18:11. And the merchants of the earth.—Salesmen of religious goods—Popes, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and smaller fry.—Ezek. 27:36; Isa. 23:8; 47:15; Rev. 18:3, 15, 23.
Shall weep and mourn over her.—Saying, in substance, “What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.”—Luke 16:3.
For no man buyeth their merchandise any more.—“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols [all sectarian denominations] out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets [the clergy] and the unclean spirit [their false doctrines] to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass that when any [former clergyman] shall yet prophesy [try to still further mislead the people into giving him reverence and coin], then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth [so enraged will they be when they realize how they have been deceived respecting fears of hell or assurances of Heaven for themselves and other descendants of monkeys, which the preachers have taught them they are]. And it shall come to pass in that day that the prophets [clergy] shall be ashamed every one of his vision [of the creeds], when he hath prophesied [preached]; neither shall they wear a rough garment [distinctive clothing—collars fastened on backwards, in harmony with their conceptions of religious things, and ties and clothing in [pg 283] mourning to suit] to deceive: But he shall say I am no prophet [no preacher of the gospel at all], I am an husbandman 18:12. The merchandise of gold.—Truths respecting the Divine nature. There was a time when the nominal church had the custody of these truths, but that privilege passed in 1878. And of silver.—Truths respecting the Great Company. And precious stones.—Truths respecting the Lord's jewels.—Mal. 3:17. And of pearls.—Truths respecting the things purchased by the Lord's death.—Matt. 13:45, 46. And fine linen.—Truths respecting the righteousness of the Lord's saints.—Rev. 19:8; Rom. 8:4; 2 Pet. 1:9. And purple.—Truths respecting the Church's expectation of coming royalty.—Rev. 5:10; 20:4; Luke 12:32; 22:29, 30; James 2:5; Mark 10:23; 1 Cor. 4:8; Rev. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26, 27; Psa. 2:8-12; 49:14; Rom. 8:19; 16:20. And silk.—Truths respecting the most beautiful of all the fabrics of the loom—grand, beautiful characters made so by the wisdom and mercy of God out of men and women that to start with were only poor worms of earth.