CHAP. XV. prophecies, under the dark night of apostacy, particularly in the latter ages, by the learned and wise men of this world; but as men cannot see to read in the dark, and none of the wicked were Dan. xii. to understand; therefore the events could not be seen, nor the manner of their fulfilment searched out, until it was revealed by the light of Christ, at his second appearing, and even then only by those who received him, and who were ready and watching at Mat. xxiv. the time appointed. 10. 42. 13. 21. The most favored Prophet could not read his own prophetic numbers. Go thy way, Daniel: (said the angel,) for the Dan. xii. 9words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end-thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (i.e. in the real and final work of his order.) Nor were the curious inquiries of the disciples to be answered, in regard to the times and Act, i. 7. seasons, which the Father had put in his own power. 22. The present work of God must always be seen in and by its present light; not through the telescopes of human wisdom, nor by the treasures of human knowledge, which the wise and prudent of this world have treasured up to themselves; nor according to the conceptions of the proud and lofty. 23. They may discern the face of the sky; but they will never know the signs of the times, until they come down to Christ where he is manifested, according to his own counsel: Take my Mat. xi. 22 yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls. 24. The learned scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses, in whom they trusted; but these hypocrites clearly manifested that they regarded neither Moses, nor the Messiah of whom he wrote; for they disbelieved the former, and totally rejected the latter. Had ye believed Moses, said Jesus, ye would have John, v.48. believed me; for he wrote of me. Acts, ii. 25. They professed great veneration for the ancient Prophets, by garnishing the sepulchres of those whom their fathers had killed, and saying, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we Mat. xxiii. would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the 29, 30. Prophets; while they themselves, denied the holy one, and the 14, vii. 51, just, of whom they were the betrayers and murderers; and by 52 so doing they made a jest of the oracles of the Prophets, tram- Josephua pled upon their prophecies, and denied both the time and manner of their fulfilment. 26. It was the manner of Jesus to teach in the synagogues of the Jews on the sabbath days. On one of these occasions, in his own country, where he had been brought up, he read the words of the Prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord (God) is upon Lake, iv. me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the 16-29. poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, CHAP. Mat. xiii. 54, 55. Acts, vii. 51. to set at liberty them that are bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 27. In that day, and at that time, was this scripture fulfilled in their ears. So testified Jesus. But who, of all those of the synagogue, believed that this scripture was fulfilled in him? Or who of them believed that this was the acceptable year of the Lord, and that God had anointed and sent him to proclaim it? Not one. 28. They scorned to stoop so low as to acknowledge such a mean character, to their sense, whom they so well knew as the son of a carpenter, brought up among them, and with whose kindred and parentage they were so well acquainted, instead of that extraordinary personage whom they expected to come in great power and splendor as the Messiah. Whence, say they, hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? And they were offended at him. 29. But Jesus said, "Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy own country." But he testified to them of a truth, that many widows were in Israel, in the days of Elias, when there was a great famine throughout the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto a widow of Sidon; and that many lepers were in Israel, in the time of Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, saying Naaman, the Syrian. And the true reason why their widows were not visited, nor their lepers cleansed, was, that they were a stiff-necked and gainsaying generation, who killed the Prophets, and stoned those who were sent unto them. 30. But what effect had the truth on the descendants of those unbelievers? Truly, the same effect that it had on their stiffnecked and rebellious forefathers—they always resisted the Holy Spirit: as their fathers did, so did they: For all they of the synagogue, when they heard the truth, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down head-long. 31. This was the manner in which the Saviour of mankind was treated in his first appearing; and there never was a time since man fell from his first rectitude to the present day, that the work of God was not objected against, and the testimony of his witnesses rejected by all hypocrites and unbelievers. 32. But the objectors and gainsayers of the present day, would flatter themselves that they are not unbelievers, and that, if they had been in the time, and enjoyed the privilege of those wicked Jews who denied Christ, they would not have been partakers with them in their evil deeds; while there never were any gainsayers to the work of God, in any dispensation of his grace, but what were of that perverse and gainsaying generation, who do always resist the Holy Spirit, by their objections and CHAP. cavils. 51. XV. 33. The unbelieving Jews were always ready to charge Jesus Acts, vii. of Nazareth with great pride and presumption, in applying to himself, and to the time then present, the title and dignity of the Messiah, and the fulfilment of that superior power and authority of his mission, spoken of by the Prophets. 34. They objected against him on every side. They objected, "We know this man, whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no John, vii. man knoweth whence he is. Search and look: for out of 27,52. Galilee ariseth no Prophet." He had not only broken the sab- chap. v. 18. bath, but said also, that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Art thou greater than our father Abraham? viii. 53. said they; whom makest thou thyself? For a good work we x 33. stone thee not; but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 35. Thus those gainsayers denied not only the person whom God anointed, but also denied his mission, together with the time, and place, and manner of his appearing. And while they spent their time in objecting and cavilling against the propriety of Christ's testimony, aiming to prove that this was not the appearance of the Saviour whom the Prophets had pointed out, they wasted the day of their visitation, and only proved that they were yet servants to sin; and that it was their choice and intention to continue such, under the hypocritical mask of professing to believe in Abraham, and Moses, and the Prophets. 2. & 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4. 36. In the same situation, and actuated by the same gainsaying spirit, are those who, at this day, would labor to prove, See Hag i. that the day of the Lord is not yet come, and that Christ has not made his second appearing, but all things continue as they were; because they have not allotted for themselves, that the purpose of God should be accomplished in this their day, but in some future day; nor have they prepared their hearts to believe that the manner of God's work would be contrary to all the plans devised by their human wisdom. 37. And therefore, while they labor to prove that the time is not yet come for Christ to set up his kingdom on earth, they only eventually prove, that they are still under the dominion of antichrist, that they are the willing subjects of his kingdom, and are the scoffers of the latter days, of whom the Scriptures 2 Pet. iii. 3. have testified. 38. And while they profess to believe in Christ, and in the time and manner of his first appearing, but deny this day, and reject both the time and manner of his second appearing, they evidently speak lies in hypocrisy. For had they believed in Christ's first appearing, they would believe in his second: for he testified of it. And had they believed in the Prophets, they CHAP. Psa. XXV. 14. Mat. xi. 25. Eze. xvii. 24. Isa. liv. i, would believe in the fulfilment of their prophecies: for they have all prophesied and written of this day. 39. The words of the prophecies were closed up and sealed till the time of the end. At the time of the end the seals were to be taken off, and the time and events were to be known by those who should then be in them. But it never was the purpose of God to reveal these things to the wise and prudent of this world, for if these had been revealed to such, they would have abused and perverted them; but they are revealed to such only as are candid and honest hearted before God, and are willing to stoop down to the times and terms of his own appointment: for, The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. 40. Hence said the meek and lowly Jesus, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. 41. And however humiliating and debasing to the pride of fallen man, the purposes of God may prove; yet they are unchangeable and will stand; and in their appointed times and seasons, will accomplish all that whereunto they are purposed, and none can disannul or hinder it. 42. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have & lvi. 3, 4. dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish ; I the Lord have spoken and have done it. THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST'S SECOND APPEARING. BOOK IX.-PART I. THE ORDER OF DEITY, AND THE CORRESPONDING ORDER CHAPTER I. THE REVELATION OF THE ETERNAL AND DIVINE SPIRIT. Gen. i. 26- Wis. Sol. Heb. i. 3. GOD, is the eternal unity-the Creator of the heavens and earth, CHAP. I. "and all the hosts of them,"-the supreme Spirit and Intelligence; the original Prototype of all intelligent formations in their creations; for these are declared to be the express image of this 27. eternal unity. The existence of a supreme Creator is shown by 11, 23. the creation. Of all the visible works of creation, man is the superior. He alone is able to use all natural elements to subserve his purposes, and to conquer and govern all other creatures. Yet many other animals are superior to him in size and physical strength; but his superior power arises from his rational intelligence, which is invisible, and only known by its effects. 2. But man, with all his superior powers, cannot originate a single atom of the material world. And hence it is evident that man did not create himself, nor was it ever in his power to originate that intelligence which makes him superior to all other visible beings. Therefore, man's intelligence must be derivative; and, as no derivative can equal the original, his intelligent power must be derived from a superior intelligent power. Hence, as the intelligence of man is invisible, it is conclusive that the intelligence from which it is derived is invisible. 3. From these premises, it is evident that man is the only real representative of the supreme Intelligence in the visible world. Therefore, as man is an organized being, (otherwise he |