and that was, to confess their sins, and be baptized with water unto repentance. "Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, "and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him "in Jordan, confessing their sins." The ministration of John was a necessary prelude to that of Jesus Christ; and his baptism was a figure of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. As the baptizing or washing with water, as practiced in that day, will cleanse the body from outward pollution; so the fire of the Holy Spirit will cleanse the soul from sin, and burn up and destroy that fallen and corrupted nature in man which is the operating cause of all iniquity. Hence it is evident that John's baptism was a type of, and a prelude to that of Jesus Christ: and John himself also testified, saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease."*

The way being sufficiently prepared by John's ministration, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was ushered into the world, to be the head of the new and spiritual creation of God, and the Savior and Redeemer of his people. He was begotten, not in the order of natural generation, by the will of man, but by the power of God. "He was made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but "after the power of an endless life."+ Born of a virgin, whose chastity had never been contaminated by any lawless act, he became the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe and obey him. To such therefore, the law was no longer necessary to curb the licentious passions of human nature: for those who received and obeyed his testimony, found it a far more powerful restraint upon the carnal propensities of man's fallen nature, than the law of Moses ever had been.

Those therefore who obeyed the gospel, were free from the law; because the gospel, by fulfilling the real spirit and design of the law, superseded its outward ceremonies, and rendered them useless. Not that believers were now left at liberty to indulge themselves in all those carnal gratifications of the flesh which were forbidden by the law; but that the purity of the gospel was such as to supersede the necessity of the law, by saving all who obeyed it, from those filthy pollutions which were kept within certain limits by the law, but could not be subdued by it.

The object of Christ's first manifestation was to lay the foundation of salvation by the cross; to take upon himself human nature; to crucify that nature, and to suffer in the flesh and die to a sinful nature in the person of Jesus, and rise to God, that he might, by his sufferings, death and resurrection, be able to open the new and living way of eternal life to his followers; that he might thereby become the first-begotten of God, and firstborn from the dead.

Having entered upon his ministry, he commenced a new and spiritual work, and began to reveal the real nature and substance

* John iii 30.

† Heb. vii. 16,

† Rom. 1. 4,

of the law of God, and showed what it required of man; that it taught mankind to love God with all the heart and soul, and their neighbors as themselves; that this was the real spirit of the law and the prophets; and the object of his mission was to fulfil this law himself, and teach all his followers to do the same.

To accomplish this great object, he introduced the most pure and simple system of morality, and taught that all disorder and every kind of violence must be done away; that the true spirit of the gospel was, Peace on earth and good will to man; and that nothing contrary to this pure spirit could find an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. "Except your righteousness shall ex"ceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."* He also taught that nothing short of this spirit of purity and holiness could ever overcome the nature of sin, or destroy the deplorable effects of the fall in the soul of man; that this overcoming power could be gained only by self-denial and the cross; and that there was no other way to find salvation and redemption. "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.”t Again; "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, "cannot be my disciple."

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Under the ministration of Jesus Christ, we find a far greater increase of the work of God than had ever taken place on earth since the fall of man. In this increase was manifested a cross against the carnal nature of man proportionably great; far greater indeed than had ever before been required of man; a cross against all the corruptions of man's fallen nature. This, of course, created an opposition against the testimony of Jesus, from the unbelieving Jews, which betrayed their darkness, blindness and ignorance of the real nature of the law; and clearly manifested their hypocrisy in pretending to keep it, by observing some of its outward ceremonies, while in their hearts they were enemies to God. This opposition from these unbelieving hypocrites, against the Lord Jesus Christ, was carried to such an extremity of persecution, that he finally gave up his natural life to his persecutors, and suffered the painful and ignominious death of the cross.

The ministration of Jesus Christ opened a new era to the world.. It taught mankind what they had never known before; that the real work of God was not to build up the kingdom of this world, and to render the earth a durable habitation for man; but to prepare them for an eternal and immortal state beyond the grave. It taught them that the dispensation of the law and the prophets came short of the power of salvation from sin; that it could never "make the comers thereunto perfect;" and that the work of those dispensations was but preparatory to that great and important * Matt. v. 20. see also chap. xviii. 3.

R

† Mark viii. 34.

‡ Luke xiv. 27.

work which was to redeem mankind from the fallen nature of the flesh, and fit them for the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence the words of Jesus; "Among them that are born of women, there hath not "risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that " is least in the Kingdom of Heaven, is greater than he.”* This is an evident proof that John himself was not in the Kingdom of Heaven, and that none before him had ever entered it. The Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, which John declared to be at hand, and for which he was sent to prepare the way, was first revealed by Jesus Christ, as a state to which all the former dispensations of God to man, were but as types and shadows, and preparatory

events.

But the revelation of Jesus Christ in the flesh, was but the commencement of this great and glorious work. He was the beginning of the new creation of God. He came to open the way of salvation from sin; to declare himself "the way, and the truth, and the life," and set an example of righteousness to mankind; and to show what his followers must be, in order to inherit a place in his Kingdom. And all who believed on him and received his testimony in that day, became "a kind of firstfruits" of his Kingdom.

Jesus Christ having finished his personal work on earth, and ascended to his Father; and having, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, established the primitive church, which was to serve as a pattern of the true order of his church in the latter day, his Spirit was, by degrees, withdrawn from the earth, to establish the heavenly order of his Kingdom in the world of spirits. This was agreeable to what he had spoken to his disciples before his crucifixion: "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were "not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and "receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also."+ Hence the work of Christ, after the establishment of the primitive church, and before he could make his second appearance on earth, was to prepare and set in order those heavenly mansions for the reception. of those faithful souls who, through the work of the regeneration, should finally be found prepared to inherit them.

In the mean time Antichrist rose, and began to infuse his spirit into the members of the christian church, and by artfully disguising his false doctrines with sacred names, he so far succeeded as to undermine the primitive church, and establish his kingdom upon the ruins thereof. In process of time he filled the world with his dark and benighted systems of religion, and, for sacred truth, established many corrupt and pernicious principles which were continually at variance with christian purity. By these means he filled

the earth with corruption, religious persecution, blood and fire; and maintained his deplorable reign for the space of twelve hundred and sixty years.

During this long and gloomy reign of Antichrist, the only true spiritual work of God on earth, by which he revealed his will to man, was intrusted to chosen witnesses, who bore testimony to the purity of the primitive church, and condemned the depravity of the times, and the corruptions of those false churches which had assumed the name and authority of Christ. This period was indeed a gloomy night of darkness; but these witnesses, like stars in the night, often broke through the gloom and gave a glimmering light to honest souls. These witnesses prophesied of the coming of Christ's Kingdom, and the great increase of the work of God in the latter day. And altho amidst the universal gloom which prevailed, all appearances seemed far distant; yet there was still an increasing work in the world of spirits, by which a foundation was gradually preparing for a more extraordinary increase of the spiritual work of God on earth, than had ever taken place since the foundation of the world.

But the day of full redemption was yet to come; the real and effectual work of which could not be accomplished but through the travel of the regeneration only; and this spiritual travel could not fully take place till the way was prepared for it. When the appointed time arrived, the way was opened, and this long predicted day was ushered into the world; and that work which was designed to establish the Kingdom of Christ on earth, and effect the final regeneration of souls, then commenced in very deed. Here began a new and important manifestation of Divine goodness; the great and last display of God's grace to a lost world, which superseded all former dispensations, to which they were all but preparatory events, and in which all the types and shadows, and prophetic signs of the law and the prophets, concerning the day of redemption, began to be eminently fulfilled.

The important period having arrived, the work of this great millennial day has now commenced, and is yet in its beginning; but it is an increasing work. The Kingdom of Christ is now established on earth, and his reign is begun; and henceforth he will rule and reign till all enemies are put under his feet; and, "of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.”

CHAPTER VII.

A few remarks upon the Witnesses of truth, including a brief calculation of prophetic scriptures alluding to the period of Antichrist's reign, and the second coming of Christ.

THE declension of the primitive church, and the rise of Antichrist have been briefly alluded to in several places in this work; but our limits will not permit us to enter fully into the discussion of these subjects. We shall, however, make a few remarks concerning those witnesses whom God raised up and sent forth, from time to time, to bear testimony of the truth to mankind; and in doing this, we shall also examine the prophetic periods, and the true import of some passages of scripture which allude to the time of Antichrist's reign, and the second appearing of Christ.

Those who suppose that God has always had a true church on earth, ever since the first appearing of Christ, and who expect to find the order and power of the primitive church solely by the revelation given in that day, will, in the event, most certainly be disappointed. It appears evident from the predictions of Jesus Christ and his apostles, that they foresaw a time coming when the order and power of the church would be lost from off the face of the earth; and therefore could not be known nor found by any people whatever. Jesus testified to his disciples, saying, "The (6 days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of "the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.-Then if any man shall (6 say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.-Take "heed that ye be not deceived: for many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them."**

These testimonies of the Lord Jesus evidently alluded to the time of Antichrist's dominion; and if Christ had any true church, on earth, at that time, he must certainly have been in it; because his church is his body in which he dwells, and of which he is the head and life. Those therefore, who are the real members of that body, can say în truth, "Christ is our life." Hence they can say truly, "Lo, here is Christ!" and such might be followed with the greatest propriety. "Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ;" saith the apostle. But if there ever was a time on earth when none could say in truth, "Lo, here is Christ;" and conse quently none could depend upon such a testimony; then it is certain that Christ had not, at that time, any true church on earth. Again: St. Paul saith, "Let no man deceive you by any means: "for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away “first, and that man of sin be revealed." This is a clear proof that the apostle foresaw that the church would fall away, and that

* Matt. xxiv. 23.-Luke xrii 22. and xxi 8. † 1 Cor. xi. 1.

2 Thess. ii. 2