Page:The Last Judgement and Second Coming of the Lord Illustrated.djvu/304

 their violence they seemed to have forgotton that there is a Prince of peace; they disregarded His injunction, and gave up all practical interest in the peaceful principles of the Gospel. Surely events like these must have originated in some great convulsion taking place in the world of spirits—a convulsion which was consigning the wicked to their terrible destination, and manifesting the fact to the natural world in the calamities referred to.

Distresses like these have always been among the first evidences to men that a judgment has taken place. A judgment was executed by the Lord at His first advent, and how fearful were the sufferings which befel the people who professedly had formed the Church! Before that time instances of a similar character had transpired, and who can doubt that they were all intended to teach us principles by which to interpret the predictions in which the last judgment is announced? When, however, those visitations have accomplished their vastating purposes among mankind, we find that a new and improved condition has followed. Amendment of society and useful progress are among the secondary evidences by which men may be assured that a judgment has been accomplished. To what other intelligible cause can be adequately referred the advantages which distinguish the age in which we live? Each class of evidence is spoken of in the Scriptures in connection with the judgments they reveal. We believe they were intended to teach us how to interpret the last judgment that is predicted, as well as how to understand the origin of the phenomena by which we are, in the present day, surrounded. The extent of the distresses which