CHAP.
VII.

Gal. v. 22. 23.

48. And as the tree is known by its fruit, so the Spirit by which the primitive Church was led, was evidently distinguished by such fruits as are briefly summed up by the Apostle, namely: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

John, iii.

13.

Acts, ii. 34. John, xiv. 9-11.

chap. iii. 35.

v. 22, 23, 26, 27.

John, ix. 5. xiv. 6.

Col. i. 19. ii. 9.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ORDER AND POWER OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH.

CHRIST Jesus our Saviour, during the time of his ministry on earth, took great pains to instruct his disciples, concerning the design of his coming into the world; the nature of his kingdom; the order and place in which he stood, as the light of the world; the salt or Saviour of the earth, for their salvation and redemption; and, for the same purpose, the order in which his Church should stand as his body, after his decease, or departure from

them.

2. "No man hath ascended up into heaven," said Jesus Christ, "but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. Here was God and heaven made manifest on earth.

3. "The Father himself loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. The Father judgeth no man: but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which sent him."

4. "As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." He is the Son of man, because he is the true descendant and heir of man according to his original innocent order; thus having inherited the highest human faculties, and subdued and devoted them to the will of God. He is the Dispenser of Divine justice, and in this manner takes the lead and government of man's affections, and is therefore capable of exercising true judgment, in opposition to the man of sin, the son of perdition.

5. "As long as I am in the world," said Jesus, "I am the light of the world; I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no

man cometh unto the Father but by me." From all which, it is evident, that in his human body and soul dwelt the true Christ, the fullness of God the Father, pertaining to man's redemption.

CHAP.

VII.

18, 19.

6. Through the same power and authority of the Holy Spirit with which Jesus was invested, he commanded his disciples, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go Mat xxviii. ye therefore, and teach all nations." And he promised to endow them with the same power to perform their mission: which promise he fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

7. And, as his disciples and immediate followers, stood nearest to him in point of union, therefore the descent of the Holy Spirit was properly the descent of the same anointing that he had; so that whatever order, lot, or office he had received from the Father, relative to the world, the same pertained also to the Church who received of his fullness, and through them must be propagated.

8. Then they knew in truth, that the Father was in Christ, and John, xiv. he in them, and they in him; and that they had both the Father 20. and the Son. Then God, and Christ, and the Church, became ONE. And such as believed and were baptized with the Holy Rom. xii. Spirit, being of one heart and of one soul, were the true body of Eph. i. 22, Christ, and members in particular; members of his body, of his chap. v. 30. flesh, and of his bones, because his Spirit dwelt in human tabernacles as his body.

9. So that, according to the measure of that Dispensation, the Church was as really the body of CHRIST,-a body as really ANOINTED, as the man Jesus was, while visible on the earth; and God did as really dwell in the one as in the other.

10. And, as Christ was the only light of the world, the only salt of the earth, by which men could be saved, and was now really and actually in the Church as his true body, he in them, and they in him, and they were perfect in one; therefore they were now the only light of the world, the only salt of the earth.

23.

14.

11. Of this Jesus had told them while he was yet with them, before the Holy Spirit was given, saying, "Ye are the salt of Mat. v. 13, the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid."

12. By which, he plainly intimated the order in which they were to stand, with regard to the salvation of others, and that the world could not be saved without them. And as the salt of the earth is the only saviour of the body, that is the members of the Church, so all the salvation that was within the reach of the world, was in the Church, and the Church remained to be the only true Saviour of the world, according to the sayings of Christ Jesus.

CHAP.

VII.

13. "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me because I live, ye shall live also. And now I am no more in the world. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have xvii. 11, 22, given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me.'

John, xiv.

19.

23.

14. Hence the Church was in possession of what Christ called the keys of the kingdom of heaven; for heaven was really upon earth, in them, and they sat in heavenly places, with Christ Jesus. And this order Jesus gave them, when he said to the Mat. xviii. Church, "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

18-20.

John, xiv.

12.

John, xx. 23.

2 Cor. ii. 10.

5.

15. "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

16. Now, although the world could see the Son of man no more in the body or flesh of Jesus, yet his power, which he had while visible on earth, was not diminished in his followers, but increased, according to his promise, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me," [and keepeth my commandments,]"the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

17. And that power was not diminished after Jesus left the world; the true and real members of the Church or body of Christ, had the same power on earth that Jesus had; according to his words, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

18. Hence says the Apostle to the Corinthians, "To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it," [Gr. dia úpas,] by you "forgave I it, in the And again, "In the name of our Lord 1 Cor. v. 4, person of Christ." Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, to deliver such an one to Satan." 19. Thus it is evident that the Church and messengers of Christ stood in his very character, and acted by the very same spirit and power of the Lord Jesus, which he had received from his Father, and given unto them. Whatsoever they taught, was taught of God; and whosoever received, despised, or rejected them, received, despised, or rejected not man, but God.

1 Thes. iv. 7,8.

John, xii. 48, 49.

20. Hence the words of the Apostle, "God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto holiness. He, therefore, that despiseth, [or rejecteth,] despiseth [or rejecteth] not man, but God." "He that rejecteth me, said Jesus, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the WORD that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of

myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak.”

21. And whatsoever Jesus Christ spake of himself, pertained also to his followers; for all that the Father gave unto him, he gave unto them, even eternal life; as he expresses it in his address to the Father.

22. "Now they have known that all things, whatsoever thou hast given me, are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them. I pray for them, I pray not for the world. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

23. In the same order in which his Father had placed him, he also placed them, as his joint body, and endowed them with the same power and authority.

24. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whom soever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." Then, as the Father was revealed in Christ; so in the same manner is Christ revealed in his Church, as his true body. And as God is the Head of Christ; so is Christ Jesus the Head of his Church.

25. And as whatever was done by Christ, was done by the Father; so, whatever is done by the true Church and body of Christ, is done by Christ himself.

CHAP.
VII.

John. xvii.

7-9, & 17, 18, & 20,

22, 23.

John, xiii.

20. & xx.

21, 23.

26. And as the Father judged no man, but committed all John, v. 22. judgment to the Son; so in like manner, when the Son had finished the work on earth which was given him to do, he committed all judgment to the saints, in whom he promised to dwell, and out of the Church he judgeth no man. Know ye not, saith 1 Cor. vi. 2. the Apostle, that the saints shall judge the world?

27. And as "no man hath seen God at any time; but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared him;" so no man hath seen the Son in his glorified state, at any time; but his only begotten saints, who are in him, and he in them, they have declared him in his true character. God is a Spirit, and cannot be seen, known, or worshipped, but by and in the Spirit. "For the things of God knoweth no man, but 1 Cor. ii. the Spirit of God."

28. Then, as Christ, that is, the Anointing Spirit, with which Jesus was anointed, alone really knew the Father, being a quick

11.

СПАР.
VII.

Acts, x. 15.

Acts, xi. 13.15.

ening Spirit, one with the Father; it is evident that no man can know the things of Christ, but by the Spirit of Christ, which Spirit is in all his truly begotten followers.

29. The Church, or body of saints, which Christ himself had spiritually begotten, which were in his bosom, as he was in the bosom of the Father, was the only salt of the earth-the light of the world-the only house, or temple of the living God on earth, and the only pillar and ground of truth among men: therefore it was impossible for any soul to find God or Christ to salvation, in any other place, or through any other medium, than through the Church, or saints, the true members of his body, in which he dwelt.

30. This is clearly proved by the case of "Cornelius, the centurion, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." But he was not yet saved. And the angel who came to Cornelius, could inform him that his prayers and alms were come up for a memorial before God, and intimate to him that he was not yet saved, and that in order to obtain salvation, he must send for Simon Peter.

31. But why could not the angel administer salvation to him, without being beholden to Peter? The truth is, it was not in his power; that power was committed unto the Church, as hath

been shown.

32. Salvation was only in and by Christ, and Christ, from the beginning, had not taken on him the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham, and was, and still continued to be manifested in the flesh, and dwelt in his temple or earthly tabernacle, where he promised to dwell.

33. Therefore the most that the angel could do for this devout man, was to inform him where he could find an entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and direct him to that temple, or habitation of God, from which the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus could be communicated.

34. And as Peter was a real member of the body of Christ, who had Christ the Word and power of salvation, and eternal life dwelling in him, according to the work of that day, with authority to transmit the same to others; therefore the angel said to Cornelius, "Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter, who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved."

35. And, when Peter came to Cornelius, and those who were with him, and preached unto them that Word, which he had in him, which God had appointed to be the judge of both quick and dead, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as it did on the Apostles at the beginning; and they were translated from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan into the kingdom of heaven upon earth.