The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-30
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
Dir. Bristol on Daniels Interpreta-
ton of the Kings Dream.
The Prophecy of the Downfall Of the
Roman Empire-The Stone That
1t Came From the Skics-Chriss
the Instrument of AnnihiIation.

Rev. Frank NJ. Bristol, d. D.. yesterday
preached a sermon on the Historical
Character of Christianity" from the pulpi,
OF the Metropolitan Memorial NJ. E
Church. The text was: Thou sawest Z
stone cut out without hands. which smotc
the image upon the feet that were of iron
| and clay and brake them in pieces.
Then was the iron. the clay, the brass,
the silver, and the gold broken in pieces
together and became like the chaff of the
| summer threshing floors, and the wind car
ried them away that no place was foun6
for them, and the stone that smOte the i'm
age became a great mountain and filled
the whole earth" Daniel, ii:3i-35.
In beginning his address DR.. Bristol said
that Daniel was standing in the presence
of the Assyrian king to interpret his dream,
and that he was permitted by divine as
sistance TO look out into the future { i'd to
foretell what should befall the four great
empires of antiquity. The king had seen
vision which the speaker likened to the
Colossus Of Rhodes or to the Statue OF
Liberty in New York Harbor. 1t was a
colossal figure which troubled the imperiG
mind and seemed 10 the king to have a.
unusual significance, and DR.. Bristol in
dieated how the prophet had been. Gale,
IN TO explain the meaning of the vision.
DAME. and the King.
Daniel showed the king that the head of
gold upon the image signiiied the Assyrian
empire, which then was at the height OF
its glory. The breast and arms of silver
represented the Medo- Persian empire, in
dicative of military strength, adventure on
the seas, and that prowess which was for
a time invincible. The legs and feet were
of iron and signiied the Roman empire,
whose sway YVES established with the bat
tle-aAe and sword. The iron of the feet
was mixed with clay showing that the
image was beset with internal weakness
which would lead to its destruction. 1t
was the image of Paganism and history
shows that within a period of So years
the ancient civilizations degenerated from
gold to brass and from iron to clay The
incongruous elene.lts which the Caesars
sought TO harmonic in the Roman empire
were precisely adapted to its decay and
overthrow. and Daniel foretold IL all 500
years before with a fidelity TO detail which
has led some to affirm that the book of
Daniel could not have been written until
after the fall of the Roman empire The
stone that was not cut by hands smote the
image, as he said, and as we look back
upon ii now We see that the same stone
has grown to the dimensions of a noun.
tain, and VIII, in time. fill the whole earth.
The prophecy is aot yet completely full
filled and there would be a good rea-
son for saying that the book could not
have been written before the German Re-
formation as TO place the date Of its COM
position some time after the fall of Rome
What is this stone which became the
instrument of annihliation? God tells US
that it is his spiritual kingdom, estab-
iished in the earth by his son. The pro-
phet looking across the rise of two king
doms and the fall of three, saw the stone
smite the empire of iron and cast II down
That was prophecy, and what says his.
tory"
At this point in his discourse DR.. Bristol
reviewed the history of the four empires,
showing how one after another they
fiourished and fell. giving way TO new
ideas and the conquering power of uore !
aggressive nations He showed that Christ /
was born at the time when the power and |
glory of Rome had reached the zenith |
The stone of the Prophet Daniel was an /
Insignificant pebble. so to speak, on the !
shore of Rome's ocean of power, but III. /
Bristol said that it grew until it at
tracted the attention OF the men of the /
age, and when, in the fullness OF time, |
ii smote that colossal image of Pagan
its power was felt even on |
the crumbling throne OF the Caesars.
But" continued the speaker, the
shifting stone was not the outgrowth of
what had existed before. 1t was indeed |
cut out without hands. We cannot ex-
plain its appearance in the world and the
influence it has exerted by the law OF
social or political development. There was
y 81.
which il could be derived Ii was of di-
vine origin. and upon no other theory can
I be explained as a working and aIl-con-
Iuering power. To establish Gods king
iom in the earth the divine must supplant
he physical, Jesus must overcome the
Caesars. republicanism must supplant
individualism must take the
place of imperial authority, and the in
ellectual and the spiritual must bani!T
ignorance from the minds of the masse;
If men. Wherever you view this stone its
Effects cannot be explained on human
heories. Christianity was not the thought
II man. IL came from the skies.
The aggressive character of the Chris
ian religion was foretold by Daniel 1t
vas animate with the power of destruc-
ion. II smote the image and the latter
ay PROSTATE and pulverized before the
low. Christianity in all ages has wrought
VI the uSStl uClicu Oi tyranny, lOT lDe re- /
ief of the enslaved. for the downfall of
he rum power. and the uprooting of su-
lerstition. The ancient empires were po-
ltico-reHgious. and Christianity came into
lirect conflict with pagan religion as well
is the political forces in operation in |
rome. Tie two were incompatible and
ne had To give way before the other |
Christianity crushed the religion of the
;aesars after thousands of its devotees
"a trf. fbafr l
he truth in the Roman arena 1t could ,
rock no opposition. and the history of
he Church is full of the story of the ag-
ressyeness of the soldiers of the living
attn II was religion against religion, .
nd righteousness against political ambi-
on and greed. The coming of Christianity
tarted a conflict of ideas. Old supersti-
ions were undermined. philosophers and s
ystems Of error were uprooted, and Chris
anity gave TO the world a new revelation 9
God and of man as the son of God.
Passing of the Empire. /
When its work haG been accomplished
! the Roman empire everything lay in :
ins, crushed by this wonderful stone. s
liny thought il possible in his day to S
op the groveling superstition. but it did 7
ot stop. The image represented the 1
cath. thought. wisdom, and power of
lie world. The stone was insit nificant and
presented poverty and weakness, and
he supporters of the new religion were q
0t among the influential people of the
npre of the Caesars. How did it smite
I'D destroy? Because there was super 4,
itural power behind it.
But Christianity is more than an q
yency of destruction. It is constructive. !,
seeks not alone TO tear down, but to e
lid up. There lay the stone in the ruin r