Democracy Unveiled, Or, Tyranny Stripped of the Garb of Patriotism

'Twas thence concluded, by Rousseau,
That all refinement did but go
To alter nature's simple plan,
And scoundrelize the creature man.--

From whence he madly theoriz'd
That man were best unciviliz'd
Like those philosophers, who prate
Of Innocence in savage state.

E'en took in in his crazy noddle,
A savage was perfection's model;
And nature without cultivation,
The ne plus ultra of creation.

Anticipated, happy dealing,
When mankind, rul'd by social feelings,
Would be perfected, sans a flaw,
Without the Tyranny of Law.

From such sagacious theorizing,
Was formed a plan of his devising,
By which, society destroy'd
Perfection might be unalloy'd....

With other things, which mark the fiend,
That means are sanction'd by the end;
And if some good end we would further,
No matter if the means are murther!

That in this philosophic era,
A God is found a mere chimera,
By priests created, but for wildering
Fools, ignoramuses and children.

The would of mind may be explor'd
By lights, which matter can afford,
And Power Omnipotent must bend,
To what a worm can comprehend;

That by some accidental clatter,
Of pristine, crude, chaotic matter,
(But how, an Atheist only knows)
This beauteous universe arose.

That there is nothing like reality
In future life and immortality;
When death our thread of life shall sever,
We go to rest, and sleep forever.

No, this poem is not written about the 21st Century.  It comes from a book called "Democracy Unveiled", written in 1805 against the American Democrats and the French Revolutionaries.  But the similarities to what we experience today are uncanny.

18th Century Gallery by J. O. B.

Onfray de Breville (also known as J. O. B.) was a French painter of the late 1800s-early 1900s.  The pictures are delightful, but better yet is the accuracy of the uniforms.  Uniform accuracy is very rare in art.  I hope that God will raise up some Christian historical artists (who paint accurate uniforms!)  Perhaps these paintings, or those in my other galleries will inspire a Christian artist.

The first painting is of Braddock's army on the march.  A sick George Washington rides in the wagon.

The next painting is of the Battle of the Monongahela.  Washington tries to rally the panicked soldiers with no success.

The last painting is not of the French and Indian War at all, but of the Battle of Fontenoy (1745).  It depicts the final action which secured the French victory: the charge of the elite Maison du Roi into the British column.

Rushdoony on the Quakers

Studying the 18th Century will quickly expose one to the glorification of the Quakers.  It seems as though the Quakers were ahead of their times, tolerant, wise, and kind to all.  But R. J. Rushdoony sums them up much better:

"Now Hannah Whitall Smith was not representative of American Christianity, nor its women; she was a Quakeress, of a sect which believes in the inner light, a spark of divinity in every person.  Quakers represent a heretical strain, despite their great respectability with the American left.  At about the same time that I read Hannah Whitall Smith, I read George Fox's Journal, and a life of James Naylor, co-founder of the Quakers.  Naylor allowed himself to be hailed like Christ, and Fox, as I recall it, as he approached an English town (Litchfield?), went into a wild "prophetic" frenzy and denounced it as a bloody city for no reason at all."--from pg. 149, Institutes of Biblical Law volume 3

Announcing a New Blog!

I am pleased to announce that my brother Aidan has started a blog!  It is titled "Mountains Were Moved".  Check it out at www.mountainsweremoved.blogspot.com!  I'm looking forward to seeing what is put up next!

Women and Children First--from Henty

"I heard, some time ago, that one of our masters had been appointed to a church in some beastly neighbourhood in Birmingham or one of those manufacturing towns, and the people were such a rough lot that he could do nothing with them at first.  But one day, when he was going along the street, he saw a notorious bully thrashing a woman, and he interfered.  The fellow threatened him, and he quietly turned in, and gave him the most tremendous thrashing he had ever had, in about three minutes.  After that he got to be greatly liked, and did no end of good in his parish."

"Yes; but you say this man was a priest, a clergyman?" Maffio urged.

The three friends looked gravely at each other.

"Yes, but you must remember that he was also a man, and there is such a thing as righteous anger.  Why should a man look on and see a woman ill-treated without lifting his hand to save her, simply because he is a clergyman?"--from Out With Garabaldi, pgs. 128-129

The Kingdoms of this World

History seems to be dominated by evil men.  Whether it is the Assyrian Empire, the rule of Communism, or the United Nations in our day, the wicked seem to be in power.  Yet the Assyrians lasted much longer than Communism (or even the United Nations will!).  Why?  Because in the New Testament, God is much quicker to avenge his elect, as Paul says in Acts 17:30: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: "
But why did Communism fall quicker than the Assyrians?  Why is God's judgment on nations swifter than in the Old Testament?

¹⁵ And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

This is the answer.  Christ has received the kingdoms of the world and is in the process of bringing all things in subjection to Himself.

(Many thanks to Kevin Swanson's Proverbs Study Guide for this question, which made for excellent family discussion last night!)

250th Anniversary of the Treaty of Paris

250 years ago today, the Treaty of Paris was signed.  This brought an end to the hostilities between France, Great Britain, Spain and Portugal. 

Interestingly, the treaty begins with this phrase: "In the Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. So be it."  It goes on to say how "It has pleased the Most High to diffuse the spirit of union and concord among the Princes, whose divisions had spread troubles in the four parts of the world, and to inspire them with the inclination to cause the comforts of peace to succeed to the misfortunes of a long and bloody war."

These quotations show how much Christianity had influenced politics in 1763, and that even the men who drafted the treaty realized where peace came from--the Most High, not from the machinations of politicians. 

The full text of the treaty can be found here: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1763_-_Treaty_of_Paris