Second advent library

A$0$0»'Lscroanxvu.scattered abroad." Also it is said, Mark xiv. 27, " mitethe shepherd, and the sheep hall be scattered." Andwhen Christ comes to judge the saints, nt the resurrectionof the just, he sends his angels into the uttermostparts of the earth, and under the uttermost part ofheaven, and gathers together his elect, who have beenscattered by the kings and beasts of the earth from his cruc` durirsgmths 'ondark and cloudy day of persecution,to his second coming.And if, in view of all that Christ, the prophets, andapostles, have said in relation to this subject, there isone doubt remainingonyour mind as to the truth ofthese remarks, I beg of you to read but the past historyof the church, and you cannot but acknowledge, that,thus far, it has been literally fulfilled. How soon afterglory, did t.heythe Romans had crucified the Lord ofattack his church; and for nearly three undred yearsthe apostles and eminent servants of Christ suifered allthe honors of persecution by the authority of the Romanemperors and kings of the earth. They suifered in allmanner of ways which the prophets had foretold theywould- by the sword, by wild beasts, by dame, by captivity,and by spoil. This was almost constantly untilthe days of Constantine, who for a little seasonput a stopto these bloody scenes; but it was but short; for in thedays of Julian the Apostate, it was renewed, and continueduntil the barbarians of the north oven-anItaly,and conquered the Roman empire. Then the church suflfered the same trials under her new masters, the tenkings, until they were converted to the Christian faith,when she enjoyed another respite of about thirty yearsafter the downfall of Paganism, and before the rise ofPapacy, between the years A. D. 508 and 538. But nowarose the little hom, (Pa,pacy,)which was to make waragainst the saints, and prevail over them until theAncient of days should come, and the judgment shouldsit. This little horn was to rule over the kings of theearth, a time, times, and a half, or 1260 years; all whichhas been accomplished to the letter.III. I shall now show what is meant by " seven times,"inthe text.