This brings to mind the new covenant so often promised in the Scriptures, to be made with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, just in time to gather them from their long dispersion. Some may suppose that the new covenant which was to gather Israel made its appearance in the days of Christ and his Apostles. But Paul tells us it was yet future in his day. So, in his eleventh chapter to the Romans, he says, "that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." From this we learn that Paul placed that covenant in the future, even down to the restoration of Israel, in the last days, when the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled. Then there should come a Deliverer for Israel, and not before, seeing that they had rejected the first coming of that Deliverer. And he himself said to the Jews: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Then, and not until then, should the covenant be renewed with Israel. And even when the Apostles inquired, saying, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" the Savior made answer, that it was not for them to know the times and seasons which the Father had put in His own power; but they were to receive power, and bear witness of Him, etc.; as much as to say, that work is not for you Apostles to accomplish, but shall be done in the Lord's own time, by whom He will; but go ye and do the work I have commanded you.
Again, Isaiah, lxi, 8, 9, in speaking of this covenant, tells us that it should make their seed known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people; and should cause all that see them to acknowledge them that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed. Now, we know that it is a question which can only be decided by revelation, whether the aborigines of America are the seed of Jacob or not. Again, it is a matter of uncertainty where the ten tribes are, or who they are; but the new covenant, whenever it makes its appearance, will reveal these things, and will leave the matter no longer in suspense; we shall then know their seed among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people. But, O! how different was the effect of the covenant made eighteen hundred years ago in its effects upon Israel; it cast them off in unbelief, and caused all that have seen them or heard of them ever since to acknowledge that they are the seed that the Lord hathcursed. When the covenant is renewed in the last days, the Lord will bring them into the bond of the covenant, by manifesting Himself to them face to face. Let me inquire, How does God make a covenant with the people in any age? The answer is, By communicating His will to them by actual revelation; for, without this, it would be impossible to make a covenant between two parties. In order to illustrate this subject, let us bring an example. We see how we make covenants with each other. For instance, a young man wishes to enter into a covenant of matrimony with a young lady; but deprive him of the privilege of revealing his mind to her, cut off all direct communication between them, and a covenant could never be made; and so it is with the Almighty. He never did enter into a covenant with His creatures, without revelations; and He never can do it. In short, whenever He made a covenant with the people, where a whole people were concerned, He included in the covenant the priesthood, offices, and authorities, together with the ordinances and blessings which pertain to His covenant; and so will He do at this time. Whenever the new covenant is established, it will organize the kingdom of God with all its offices, ordinances, gifts, and blessings as in the days of old; but more of this when we come to treat of the kingdom of God.
"But," says the inquirer, "what need have we of the renewal of a covenant which has never been broken? If the Lord made a covenant in the days of the Apostles, called a new covenant, why should that covenant still be renewed again, seeing it is in full force, until it is broken by one party or the other?" This is an important inquiry, involving the fate of all Christendom in its decision; we must therefore be very careful to make the decision perfectly plain, and the proof easy to be understood. That there was a covenant made between God and the people in the days of Christ and His Apostles, none will attempt to deny, and if that covenant never has been broken, it must be of force to the present day, and consequently there is no need of a new one. It therefore remains for us to prove that that covenant has been broken, completely broken, so that it is not in force, either among Jews or Gentiles, having lost its offices, authorities, powers, and blessings, insomuch that they are nowhere to be found among men. In order to do this, we must examine what were its offices, authorities, powers, and blessings, and then see whether they are still known among men.
We read that its offices consisted of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers, all inspired and set in the Church, by the Lord Himself, for the edifying of the saints, for the work of the ministry, etc. And they were to continue in the Church, wherever it was found, until they all came to the unity of the faith, and unto the measure of the stature of a man in Christ.
Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit, which some call supernatural, were the powers and blessings which pertained to that covenant, wherever it existed, among the Jews or the Gentiles, so long as the covenant was of force. Now, I would ask the world of Christendom, or either of its sects or parties, if they have Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers inspired from on high, together with all the gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit, which pertained to the Gospel covenant? If not, then the offices and powers of that covenant have been lost. And it must be through the breaking of that covenant that they were lost, for in this way the Jews lost these privileges, when they were handed to the Gentiles. And Paul told the Gentiles, in his eleventh chapter to the Romans, that if they did not abide in the goodness of God, they would fall, as the Jews had done before them.
But in order to prove, by further demonstration, that the Gospel covenant has been broken, by Jew and Gentile, and all people, so as to be no longer in force, I shall quote Isaiah, xxiv, 1-6: "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; BECAUSE THEY HAVE TRANSGRESSED THE LAWS, CHANGED THE ORDINANCE, BROKEN THE EVERLASTING COVENANT. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." In these few verses, we discover a like calamity awaiting priests and people, rich and poor, bond and free, insomuch that they are all to be burned up but a few; and the complaint is that the earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. Now this could not be speaking of any other than the covenant, ordinance, and laws of the Gospel, made with the people in the days of the Apostles; because, however any former covenant may have been broken, yet the inhabitants of the earth have never been destroyed by fire, all but a few, for having broken any previous covenant. But this destruction is to come by fire, as literally as the flood in the days of Noah; and it will consume both priests and people from the earth, and that, too, for having broken the covenant of the Gospel, with its laws and its ordinances; or else we must get a new edition of the Bible, leaving out the twenty-fourth of Isaiah.
Now, having settled this question, I trust the reader will see the need of a new covenant, in order to save the few that are not to be burned. We will therefore drop this subject for the present, and turn again to the subject of the gathering of Israel. You will please turn and read the thirty-sixth, thirty-seventh, thirty-eighth, and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel. In the thirty-sixth chapter you will discover a promise that Israel are to return from all the nations whither they have been scattered, and to be brought again to the land which God gave to their fathers; Jerusalem is to be filled with flocks of men, and all the desolate cities of Judea are to be rebuilt, fenced and inhabited; the land is to be fenced, tilled and sown, insomuch that they shall say: "This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden." "I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it; and the heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate." "So shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men, and they shall know that I am the Lord." In the thirty-seventh chapter you will find, after the vision of the resurrection of the dead, the Prophet goes on to speak of the two nations becoming one nation upon the mountains of Israel, and one king being king to them all; and when this takes place, they are no more to be divided into two kingdoms. Moreover, the Lord's tabernacle is to be with them, and His sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. He will forever be their God, and they shall be His people. "And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore." Now, it is a fact well known, that Judah and the ten tribes have never been one nation, upon the mountains of Israel, since the day they were first divided into two nations.
But, when this does take place, even the very heathen are to know it, and are to be convinced of the true God, as was Cyrus. Now if the missionaries should convert the world, before the Lord does this great work, then it will save the Lord the trouble of doing it in His own way, and it will save the trouble of fulfilling the Prophets, and the word of the Lord will fail, and all the world lay hold of infidelity. Well did the Lord say: "My ways are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts." Chapters xxxviii and xxxix present us with a view of many nations united under one great head, whom the Lord is pleased to call Gog; and being mounted on horseback, and armed with all sorts of armor, they come up against the mountains of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; their object is to take a prey, to take away silver and gold, and cattle, and goods in great abundance.
This is an event which is to transpire after the return of the Jews, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem; while the towns and the land of Judea are without walls, having neither bars nor gates. But while they are at the point to swallow up the Jews, and lay waste their country, behold the Lord's fury comes up in His face, a mighty earthquake is the result, insomuch that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all the creeping things, and all men upon the face of the earth, shall shake at His presence, and every wall shall fall to the ground, and every man's sword shall be turned against his neighbor in this army, and the Lord shall rain upon Gog, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone. And thus He will magnify Himself, and sanctify Himself, in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that He is the Lord; thus they shall fall upon the open field, upon the mountains of Israel, even Gog and all his army, horses and horsemen; and the Jews shall go forth and gather the weapons of war, such as handstaves, spears, shields, bows and arrows; and these weapons shall last the cities of Israel seven years for fuel, so that they shall cut no wood out of the forest, for they shall burn the weapons with the fire; and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, and they shall gather gold and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
At this time the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field shall have a great feast; yea, they are to eat fat until they be full, and drink blood until they be drunken. They are to eat the flesh of captains, and kings, and mighty men, and all men of war. But the Jews will have a very serious duty to perform, which will take no less than seven months; namely, the burying of their enemies. They will select a place on the east side of the sea, called the Valley of the Passengers, and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. And the scent shall go forth, insomuch that it shall stop the noses of the passengers; thus shall they cleanse the land. "And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them: so the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies; so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness, and according to their transgressions, have I done unto them, and hid myself from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name: after that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their own land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemy's lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen; but I have gathered them into their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them; for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God."
In the foregoing, we discover that the heathen are to know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, and are gathered again by the hand of God, after having borne their shame for all their trespasses: and the house of Israel will know that it was the Lord their God who caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen, and that He it was that gathered and defended them, and He will hide His face no more from them, but will pour out His Spirit upon them.
O ye blind, ye stiffnecked, ye hardhearted generation, with the Bible circulated among all nations, will whole nations be so blind as to fulfil this prophecy, and not know it until it brings destruction upon their own heads? Why all this blindness? Alas! it is because of false teachers, who will tell them the Bible must be spiritualized. Others declare that these prophecies can never be understood until they are fulfilled. If this be the case, then we can never escape the judgments predicted in them, but must continue the children of darkness, until they come upon us unawares and sweep us from the earth. Then, where will be the consolation of looking back and seeing them fulfilled? But blessed be God, He has told us by the mouth of Daniel that many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased, and that the wise shall understand, but none of the wicked shall understand. And now, I would ask, who are more wicked than the wilfully blind leaders of the blind, who tell us we cannot understand the Scriptures?
Zachariah, in his fourteenth chapter, has told us much concerning the great battle and overthrow of the nations who fight against Jerusalem; and he has said, in plain words, that the Lord shall come at the very time of the overthrow of that army; yes, in fact, even while they are in the act of taking Jerusalem, and have already succeeded in taking one half the city, and spoiling their houses, and ravishing their women. Then, behold their long expected Messiah, suddenly appearing, shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, a little east of Jerusalem, to fight against those nations and deliver the Jews. Zachariah says, The Mount of Olives shall cleave in twain, from east to west, and one half of the mountain shall remove to the north, while the other half falls off to the south, suddenly forming a very great valley, into which the Jews shall flee for protection from their enemies, as they fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah; while the Lord cometh and all the saints with him. Then will the Jews behold that long, long expected Messiah, coming in power to their deliverance, as they always looked for Him. He will destroy their enemies, and deliver them from trouble at the very time they are in the utmost consternation, and about to be swallowed up by their enemies.
But what will be their astonishment, when they are about to fall at the feet of their Deliverer, and acknowledge him their Messiah! They discover the wounds which were once made in his hands, feet, and side; and, on inquiry, at once recognize Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews, the man so long rejected. Well did the Prophet say, they should mourn and weep, every family apart, and their wives apart. But, thank heaven, there will be an end to their mourning; for He will forgive their iniquities, and cleanse them from all uncleanness. Jerusalem shall be a holy city from that time forth, and all the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon, and she shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, and men shall dwell there, and there shall be no more utter destruction of Jerusalem; "and in that day there shall be one Lord, and His name one, and He shall be King over all the earth."
John, in his eleventh chapter of Revelations, gives us many more particulars concerning this same event. He informs us that, after the city and temple are rebuilt by the Jews, the Gentiles will tread it underfoot forty and two months, during which time there will be two Prophets continually prophesying and working mighty miracles. And it seems that the Gentile army shall be hindered from utterly destroying and overthrowing the city, while these two Prophets continue. But, after a struggle of three years and a half, they at length succeed in destroying these two Prophets, and then overrunning much of the city; they send gifts to each other because of the death of the two Prophets, and in the mean time will not allow their dead bodies to be put in graves, but suffer them to lie in the streets of Jerusalem three days and a half; during which the armies of the Gentiles, consisting of many kindreds, tongues, and nations, passing through the city, plundering the Jews, see their dead bodies lying in the street. But, after three days and a half, on a sudden, the spirit of life from God enters them, and they will arise and stand upon their feet, and great fear will fall upon them that see them. And then they shall hear a voice from heaven, saying, "Come up hither," and they will ascend up to heaven in a cloud, their enemies beholding them. And, having described all these things, then come the shaking, spoken of by Ezekiel, and the rending of the Mount of Olives, spoken of by Zachariah. John says: "The same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand." And then one of the next scenes that follow is the sound of voices, saying: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever."
Now, having summed up the description of these great events spoken of by these Prophets, I would just remark, there is no difficulty in understanding them all to be perfectly plain and literal in their fulfilment.
Suffice it to say, the Jews gather home, and rebuild Jerusalem. The nations gather against them to battle. Their armies encompass the city, and have more or less power over it for three years and a half. A couple of Jewish Prophets, by their mighty miracles, keep them from utterly overcoming the Jews; until at length they are slain, and the city is left in a great measure to the mercy of their enemies for three days and a half; the two Prophets rise from the dead and ascend up into heaven. The Messiah comes, convulses the earth, overthrows the army of the Gentiles, delivers the Jews, cleanses Jerusalem, cuts off all wickedness from the earth, raises the saints from the dead, brings them with Him, and commences His reign for a thousand years; during which time His Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh; men and beasts, birds and serpents, will be perfectly harmless, and peace and the knowledge and glory of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea; and the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High.
During this thousand years, Satan will be bound, and have no power to tempt the children of men. And the earth itself will be delivered from the curse, which came by reason of the Fall. The rough places will become smooth, the barren deserts fruitful; the mountains leveled; the valleys exalted; the thorn and thistle shall no more be found, but all the earth shall yield her increase in abundance to the saints of God. But, after the thousand years are ended, then shall Satan be loosed, and shall go out to deceive the nations which dwell in the four quarters of the earth, to gather them to battle, and to bring them up to battle against the camp of the saints. Then the great and last struggle shall take place between God and Satan, for the empire of the earth. Satan and his army shall be overthrown. And after these great things, come the end of the earth, the resurrection of the wicked, and the last judgment. And there shall be a new earth and a new heaven, for the former earth and the former heaven shall have passed away, that is, they will be changed from temporal to eternal, and made fit for the abode of immortals. Then cometh Jerusalem down from God, out of heaven, having been renewed as well as the heavens and the earth. "For," says He, "behold, I make all things new."
This new city, placed upon the new earth, with the Lord God and the Lamb in the midst, seems to be man's eternal abode, insomuch that, after all our longings for a place beyond the bounds of time and space, as saith the poet, we are at last brought to our proper senses, and given to understand that man is destined forever to inherit this selfsame planet, upon which he was first created, which shall be redeemed, sanctified, renewed, purified, and prepared as an eternal inheritance for immortality and eternal life; with the holy city for its capital, the throne of God in the midst, for its seat of government; and watered with a stream, clear as crystal, called the Waters of Life, issuing from the throne of Jehovah; while either side is adorned with trees of never fading beauty. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." By this time we begin to understand the words of the Savior: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And also the song which John heard in heaven, which ended thus: "We shall reign on the EARTH."
Reader, do not be startled; suppose you were to be caught up into heaven, there to stand with the redeemed of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and join them in singing, and to your astonishment, all heaven is filled with joy, while they tune the immortal lyre, in joyful anticipation of one day reigning on the earth—a planet now under the dominion of Satan, the abode of wretchedness and misery, from which your glad spirit had taken its flight, and, as you supposed, an everlasting farewell. You might perhaps be startled for a moment, and inquire within yourself: "Why have I never heard this theme sung among the churches on earth?" Well, my friend, the answer would be—"Because you lived in a day when people did not understand the Scriptures."
Abraham would tell you, you should have read the promise of God to him, Gen. xvii, 8, where God not only promised the land of Canaan to his seed for an everlasting possession, but also to him. Then you should have read the testimony of Stephen, Acts, vii, 5, by which you would have ascertained that Abraham never had inherited the things promised, but was still expecting to rise from the dead and be brought into the land of Canaan, to inherit them. "Yes," says Ezekiel, "if you had read the thirty-seventh chapter of my prophecies, you would have found a positive promise, that God would open the graves of the whole house of Israel, who were dead, and gather up their dry bones, and put them together, each to its own proper place, and even clothe them again with flesh, sinews, and skin, and put His Spirit in them, and they should live; and then, instead of being caught up to heaven, they should be brought into the land of Canaan, which the Lord gave them, and they should inherit it."
But, still astonished, you might turn to Job; and he, surprised to find one unacquainted with so plain a subject, would exclaim: "Did you never read my nineteenth chapter, from the twenty-third to the twenty-seventh verses, where I declare, I wish my words were written in a book, saying, that my Redeemer would stand on the earth in the latter-day; and that I should see Him in the flesh, for myself, and not another; though worms should destroy this body?" Even David, the sweet singer of Israel, would call to your mind the thirty-seventh Psalm, where he repeatedly declares that the meek shall inherit the earth forever, after the wicked are cut off from the face thereof.
And last of all, to set the matter forever at rest, the voice of the Savior would mildly fall upon your ear, in his sermon on the mount, declaring emphatically: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." To these things you would answer: "I have read these passages, to be sure, but was always taught to believe that they did not mean so, therefore, I never understood them until now. Let me go and tell the people what wonders have opened to my view, since my arrival in heaven, merely from having heard one short song. It is true, I have heard much of the glories of heaven described, while on earth, but never once thought of their rejoicing in anticipation of returning to the earth." Says the Savior: "They have Moses and the Prophets; if they will not believe them, neither would they believe although one should rise from the dead."
We will now return to the subject of the coming of Messiah, and the ushering in of that glorious day, called the Millennium, or rest of a thousand years. We gather from the field of prophecy, through which we have passed: first, that that glorious day will be ushered in by the personal coming of Christ, and the resurrection of all the saints; second, that all the wicked will be destroyed from the earth, by overwhelming judgments of God, and by fire, at the time of His coming, insomuch that the earth will be cleansed by fire from its wicked inhabitants, as it once was by water; and this burning will include priests as well as people: all but a few shall be burned. This burning more especially applies to the fallen church, rather than to the heathen or Jews, whom they are now trying to convert. Woe unto you, Gentiles, who call yourselves the people of the Lord, but have made void the law of God by your traditions; for in vain do you call Lord, Lord, and do not the things which Jesus commands; in vain do ye worship Him, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Behold, the sword of vengeance hangs over you, and except you repent, it will soon fall upon you; and it will be more tolerable in that day for the Jews and heathen than for you. Behold, ye flatter yourselves that the glorious day spoken of by the Prophets will be ushered in by your modern inventions and moneyed plans, which are got up in order to convert the Jews and heathen to the various sectarian principles now existing among yourselves; and you expect, when this is done, to behold a millennium after your own heart. But the Jews and heathen never will be converted, as a people, to any other plan than that laid down in the Bible for the great restoration of Israel. Andyou yourselvesare laboring under a broken covenant, and ripening for the fire as fast as possible. But do not count me your enemy because I tell you the truth, for God is my witness that I love your souls too well to keep back any truth from you, however severe it may seem. The wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an enemy. Now, concerning the signs of the times, the inquiry often arises: "When shall these things be, and what signs shall there be when these things shall come to pass?" I am often asked the question, whether it is near at hand; I will therefore tell you all, whereby you may know for yourselves when it is nigh, even at the doors, and not be dependent on the knowledge of others.
Now, you behold the apple tree, and all the trees, when they begin to shoot forth their leaves, ye know of your own selves that summer is nigh at hand; and so likewise when ye shall see great earthquakes, famines, pestilence, and plagues of every kind; the sea breaking beyond its bounds, and all things in commotion; the nations distressed with perplexity; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking for the things which are coming on the earth; when you see signs in the heaven above, and in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke, the sun turned to darkness, the moon to blood, and stars hurled from their courses; when you see the Jews gathering to Jerusalem, and the armies of the nations gathering against them to battle, you may know, with a perfect knowledge, that Christ's coming is near, even at the doors. "Verily, I sayunto you,thisgeneration shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one word of all that the Lord has spoken by the mouth of His holy Prophets and Apostles shall fail.
Whoever will look to the word of the Prophets, and to the sayings of Jesus Christ, on this subject, the same will be convinced that all the signs of which I have spoken are clearly pointed out as the signs of His coming. But, notwithstanding all these things are written, His coming will overtake the world unawares, as the flood did the people in the days of Noah. The reason is, they will not understand the Prophets. They will not endure sound doctrine; their ears are turned away from the truth, and turned to fables, because of false teachers, and the precepts of men; and what is still worse, when God sends men with the New and Everlasting Covenant, and clothes them with boldness to testify to the truth, they will be treated as the servants of God have been before them by the fallen churches; every church will cleave to its own way, and will unite in saying: "There is no need of these new things, the good old way is right;" while at the same time they are walking in as many different ways as there are sects, and only agree in persecuting and speaking all manner of evil against the fishers and hunters whom God shall send. But, thank heaven, there are individuals in every sect who are humbly seeking the truth, and who will know the voice of truth, and be gathered out, and planted in the New and Everlasting Covenant; and they will be adopted into the family of Israel, and will be gathered with them, and be partakers of the same covenant of promise. Yea, as Jeremiah says, in the sixteenth chapter of his Prophecies: "The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanities, and things wherein there is no profit." But as the Jews overlooked Christ's first coming, by not understanding the Prophets, and fastening their whole expectations on His glorious coming in the last days, to restore the kingdom to Israel, and avenge them of their enemies, and, by this mistake, were broken and scattered; so the Gentiles will overlook the prophecies concerning His second coming, by confounding them with the last judgment, which is to take place more than a thousand years afterward. But this fatal mistake, instead of causing the Gentiles to be broken and scattered, will cause them to be ground to powder.
O my brethren, according to the flesh, my soul mourns over you, and had I a voice like a trumpet, I would cry, Awake, awake and arouse from your slumber, for the time is fulfilled, your destruction is at the door, "for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts, a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth!" Prepare to meet your God I And again, Awake, O house of Israel, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh: yea, depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from hence, gather home from your long dispersion, rebuild your cities; yea, go ye out from the nations, from one end of heaven to the other; but let not your flight be in haste, for the Lord shall go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward! And finally, I would say to all, both Jew and Gentile, Repent ye, repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is at hand; for if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice, and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh, when the thunders shall utter their voices to the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying: "Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?" Yea, again, when the lightnings shall streak from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all that hear to tingle, saying these words: "Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come?" And again, the Lord shall utter His voice out of heaven, saying: "Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you: O ye nations of the earth, how oft would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not! How often have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famine and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trumpet, and by the voice of judgments, and by the voice of mercy, all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor, and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but you would not! Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full."
"Seek first the Kingdom of God."
This was the command of the Savior, while on the earth, teaching the children of men.
Having taken a general view of the prophecies, past and future, we shall now proceed to fulfil this command, and search out the kingdom of God. But, before we advance, I would again caution the reader not to accompany me in this research, unless he is prepared to sacrifice everything, even to his good name, and life itself, if necessary, for the truth; for if he should once get a view of the kingdom of God, he will be so delighted that he never will rest satisfied short of becoming a subject of the same. And yet it will be so unlike every other system of religion now on earth, that he will be astonished that any person, with the Bible in his hand, should ever have mistaken any of the systems of men for the kingdom of God. There are certain powers, privileges, and blessings, pertaining to the kingdom of God, which are found in no other kingdom, nor enjoyed by any other people. By these it was over distinguished from all other kingdoms and systems, insomuch that the inquiring mind, seeking the kingdom of God, and being once acquainted with these peculiarities concerning it, need never mistake it, or be at a loss to know when he has found it. But, before we proceed any further in our research, let us agree upon the meaning of the term, the Kingdom of God, or the sense in which we will use it; for some apply this term to the kingdom of glory above, and some to the individual enjoyment of their own souls, while others apply it to His organized government on the earth. Now, when We speak of the kingdom of God, we wish it to be understood that we mean His organized government on the earth.
Now, reader, we launch forth into the wide field before us in search of a kingdom. But stop, let us consider—what is a kingdom? I reply, that four things are required in order to constitute any kingdom in heaven or on earth; namely, first, a king; secondly, commissioned officers duly qualified to execute his ordinances and laws; thirdly, a code of laws by which the subjects are governed; and fourthly, subjects who are governed. Where these exist in their proper order and regular authority, there is a kingdom, but where either of these ceases to exist, there is a disorganization of the kingdom; consequently an end of it, until reorganized after the same manner as before. It this respect the kingdom of God is like all other kingdoms; wherever we find officers duly commissioned and qualified by the Lord Jesus, together with His ordinances and laws existing in purity, unmixed with any precepts or commandments of men, there the kingdom of God exists, and there His power is manifest, and His blessings are enjoyed as in days of old.
We shall now take a view of the setting up of the kingdom of God in the days of the Apostles. The first intimation of its near approach was by an angel to Zachariah, promising him a son, who should go before the King to prepare his way. The next manifestation was to Mary, and finally to Joseph, by a holy angel, promising the birth of the Messiah: while at the same time, the Holy Ghost manifested unto Simeon, in the temple, that he should not die until he had seen the Savior. Thus, all these, together with the shepherds and the wise men from the east, began to rejoice with a joy unspeakable and full of glory, while the world around them knew not the occasion of their joy. After these things, all seemed to rest in silent expectation, until John had grown to manhood, when he came bounding from the wilderness of Judea, with a proclamation strange and new, crying: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," baptizing unto repentance, telling them plainly that their King was already standing among them, on the point of setting up His kingdom. And while he yet ministered, the Messiah came, and was baptized, and sealed with the Spirit of God, which rested on Him in the form of a dove; and soon after began the same proclamation as John, saying—"Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Then, after choosing twelve disciples, He sent them forth into all the cities of Judea, with the same proclamation— "The kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and after them He sent seventy, and then another seventy, with the same news, so that all might be well warned and prepared for a kingdom which was soon to be organized amongst them.
But when these things had produced the desired effect, in causing a general expectation, more especially in the hearts of His disciples, who daily expected to triumph over their persecutors, by the coronation of this glorious personage, while they themselves were hoping for a reward for all their toil and sacrifices for His sake, by being exalted to dignity near His person, what must have been their disappointment, when they saw their King taken and crucified, having been mocked, derided, ridiculed, and finally overcome, and triumphed over, both by Jew and Gentile? They would gladly have died in battle to have placed Him upon the throne; but tamely to submit without a struggle, to give up all their expectations, and sink in despair from the highest pitch of enthusiasm to the lowest degradation, was more than they could well endure. They shrank back in sorrow, and returned every man to his own net, or to their several occupations, supposing all was over; probably with reflections like these: "Is this the result of all our labors? was it for this we forsook all worldly objects, our friends, our houses and lands, suffering persecution, hunger, fatigue and disgrace? And we trust it should have been He who would have delivered Israel; but alas, they have killed Him, and all is over. For three years we have awakened a general expectation through all Judea, by telling them that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, but now our King is dead, how shall we dare to look the people in the face?"
With these reflections, each pursuing his own course, all was again turned to silence, and the voice had ceased to be heard in Judea, crying: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus slept in the arms of death; a great stone with the seal of of state, secured the tomb where he lay, while the Roman guard stood in watchful silence, to see that all was kept secure; when suddenly, from the regions of glory, a mighty angel descended, at whoso presence the soldiers fell back as dead men, while he rolled the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and the Son of God awoke from His slumbers, burst the bonds of death, and soon after appearing to Mary, He sent her to the disciples with the joyful news of His resurrection, and appointed a place to meet them. When, after seeing Him, all their sorrow was turned into joy, and all their former hopes were suddenly revived, they had no longer to cry—"The kingdom of heaven is at hand," but were to tarry at Jerusalem until the kingdom was established; and they prepared to unlock the door of the kingdom, and to adopt strangers and foreigners into it as legal citizens, by administering certain laws and ordinances, which were invariably the laws of adoption, and without which no man could ever become a citizen.
Having ascended up on high, and having been crowned with all power in heaven and on earth, He again comes to His disciples, and gives them their authority, saying unto them: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark, xvi, 15-18. Now I wish the reader not to pass over this commission until he understands it, because when once understood, he never need mistake the kingdom of God, but will at once discover those peculiarities which were forever to distinguish it from all other kingdoms or religious systems on earth. Lest he should misunderstand, we will analyze it, and look at each part carefully in its own proper light; first, they were to preach the Gospel, or in other words, the glad tidings of a crucified and risen Redeemer, to all the world; secondly, he that believed, and was baptized, should be saved; thirdly, he that did not believe what they preached should be damned; and fourthly, these signs should follow them that believed: first, they were to cast out devils; second, to speak with new tongues; third, to take up serpents; fourth, if they drank any deadly thing, it should not hurt them; fifth, they were to lay hands on the sick, and they should recover.
Now, it is wilful blindness, or ignorance of the English language, that has ever caused any misunderstanding here. For some tell us that those signs were only to follow the Apostles; and others, that they were only to follow believers in that age. But Christ places the preaching, believing, salvation, and the signs that were to follow, all on an equal footing; where one was limited, the other must be; where one ceased, the other did. If the language limits these signs to the Apostles, it limits faith and salvation also to them. If no others were to have these signs follow them, then no others were to believe, and no others were to be saved. Again, if the language limits these signs to the first age or ages of Christianity, then it limits salvation to the first ages of Christianity, for one is precisely as much limited as the other; and where one is in force, the other is; and where one ends, the other must stop. And as well might we say, preaching of the Gospel is no longer needed; neither faith nor salvation; these were only given at first to establish the Gospel; as to say, the signs are no longer necessary, they were only given at first to establish the Gospel. But, says the astonished reader: "Have not these signs ceased from among men?" I reply, prove that they have ceased, and it will prove that the Gospel has ceased to be preached, that men have ceased to believe and be saved, and that the world is without the kingdom of God; or else it will prove that Jesus Christ was an impostor, and His promises of no effect.
Now, having analyzed and understood this commission, let us still pursue the subject of the organization of the kingdom of God in the days of the Apostles. The Savior, having given them their authority, commands them to tarry, and not undertake their mission, until they were endowed with power from on high. But why this delay? Because no man was ever qualified, or ever will be, to preach the Gospel, and teach all things whatsoever Jesus commanded him, without the Holy Ghost; and a very different Holy Ghost, too, from the one enjoyed by men who are not inspired, for the Holy Ghost of which Jesus spake would guide into all truth, bring all things to remembrance, whatsoever He had said unto them, and show them things to come—not to mention that it would enable them to speak in all the languages of the earth. Now, a man who preaches needs that Holy Ghost very much; first, to guide into all truth, that he may know what to teach; second, to strengthen his memory, lest he might neglect to teach some of the things which were commanded him; and, third, he needs to know things to come, that he may forewarn his hearers of approaching danger, and that would constitute him a prophet. From this, the reader may see how careful Jesus was that none should preach His Gospel without the Holy Ghost. He may also learn how different the Spirit of Truth is from the spirit now abroad in the earth, deceiving the world, under the name of the Holy Ghost. If the churches of the present day have the Holy Ghost, why are they so much at a loss to understand truth? Why do they walk in so many different ways and doctrines? Why do they need whole libraries of sermons, tracts, divinities, debates, arguments, and opinions, all written by the wisdom of men, without even professing to be inspired? Well doth the Lord complain, saying: "Their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men." But to return; the Apostles tarried at Jerusalem until endowed with power, and then they commenced to proclaim the Gospel.
Here we have discovered several things towards a kingdom: first, we have found a King, crowned at the right hand of God, to whom is committed all power in heaven and on earth; second, commissioned officers, duly appointed to administer the affairs of government; third, the laws by which they were to be governed were ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER JESUS HAD COMMANDED HIS DISCIPLES TO TEACH THEM.
And now, if we can find how men became citizens of that kingdom, I mean as to the rules of adoption, then we have found the kingdom of God in that age, and shall be very much dissatisfied with every thing in our own age, professing to be the kingdom of God, which is not according to the pattern.
It happened that there were no natural born subjects of that kingdom, for both Jew and Gentile were included in sin and unbelief; and none could be citizens without the law of adoption. All that believed on the name of the King had power to be adopted, but there was but one invariable rule or plan by which they were adopted; and all that undertook to claim citizenship, in any other way whatever, were counted thieves and robbers, and could never obtain the seal of adoption. This rule was laid down in the Savior's teaching to Nicodemus, namely: "Except a man be born of water (that is, baptized in water), and of the Spirit (that is, baptized with the Spirit), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Now, to Peter were given the keys of the kingdom; therefore it was his duty to open the kingdom to Jew and also to Gentile. We will therefore carefully examine the manner in which he did adopt the Jews into the kingdom on the day of Pentecost.
Now, when the multitude came running together on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and reasoned with them from the Scriptures, testifying of Jesus Christ, and His resurrection and ascension on high—insomuch that many became convinced of the truth, and inquired what they should do. These were not Christians, but they were people who were that moment convinced that Jesus was the Christ; and because they were convinced of this fact, they inquired—"What shall we do?" Then Peter said unto them: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: for the promise is unto you, and your children, and to all that are afar of, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." My reader, do you understand this proclamation? If you do, you will see that this Gospel is not generally preached in modern times. Let us therefore analyze and examine it, sentence by sentence. You recollect they already believed, and the next thing was for them to repent; first, faith; second, repentance; third, baptism; fourth, remission of sins; and fifth, the Holy Ghost. This was the order of the Gospel. Faith gave the power to become sons, or citizens; repentance, and baptism in His name, was the obedience through which they were adopted; and the Holy Spirit of promise was the seal of their adoption, and this they were sure to receive if they would obey.
Now, reader, where do you hear such preaching in our day? Who teaches that those who believe and repent, should be baptized, and none others? Perhaps the reader may say the Baptists do; but do they call upon men to be baptized as soon as they believe and repent? And moreover, do they promise the remission of sins, with the gift of the Holy Ghost? Recollect, now, what effect the Holy Ghost has upon people who receive it. It will guide them into all truth, strengthen the memory, and show them things to come. And Joel has said, it would cause them to dream dreams, to see visions, and to prophesy. O! my reader, where do you find a Gospel like this preached among men? Would men go mourning for weeks upon weeks, without the forgiveness of sins, or the comfort of the Holy Spirit, if Peter stood among us to tell precisely how to get such blessings? Now, what would you think of a camp meeting, where three thousand men should come forward to be prayed for, and one of the ministers should (Peter like) command them every one to repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins, promising that all who obeyed should receive the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost, which should cause them to dream dreams and prophesy; and then should arise with his brethren of the same calling, and the same hour commence baptizing, and continue until they had baptized them all; and the Holy Ghost should fall upon them, and they begin to see visions, speak in other tongues, and prophecy? Would not the news go abroad, far and wide, that a new doctrine had made its appearance, quite different from any thing now practised among men? O yes, says the reader, this, to be sure, would be something new, and very strange to all of us. Well, strange as it may seem, it is the Gospel, as preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost; and Paul declares that he preached the same Gospel that Peter did; and he has also said: "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel, let him be accursed." Now, the reader need no longer be astonished to see that these signs do not follow them that believe some other gospel, or doctrine, different from that preached by the Apostles.
But now let us return to the kingdom of God organized in the days of the Apostles; you discover that three thousand persons were adopted into the kingdom the first day the door was opened. These, together with the numerous additions which were afterwards made, were the subjects of this kingdom; which, being fitly framed together, grew into a holy temple in the Lord. Thus, we have cleared away the rubbish of sectarian tradition and superstition, which arose in heaps around us; and having searched carefully, we have at length discovered the kingdom of God, as it existed at its first organization in the days of the Apostles; and we have seen that it differs widely from all modern systems of religion, both in its offices, ordinances, powers, and privileges, insomuch that no man need ever mistake the one for the other.
Having made this discovery, we shall proceed to examine the progress of the kingdom among Jew and Gentile; and what were its fruits, gifts, and blessings as enjoyed by its citizens.
Soon after the organization of the kingdom of God at Jerusalem, Philip came to Samaria, and there preached the Gospel: and when they believed Philip, they were baptized, both men and women, and had great joy. And afterwards, Peter and John came from Jerusalem, and prayed, and laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Mark here, they first believed, and then were baptized, having great joy, and yet had not received the Holy Ghost. But that was afterwards given, by the laying on of hands and prayer, in the name of Jesus. O how different from the systems of men!
Witness Paul's conversion while on his journey to Damascus: the Lord Jesus appeared to him in the way; but instead of telling him his sins were forgiven, and pouring the Holy Ghost upon him, He sent him to Damascus, telling him that it should there be told him what he should do. And coming to Damascus, Ananias being sent, commanded him not to tarry, but to "arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord;" then he arose and was baptized, and was even filled with the Holy Ghost, and straightway preached that Jesus was the Christ.
Again, witness Peter going to Cornelius, a Gentile of great piety, whose prayers were heard, and whose alms were remembered, and who had even attained to the ministering of an angel; yet with all his piety, and the Holy Ghost poured out upon him and his friends, before they were baptized, they must be baptized, or they could not be saved. Why? Because the Lord had commanded the Apostles to preach to every creature, and every creature who would not believe and be baptized, should be damned, without one exception. Witness the words of the angel to Cornelius: "He (Peter) shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." Now, query, could Cornelius have been saved without obeying the words of Peter? If so, the angel's errand was in vain.
Now, perhaps a minister, who should find a man as good as Cornelius was, would say to him: "Go on, brother, you can be saved, you have experienced religion, you may indeed be baptized to answer a good conscience, if you feel it your duty; or, if not, it is no matter, a new heart is all that is really necessary to salvation," etc.; as much as to say, that the commandments of Jesus are not absolutely necessary to salvation; a man may call him Lord, Lord, and be saved, just as well as by keeping His commandments. Oh vain and foolish doctrine! Oh ye children of men, how have you perverted the Gospel! In vain do ye call Him Lord, Lord, and do not obey His commandments.
Next, we call to mind the jailor and his household, who were baptized the same hour they believed, without waiting for the day; and Lydia and her household, who attended to the ordinance the first sermon they heard on the subject. Also Philip and the eunuch, who stopped the chariot at the first water they came to, in order to attend to the ordinance, although the eunuch had heard of Jesus, for the first time, only a few minutes before. Now, I gather from all those examples of ancient days, and from the precepts laid down in them, that baptism was the initiating ordinance, by which all those who believed and repented were received and adopted into the church or kingdom of God, so as to be entitled to the remission of sins, and the blessing of the Holy Ghost; indeed, it was the ordinance through which they became sons and daughters; and because they were sons, the Lord shed forth the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father. It is true, the Lord poured out the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius and his friends, before they were baptized; but it seemed necessary, in order to convince the believing Jews that the Gentiles also had part in this salvation. And I believe this is the only instance, in the whole record, of the people receiving the Holy Ghost without first obeying the laws of adoption. But mark! Obeying the laws of adoption would not constitute a man an heir of the kingdom, a citizen entitled to the blessings and gifts of the Spirit, unless those laws and ordinances were administered by one who had proper authority, and was duly commissioned from the King; and a commission given to one individual could never authorize another to act in his stead. This is one of the most important points to be understood, as it brings to the test every minister in Christendom; and questions the organization of every church on earth, and all that have existed since direct inspiration ceased.
Now, in order to come at this subject in plainness, let us examine the constitution of earthly governments in regard to the authority and laws of adoption. We will say, for instance, the President of the United States writes a commission to A. B., duly authorizing him to act in some office in the government, and, during his administration, two gentlemen from Europe come to reside in this country, and, being strangers and foreigners wishing to become citizens, they go before A. B., and he administers the oath of allegiance in due form, and certifies the same, and this constitutes them legal citizens, entitled to all the privileges of those who are citizens or subjects by birth. After these things, A. B. is taken away by death, and C. D., in looking over his papers, happens to find the commission given to A. B., and, applying it to his own use, assumes the vacant office; meantime, two foreigners arrive, and apply for citizenship, and being informed by persons ignorant of the affairs of government, that C. D. could administer the laws of adoption, they submit to be administered unto by C. D., without once examining his authority; C. D. certifies of their citizenship, and they suppose they have been legally adopted, the same as the others, and are entitled to all the privileges of citizenship. But by and by, their citizenship is called in question, and they produce the certificate of C. D.; the President inquires— "Who is C. D.? I never gave him a commission to act in any office, I know him not, and you are strangers and foreigners to the commonwealth, until you go before the legally appointed successor of A. B., or some other of like authority, who has a commission from the President direct in his own name." In the meantime, C. D. is taken and punished according to law, for practising imposition, and usurping authority which was never conferred upon him.
And so it is with the kingdom of God. The Lord authorized the Apostles and others by direct revelation, and by the spirit of prophecy, to preach and baptize, and build up His church and kingdom; but after a while they died, and a long time passed away, and men, reading over their commission, where it says to the eleven Apostles—"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," etc., have had the presumption to apply these sayings as their authority, and without any other commission, have gone forth professing to preach the Gospel, and baptize, and build up the church and kingdom of God; but those whom they baptize never receive the same blessings and gifts which characterized a saint or citizen of the kingdom in the days of the Apostles. Why? Because they are yet foreigners and strangers, for the commission given to the Apostles never commissioned any other man to act in their stead. This was a prerogative the Lord reserved unto himself. No man has a right to take this ministry upon himself, but he that is called by revelation, and duly qualified to act in his calling by the Holy Ghost.
But the reader inquires with astonishment, "What! are none of all the ministers of the present day called to the ministry, and legally commissioned?" Well, my reader, I will tell you how you may ascertain from their own mouths, and that will be far better than an answer from me; go to the clergy, and ask them if God has given them any direct revelation since the New Testament was finished; inquire of them whether the gift of prophecy ceased with the early age of the church; and, in short, ask them if revelations, prophets, the ministering of angels, etc., are needed or expected in these days, or whether they believe that these things are done away, no more to return to the earth; and their answer will be that the Bible contains sufficient, and that since the canon of Scripture was filled, revelation, the spirit of prophecy and the ministering of angels have ceased, because no longer needed. In short, they will denounce every man as an impostor who pretends to any such thing. And when you have obtained this answer, ask them how they themselves were called and commissioned to preach the Gospel, and they will be at a loss to answer you, and will finally tell you that the Bible commissioned them, saying—"Go ye into all the world," etc. Thus, you see, all who have no direct personal revelation from the King of heaven, either by angels, the voice of God, or the spirit of prophecy, are acting under authority which was given to others, who are dead, and their commission stolen, and their authority usurped; and the King will say—"Peter I know, and Paul I know, I commissioned them, but who are you? I know you not, I never spoke to you in my life; indeed you believed it was not necessary for me to speak in your day. Therefore you never sought in faith for any revelation, and I never gave you any; and even when I spake to others, you mocked them, and called them impostors, and persecuted them, because they testified of the things I had said unto them, therefore depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me not; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; sick and in prison and ye visited me not." "Ah! Lord, when did we fail in any of these things?" "Inasmuch as you have not done it unto the least of these my brethren (taking them for impostors, because they testified of the things which I had revealed unto them), ye have not done it unto me." But to return: having examined the kingdom of God as to its offices and ordinances, and having discovered the only means of adoption into it, let us examine more fully what are the blessings, privileges, and enjoyments of its citizens. You have already seen that they were to cast out devils, speak with new tongues, heal the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, as well as to see visions, dream dreams, prophesy, etc.
But let us look at the kingdom in its organized state, and see whether these promises were verified to Jew and Gentile, wherever the kingdom of God was found in all ages of the world.
Paul writing, first, "To the church of God at Corinth;" second, "To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus;" third, "To them who are called to be saints;" and fourth, "To all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord," says to them all, in 1 Corinthians, xii, 1: "Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." And then, continuing his instructions, a few verses further on, he says: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; for to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He (Christ) will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath Got set the members, everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?" I reply, it would not exist. "But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary; and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor: and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now, ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." From the thirteenth verse of the above chapter, we learn that the Apostle is still speaking to the whole church in all ages, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, even all who should ever compose the body of Christ, and showing that Christ's body consisted of many members, baptized by one spirit into one body, possessing all these different gifts, some one gift, and some another: and then expressly says, that one member possessing one gift, should not say to another member possessing another gift, we have no need of thee.
And having shown that it required apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers; together with the gifts of prophecy, miracles, healing, and all other gifts, to compose the church, or body of Christ, in any age, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free; and having utterly forbidden any of the members ever to say, of any of these gifts: "We have no need of thee," He declares the body never could be perfected without all of them, and that if they were done away, there would be no body, that is, no church of Christ in existence. Having shown all these things clearly, he exhorts them to covet earnestly the best gifts. And in the thirteenth chapter, exhorts them to faith, hope, and charity, without which all these gifts would avail them nothing: and in the fourteenth chapter repeats the exhortation: "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." Again, in Ephesians, i, 17, Paul prays that the Lord would give unto the church the Spirit of WISDOM and of REVELATION, in the KNOWLEDGE of God. Again, in Ephesians, iv, he tells them there is one body and one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism; and that Christ ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. And He gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. And if the reader inquire what these gifts or offices were for, let him read the twelfth verse: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." And if he inquire how long these were to continue, the thirteenth verse says: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." And if he still inquire what further object Christ had in giving these gifts, let him read the fourteenth verse: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
Now, without these gifts and offices, first, the saints cannot be perfected; second, the work of the ministry cannot proceed; third, the body of Christ cannot be edified; and fourth, there is nothing to prevent them from being carried about with every wind of doctrine. Now, I boldly declare that the cause of all the division, confusion, jars, discord, and animosities; and the fruitful source of so many faiths, lords, baptisms, and spirits; and of the understanding being darkened; and of men being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, is, because they have neither apostles, prophets, nor gifts, inspired from on high, to whom they give heed; for, if they had such gifts, and would give heed unto them, they would be built up in one body, in the pure doctrine of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their calling; yea, they would be edified, built up unto Christ in all things, in whom the whole body, fitly joined together, would grow into an holy temple in the Lord.
But so long as the cunning craftiness of men can persuade them that they have no need of these things, so long they can toss them about with every wind of doctrine, just as they please.
Now, reader, I have done our examination of the kingdom of God, as it existed in the Apostles' days; and we cannot look at it in any other age, until renewed again in the last days, for it never did, nor never will exist, without apostles and prophets, and all the other gifts of the Spirit.
Were we to take a view of the churches, from the days that inspiration ceased until now, we should see nothing like the kingdom which we have been viewing with such admiration and delight. But instead of apostles and prophets, we should see false teachers, whom men had heaped to themselves; and instead of the gifts of the Spirit, we should see the wisdom of men; and instead of the Holy Ghost, many false spirits; instead of the ordinances of God, commandments of men; instead of knowledge, opinion; guess work, instead of revelation; division, instead of union; doubt, instead of faith; despair, instead of hope; hatred, instead of charity; a physician, instead of the laying on of hands for the healing of the sick; fables, instead of truth, evil for good, good for evil; darkness for light, light for darkness, and in a word, anti-Christ instead of Christ; the powers of earth having made war with the saints, and overcome them, until the words of God should be fulfilled.
O my God, shut up the vision! for my heart sickens while I gaze; and let the day hasten on when the earth shall be cleansed by fire from such awful pollutions; but first, let Thy promise be fulfilled, which Thou didst make by the mouth of Thy servant John, that Thou wouldst call Thy people out of her, saying: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues;" and then, O Lord, when Thou hast called Thy people out from the midst of her, by the fishers and hunters whom Thou hast promised to send in the last days to gather Israel; yea, when Thine everlasting covenant has been renewed, and Thy people established thereby; then let her plagues come in one day, death, mourning, and famine; let her be burned with fire; that the holy Apostles and Prophets, and all that fear Thy name, small and great, may rejoice, because Thou hast avenged the blood of Thy saints upon her. I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.