“‘But here it is three times fulfilled in this day in which we live. What excuse have you now, O ye heralds of the cross? Ah! say you, that is _your_ construction; we are not bound to follow your explanations. No, no! But for ages you and your fathers have been telling us that these prophecies were true; and you have told us that when they come to pass we should know what they meant; and, although ages on ages have rolled their rapid course, yet nothing has transpired, as you will own; and we, if we should search, and find, as we believe, the prophecies fulfilling, and tell our reasons, you then can taunt us with a skeptic argument,—“this is _your_ construction,” and then not dare to tell us what it means! Awake, awake, ye shepherds of the flock! Come, tell us why these things are not fulfilled. Deceive us not. You stand upon the walls, both night and day; then tell us what it means. We have a right to ask, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” An answer we must have; or you must leave your towers. It will not do to answer us, “I am under no obligation to tell you.”[22] Has Zion no better watchmen on her walls than this? Alas! alas! then we may sleep, and sleep, until the trumpet’s dreadful blast shall shake our dusty beds, and the last angel raise his hand and swear “that time shall be no longer.” Why are you thus negligent and remiss in duty? If I am not right in my construction of God’s holy word, pray tell us what is truth, and make it look more plain,—and will we not believe? Thus you will cleanse your garments from our blood, and we must bear the shame. What time of night? Come, tell us plainly. There are portentous clouds hanging over our heads; we hear the murmurs of the fitful winds; we see sad omens of a dreadful storm; and where is our watchman’s voice? Your silence gives us fears that we are betrayed. Awake! awake! Ye watchmen, to your post! It is no false alarm. There are judgments, heavy judgments, at the door. “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.” How shall the fearful stand in that great day, when heaven and earth shall hear his mighty voice, and they that hear must come to judgment? Where will the unbelieving scoffer then appear? When God makes inquisition for the blood of souls, and when the under-shepherds stand, with their flocks, around the “great white throne,” to have each motive, thought, word, act, and deed, brought out to light, before a gazing world, and tried by that unerring rule, “the word.” I ask you, scorner, jester, scoffer, how will you appear? Stop, stop, and think, before you take a fatal leap, and jest away your soul!’