489124 OCT 26 1940 CHI ·W83 I will overlurn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. Ezek. xxi. 27. READER: THE glorious Millennial Jubilee is near at hand. The parchments, the leagues and the covenants, that bind the nations in their social and unsocial compacts, are moth-eaten. The foundations of the political mountains and hills are crumbling down to dust, and the imbecility of all human policies to give to man the knowledge of his rights and the enjoyment of them, are becoming manifest to all. Our business is tó rouse to investigation,-to sound the alarm. A most eventful day is approaching;—a mighty system of revolutions is impending the world mostly asleep, priest and people, having departed from that ancient faith which was once delivered unto the saints, who, in our blessed Savior's time, were commanded to go forth and preach, taking nothing for their journey, no purse, no scrip, no bread, neither two coats apiece, but to heal the sick, cast out devils, and shake off the dust of their feet against such as would not receive them. So long as the sword is made the arbiter of righteousness, and the ultimate appeal in national controversies, it is a clear proof that the nations are not rebuked; that they have not learned those principles of government, which heaven will patronize, for when the Lord.shall have rebuked the nations, they will beat their swords into plough. shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and learn war no more. There are two events spoken of in the New Testament as Christ's coming or dispensation. The first was his coming to be crucified, and to prophesy the destruction of the ancient city of Jerusalem, which was accomplished by Titus seventy years after Christ; and the second is his coming to try, judge, acquit or condemn both the quick and the dead. Christ will scourge the buyers and sellers out of the spiritual temple, as he did when he overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and will convince them that are not already convinced, that they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword; and he will teach the people himself, and he will begin his teaching by such judgments, as few, at present, however gloomy may be their forebodings, can adequately conceive.. It evidently appears to me that the world, instead of reforming, or becoming better, is absolutely growing worse. Corruption in church and state, [beast and false prophet,] pride, hypocrisy, bigotry, persecution and intolerance, is increasing with a high hand, while infidelity, licentiousness and extravagance, [Babylon,] are daily gaining ground, and marching with surprising rapidity, evidently showing the truth of the observation made by the apostle Peter, that there should come scoffers in the last days, and evidencing to us that we are now living in those days. Indeed we are given to understand in the Revelations, that under the four last vials, men repented not of their wickedness, but became more and more corrupt and degenerate, until they were ripe for destruction. So will it be when the harvest is fully ripe. The sickle will be thrust in, and the vintage of the church reaped. The tares will be bound together in bundles to be burned, but the wheat will be gathered into [God's] barn. And my dear friends, the day of visitation is fast approaching;-this day of retribution must be near at hand, and as ye know not the day nor the hour, therefore prepare to meet thy God, O! Israel, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. The wicked of this day and generation, not choosing to suffer affliction with the people of God, (who are now undergoing great and peculiar trials and sufferings,)-the wicked, I say, are now enjoying, in a very high degree, the pleasures of sin for a moment; and as they probably never in their lives before, enjoyed such an exquisite sense of earthly, and sensual delights, so there is every reason to believe they will soon have occasion to say they never experienced such great misery and distress before-for heavy judgments have ever closely followed great iniquity, and sin is ever punished in proportion to its strength. There never was a time, I suppose, when surfeiting, [gluttony, drunkenness,] and gambling, were carried on with more exquisite glee, while the men assemble themselves in troops in the houses of harlots, who nightly prowl the streets, or stand gazing upon the threshold of their apartments, with fascinating, serpent, lecherous eye, and syren song, to tempt and lure unwary pilgrims to their doom.* Selfishness, with firm clenched, sinewy hand, holds fast the rusty coin, and "against the houseless stranger shuts the door," while cruelty with iron manacle and fetter binds the christian captive exile down, and turns the key of massy, ponderous prison door against him. It is only here and there, a Nathaniel, an Anna, a Simeon, and a Zacharias, that will shew any pity, or have any compassion upon the poor, weary, way-worn traveler. But God will soon arise in judgment and set the prisoner captive exile free. Rejoice ye prisoners, do rejoice; hold forth your patience yet a lit. tle longer, for the day is not far distant when the clangour of chains will be no longer heard, but the massy ponderous doors of prison dungeon, dark and dismal, "grating on their dreadful sounding hinge harsh thunder," "where chained felons sat," will be thrown open, and let in the light of happy, joyful day. Then, indeed, will the cup of trembling and affliction be taken away from you, and put into the hands of them that have afflicted you, which have said unto thy soul," Bow down, that we may go over," and thou * Some carry the mark of the beast in their foreheads, some in their hands.Revelation. Some men's sins are more secret, others more open, Both are hateful and abominable in the sight of God, but a hypocritical professor and pretender to Christianity, is a detestation and abhorrence to his very soul. How many deeds of darkness are secretly committed under the mask of respectability and the cloak of falsehood, and yet pretension to religion. 5 hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street to them that went over. See Isaiah, chap. li. from 17th verse to the end of the chapter. What mean ye to oppress, and grind the face of the suffering poor, incite insurrections, and condemn the innocent without judge or jury? Why do your feet make haste to shed innocent blood? What right have you to hang, or put any one to death? Does not the New Testament expressly forbid this? Put up thy sword into thy sheath, for they that take the sword shall perish, with the sword. Matt. xxvi. 52. Rev. xiii. 10. From whence come wars and fightings among you? James iv. 1. But what mean ye to commit highway robbery, burglary, lying, cheating, knavery, and stealing? Will you ultimately gain any advantage from the commission of such crimes? Be ye sure if ye persist in them, they will soon find you out. Num. xxxii. 23. 'Tis true, ye Babylonian revelers, ye may laugh now and deride, but the time is soon coming when ye shall mourn and weep. Luke vi. 25. The world may think themselves rich and happy now; never more so, I think; they wax fat, they shine, they read novels, attend theatres night after night, ball rooms and taverns, drinking and carousing, swearing and cursing, and saying in effect, "eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we die." Luke xii. 19. They chant to the sound of the viol, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Amos vi. 5, 6. But wo unto you that are rich now, for ye have received your consolation, [applying to those who put their trust in wealth and aggrandizement, and are not rich towards God.] Read Luke xix. 18, 19, 20, 21. Matt. xix. 24. Turn then, and repent, before it be too late. The wicked associations of the day, as existing both in church and state, are soon to be broken up, and a new and better order of things founded and established on the ruins of the old. Associate now yourselves, O! ye people, and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand. Say ye not, A confederacy, to all whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be a sanctuary [to all those who put their trust in him.] Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter, should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Read viii. chap. of Isaiah. Here I think it proper to state it as my belief, (and I think it sufficiently evident and clear from scripture, (see Gal. v. 20. Rev. ix. 21. xxi. 8.) that in the last days, there will be (and I think there are now) a great many magicians, wizards, witches, sorcerers, conjurers, exorcists and jugglers. Therefore keep clear from them, and look to the Lord alone for dependence, counsel, direction and assistance, and be ye clean all ye that bear the vessels of the Lord. Isaiah lii. 11. The people composing the different sects in Christendom, have, for the most part, become awfully corrupted, and God is about to come out of his place to punish them, and the inhabitants of the earth, be'cause of their iniquity. Begin at my sanctuary. Ezek. ix. 1-7. Says a Jewish writer, "God never punishes the world but because of the wicked, but he always begins with the righteous [better or more righteous part of the community] first," and if they repent and reform, relying wholly on the merits of the Savior for forgiveness, giving themselves up entirely unto God, and depending upon HIM and HIM ALONE for safety and protection, "man's extremity being God's opportunity," the Lord will then, and not till then, take the cup of trembling and affliction out of their hand, when they will be prepared to praise the Lord for their deliverance, and will call on others to do the same also. Isaiah li. 21, 22, 23. xxiv. 16. The more restive people are under these trials, i. e. the more they struggle like a wild bull in a net, to extricate themselves from their misery, trouble, confusion and embarrassment, they will on. ly puzzle, confound, and perplex themselves the more, render their situation more perilous and distressing, till all help in themselves departs, all human help is given up, and they are brought to look for deliverance only unto God. In this their extremity of trouble, confusion, perplexity, and embarrassment, the Lord, we are given to understand by the prophet Isaiah, will take the cup of trembling and affliction out of their hands, when they will be prepared to praise the Lord for their deliverance, and will call on others to do the same also. They who depend wholly on the Lord, and do the best they can to take up their cross, and strive to be obedient to HIS will, have nothing to fear. I say, when in resignation to the will of God, we can say from our hearts, "Thy will [not ours] be done," we shall have nothing to fear. But by grace ye are saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. The time has come when judgment must begin at the house of God, "and if it first begin at us," saith the apostle Peter, "what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" And "if these things be done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" The Lord is coming out, in great judgments, upon those who wrong and oppress the suffering poor, who shall not always be forgotten, and heavy judgments await the hypocritical professors of, and pretenders to Christianity, who go to meetings, to see, and be seen, in rich, and costly attire. Therefore I should advise myself and all others, to be clothed upon with humility, for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. We are now living on enchanted ground, and it will be well my beloved brethren and sisters, if we can duly reflect and consider on these things. Let us not sail down Babylon's silvery stream, nor partake of the golden cup which she holds in her hand, with the thoughtless and giddy multitude who will soon be plunged off into remediless ruin, but let us pause, and for a few moments reflect on the awful consequences of such a procedure. 7 "But oh their end, their dreadful end, On slippery rocks I see them stand, O! do not your countenances gather paleness, and will you not shudder at the dreadful thought, and will you not turn immediately and escape as for your lives?-neither tarry nor stay in all the plain, lest thou be consumed. O! stay not till to morrow's sun, lest the judgments of Babylon overtake you, and you be hurled off, as in a moment, into the fiery gulf. O! what have ye to do with Babylon? Come out of her, then, that ye be not partakers of her plagues. O! is there nothing for us to do? What says conscience to us? "Let go the besetting sin." You know what it is-Are you disobedient to parents, for instance? Then endeavor to become more obedient in future. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; take up your cross, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; press head way against the pressing current of your carnal and corrnpt inclinations, relying on the merciful co-operation of God's spirit to aid and assist, and carry you safely through. Flee youthful lusts which war against the soul, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. Pray often fervently to God, for Christ's sake, that he would grant you grace, and the influences of his holy spirit to amend your lives according to his holy word. No time is to be lost. Flee from transgression now, as for your lives, nor tarry nor stay in all the plain, lest thou be consumed. Gen. xix. 17. O! I am sure you will have no occasion to regret your having listened to the still small voice of reason, conscience and scripture. Satan, that ever vigilant and active adversary to your souls, is continually on the alert, laying all his snares, and setting all his traps to catch you. Babylon, at this time, is spreading her enticements for you, and will you be lured by her deceitful smile and fond caresses? Babylon is spreading all her wily nets for you look out-offering* you all the luxury which the world affords, take care:-riches and honors, wealth and fame; gold and silver, money in abundance. "Come in," she says, "and partake of my viands. Come in," she says, "and partake of my banquet. Do you want a wife or a husband," she says, "here they are."+ Come *"Beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the things which he possesseth," People seem now to be laying field to field; pulling down barns and building greater, but hear what God said to the rich man who put his confidence and trust in his riches. "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?" + Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, or what communion hath light with darkness, or what concord hath Christ with Belial, or what part hath he that be. lieveth with an infidel? 2. Cor. vi. 14. 15. I have no wish to condemn a faithful and honorable alliance, believing marriage to be honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Malachi, iii. 5. 1 Cor. v. 9. 2 Peter, ii. 14. James, iv. 4. Heb. xiii. 4. 1 Cor. chap. vii. The wicked evidently appear to me to be increasing very fast, both in power and in numbers. Lord how are they increased that trouble me? many there be that rise up against me. Psalm, iii. 1. They hatch cockatrice eggs [i. e. bring forth |