Earlier text: General ArticlesThe Ten Kingdoms in the Dark Ages.
HAVING shown the establishment of the ten kingdoms as independent nations upon the ruins of Western Rome, we propose now to follow, briefly, their fortunes after the date of the fall of the Western empire, A. D. 476. This is necessary to a full understanding of the prophecy, for it says, "In the days of these kings [the ten kingdoms] shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom," which "shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." It is important then that we know what became of these kingdoms and where they are now to be found; for it is certain that this kingdom of God has not yet been set up, and it is just as certain that it is very soon to be set up. Of the kingdoms after the division of the empire, the prophet said: "And as the toes of the feet [the ten kingdoms] were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken [margin, brittle, i. e., easily broken, weak]." Dan. 2: 42. This would imply that the power of some of these would become so strong that it would overshadow others, who would be weak in comparison. And the history of Western Europe from A. D. 476 onward is in perfect accord with the words of the prophet, which he spake more than a thousand years before, in relation to this very period. THE VISIGOTHS AND THE SUEVI.
The Visigoths were the first to make their power predominant amongst the kingdoms of the West. It will be remembered that under Wallia they had gained, as early as A. D. 419, a permanent seat in southwestern Gaul, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Biscay and from the Loire to the Rhone. From that time onward— "The kingdom established by the Visigoths in the southern provinces of Gaul, had gradually acquired strength and maturity; and the conduct of those ambitious barbarians, either in peace or war, engaged the perpetual vigilance of Ætius. After the death of Wallia, the Gothic scepter devolved to Theodoric [A. D. 419–451], the son of the great Alaric; and his prosperous reign of more than thirty years, over a turbulent people, may be allowed to prove that his prudence was supported by uncommon vigor, both mind and body. Impatient of his narrow limits, Theodoric aspired to the possession of Arles, the wealthy seat of government and commerce; but the city was saved by the timely approach of Ætius; and the Gothic king, who had raised the siege with some loss and disgrace, was persuaded, for an adequate subsidy, to divert the martial valor of his subjects in a Spanish war."—Dec. and Fall, chap. 35, par. 4. Theodoric was killed in the battle of Chalons A. D. 451, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Torismond, who was murdered in A. D. 453, by his younger brother, Theodoric II., who reigned till A. D. 466. In A. D. 456 he invaded Spain and carried his arms as far as Merida, but was recalled "before he could provide for the security of his conquests."—Id., chap. 36, par. 7. "And the design of extinguishing the Roman empire in Spain and Gaul was conceived, and almost completed, in the reign of Euric, who assassinated his brother Theodoric [A. D. 466] and displayed, with a more savage temper, superior abilities, both in peace and war. He passed the Pyrenees at the head of a numerous army, subdued the cities of Saragossa and Pampeluna, vanquished in battle the martial nobles of the Tarragonese province, carried his victorious arms into the heart of Lusitania, and permitted the Suevi to hold the kingdom of Gallicia under the Gothic monarchy of Spain. The efforts of Euric were not less vigorous, or less successful, in Gaul; and throughout the country that extends from the Pyrenees to the Rhone and the Loire, Berry and Auvergne were the only cities, or dioceses, which refused to acknowledge him as their master."—Id., par. 22. "As soon as Odoacer had extinguished the Western empire, he sought the friendship of the most powerful of the barbarians. The new sovereign of Italy resigned to Euric, king of the Visigoths [A. D. 446–485], all the Roman conquests beyond the Alps as far as the Rhine and the ocean; and the senate might confirm this liberal gift with some ostentation of power, and without any real loss of revenue or dominion. The lawful pretensions of Euric were justified by ambition and success; and the Gothic nation might aspire, under his command, to the monarchy of Spain and Gaul. Arles and Marseilles surrendered to his arms; he oppressed the freedom of Auvergne; and the bishop condescended to purchase his recall from exile by a tribute of just, but reluctant praise. Sidonius waited before the gates of the palace among a crowd of ambassadors and suppliants; and their various business at the court of Bordeaux attested the power and the renown of the king of the Visigoths. The Heruli of the distant ocean, who painted their naked bodies with its cærulcan color, implored his protection; and the Saxons respected the maritime provinces of a prince who was destitute of any naval force. The tall Burgundians submitted to his authority; nor did he restore the captive Franks till he had imposed on that fierce nation the terms of an unequal peace. The Vandals of Africa cultivated his useful friendship; and the Ostrogoths of Pannonia were supported by his powerful aid against the oppression of the neighboring Huns. The North (such are the lofty strains of the poet) was agitated or appeased by the nod of Euric; the great king of Persia consulted the oracle of the West; and the aged god of the Tyber was protected by the swelling genius of the Garonne."—Id., chap. 38, par. 2. The next of these kingdoms to extend its power over the others was the kingdom of the Franks; and the extension of the dominion of the Franks was the suppression of the Visigothic power in Gaul. "The fortune of nations has often depended on accidents; and France may ascribe her greatness to the premature death of the Gothic king, at a time when his son Alaric was a helpless infant, and his adversary Clovis an ambitious and valiant youth. "While Childeric, the father of Clovis, lived in exile in Germany, he was hospitably entertained by the queen, as well as by the king, of the Thuringians. After his restoration, Basina escaped from her husband's bed to the arms of her lover, freely declaring that if she had known a man wiser, stronger, or more beautiful than Childeric, that man should have been the object of her preference. Clovis was the offspring of this voluntary union; and, when he was no more than fifteen years of age, he succeeded [A. D. 481], by his father's death, to the command of the Salian tribe. The narrow limits of his kingdom were confined to the island of the Batavians, with the ancient dioceses of Tournay and Arras; and at the baptism of Clovis, the number of his warriors could not exceed five thousand. The kindred tribes of the Franks, who had seated themselves along the Belgic rivers, the Scheld, the Meuse, the Moselle, and the Rhine, were governed by their independent kings of the Merovingian race; the equals, the allies, and sometimes the enemies of the Salic prince. But the Germans who obeyed, in peace, the hereditary jurisdiction of their chiefs, were free to follow the standard of a popular and victorious general; and the superior merit of Clovis attracted the respect and allegiance of the national confederacy. When he first took the field, he had neither gold and silver in his coffers, nor wine and corn in his magazines; but he imitated the example of Cæsar, who, in the same country, had acquired wealth by the sword, and purchased soldiers with the fruits of conquest. "It would be superfluous to praise the valor of a Frank; but the valor of Clovis was directed by cool and consummate prudence. In all his transactions with mankind, he calculated the weight of interest, of passion, and of opinion; and his measures were sometimes adapted to the sanguinary manners of the Germans, and sometimes moderated by the milder genius of Rome and Christianity. He was intercepted in the career of victory, since he died in the forty-fifth year of his age [A. D. 511]; but he had already accomplished, in a reign of thirty years, the establishment of the French monarchy in Gaul." "The first victory of Clovis had insulted the honor of the Goths. They viewed his rapid progress with jealousy and terror; and the youthful fame of Alaric was oppressed by the more potent genius of his rival. Some disputes inevitably arose on the edge of their contiguous dominions; and after the delays of fruitless negotiation, a personal interview of the two kings was proposed and accepted. The conference of Clovis and Alaric was held in a small island of the Loire, near Amboise. They embraced, familiarly conversed, and feasted together, and separated with the warmest professions of peace and brotherly love. But their apparent confidence concealed a dark suspicion of hostile and treacherous designs; and their mutual complaints solicited, eluded, and disclaimed, a final arbitration. At Paris, which he already considered as his royal seat, Clovis declared [A. D. 507] to an assembly of the princes and warriors the pretense, and the motive, of a Gothic war. 'It grieves me to see that the Arians still possess the fairest portion of Gaul. Let us march against them with the aid of God; and, having vanquished the heretics, we will possess and divide their fertile provinces.' The Franks, who were inspired by hereditary valor and recent zeal, applauded the generous design of their monarch; expressed their resolution to conquer or die, since death and conquest would be equally profitable; and solemnly protested that they would never shave their beards till victory should absolve them from that inconvenient vow. "The enterprise was promoted by the public or private exhortations of Clotilda. She reminded her husband how effectually some pious foundation would propitiate the Deity, and his servants; and the Christian hero, darting his battle ax with a skillful and nervous hand, 'There,' said he, 'on that spot where my Francisca shall fall, will I erect a church in honor of the holy apostles.' This ostentatious piety confirmed and justified the attachment of the Catholics, with whom he secretly corresponded; and their devout wishes were gradually ripened into a formidable conspiracy. The people of Aquitain were alarmed by the indiscreet reproaches of their Gothic tyrants, who justly accused them of preferring the dominion of the Franks; and their zealous adherent, Quintianus, bishop of Rodez, preached more forcibly in his exile than in his diocese. To resist these foreign and domestic enemies, who were fortified by the alliance of the Burgundians, Alaric collected his troops, far more numerous than the military powers of Clovis. The Visigoths resumed the exercise of arms, which they had neglected in a long and luxurious peace; a select band of valiant and robust slaves attended their masters to the field; and the cities of Gaul were compelled to furnish their doubtful and reluctant aid. Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, who reigned in Italy, had labored to maintain the tranquillity of Gaul; and he assumed, or affected, for that purpose, the impartial character of a mediator. But the sagacious monarch dreaded the rising empire of Clovis, and he was firmly engaged to support the national and religious cause of the Goths."—Id., par. 2, 3, 11. The Occasion of Backsliding.
THE cause of backsliding is not far to seek. Compassed about as we are with many infirmities of the flesh, even as we are with the flesh itself, which lusteth against the Spirit, and is contrary to it; not to speak of the ever-present and persistent activity of the great enemy who, with many wiles, is evermore seeking to ensnare unwary Christian souls; we may readily point out the cause of backsliding. However, it is not so much the cause as the occasion which concerns us. For, if we give no occasion to the flesh and the devil, they are powerless against us even in our weakness. For, if we walk in the Spirit, we need not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; and if we resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, even he will flee from us. Backsliding begins in the life of any Christian as soon as he ceases to grow in grace or in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our life is in the course of this world; and, the instant we give over the upward and forward movement, that moment the current begins to carry us downward. At first it may not be perceptible; the dead point must be overcome, but thence afterward the backward movement is sure to be rapid and strong. Let that Christian fear for his spiritual welfare the moment he gives over regular communication with God by means of the word of God and prayer. The temptation to relax in both these exercises is very great, except in the case of those who have gotten into the love of the word and into the delight of prayer. Few Christians are aware of the peril they expose themselves to spiritually, when they find that prayer has ceased to be an habitual exercise with them, and that the word of God has ceased to have a daily place in their thoughts and meditations. It is very easy to give over Bible reading, more easy than to cease to pray; but one will not long continue in prayer after he has ceased to read his Bible. God speaks to us through his word, and we speak to God by prayer. It follows that communion between the soul and God is mutual. It is difficult to keep up conversation with an earthly friend who never speaks a word in return to us. It is equally difficult to continue spiritual conversation with God if we refuse to allow him to speak back to us. Indeed, we must give God the lead in communion, else will we fail in matter of communion, and our desires and delights will cease in the Godward direction. This danger is all the more subtle for the reason that a form of prayer may be maintained without there being any communion in connection with it. It is possible to continue drawing near with our lips while our hearts are far from him; and when this habit becomes established, the life becomes paralyzed; and unless the paralysis is speedily removed from the soul, it is only a question of time when the worshiper becomes a "whited sepulcher." The chief occasion then of backsliding, in our judgment, is to be found in the relaxing or giving over of Bible study and prayer. So long as these defenses are maintained, the soul is sure to dwell in security; for neither the flesh nor the devil can make head against a soul that is in constant and living communion with God. Though the enemy should assault us as he did our Lord on the mount, or in the wilderness, or on the temple top, we will be ready with the unfailing, "It is written."—Independent. If all the land of Israel were excavated as thoroughly as parts of Jerusalem have been, no trace would be found of any building erected by Christ or his apostles. If all the oriental libraries were searched, not a line in the handwriting of Jesus could be found; not a picture or statue of him dating from his own time, or within generations of it; not an inscription concerning him in brass or marble; no city called by his name. Yet now, from the rising of the sun to its going down, that name has become great among the nations. This can be explained easily; but only in one way. It is the work of that God, his Father, who said: "I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations." For "thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful."—Sel. An idol may be considered as that which is substituted for God, being put in Jehovah's place, to receive the attention and regard belonging only to him. That upon which the affections are excessively and improperly set may be ranked as an idol. That is a man's idol of which he thinks the most, and to which his heart is most devoted, whether it is Buddha or Brahma, pleasure or wealth, or any other thing whatever. Accordingly, business may be an idol. This, however, involves a gross abuse of that which is plainly authorized and required; for business is not to be discarded nor neglected. Every person should be actively and habitually employed, having a useful occupation. Those who have nothing to do have no right to a place in human society. It is the great law of humanity, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Paul could say to the Thessalonians, "This we commanded you, that if any man would not work, neither should he eat." And while every one should have a regular business, consisting ordinarily of that which he does for a livelihood, he should unquestionably be assiduous in attending to it, according to the inspired rule, "Diligent in business." But, at the same time, he is to recognize other obligations than those pertaining merely to that which is denominated business, for he is equally bound by a divine precept to be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Indeed, everything ought to be made secondary and subservient to the service of God. If a man be so engrossed in his worldly calling, whatever it may be, as to neglect his religious duties, giving so much attention to his farm, or his shop, or his avocation of any kind, as to exclude himself from the closet of secret prayer, or the family altar, or the prayer-meeting, or so as to unfit himself for properly meeting these and other imperative claims of religion, then "his business becomes his idol and his sin." God is infinitely exalted in his absolute supremacy, so that he is immeasurably and inconceivably above all besides himself. In this, his inapproachable superiority over all else that exists, he has a universal claim to the homage of human hearts. He acknowledges no rival in the affections of any heart. Whatever deprives him of the homage which is his due, is idolatrous and sinful.—Watchman. THE hand of the Jesuit is clutching the throat of Protestantism in England and America today. European nations, even Catholic countries like France, know what Jesuitism is and are on their guard against it, but England and America are so confident in the stability of their institutions that they imagine they can afford to despise the lessons of history which, if they teach anything, show the hand of the Jesuit ever raised against civil and religious liberty. "We claim liberty from you," said the late Louis Veuillot, editor of the Univers, the Papal organ in France, addressing England and America—"we claim liberty from you because it is your principle in civil and religious affairs to grant it to all; we deny liberty in these matters because it is our principle." Rome is consistent in this, believing her system of religion to be the only manifestation of the divine power on earth, and that Protestantism in all its forms is heresy and rebellion against God. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, but when indifference takes the place of vigilance the death of liberty is sure to follow.—Converted Catholic. A STATE of complete satisfaction is not by any means a desirable attainment. It is not found among scriptural beatitudes. On the other hand, it was our Lord himself who said: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst." Thus the beatitude is one of dissatisfaction. It is mind-hunger that impels the student in all his quests and researches; if he becomes satisfied with his knowledge, his progress is at an end. Satisfaction with attainments in any sphere marks the limit of attainment. Hunger of soul, the desire for more of God, for holier life, for deeper communion, for fuller transforming of character, is the only hopeful state; the want of these desires tells of a perilous spiritual state. Longing is the heart's cry for greater nearness to God. It is the hand held out empty for Heaven to fill. It is the very spirit of faith impelling always to new ventures, to more heroic struggles. Satisfaction sits down at the foot of the mountain, while longing boldly climbs to its summit. Satisfaction is content to stand on the shore and wonder what is beyond; longing pushes out upon the unpathed waters, and discovers great continents. It is longing alone that makes us grow. It transforms us into its own spirit. What we long for intensely and continuously, we become. It is like the lamp in Goethe's tale, which, placed in the fisherman's rude hut, changed it to silver. The lamp of heavenly longing, lighted in our hearts and burning there, will transform our poor, dull, earthly lives into the beauty and brightness of Heaven.—Sel. OLD companionships are a snare to many a soul. It is one of the hardest things for a young convert to break away from those companionships in which his sinful life had the most pleasure. Many a man and woman have been lured back onto the devil's ground by those of his old companions who have never ceased to be the servants of sin. We are aware that it is difficult sometimes to adjust our companionships; and it seems cruel and even wrong to make a clean break with all whom we love on natural lines because we have become Christians; and, indeed, in some cases it must not be done. A wife may not leave her husband, a brother may not forsake his sister, nor is it easy to abandon a friend of former days. But there is danger even in these close and naturally lawful relations. The danger must be met by a settled determination to win our companions over on the Lord's side. We may mingle ever so freely with all men, if we do as our Lord did, with the single purpose of gaining them back to God. The danger is in preserving our friendships at the expense of our Christian testimony. But, if we are purposed to be true to God and our own souls, God will show us how we may do this thing and walk with him and them, until they are either won, or else themselves break the fellowship.—Sel. “REST in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.” Ps. 37:7. "A WHOLESOME tongue is a tree of life." What about the Heathen?
By W.
A GOOD many people nowadays are troubled about the heathen. That in itself is all right, if it leads to right action. Paul was troubled about the heathen, so much so that he exclaimed, "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel." But in the most of this modern worry over the heathen, we have seen no tendency toward a disposition to relieve their needs. In fact, neither the heathen nor the people themselves are benefited by it, and could not be expected to be. The question is, "What is going to become of the heathen who have never heard the gospel?" This is answered in two ways. One answer is that they will all be damned; and in this answer people see the destruction of nearly all the heathen without any chance for salvation, because they imagine that but very few have ever heard the gospel. Another answer, and that which is now the more popular one, is that those who "have not had a chance" in this life will be granted a chance in the future life. The tendency of both these views is deadening to all spiritual growth. Try to persuade a man to accept Christ and obey the truth, and he will ask, "What is going to become of all those who never heard this gospel? Are they all lost?" And so much more interested is the man in the dead heathen than he is in his own living soul, that he will pay no attention to present duty till that question is settled. Moreover he usually has already settled it in his own mind according to the first answer given above, and then says, "Well, if God will condemn men without giving them a chance, he doesn't deal justly, and I will have nothing to do with him." As for the other view, once let a sinner become indoctrinated into the error that some men will have a future probation, and he will quickly draw the legitimate conclusion that all men may have a second probation; and since in matters spiritual there is a universal tendency to await "a more convenient season," such an one will make no effort to turn from the error of his ways. Now while the most sensible way for each one to do would be to attend to the call of mercy which he knows is extended to him, paying no attention to matters which cannot possibly concern him, it may be well to note how the heathen stand related to God. The matter is not a complicated one, as we find it in the Bible. 1. Paul says that the heathen are "without excuse," because ever since the foundation of the world, the invisible things of God, that is, "his eternal power and Godhead," are "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." Rom. 1:20. Thus we find that if there are any heathen who do not know, (1) that there is a God; (2) that he is all-powerful, the Creator of all things, and therefore before all things; and (3) that to this Supreme Being his allegiance is rightfully due, it is his own fault. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork." Ps. 19:1. And so plainly is God revealed in nature that he who says, even in thought, that there is no God, is justly called a fool. Ps. 14:1. 2. There are none who have not some consciousness of right and wrong. Paul says, "For when the Gentiles, which have not the [written] law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." Rom. 2:14, 15. It is not possible, by the light of nature alone, to know the fullness of the truth as it is in Jesus, but there is not a man upon earth who does not have enough knowledge of what is right to justly condemn him if he does not profit by that knowledge. It is true that men may "not like to retain God in their knowledge," and may ignore the good and practice the bad so persistently as to completely deaden all sensibility, and be given over "to a mind void of judgment" (Rom. 1:28, margin); but the fact that this is done only proves the truth of the statement that all men have naturally a certain amount of knowledge of right and wrong. 3. If a man persists in stifling his conscience, and is determined that he will not do even the little good that he knows, he must inevitably go into deeper darkness and degradation. It would be impossible for God to give him greater light, since he resolutely shuts his eyes to that which he has. And it is just as true that if a man has a fixed purpose to practice all the good that he knows, he will not only be aided in his effort, but will be given greater light. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." John 7:17. "Light is sown for the righteous." Ps. 97:11. And "unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." Ps. 112:4. Numerous examples of this are given in the Bible. Abraham was brought up among idolaters. Joshua 24:2. But he loved to retain God in his knowledge, and so resolutely did that which he knew to be right. And because of this integrity of purpose, God called him out from his heathen associates, and revealed his truth to him in an especial manner. The centurion Cornelius is another example. He had risen above his heathen education, and feared the true God, living up to all the light that he had. To him Peter was sent by divine command, to give him the full light of the gospel. So it will ever be. No matter how remote from civilization a heathen may be, if he sincerely desires to do right, God will enlighten him. A minister may not be sent to him, as Peter was to Cornelius, but God's word will be in some manner conveyed to him, and the entrance of that always gives light. That, without man's interpretation, is able to make any man "wise unto salvation." 4. Moreover, in Paul's day all the heathen had heard the word of life. He says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." Rom. 10:17, 18. These words were spoken, by David, of the heavenly bodies, but Paul applies them to the gospel. And that this is so is proved by his words to the Colossians: "And you . . . hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight; if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven." Col. 1:21-23. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Heb. 9:27, 28. "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," except the name of Jesus. Christ was once offered for the sins of men on probation in this life. At the close of this probation, he will come the second time "without sin," for the salvation of those who look for him. When he comes, he no longer bears the sins of any. Now a probation for sinners without any means outside of themselves whereby to be saved from sin, would be no probation at all. But Christ bears no sins except for men on probation in this life, before his coming; and outside of Christ there is no salvation; therefore there can be no probation after this life. Just before Christ comes it will be said: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Rev. 22:11. After that there will be no more "chance" for anybody. But this fact, together with the fact that the Judge of all the earth will do right, is further evidence that every man on earth will in this life have ample opportunity to "lay hold on eternal life." Indeed, why should it be otherwise? God "hath wrought us for this self-same thing;" that is, he has placed us on this earth in order that we may fit ourselves by his grace for an immortal life; and to say that, when God has placed man on this earth for one definite purpose, he will deprive any of an opportunity to learn what that purpose is, is to charge God with folly. The truth of the matter is that the very fact that man exists on this earth is an evidence that he is having a "chance" for a better existence. None of these things release us from obligation to do all in our power to spread the gospel, for God usually works through human agencies. He has in mercy to us allowed us to become "workers together with him," that thus we may finally enter into the joy of the Lord. But let no one charge God with folly and injustice, by saying that the heathen or any other people do not have a chance, nor foolishly neglect the word of truth, in the vain expectation of a "more convenient season." "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."