1841 William Miller Evidence from Scripture & History - A2Z.org

tian, the blessed martyrs who were slain for the witnea
of Jesus. See Rev. xx. 4. And in this passage we are
again commanded to hear what the Spirit sn~th to tho
churches -all, all who have ears; not the branch in
Sm a only, but all who have ears. We have Ion been
in chabit of giving away Script11re to othem wfen it
belongs to us and our children ; let us therefore apply it
home.
12, ,,u And to the angel of the church in Pergamos
wnte. Very earthy elevated is the lrignification of the
word Pergums ;* and this church represents the age of
Constantine, which lasted more than two hundred years,
until the rise of anti-Chrii from A. D. 312 until A. D.
538. During this age the church became very earthy,
having her worldly policy, and, like the church in the
present day, attending more to the outward concern,
and the worldly part of religion, than to inward piety
and pees of the spirit, looking more for fom and ceremontes,
than for the lye, power, and spirit of the religion
of Jesus, spending much of their time in buildidg ele ant
chkpels, gor eous temples, high places to educate geir
ministry, a f adorning them with pictures and pleasant
thin@, and fillina the hearts of their worshippen with
high, popular, an8 haughty notions. Yes, my brethren,
the age of trial was gone ; the holy and secret aspirations
of piety fled away, and, now she had obtained an earthly
empcror, her divine Master was forgotten. And here
w,as the falling away mentioned by Paul, 2 Thess. ii. 3,
"Let no man deceive you by any means ; for that day
shall not come except there come a fallin* away first,
hntl that man of sin be revealed, the son oP perdition."
This, then, was the age that prepared the church to receive
that monster, the man of sin, the son of perdition,
into her bosom, which stung the church with the poison of
asps, and filled the temple of God with image wowhip,
and the church with idolatry, selfishness, avarice, and
wide.
66 These things saith he which hath the sharp sword
with two ed es." By the sharp sword with two edgcs,
we must unferstsnd the word of God, which denounces
heavy judgments on the wicked, and cub ofthe corrup
12 *