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The Marvel of Nations OUR COUNTRY ITS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, AND WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY OF IT. BY URIAH SMITH REVIEW AND HERALD, PUBLISHERS, 1887 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ...............................................5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................12 01 EXPECTATIONS AND PREDICTIONS OF EMINENT MEN .......13 Prominence and influence of this nation - Ten striking facts - Remarkable declarations and predictions by Sir Thomas Browne, Rev. Andrew Burnaby, John Adams, Galiani, Adam Smith, Governor Pownal, David Hartley, Count d'Aranda, Bishop of St. Asaph, George Herbert, DeTocqueville, G.A. Townsend, and Rev. J.M. Foster. 02 A CENTURY'S PROGRESS ..............................22 Testimony of Emile de Girardin, the Dublin (Ireland) Nation, Mitchell, First settlements Population - Close of the Revolution - Territorial growth - Increase of Population - Development of cities - Industrial growth - First cotton-mills and railroads - Great American inventions - Agriculture - Cotton industry - Live stock - Manufactures - Iron and other metals - Mining - The gold discovery - Commerce - Banking and insurance - Arts and science - Literature - Printing - Postal and telegraph services - America the great cattle raiser - Lumber interests - The great coal producer - Most notable structures in the world - Progress in one generations. 03 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE OF THE NATION ...71 Civil and religious liberty - Constitutional guarantees - A nation on a new model - The magnet of America - The asylum of the oppressed - Morality and religion - Organized liberty - Constitution-making - Our Constitution pronounced in England the most sacred political document in the world - American literature abroad - Stability of our government - The model republic. 04 IMPORTANT PROBABILITIES CONSIDERED ................89 A miracle of growth - Providence conspicuous in our history - Why nations are mentioned in the Bible - Why should not our own be mentioned? - Survey of Biblical symbols - Conclusions. 05 A CHAIN OF PROPHECY ...............................94 Second symbol of Revelation l3 - The prophecy located - The Church of God the prominent object - Symbols explained - Historical facts considered - Chronology, location, character, work, continuance, and overthrow of two important symbols. 06 LOCATION OF THE GOVERNMENT REPRESENTED BY THE SECOND SYMBOL OF REVELATION 13 .................................105 Leading symbolic features - Religious elements - Not in the Eastern Hemisphere - The ten kingdoms of Western Europe - Testimony of Machiavelli, Bishop Newton, Faber, and Dr. Hales - Time's noblest offspring - The Western Hemisphere - The eyes of all Europe upon us - Sayings of Talleyrand. 07 WHEN MUST THE GOVERNMENT INDICATED BY THIS SYMBOL ARISE? ..................................................114 Chronology an important consideration - The head of the government - Rome's forms of government - A deadly wound - Papal overthrow in 1798 - Testimony of Geo. Croly, A.M. - Three important chronological proofs - Survey of the Western Hemisphere - The United States the leading nation here. 08 THE UNITED STATES HAS ARISEN IN THE EXACT MANNER INDICATED BY THE SYMBOL .................................124 Comes up in a new territory - Comes up peacefully - View of J.P. Thompson, LL. D. - Burke on the American Revolution - The expression used by the Apostle John - G.A. Townsend's testimony - Edward Everett on English exiles - Corroborated by statistics of progress. 09 THE TWO GREAT PRINCIPLES OF THIS GOVERNMENT ......131 How the Scriptures symbolize power and strength - A Church without a pope and a State without a king - Civil and religious liberty - Republicanism and Protestantism - A youthful power - Declaration of Independence - A noble profession - Law of symbols. 10 INCONSISTENT UTTERANCES ..........................136 Points made - Religious bigotry of the past - Danger of ecclesiastical power - How a government speaks - Dangerous tendencies - Opposition to dissenters - A warning by D'Aubigne - Political corruption - Spirit of the Dark Ages still alive - Charles Beecher on Protestant apostasy - Principles of the French Revolution - Time the teacher. 11 HE DOETH GREAT WONDERS ...........................146 Modern discoveries in the arts and sciences - Wonderful inventions - Religious wonders - Meaning of 2Thess.2:9,10 - Spiritualism - Experiments by Prof. Zollner - Judge Edmonds's testimony - To the kings of the earth - Extent of this work. 12 CHURCH AND STATE .................................159 The government republican - A Protestant nation - Collusion with the papacy - What is possible in this government - Influences at work - Condition of Christianity - Warnings from the Scriptures - Existing expectations - A great American Catholic Church called for. 13 THE SUNDAY QUESTION ..............................168 Agents identified - Acts ascribed to each - The coming issue - A fearful sin denounced - Bishop Newton on the use of a mark - The characteristics of Roman Catholicism - What it has attempted in the religious world - Agreement between Daniel and Paul - How a person shows himself a follower of the papacy - What the Roman Catholic Church claims to have done - Relics of Romanism retained by Protestants - The Reformers vindicated. 14 INDICATIONS OF COMING CHANGES ....................187 Movements towards Church and State - Influence of Spiritualism - Efforts for a union of all Churches - Sunday reform movements - Religions in politics - The National Reform Association - Seeking to amend the Constitution - A "Politico-Theological movement" on foot - History of the National Reform movement - Strong resolutions - The Pittsburgh Convention - Progress of the work - Intuitions of Liberalism - The die cast - Inconsistent professions - The Independent humorously unveils the movement - The Church to rule - Religious tests for office - Religious legislation called for - Compulsion for dissenters - Equal rights ignored - A political party on a religious platform - The Sunday movement in foreign lands - Combined strength of religious bodies - Sunday as a political institution - Secretary Thompson's position - A hypocritical distinction - Religious discrimination - Demands of Liberalism - Religious tyranny impending - Desperate determinations - Change in public sentiment - Surrender of the Reformation - Our position defined - Inevitable result of the proposed movement - "The old Philadelphia lie" - Consent of the governed - Religious oppression begun - Unmistakable indications for the future. APPENDIX ............................................275 APPENDIX II .........................................282 INDEX ...............................................290 PREFACE We have a right to presume that every intelligent and patriotic citizen of the Great American Republic, feels an interest in all that pertains to his country - in what it has been, is, and is to be. While he looks with pride on its past unparalleled progress and noble achievements, and surveys with satisfaction its present position of national exaltation and influence, with its free government, immense wealth, and exhaustless resources, he cannot be indifferent to probabilities affecting its future, so far as they may be legitimately calculated from lessons of history, from principles established in our own Constitution, and from the tendency of influences already actively and widely at work in different parts of our land. In this direction, the mind of every one must turn with peculiar interest; and while many unquestionable conclusions relative to our future may be established on the grounds already referred to, we believe there is another source of instruction, almost wholly overlooked or ignored, which sets forth more explicitly and more fully startling developments which days not far to come have in store for us. It is designed in this work to call particular attention to these matters. We do not purpose here to enter largely into the history of this government. There are works already published which leave nothing to be desired in this direction. Neither is it our object to make in these pages either political economy, arithmetic, or geography, a specialty, though something will be referred to under each head. The leading title of the book is given as "The Marvel of Nations;" and we propose to inquire somewhat into the significance of this "marvel." If we believe that there is a God who rules in the kingdoms of men [Dan.5:21], we must look for his providential hand in human history, in the rise, career, and fall of the nations and peoples of the world. But as a prominent and inevitable object in this line of thought lies the inquiry, what providential design we are to look for in a nation which has been so suddenly and rapidly developed as this has 6 been, and what grand purpose God has to work out through this goodly heritage of ours. This inquiry will not be pressed even to the verge of fancy or speculation; for, if we mistake; not, enough will be found to instruct us, perhaps surprise us, on these points, in the solid and sober realm of fact. Many of the most studious, careful, and critical minds of the present generations, have been led to the conclusion that numerous lines of prophecy, spanning many ages and embracing many lands, find their focal point in own times; may we not add, also, in our own country? Certainly, the present age seems to be illuminated by the light of current prophetic fulfillments above all others. Here we find the most emphatic touches