evil spirits—were those fearful hostilities which broke out, not only in Europe, but in every other portion of the world where a community of professing Christians existed. In those fearful events the Churches took an odious part, and infidelity avowed its wretched principles. Wars, indeed, had previously been waged during the history of Christianity; and no doubt they were indications of some spiritual wickedness in high places. Wars could not exist, if wickedness did not promote them. But those wars which followed upon the last judgment were not upon that limited scale which distinguished their predecessors; they affected with their desolations every portion of the Christian world.[1] Wherever Christianity was professed, there war placed his iron foot, and trod out some of the nations from the earth. "Nation rose against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there were famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places; the distress of nations, men's hearts failing them for fear."[2] Professing Christians let loose upon each other the demons of military carnage: in
- ↑ The year in which the last judgment is considered to have taken place is 1757. In that year the "Seven Years' war" commenced; and "in 1758 the war raged in all quarters of the world."—History of England. Student's Hume.
- ↑ In 1770, famine and pestilence destroyed 168,000 persons in Bohemia; 20,000 persons in Russia and Poland; and occasioned a weekly mortality of 1000 persons daily in Constantinople. Two years afterwards, from the same causes, 133,229 persons perished at Moscow, and 80,000 at Bassorah. Other fearful instances could be cited. Of earthquakes a great number might be mentioned. In 1759 there was one in Syria which destroyed 20,000 persons; in 1773, the city of St. Jago, in Guatemala, was buried, and 8000 persons perished in the ruins. Others occurred in Smyrna, Calabria, St. Lucia; in Tuscany, throughout Campania, in Asia Minor, Quito, and in many other places; so that those who insist on such external evidence by which to interpret the prophecies may have them in abundance. But by famine, pestilence, and earth-
