which prevailed, the love of dominion which was cherished, the tyranny which was exercised, and of the comparative rapidity with which those evils were checked and moderated. Surely circumstances like these, occurring on so large a scale, may in themselves be regarded as indications of a judgment. But behind those national experiences there must have transpired some spiritual phenomena. These occurrences were not without an adequate cause; and, doubtless, the breaking up of such perverted religious institutions on the one hand, and the termination of such flagitious abuses of political power on the other, could only have been accomplished by a removal from the minds of the people of those influential and spiritual causes by which they had been induced. The circumstances adverted to certainly occurred, and the hand of the Divine providence was as certainly concerned in their production. And is not the removal of the ruling cause of evil from the minds of men in perfect keeping with the merciful providence of Him who came into the world to save His people from the hand of those who hated them? This was done; and, therefore, it implies the execution of a judgment by which the preponderating power of evil spirits was removed from men, and new influences from heaven provided for their enjoyment in the world.
But whether the above historical circumstances be considered as evidences that a Divine judgment had been executed in the world of spirits or not, the fact remains that the Lord came into the world for judgment, and that its immediate subjects were the souls of departed men; for the Lord solemnly declared, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God."[1] There can be no reason
