Bible temperance.

Date:
[1880?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Bible temperance. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    But while this terrific struggle is thus brightened by the brilliant achievements of the armies of heaven, both historic and prophetic, yet itis dark beyond all human description or comprehension, because of the awful exploits, past, present, and future, of the hosts of hell. From the time of Satan’s first victory in Eden till now, he has reigned supreme as “ the prince of this world (John xii. 31, xiv. 30, xvi. 11)/' yea as “ the god of this world (2 Cor. iv. 4),” with but comparatively very small inroads upon his dominion over our fallen and prostrate race. During the 2,000 years of the ante-diluvian period, he gov¬ erned the world according to his hellish will, with a very few bright exceptions. At the end of that period, his government was so ab¬ solute and universal, that “ God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen. vi. 5) so that the in¬ finitely merciful Father was compelled by Flis justice and holiness to say, “ I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth (verse 8).” But when our sin-despoiled world was tem¬ porarily purged from its infernal pollution, by the just and merciful judgment of the deluge, the salvation of righteous Noah andhisfamily in the ark was at once typical and prophetic of the glorious salvation of the multitude that no man shall be able to number, from the deluge of Divine judgment which must engulph the rebellious and impenitent,- who will not enter into the ark of love and truth divinely constructed for their deliverance. III.—FROM THE DELUGE TILL THE INCARNATION. But, alas ! despite the awfully impressive lessons of the deluge, the re-populated, post-diluvian world, during the 2,000 years from the deluge until the Incarnation of the Son of God, sank almost as completely as ever under the foul dominion of “ the Old Serpent, the Devil,” who continued still the “ prince” and “god of this world,” with exceptions comparatively trilling and small. All idolatrous or superstitious worship is suggested, directed, and controlled by Satan ; and from the deluge till the Christian era, the whole wTorld was under the soul-destroying influence of idolatry, with scarcely any exception but a portion of the descendants of Abraham, “ the father of the faithful.” That portion of the children of Abraham formed the one and only Church of God upon earth; and the fidelity, piety, and purity of even that one Church were but partial, fitful, and transitory, notwithstanding all their God-given privileges and gracious advan¬ tages. That Church, with the Word of God in her hand, full of the plainest and most unmistakable predictions about the coming Messiah, became so priest-ridden, corrupt, superstitious, and blind, that she did not know the Christ of God when He appeared in her midst, but actually rejected Him and Flis heavenly message, treated Flis mir¬ acles of love and mercy with scorn and contempt, and even perse¬ cuted, condemned, and murdered Him, crying out, “ Flis blood be upon us and upon our children ” ! What a marvellous victory was this, to all finite vision, on the side of hell in this fearful war ! But this astounding victory of hell was over-ruled by Jehovah, as we