Earlier text: General Articles

The Ostrogoths and the Visigoths.

By A. T. Jones

(Continued.)

"ON the 9th of August [A. D. 378], a day which has deserved to be marked among the most inauspicious of the Roman calendar, the Emperor Valens, leaving, under a strong guard, his baggage and military treasure, marched from Hadrianople to attack the Goths, who were encamped about twelve miles from the city. By some mistake of the orders or some ignorance of the ground, the right wing, or column, of cavalry, arrived in sight of the enemy whilst the left was still at a considerable distance; the soldiers were compelled, in the sultry heat of summer, to precipitate their pace; and the line of battle was formed with tedious confusion and irregular delay. The Gothic cavalry had been detached to forage in the adjacent country; and Fritigern still continued to practice his customary arts. He dispatched messengers of peace, made proposals, required hostages, and wasted the hours, till the Romans, exposed without shelter to the burning rays of the sun, were exhausted by thirst, hunger, and intolerable fatigue.

"The emperor was persuaded to send an ambassador to the Gothic camp. The zeal of Richomer, who alone had courage to accept the dangerous commission, was applauded; and the count of the domestics, adorned with the splendid ensigns of his dignity, had proceeded some way in the space between the two armies, when he was suddenly recalled by the alarm of battle. The hasty and imprudent attack was made by Bacurius the Iberian, who commanded a body of archers and targeteers; and as they advanced with rashness, they retreated with loss and disgrace. In the same moment, the flying squadrons of Alatheus and Saphrax, whose return was anxiously expected by the general of the Goths, descended like a whirlwind from the hills, swept across the plain, and added new terrors to the tumultuous, but irresistible charge of the barbarian host.

"The event of the battle of Hadrianople, so fatal to Valens and to the empire, may be described in a few words: the Roman cavalry fled; the infantry was abandoned, surrounded, and cut in pieces. The most skillful evolutions, the firmest courage, are scarcely sufficient to extricate a body of foot, encompassed on an open plain, by superior numbers of horse; but the troops of Valens, oppressed by the weight of the enemy and their own fears, were crowded into a narrow space, where it was impossible for them to extend their ranks, or even to use with effect their swords and javelins. In the midst of tumult, of slaughter, and of dismay, the emperor, deserted by his guards, and wounded, as it was supposed, with an arrow, sought protection among the Lancearii and the Mattiarii, who still maintained their ground with some appearance of order and firmness. His faithful generals, Trajan and Victor, who perceived his danger, loudly exclaimed that all was lost unless the person of the emperor could be saved. Some troops, animated by their exhortation, advanced to his relief; they found only a bloody spot, covered with a heap of broken arms and mangled bodies, without being able to discover their unfortunate prince, either among the living or the dead.

"Their search could not indeed be successful, if there is any truth in the circumstances with which some historians have related the death of the emperor. By the care of his attendants, Valens was removed from the field of battle to a neighboring cottage, where they attempted to dress his wounds and to provide for his future safety. But this humble retreat was instantly surrounded by the enemy; they tried to force the door; they were provoked by a discharge of arrows from the roof; till at length, impatient of delay, they set fire to a pile of dry fagots, and consumed the cottage, with the Roman emperor and his train. Valens per-ished in the flames; and a youth who dropped from the window, alone escaped to attest the melancholy tale, and to inform the Goths of the inestimable prize which they had lost by their own rashness. A great number of brave and distinguished officers perished in the battle of Hadrianople, which equaled in the actual loss, and far surpassed in the fatal consequences, the misfortune which Rome had formerly sustained in the fields of Cannæ.

"Two master-generals of the cavalry and infantry, two great officers of the palace, and thirty-five tribunes, were found among the slain; and the death of Sebastian might satisfy the world that he was the victim, as well as the author, of the public calamity. Above two-thirds of the Roman army were destroyed; and the darkness of the night was esteemed a very favorable circumstance; as it served to conceal the flight of the multitude, and to protect the more orderly retreat of Victor and Richomer, who alone, amidst the general consternation, maintained the advantage of calm courage and regular discipline."

"The pride of the Goths was elated by this memorable victory; but their avarice was disappointed by the mortifying discovery that the richest part of the Imperial spoil had been within the walls of Hadrianople. They hastened to possess the reward of their valor; but they were encountered by the remains of a vanquished army, with an intrepid resolution which was the effect of their despair and the only hope of their safety. The walls of the city and the ramparts of the adjacent camp were lined with military engines, that threw stones of enormous weight, and astonished the ignorant barbarians by the noise and velocity, still more than by the real effects, of the discharge. The soldiers, the citizens, the provincials, the domestics of the palace, were united in the danger and in the defense; the furious assault of the Goths was repulsed; their secret arts of treachery and treason were discovered; and, after an obstinate conflict of many hours, they retired to their tents, convinced by experience that it would be far more advisable to observe the treaty which their sagacious leader had tacitly stipulated with the fortifications of great and populous cities.

"After the hasty and impolitic massacre of three hundred deserters, an act of justice extremely useful to the discipline of the Roman armies, the Goths indignantly raised the siege of Hadrianople. The scene of war and tumult was instantly converted into a silent solitude; the multitude suddenly disappeared; the secret paths of the woods and mountains were marked with the footsteps of the trembling fugitives, who sought a refuge in the distant cities of Illyricum and Macedonia; and the faithful officers of the household and the treasury cautiously proceeded in search of the emperor, of whose death they were still ignorant. The tide of the Gothic inundation rolled from the walls of Hadrianople to the suburbs of Constantinople. The barbarians were surprised with the splendid appearance of the capital of the East, the height and extent of the walls, the myriads of wealthy and affrighted citizens who crowded the ramparts, and the various prospect of the sea and land.

"While they gazed with hopeless desire on the inaccessible beauties of Constantinople, a sally was made from one of the gates by a party of Saracens, who had been fortunately engaged in the service of Valens. The cavalry of Scythia was forced to yield to the admirable swiftness and spirit of the Arabian horses; their riders were skilled in the evolutions of irregular war; and the Northern barbarians were astonished and dismayed by the inhuman ferocity of the barbarians of the South."

The army of the Goths, laden with the spoils of the wealthy suburbs and the adjacent territory, slowly moved from the Bosphorus to the mountains which form the western boundary of Thrace. The important pass of Succi was betrayed by the fear or the misconduct of Maurus; and the barbarians, who no longer had any resistance to apprehend from scattered and vanquished troops of the East, spread themselves over the face of a fertile and cultivated country, as far as the confines of Italy and the Hadriatic Sea."

"The effects which were produced by the battle of Hadrianople on the minds of the barbarians and of the Romans, extended the victory of the former and the defeat of the latter far beyond the limits of a single day. A Gothic chief was heard to declare, with insolent moderation, that, for his own part, he was fatigued with slaughter; but that he was astonished how a people who fled before him like a flock of sheep, could still presume to dispute the possession of their treasures and provinces. The same terrors which the name of the Huns had spread among the Gothic tribes, were inspired, by the formidable name of the Goths, among the subjects and soldiers of the Roman Empire."

"Five months after the death of Valens, the Emperor Gratian produced [Jan. 19, A. D. 379] before the assembled troops [Theodosius] his colleague and their master, who, after a modest, perhaps a sincere, resistance, was compelled to accept, amidst the general acclamations, the diadem, the purple, and the equal title of Augustus. The provinces of Thrace, Asia, and Egypt, over which Valens had reigned, were resigned to the administration of the new emperor; but, as he was specially intrusted with the conduct of the Gothic war, the Illyrian praefecture was dismembered; and the two great dioceses of Dacia and Macedonia were added to the dominions of the Eastern Empire."

"The deliverance and peace of the Roman provinces was the work of prudence rather than of valor: the prudence of Theodosius was seconded by fortune; and the emperor never failed to seize and to improve every favorable circumstance. As long as the superior genius of Fritigern preserved the union, and directed the motions, of the barbarians, their power was not inadequate to the conquest of a great empire. The death of that hero, the predecessor and master of the renowned Alaric, relieved an impatient multitude from the intolerable yoke of discipline and discretion. The barbarians, who had been restrained by his authority, abandoned themselves to the dictates of their passions; and their passions were seldom uniform or consistent. An army of conquerors was broken into many disorderly bands of savage robbers; and their blind and irregular fury was not less pernicious to themselves than to their enemies. Their mischievous disposition was shown in the destruction of every object which they wanted strength to remove or taste to enjoy; and they often consumed, with improvident rage, the harvests or the granaries, which soon afterwards became necessary for their own subsistence.

"A spirit of discord arose among the independent tribes and nations, which had been united only by the bands of a loose and voluntary alliance. The troops of the Huns and the Alani would naturally upbraid the flight of the Goths, who were not disposed to use with moderation the advantages of their fortune. The ancient jealousy of the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths could not long be suspended; and the haughty chiefs still remembered the insults and injuries which they had reciprocally offered or sustained, while the nation was seated in the countries beyond the Danube. The progress of domestic faction abated the more diffusive sentiment of national animosity; and the officers of Theodosius were instructed to purchase, with liberal gifts and promises, the retreat or service of the discontented party. The acquisition of Modar, a prince of the royal blood of the Amali, gave a bold and faithful champion to the cause of Rome. The illustrious85 deserter soon obtained the rank of master-general, with an important command; surprised an army of his countrymen, who were immersed in wine and sleep; and, after a cruel slaughter of the astonished Goths, returned with immense spoil and four thousand wagons, to the Imperial camp."-Decline and Fall, chap. 26, par. 21, 23, 28, 26, 29. A. T. J. (To be continued.)

Keeping the Spirit of the Law.

By E. Hilliard

MANY argue that if the spirit of the law of God is only kept, it is acceptable to God. And so it is. For one does not keep the spirit of the law unless his conduct harmonizes with the letter. There is no antagonism between the two. Custom has established practices in the religious world that stand condemned before the moral law, and some defense must be made; hence the argument of obeying the spirit of the law, while transgressing its letter. This evasion of the ten commandments is not of modern origin. The argument, perhaps, is of recent invention, but the practice is very ancient.

We have an instance of this after the law had been proclaimed orally by God himself from the burning mount. It appears that the children of Israel became uneasy respecting the absence of Moses to receive the law in its written form on tables of stone, and said to Aaron, "Up, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, . . . we wot not what is become of him." As the result of this request, Aaron made, out of their gold earrings, a molten calf for them to worship; and they said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Ex. 32: 1, 4.

After they had witnessed such wonderful demonstrations of God's power in delivering them from Egyptian bondage, it seems hardly credible that they could ascribe that deliverance to such a helpless thing as that lifeless calf. The pillar of cloud had been before them; and it really appears from the expression, "make us gods which shall go before us," that they desired to have something tangible to fill its place.

Dr. Clarke says: "Was it possible that Aaron could have imagined that he could make any god that would help them? . . . It must, however, be granted that Aaron does not appear to have even designed a worship that should supersede the worship of the Most High; hence we find him making proclamation, 'Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.' . . . It is evident he intended that the true God should be the object of their worship, though he permitted and even encouraged them to offer this worship through an idolatrous medium,—the molten calf."

Their object was good, viz., the worship of God; their sin lay in making him a secondary object in their worship. By disobeying the letter of the law, they fell into the letter and spirit of idolatry. The Lord condemned their course; for he said to Moses, "Go, get thee down; for thy people . . . have corrupted themselves."

Take another case. When Christ's disciples ate bread with unwashed hands, the scribes and Pharisees interrogated Christ with the question, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." It was often our Saviour's practice before answering his enemies to ask them a question; so he said to them, "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother. . . . But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." Matt. 15: 3-6.

The scribes taught that if one consecrated to the temple the means or service due to parents, he was free from the parental obligation; thus making void the fifth commandment. Hear Christ's opinion of this manner of keeping the law: "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Verses 7-9.

We find in these last days a class of professors who are keeping the fourth commandment in the same manner as the scribes and Pharisees kept the fifth. God says: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work," etc. Ex. 20: 10. The people say that all he requires is for us to observe one day in seven. If we keep the first day of the week, we obey the spirit of the law, and therefore stand justified in his sight. Reader, you may sincerely think this position a sound one; but your sincerity will not save you. Dr. Clarke says in his comment on Matt. 15: 9:

"By the tradition of the elders, not only the word of God was perverted, but his worship also was greatly corrupted. But the Jews were not the only people who have acted thus; whole Christian churches, as well as sects and parties, have acted in the same way. Men must not mould the worship of God according to their fancy. It is not what they think will do—is proper, innocent, etc.—but what God himself has prescribed, that he will acknowledge as his worship. However sincere a man may be in a worship of his own invention, or of man's commandment, yet it profits him nothing. Christ himself says it is in vain. To condemn such may appear to some illiberal; but whatever may be said in behalf of sincere heathen, and others who have not had the advantages of divine revelation, there is no excuse for the man who has the Bible before him."

E. Hilliard. Medford, Minn.

Faith and Overcoming.

By Mrs. H. P. Gray

THE disciples, in their frail bark, tossed by angry winds and huge waves which it seemed would surely overwhelm them, saw the Saviour, who proved to be their deliverer. Through their faith in him, they reached the shore in safety. Had they turned from him in their necessity, they probably would have been lost. Our bark in life may be no less frail; calamities may hang over us, as did the dark and angry clouds over them; huge waves of trouble may rise before and round about us, and threaten disaster on every side; yet before us ever stands the crucified and risen Redeemer, into whose hands we may with confidence commit our all.

Are there vexatious trials day by day, that throw us off our guard till we lose the Spirit of Christ? it is but the angry wind that would thwart us in our purpose and keep us from the shore. The Redeemer, although hidden from view by our sins which stand between us and him, is waiting, ready to save. Is there some heart-trouble—some one proved treacherous, some wrongs that threaten to wreck our faith in humanity and so cause us to lose our hold on God? they are but the waves, hungry for our souls. But behold the Saviour is near, ready to help. He has been tempted in all points like as we are, and is able to succor them that are tempted. Yes; Jesus is just as able and willing to save now as he was then. How foolish would it have seemed for the disciples to reject him, and let the angry waves and winds take their lives. How much more foolish for us to turn from him! And yet we see many who fail to heed the, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

Although the disciples had witnessed the wonderful miracle of the feeding of the multitude from the five loaves and two fishes, they "considered not," the Bible says; "for their heart was hardened." So, often, those who have tasted of the goodness of God consider not; for their hearts have become hardened, as were those of the disciples, by contact with the elements that surround them. Oh how the heart of the Saviour goes out after them, as it did after the disciples that night amid the storm and tempest! He says, "If ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts." The wonderful words of life are reaching out after every one who will hear. Whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely. How often the troubles and trials of life come around us till we are almost engulfed, and we cry, "Lord, save me!" Then his power, goodness, and mercy are forcibly brought home to us when all other sources fail. But how sad the fate of those who fail to lift their souls in agony to Him who alone is able to help in every time of need!

If anger arises in our hearts, then we are driven from God by the wind; for anger worketh not righteousness. If we give place to jealousy or envy, the waves are after us. If we are disobeying any of God's commandments, we are not overcoming as Jesus overcame; for he said, "I have kept my Father's commandments." Again he says, "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." So if we would reach the shore in safety, and enter the beautiful city, and be permitted to eat of the wonderful tree of life, we must not follow the tradition of men, but must truly put on Christ, and through faith in him, overcome as he overcame; for we are told, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." It is of such that God has said, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 12.

MRS. H. P. GRAY.

Afraid It Is True.

By Protestant Standard

An infidel once said that there was one thing that marred all his pleasure in life. "I am afraid," said he, "that the Bible is true. If I could know for a certainty that death is an eternal sleep, I should be happy. My joy would be complete. But here is the thorn that stings me; this is the sword that pierces my soul; if the Bible is true, I am lost forever." So it is with men who go through life haunted with the fear that future retribution will overtake them because of their sinful, selfish lives on earth. How infinitely better it is to be on the safe side, and to be happy here and have the promise of the life which is to come. Nothing short of a divine insurance upon the soul through belief in the efficacy of Christ's atoning blood, will ever make men truly happy.—Protestant Standard.

The Clarity of Scripture

By John Milton

God has ordained his gospel to be the revelation of his power and wisdom in Christ Jesus. Let others, therefore, dread and shun the Scriptures for their darkness: I shall wish I may deserve to be reckoned among those who admire and dwell upon them for their clearness. There are no songs comparable to the songs of Zion, no orations equal to those of the prophets, and no politics like those which the Scriptures teach.—John Milton.

An Every-Day Religion

By Bushnell

An every-day religion—one that loves the duties of our common walk, one that makes an honest man, one that accomplishes an intellectual and moral growth in the subject, one that works in all weather, and improves all opportunities—will best and most heartily promote the growth of a church and the power of the gospel.

The Coming of a Literal Christ.

By Editor

THE subject of the Judgment is a most solemn subject. In it every human being has an interest. It does not matter that some say that they do not feel any interest in it. We cannot throw off responsibility by refusing to acknowledge our responsibility, or by stifling our convictions. The Judgment is a matter which is governed by authority, by law, and not by feelings. God is declared to be "the Judge of all." Heb. 12:23. No one can escape his eye; no act is concealed from his view. Heb. 4:12, 13; Eccl. 12:13, 14. A thief and murderer may reject all the blessings which the Government guarantees to good citizens, but he cannot reject the penalty which the court pronounces upon his disobedience. At that time his option ceases. His choice and action determine how he shall stand in the Judgment; but when he comes to stand in the Judgment, he has no choice in the matter. How important that a wise choice be made while probation lingers, while the privilege of choice is kindly extended.

There is a Judgment appointed. Paul says: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment." Heb. 9:27.

And the time of the Judgment is appointed. "Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world." Acts 17:31.

The saints will have a part to act in the Judgment of the world. "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" 1 Cor. 6:2.

And that time is closely connected with the second coming of Christ. "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." 1 Cor. 4:5. And Peter, speaking of the coming of Christ, says that as the world was once overflowed with water, and perished in the flood, even so "the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7. This fire is not mythical, or allegorical, or spiritual; but it is a fire by reason of which "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Verse 10. The flood was literal; by the prevailing of the waters both men and beasts and fowls perished. Only Noah and his family were saved in the ark which rode upon the waters. As men perished in the waters, so will they perish by fire in that day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men. If the literality of such language as this, and such facts as these, be denied, we cannot understand how it is possible for God to make a specific and certain revelation to man.

Rewards are given in the day of Judgment. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment to be punished." 2 Peter 2:9. Again: "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them that corrupt the earth." Rev. 11:18.

Here, again, we say we do not at all care what meanings a lively imagination can attach to these texts by distorting their language. Our inquiry is: What is their actual meaning? What meaning will best harmonize the Scriptures, and make these texts harmonize with all the other Scriptures? Taking the prophecies of the first advent, and tracing their literal fulfillment, and following down the chain through these prophecies, do not reason, and sense, and reverence for the word of God, demand that we give a literal meaning to this language, and look for its literal fulfillment? But if these words are not literal, and do not mean what they say; if the "same Jesus" whom the disciples saw ascend bodily up to the heavens, will not come again in like manner as they saw him go away; if the "Lord himself" will not descend with a shout, and the voice of the archangel and the trump of God will not be heard; if they who sleep in Christ will not rise; and if we that are alive and remain unto that time will not be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, then what is our comfort and hope in the Scriptures? What is our consolation concerning them that sleep in Christ? Where is our hope of reward and of the crown of glory?

And again, if there is not a day of Judgment (as there certainly is not if the Lord is never to come), and if the day of the Lord never comes in which the elements shall be melted by fire, then is there, or will there ever be, any such time as a day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men? Will the unjust ever be punished? Is not Universalism true? And may we not make the Bible mean just what we please, without any regard to the mind of the Spirit by whom it was dictated? Can we depend upon anything with any certainty? And is not Ingersoll as nearly right as anybody in his views of the Scriptures?

Reader, we feel very deeply interested in these questions. As we said before, we write for the sake of the word of God, for the honor of his revelation to us. We may toy with the words of man; we may make light of the Constitution of our Government, and pervert the language of the statutes of our States, and it will be a small matter. But let us tremble at the word of Jehovah, remembering that he has magnified his word above all his name (Ps. 138:2), and he is very jealous for his truth.

But there is yet a most important line of truth to be examined. It seems to us that enough has been presented to convince every one who has any respect for the Bible as a revelation from God. But we wish to show how strongly fortified is our faith in the second advent; and we wish to show to any who may yet doubt, how weighty are the consequences which follow the misconstruction of these scriptures. The doctrine which we have yet to consider is that of the resurrection.

We have already noticed the words of Paul to the Thessalonians, that when the Lord himself descends, and the voice of the archangel is heard, the dead in Christ shall rise. And therefore, if the Lord himself does not come, the dead in Christ will not rise. This is true beyond the possibility of dispute. We are aware that we shall be met right here with the avowal of not a few, that they do not believe the dead ever will rise; that there is an immortal part of man which will never die, and that the mortal part which dies will never come up from the grave. And we call attention to a fact which ought to startle every doubter of the literal fulfillment of these prophecies, that the theory which denies the literal fulfillment of these scriptures, not only perverts the divine word and destroys its obvious meaning, and intention, but its advocates will deny a plain statement with the most amazing coolness. There is nothing in all the Bible more plainly and positively stated than that the dead will live again—come forth from the grave. And yet there are thousands of professed believers in the Bible who disavow faith in the resurrection of the dead with a manner of assurance as if it was given them to set aside the word of Jehovah at their own will and pleasure. And they are not at all ashamed to reverse the word of the Lord, and to boldly proclaim that what it says shall be, will never come to pass. That which is said "by the word of the Lord" will never be fulfilled; but that which is conjectured, is imagined, which is purely a matter of speculation, is held as sufficient ground of faith and hope! Will not God, who says his counsel shall stand, visit them for such presumption?

There is one fact, however, which very few who in any way profess to be Christians, will deny. It is that Christ rose from the dead. And his was a literal or physical resurrection, that is, a resurrection of the person, or body, which died. He was crucified, dead, buried, and left the tomb; and after his resurrection, they saw him, handled him, saw the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet, and the print of the spear in his side, and he ate and drank with them to give them the fullest assurance of his resurrection. And if this truth of his resurrection be denied, where then is the gospel? His resurrection is the example and pledge of our resurrection. But let us hear the word of the Most High on this subject.

Ps. 16:10: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol, hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." In Acts 2 we are informed that this was a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ, who was raised up "according to the flesh," in fulfillment of this word. It was a bodily resurrection.

Isa. 26:19: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Here the prophecy of the resurrection of the bodies of dead men is much more explicit than was that of the resurrection of Christ; yet that was fulfilled literally, and so must this scripture be fulfilled.

Jer. 31:15-17. In Matt. 2 we learn that this was a prophecy of the slaying of the little children in Bethlehem, the first martyrs for Jesus. They were cut off; they were not. But the Lord said: "Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border." Paul says that death is the last enemy, and that it shall be destroyed. 1 Cor. 15:26. The children were dead—in the land of the enemy, from which they shall come again. And this can only be by a resurrection. But if it be averred that they went to Heaven, whence they will be brought at some time, then it must be admitted that Heaven is the land of the enemy! But admit the truth of the future resurrection of the dead, and there is no necessity to thus revile the tabernacle of the Most High. See Rev. 13:6.

Eze. 37:12-14: "Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land." We have before noticed this text, and shown why it is literal language. It is the Lord's own explanation of the vision of the prophet, and therefore must mean just what it says.

Dan. 12:2: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." This is precisely87 parallel to the words of Isa. 26:19. There is no mistaking the language.

Hos. 13:14: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction."

This is a part of the testimony of the Old Testament on the subject of the resurrection of the dead; of dead men, even dead bodies of those sleeping in the dust of the earth. When we consider that the resurrection of Christ was literal, and that his resurrection is the pledge and assurance of ours, these words of the Lord by his holy prophets ought to be convincing—sufficiently so—to every one who professes any regard for the "sure word of prophecy," or any reverence for our heavenly Father, who makes known to man the counsel of his will.

Continue reading: Jurisdiction of the Law