law of charity, actuating hearts influenced by divine grace; but rather
originates from indifference alike to the claims of Messiah and the
destinies of mankind. Thus "the earth helps the woman." Indeed, the
nations of Christendom, contrary to their former policy, are now much
more tolerant of ecclesiastical than of _political_ heresies. With few
exceptions, the policy of the nations at the present time is to
discriminate, not among _churches_, but among _religions_. The popular
voice is obviously in favor of dissevering that alliance between church
and state, from which mankind have suffered in past generations. While
every earthly potentate, usurping the place and prerogatives of the
Mediator, assumed to dictate the faith and worship of his subjects, all
dissenters and recusants must necessarily be subjected to penalties.
Such was the policy of the dragon for centuries, while in the heavens of
ecclesiastical and civil power. The nominal church established by the
state, _defined heresy_; and the heresy found by the church became
rebellion against the civil authority. Of course the saints were then
executed as _traitors_. Even a superficial view of the signs of the
times will result in the conviction, that a great change has taken place
in the policy of nations and churches. The dragon has now prevailed with
most politicians and statesmen, as well as with most professing
Christians, to demand a total "separation of church and state;" by which
demand they do not mean a divorce of the unscriptural and
_antichristian_ alliance only or chiefly, but a simple and absolute
rejection of religion, and especially the _Christian_ religion, from any
connexion with or influence upon _civil_ affairs. This is undeniably the
avowed aim and declared desire of the great body of the population of
Christendom at the present time, (1870.) And what is this but an open
denial of the authority of the Mediator as he is the "Prince of the
kings of the earth?" Thus has the dragon, since his ejection from heaven
become a terrible "woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!"