It is not by might, nor power of human origin, that these events must be
judged, or that they come to pass. But surely by the Spirit of God.
“There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it
understanding.” Here Job gives us the key to unlock the mysteries of the
crownless king and his success. The apothegm of Bonaparte is as false as
he was unsuccessful—namely, that Providence is always on the side of the
strongest battalions. In Israel, in time of old, this was seldom true.
In fact, it was not true in the experience and campaigns of Bonaparte.
The logic of such a faith has been the ruin of lovely France more than
once, and will be again. For it must needs be that France break her
alliance with England, though now they are friends. France in a few
years will ally with the Beast, the Roman Church, in its last struggle
for rule and supremacy; and she will join hands with Anti-Christ. France
will repeat the follies of ’93. She will again seek to dethrone
Religion, and enthrone Reason. Her Marats, Desmoulens, Herberts,
Clootzes, and Robespierres are at hand ready to overturn. And the Church
of her choice is patiently waiting to re-enact the scenes of blood and
terror of St. Bartholomew. Her time of opportunity will appear to have
come in a few years. Bismarck and Kaiser William will be out of the way,
and Germany will languish for want of two equal successors. And France
will not forget to pay back the debt of revenge she owes to Germany, and
seek to reclaim her prestige in councils, and especially to restore her
lost influence over Egypt, Turkey, and the Mediterranean.
Last year it would not have been so easy to see how France and England
were to become once again enemies. This Cyprus wedge has cleft open a
little farther the dark and mysterious way.
Last Monday we received the astounding telegram of the treaty between
England and Turkey. It evidently was a surprise, we have no doubt, even
to Rev. Dr. Storrs, and the _New York Herald_, as well as to many others
who could see nothing but defeat and shame for Israel-England. From Dr.
Storrs we have not heard what he now thinks of his child of promise,
Russia. From the _Herald_ we did hear, for, by the way, the _Herald_ is
one of our morning papers. By an editorial of a column and a half the
_Herald_ struggled nobly to wriggle out of the tight corner in which its
sympathies for Russia had crowded it. We like and admire the _Herald_,
because of its tact and ingenuity in getting news first from any part of
the world. Still this time she was behind time. Two years ago, from
this pulpit, we announced the exciting facts of the past week. Last
Sunday evening we closed our discourse in these words: “Now, again,
England pledges herself a Continental Power, nay, more, an Asiatic Power.
She will come forth from the Congress the virtual ruler of Turkey, the
owner of Palestine.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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