretented Protestant, who rises in the morning, passes the whole day, and goest to bed at night without discovering the least symptom of worship to any supreme being? It is even alleged of several clergymen in Protestant Churches that they have no prayer, no worship in their families; and it is clear that such men would not worship God on the Sabbath but for the sake of a bit of bread.
Bad as idolatry is, men cannot deny but it is better than to be without worship of any kind. The idolater is in darkness. The man who worships no being is in gross darkness. The clergyman who does not worship in his family is but mocking God in the pulpit; he worships he knows not what; he is in midnight darkness; may God awaken him in mercy. And if the clergyman does not worship in his family, is it not probable that a great number of his parishioners will follow his example? He may be a social, good-hearted, honest fellow, and a good countryman, and his people will be unwilling to believe that he shall be condemned though he does not pray in his family, or show them a good example. They love him because he accommodates himself to their humours and does not frighten them with wild doctrines that might put people out of their wits. He has a sweet salve for their consciences, by telling them they have as good a claim for Heaven as your hypocrites who can pray; and yet their neighbours and he believe, for their part, that all your pretenders to religion are of a fanatic spirit, but cannot deny that some of these enthusiasts are honest men. The plague is in them. They are so censorious, so bigoted in their opinions, that they do not believe any will go to Heaven but themselves. He makes them, therefore, the butt of his ridicule, laughs at their absurdity, and looks upon them as men who have their heads turned with a religious frenzy. When such a man is the spiritual guide of souls, what can be expected but that he will lead his people to perdition with himself? If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch; and if there are already numbers of such characters in the Church, I fear they will increase. A succession of such men, for a number of years, will introduce the darkness of Deism, and the darkness of Deism will have the way for the darkness of Popery; and the ruling powers would establish a new religion, and threaten the clergy that would rebel with the loss of their stipend. They would find men of such low principles very pliable. And as no religion is so much calculated for tyranny in Church and State as Popery, it is probable the attempt will be made, and that the clergy will yield; but as it would be dangerous to make the attempt till a spirit of lukewarmness, moderation, and indifference shall universally prevail in Protestant countries, the time is yet at some distance. When it arrives, the most of the clergy will turn their coats. The few that will not will be turned out of their livings; and thus the Protestant religion will be without a legal establishment. The persecution, however, shall be short. The resurrection of the witnesses shall be the dawn of the morning previous to the surprising Millennium. Another Popish doctrine is justification by works. We know what is the doctrine contained in the Protestant Confession of Faith: but what is the doctrine preached in many Protestant pulpits, and what are the doctrines given in several modern compositions of Protestants? The very reverse. They laugh down such a foundation for Christianity, as a heathen would have done before the Gospel appeared, with this difference, that some slight compliments are paid to the Saviour. Instead of preaching salvation by Christ, and the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel, we are taught to be good neighbours, good servants, good members of Society. There is not a word of our need of Christ, our misery and corruption by nature. Instead of this we hear the joyful doctrines of free will, virtue — virtue is the great word: that is the Diana of the Ephesians. They do not believe we are born without some virtue. This virtue must be the work of a man’s own right hand, for many protestant divines laugh at the doctrine of the work of the Spirit of God upon the soul. In this, however, they do not imitate their heathen masters, for they acknowledge that this must come from Heaven. Regeneration, spiritual poverty, and being indebted to our Lord Jesus Christ for everything, they do not believe or understand; and doctrine that is lamentably worse than any of the doctrines of Popery is tolerated in the Protestant Church: and it is to be feared that the Protestant Churches will be greatly eclipsed, for, “Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” My reasons for this opinion I shall briefly mention:— 1st, God is just. We are sure that the Judge of all the earth will do right. Our short-sighted reason may suggest such a thought as this. Why doth not the Providence of God send the Gospel to the poor benighted heathen? Why did he permit the delusions of Mahometanism and Popery to overspread the greater part of the earth? But God is just and good in permitting Pagans, Papists, and Mahometans to be tainted with their delusions, in consequence of the sins of their forefathers, who made a bad use of the light while they had it. God Almighty permits a wicked couple to have a numerous family, and to train up their children in sentiments and practices that will endanger their salvation, and yet God is holy and good: and as the Protestant makes a bad use of the Gospel, there is cause to fear that their posterity, for several years, will sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Again, this shall be for the glory of God. It is a Scriptural doctrine that all things will terminate in His Glory, though we do not know how. It may satisfy us that it will be so. Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. To me it appears probable that there was never such darkness upon the face of the earth as there will be a few years before the dawn of the Millennium, from the resurrection of the witnesses. But before it appears the darkness will be thick, and the persecution severe. The faith of the Church will be at a low ebb. They will adopt the language of the Psalmist, “Will the Lord cast off for ever, and will he be angry evermore? Is His mercy clean gone for ever? Doth His promise fail for evermore?”
Lastly. This is His usual method with His Church. Let us consult Scripture and experience and we will find that this is the case. A little before the plot of Haman was defeated, the Church was in extreme danger. A little before Jacob was made happy, he is brought to say, “All these things are against me.” A little before the dawn is the darkest time of the night. The dawn of the Millennium will be the resurrection of the witnesses. A little before this the darkness will be very thick — the Protestant religion will be persecuted, and their interest very low. It is likely that many of them will receive the glorious crown of martyrdom during the three and a half prophetic days. Popery will reign triumphant. They will then rejoice and send presents to one another. They are happy that the men who galled their consciences and exposed their errors are removed out of the way. The courage and constancy of the martyrs will animate the rest of the Protestants to suffer the utmost effects of the rage of the Popish party. God will wonderfully secure their persons, and hide them from their rage. The beast, however, and his adherents are still uneasy; and, in order to make sure work, they enter into a plot. Very like themselves, they are suspicious, and not without cause, that all their new converts are not sincere. The Pope and Cardinals, to promote the cause of the Church, engage a number of the most zealous Catholics in all his dominions, and bind them with an oath of secrecy, to cut off in one night all the new Protestant converts; and with this view they are to engage men they can depend on, in every corner, and these are to be prepared for the bloody field. The miserable victims are to be invited to partake of the universal joy. No sooner do they get them within their power than a cruel carnage ensues. They spare neither friend nor brother. This is the cause of God and of the Holy Mother Church; and therefore they think they do good service. They imagine it will be an easy matter for them to manage the few fugitives that are hiding themselves in caves and mountains. As for those half converts and others who did not turn, being protected by the favour and interest of great friends, they are all cut to pieces. The bloody butchers spare no age nor sex, friend nor foe. All the Papal dominions are filled with woe and lamentation. The people of God are wonderfully protected by Him; they look as believing their temporal salvation to be nigh. They agree privately to appoint a night for watching, fasting, and prayer. The night they appoint for wrestling with their God is the night the bloody Papists appoint for their cruel work. There will be remarkable downpouring of the spirit, and they are made to believe that God will work wonders for them, and they are not disappointed. He doth so unknown to them; and next day they hear of the murder of their unhappy brethren. They see, however, the hand of God in their safety. The Papists think they have fixed Popery on an immortal basis. Instead of this they shall find to their cost that they have given it a most terrible blow. The bloody deed disgusts all the Powers of Europe. They are shocked at the bloody spirit of Popery. Even Catholics of humanity shudder at the deed. They cause the bloodhounds who killed their friends and relatives to say that the people they murdered were Papists. In consequence of this there is an edict in favour of Protestants to profess their own religion without molestation. The Gospel is preached with success, and the Church looks forward for better days. The resurrection of the witnesses is the morning of the Millennium, and a prelude of that wonderful and glorious era. But it may be objected and there is a great degree of knowledge in the world — that there is a spirit of liberty extending among all ranks — that, therefore, such events are improbable: besides, we have the Gospel in Protestant Churches preached in its purity, and it is hoped the candlestick will never be entirely removed. But the darkness may overspread and be very thick, notwithstanding, in many places. The Romans were a learned people at the time when the Gospel was first preached to them, for it appeared soon after the Augustan age: but we know that in a few centuries the most fertile provinces were overrun with numbers of barbarians, who spread havoc and ignorance wherever they appeared. What people were ever fonder of liberty than the Romans? Yet they were first enslaved by their Emperors, then by the hands of Goths and Vandals, and last of all, by the infallible Head of their Church. The barbarians enslaved their bodies, and the Pope enslaved their minds.
As to our having the Gospel in purity among us, can we pretend to have it in greater purity than it was preached at Rome? It is acknowledged that we have the Gospel preached, and the ordinances administered, in great purity among us. But we must say that the Gospel was preached with greater purity to the Romans than it is to us. They had the personal presence of the Apostles, and they had this additional advantage over us, they had the faith of the Gospel confirmed by miracles. They had ocular demonstration, which bore down all opposition. Notwithstanding of all this, the Roman Church, in process of time, became a corrupt and idolatrous Church. If they fell, so may we; “let us not be high-minded, but fear.” Contempt of the Gospel, and immorality, provoked God to bring in barbarous nations among them, to punish them for their sins. Ignorance overspread the Empire, and this ignorance became the mother of Popish delusion. Our sins, in like manner, may bring similar punishment. We have luke-warmness in religion, and we know the express threatenings that are levelled at that particular sin. The Protestant Church is doubly infected with this sin. If God did not spare other Churches, what ground have we to expect that He will spare us? There is cause to fear that our contempt of the Gospel, our lukewarmness in religion, and the immorality of many false Protestants, will bring all but total darkness upon our posterity. From what has been said of the Pope’s religion, some may be apt to suspect that we exclude all of that communion from salvation. It is answered, that if God reserved to Himself seven thousand souls in the Kingdom of Israel, may He not reserve many thousands in the Church of Rome from the contagion of idolatry. Many might escape the plague if it visited the city or metropolis; but a man would advise his friend to leave it, because he believed it would be dangerous to stay. The words of Scripture to the people of that Church are, “Come out of her, that ye be not partakers of her plagues” — a proof that he has some in that idolatrous Church.