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Chapter IV.

Smiting the Image..

Have they then forgot,
So soon forgot, the great, the immortal day,
When rescued Sicily with joy beheld
The swift-winged thunder of the British arms
Disperse their navies? When their coward bands
Fled, like the raven from the bird of Jove;
From swift impending vengeance fled in vain?
. . . . . . . . .
Descend, ye guardian heroes of our land!
Scourges of Spain, descend!

—Akinside

.

Having now seen that Britain answers in her origin, history, and singular characteristic, exactly to the description of the "Stone cut out of the mountain without hand," we shall take a step farther, and endeavour to learn whether, in its intercourse with the nations of Europe, it has borne out the character of that wondrous Stone. It had a great mission to fulfil in the world. It was apparently insignificant in its commencement—small and comparatively powerless, but watch the change as it developes. From its position in the mountain it begins its course, and gradually gathering force, it descends to the plain, upon which stand the feet of the gigantic image, and striking those feet with all the power of its increased velocity it brings the Colossal figure prone to the earth, and the work of grinding to powder has commenced.

It would be erroneous to suppose that the meaning is, that with one blow the whole mass of the image is to be reduced to powder. Some of the most evangelical Commentators tell us that this is not the idea embodied in the original words. In fact we could not reasonably suppose that one terrific blow would grind to powder a tough material such as iron. A process of repeated and successive blows is required to reduce a hard, tenacious substance to powder, and we have already determined that the method of interpretation must be according to the analogy of nature. The Rev. Alfred Barnes, in his "Notes on Daniel," says:—"The word here used means 'to strike,' 'to smite,' without reference to whether it is a single blow, or whether the blow is often repeated. . . The connection here and the whole statement would seem to demand the sense of a continual or prolonged smiting, or of repeated blows, rather than a single concussion. . . . . A fall would only have broken it into large blocks or fragments, but this continual smiting reduced it to powder. This would imply, therefore, not only a single shock, or violent blow, but some cause continuing to operate until that which had been overthrown was effectually destroyed; like a vast image reduced to impalpable powder. The concussion on the feet made it certain that the colossal frame would fall, but there was a longer process necessary before the whole effect should be accomplished."

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We know where the head, shoulders, and arms, the body and the legs of this image were, what part of the country they represented. Now where were the feet? This is the important issue of this stage of our argument. This decided, we must ascertain whether history shows that the nation we have been endeavouring to identify with the Stone has struck and pulverised the powers represented by these parts of the the figure—that representation of the human governments of the world, and thus maintain its character, or whether here it suddenly breaks down.

For the idea contained in the following outline, I am indebted to a very carefully written series of articles by Mr. J. G. Shaw, in Mr. E. Hines' "Glory Leader," Vol. VI., and which are worthy of a careful perusal by any one interested in scripture prophecy

Let us glance at the geographical position of the ancient empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. For this purpose, dear reader, refer to the map of the "Ancient World" in the front part of this pamphlet; then carefully note the "home country" of each of these successively dominating powers. By this means you will observe that they lie in a direct line from Babylon to Rome. Then the golden head of the representative figure lies upon Babylon, with his body extending in the direction of Rome, the breast and shoulders of silver rest upon the Medo-Persian country, the body and thighs of brass come as far as the land of the Greeks, and the legs of iron extend across the Italian Peninsula. Hence the sublime vision supplies us not only with a characteristic and historic representation of the four empire, but also with an accurate geographical outline of their position. Now if these be the correct proportions of the four indicated parts of the image, where shall we find the feet? and how shall we decide their position? I presume we shall simply produce the figure to its extremities to settle this matter. By doing this we find them resting on Spain and France!

Now the fact cannot be denied, that each of those mighty empires rose successively by and upon the overthrow of the preceeding one. The successor being the means of destroying the previous. Did not the Gaul and the Goth cause the overthrow of the Roman Empire, and established themselves in the countries upon which we discover the feet of the image to stand? Another verification of the correctness of our proposition, since the analogy still holds. We now observe that the colossal image covered this large and direct line of country stretching from East to West of the ancient world, and it is worth noting that Nebuchadnezzar is said to have ruled the whole extent of that area. He who was the "head of gold," was in reality the head of all the peoples who at the date of the vision inhabited that great tract of country lying between the Persian Gulf and the western extremity of Europe—the exact extent of the image seen in his dream.

The historical importance of France and Spain is quite sufficient to entitle them to occupy the position thus assigned them. They have neither occupied the proud prominence which the four preceding powers were called upon to hold, yet they have both written a very conspicuous page 22 chapter in the history of nations. They, at all events, are more prominent, and, therefore, better fitted to discharge the offices of the feet than any other modern nations of Europe since the fall of Rome.

Seeing then that all these circumstances unite in pointing out those two nations as the representatives of the feet we gain a powerful argument thereby, in confirmation of Britain being the representative of the Stone. Daniel represents the Stone as commencing its operations by falling upon the feet of the image, not the legs. The feet are marked out as the vulnerable point, and with their destruction or overthrow the gigantic image was to commence its dissolution.

Then does our analogy still continue? Can we discover that the Stone has maintained its character here? Spain still is; France yet flourishies! Yes, they are still existing! We do not for a moment suppose, however, that the material of which the nation was composed was to be reduced to nothing. But what is Spain? Where is her glory, where her might? Spain is, but Spain's greatness is no more. France is still populated and thriving, but France of 1881 is not at all like France of 1600. Monarchy can no longer live upon French soil, much less can despotic sway hold the reins of government. France is French! Government is popular, not autocratic. The autocratic power has been rushed out of France, and the people are governed by their own chosen rulers. France, as well as Spain or Greece, has undergone a radical change. To crash the governing power or system of government does not mean to annihilate the people governed. The people may remain under a succeeding system, as well as under a succeeding king. The Babylonians remained under the Medo-Persian rule, though Nebuchadnezzar's throne was destroyed.

How then has Britain acted upon these two nations to entitle her to the character of the Stone, which crushed and ground to powder the image seen by the Monarch of Babylon? British arms have a long and interesting story to relate respecting this matter, and her moral and political influence has acted upon the governments of the Continent in such a manner as to completely change the entire nature and method of exercising control over the inhabitants of the civilized world, so that the old forms have been reduced to dust, and have almost already been swept away. Military or imperial authority can no longer be tolerated, and where it still seeks to assert its power the people are up in arms against it, and are ready to expel it from the face of the earth. Britain's example in the representative system of government—of permitting the people in reality to be their own rulers—is spreading far and wide, crushing the ancient and tyrannical forms of the past's despotic rule.

But it is by the force of her arms that Britain has most powerfully made herself felt upon Spain and Fiance. Mr. Shaw has shown this fact most emphatically, by means of an extended and minute statement of all Britain's victories over them, in a tabulated form, which challenges refutation. What blows, what crushing, grinding defeats those countries have suffered at our hands! With what force and continued repetition page 23 has the Stone smote those devoted feet, until the giant form has been brought down to the earth! As it is evident from history that it was by their power to conquer, that each of the four great empires was able to establish itself and overthrow the elder one, so, according to our method, must the Stone do in its establishment, and the destruction of its predecessors.

Mr. Shaw shows that Britain has gained the surprising number of 219 victories by land and sea over France, and 35 over Spain, making a total of 254 between the two. While she has, notwithstanding all her Continental wars, only gained 33 victories over all the other powers of Europe put together. Our victories over the nations which form the feet of the image have therefore been over Seven Times More than over all other European powers together. Is there nothing remarkable in this? Is it not also strange that Turkey is the only other nation forming a part of the image at which Britain has struck a blow, and that over her we have only obtained two victories? The mission of the Stone was to direct its force against the feet. Britain's mission seems to have been to reduce Spain and France. How thoroughly she has executed her commission! Has she not really been the Lord's "battle-axe and weapon of war" in this mission of breaking in pieces the image, or "the nations?"

The process has been a thing of time. The act of reducing the power and systems of nations could not be effected in a day, or a year, or even in a century It had to be effected by often repeated and continued assaults, as strokes falling from a hammer of gigantic proportions, whose movements were comparatively slow but whose force was tremendous.

It is not generally supposed that the text requires that the pulverising of the image should be effected suddenly, or even within the limits of a very short time. The blows are struck in succession, but at distant intervals, each one causing the mighty mass to crumble finer, and into smaller parts, until its original form becomes lost, and nothing appears in view but a mound of dust, while the Stone stands out in the most amazing prominence.

The manner in which the ancient empires destroyed their predecessors was rapid, and the work was accomplished in a short period; but then the work was of a very different nature. In reality it was merely removing the seat of Government from one place to another, and into the hands of new officers. The spirit of the mode of government was not changed: despotism and military oppression characterised them all. The king and his army were the dread of the populace; military power was master of the State. The rights, privileges, and comforts of the people were as nothing compared with the king and his army. Instead of the king being the umpire of right and justice to all, he saw merely his own authority and power. There was no change in these things, when one empire eclipsed another and established itself, hence a short time was sufficient to transact the business. So that, in passing through a land like a devastating conflagration, one man deposed another and assumed his position, and the work was done.

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But this last of earthly empires has arisen upon a totally different foundation. No monarchial despotism, no military superiority, the people are in it the power. In it the sovereign is the servant and officer of the people, and the army is their instrument. Such a system could not grow to fruition in haste; time only can complete such a substantial fabric. It is only the eflux of time which can break down old customs, by the evidence of superiority in those which are new. Thus has it been with modern improvements and national changes. Our wars with Spain and France lasted over a long period of years—from A.D. 1346 to 1819, nearly 500 years, from the battle of Cressey, fought and won under Edward III., until the battle of Barossa, under the leadership of General Graham. All that time had the stone been pounding the composite image, and now we can only see it existing in historical panorama, its reality having almost entirely vanished. It is interesting to notice that our most destructive blows were struck during the latter part of the period—most of the work having been done in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From Dan. ii., 44, it will be seen that this "Stone Empire" is "to break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." The idea latent in the word "consume" is that of gradual destruction; it immediately suggests duration of time, and so time has been required for the accomplishment of the work.