wielding it with effect in cutting down "the vilest heresy which has ever appeared in Christendom." If they surname themselves by the name of Paul, do they not aver that here is a successor of Hymenæus and Alexander? then, like Paul, in his day, let these his successors, in their day, give us the inspired word of God, a New Testament Epistle, and so prove that this is an error which declares the resurrection to be past already, that same already being the short space of nearly 1800 years, and a generation only nearly twice as old as Methuselah; and when these self-same successors have proved the doctrine of a now past resurrection to be erroneous, then, executing their high commission, let them deliver me, the successor of Hymenæus and Alexander, Satan, that I learn not to blaspheme." 66 over to So much then for our two diagrams. I shall now proceed to bring before you a diagram on a larger scale, embracing a comprehensive view of the whole Bible, running upwards from Adam through the line of promise, to the second advent of Christ at the time of the fall of Jerusalem. Having described the utility of the diagram scheme, I give, on the next page, a sketch of the diagram now under consideration. This diagram shows the line of promise up to the time when all promises were fulfilled. This line I call "the truth as it is in Jesus," which opens up to us that glorious scripture, "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." The line runs from Adam through Seth, who was given another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew, and is carried on to Shem, the son of Noah, in whose time was the deluge, or end of that world; "the world that then was being overflowed with water, perished," says Peter, in 2 Epistle iii. 6; and yet "the perishing" consisted only in this, "all flesh died that moved upon the earth;" the fish of the sea did not die; the sun, moon, and stars remained as at the first, and continue to the present time, even though it was said, eighteen hundred years ago, that the stars should fall from heaven, before some then alive should taste of death! The line runs from Shem, through Arphaxad, and up to Abraham, who is styled in the New Testament, "the heir of the world." Abraham was the heir of the world, as two special and particular promises were made to him; the one under the name of Abram, the father of the families of the tribes of Israel; the other, as Abraham, or the father of the nations; and here I may observe, that a distinction which has been drawn between the person, character, and work of Christ as spiritual Adam, and spiritual Abraham, appears to be altogether without foundation, spiritual Abraham being evidently, in the promises, co-extensive with spiritual Adam.* In Abraham and his seed, the families and the nations, Israel and the heathen, were to be blessed. The seed was Christ, a fact which religious systems would (judging from their conduct in other and similar cases,) never have allowed, had not the New Testament placed it beyond dispute. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as to many, but as of one, ("as the body is one, so also Christ,") and to thy seed, which is Christ." The line of promise, looking at the diagram, proceeds from Abraham to David, and on to Christ. And so we find that *See Note D. Mysteries Revealed. THE ETERNAL KINGDOM ESTABLISHED, BEING THE LAST AND FINAL STATE. GOD IS ALL AND IN ALL. Matthew begins his Gospel with these words, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Having offered these few observations on the line of promise, up to the opening of the New Testament, I shall now proceed to give a brief explanation of the four last states under the New Testament, to the end of the Apostolic ministry, which end we believe to be the fulfilment of all the purposes of God in Christ Jesus, in the establishment of his eternal and unchanging kingdom. The first state extends to the first boundary line, and exhibits the ministry of John the Baptist, as the forerunner and messenger to prepare the coming of the Lord. This messenger of God, with his ministry, was prophesied of, under the Old Testament; "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah xl. 3.) Now suppose, for a moment, that the diagram represents a ladder, Jacob's ladder, if you will, and suppose that the four states under consideration are four rounds of the ladder, and that the last round is the Apostolic ministry, at which the ladder ends. This ladder, we read, is "set up on the earth, and the top of it reaches to heaven," and they that ascend and descend upon it, are these same Apostles-the angels of Michael, and the churches, as we shall hereafter have occasion to show. This ladder is the line of promise, beginning on the earth, with the first man, Adam, who was of the earth; so that Jacob does not reach anywhere near the first of the four rounds we speak of, which was the ministry of John. Between Jacob's round of the ladder, and John's, Isaiah comes in. Now, in looking at the diagram, you observe lines drawn from an oblong square, and running up into one or other of the four states of the New Testament. These lines are so many different prophecies of Isaiah, and one, which runs into the ministry of John, is the prophecy above quoted out of Isaiah's 40th chapter. I desire here to offer a very important observation. The prophet speaks of John as 66 a voice;" and John said, "I am the voice;" but before John appeared on the stage of God's dispensations, there was no voice at all, nor any that answered to Isaiah. Isaiah's declaration was a hidden mystery - -a vail was over the face of it; it was, in fact, a prophecy to be fulfilled, a word of the wise, and yet a dark saying. When John began to fulfil his course, the voice spoke, the vail was withdrawn, such and such portions of the Old Testament were interpreted by the New, and men were no longer to be left in doubt, either as to the time or person of the fulfilment. Imagine then to yourselves, and you must do so, in order to attain to a right understanding of the Scripturesimagine that you, like Apollos, (Acts xvii. 25,) lived in John's day, and, like Apollos, though mighty in the Scriptures, you knew only the baptism of John. How much of the Old Testament, in reference to the New, would you understand? John's baptism or ministry, as did Apollos, and no more. You are standing within the first boundary line, in the first of the four states of the New Testament, on the fourth round of the ladder from the top; surely, then, are you not entirely ignorant of the remaining three ? Is there not a vail over them? is not the curtain down? the mystery yet unsealed? is there anything more than a seeing afar off, as in the case of Abraham and the Fathers? And yet, notwithstanding this fact stares Christians in the face, they will read the Bible as they read a newspaper, as though all of it had taken place only yesterday; they will persist in mixing together the "times and seasons;" they will have it, that, instead of God being a God of order, he is the author of confusion. I am the more earnest in offering these strong remarks, because I do believe that if the right division of the Word of Truth were attended to, the view of Divine revelation which we entertain would be brought home with irresistible power to many a mind, which, for want of that right division, cannot receive it. But to proceed. John's ministry was of divine appointment; he was " called of God." He had, as Paul declared at Antioch, a course to fulfil- a baptism, which the same apostle calls, the "baptism of repentance" to minister, and prophecies to declare. Having such commission, seeing that "the law and the prophets were until John, but since then the kingdom of God was preached;" thus, indeed, John was a burning and shining light." He was that Elias who was first to come, and restore all things, of whom the disciples were ignorant that he had come.* John was dignified with the high and honoured title, "the friend of the Bridegroom;" and Christ, in the parable of the sheepfold, calls him the porter-" to him the porter openeth." John was "more than a prophet;" of those born of womenDavid, and Samuel, and all the prophets, there had not risen a greater than he; and yet, mark the glorious truth, "He that was least in the kingdom of heaven (the ascension kingdom of Christ,) was greater than John." 66 We have here a list of remarkable sayings concerning this forerunner of "the Consolation of Israel," the meaning of which sayings religious systems can only guess at, and which they, for the most part, pass by as of no account whatever. In the knowledge of a right division of the word of truth, these sayings are clear in their interpretation, and precious in their exhibition, of God's orderly counsel and revelation ; here we are at no loss to comprehend somewhat of the eternal weight of glory which is laid up in that scripture of Proverbs, " The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day." Shining light!-look for a moment at the testimony concerning John; " He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. This is the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Here we also can bear witness to that light, and believe that it is not such "a Will o' the wisp" as religious sects would have us be persuaded; for we see, in the case of John, that as the different states, or different phases, of the Church of God were unfolded, so they advanced in importance, clearness, and extent, till it was not a voice that spake; but there were heard voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and a great voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, "It is done" (Rev. xvi. 17); and, after these voices, after the pouring out of the seventh vial in the desolation of Jerusalem," the seventh and last trumpet sounded, and there were great voices in heaven (all the prophecies sounding harmoniously together,) and the mystery of God was finished, as he had declared by his servants the prophets." (Rev. x. 7; xi. 15.) * See Note E. I shall not, for want of time and space, go through the remarkable history of John's birth, worthy of a prophet indeed as that history is. I pass on to observe that in due time John began to fulfil his course, and we find, in Matt. iii, that he who was to make straight in the desert a highway for our God, (compare Isaiah xxxv. 8,) commenced preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The kingdom of heaven was at hand, but not yet come; just as when Paul wrote, "The time of my departure is at hand," the time of his death was near, but not yet arrived. John, in his preaching, fulfilled the prophecies recorded in Isaiah and Malachi concerning him; and here let me remark, that lines might be drawn from either prophet, running up within the last boundary line, on the side of the ministry of John. In reference to his ministry, and the succeeding, John said of Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John was a burning light, a star in the firmament of the church, but a brighter star was rising, which, in its sending to, and shining upon, the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and bearing a light to the Gentiles, should eclipse the former, though that outshone the splendours of all that ever came before it. John prophesied, "I indeed baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom ye know not; he shall baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Jesus came to John's baptism, recognising his divine commission, and fulfilling all righteousness, as a "minister of the circumcision." John knew not Jesus till this baptism, but afterwards he bore testimony to him, and diverted attention from himself, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!"* Thus John preached, and this was the consummation of his preaching, which began with a voice, "Repent," and proceeded to a proclamation of the things that were to come to pass. John spake, with the greatest clearness, of the fall of Jerusalem,—“ the old wives' fable" question, as it is called,—when he warned the Scribes and Pharisees, by intimating to them that the axe was now laying to the root of the tree, that every tree that brought not forth good fruit should be hewn down and cast into the fire; that he was among those whose fan was in his hand, and whose purpose it was to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. This was John's prophetic testimony, which he wound up with this exclamation, "O, generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come!" Here are strong expressions, terrific figures, and it might well be asked, What right have any, as is the common practice, to put a different interpretation on these things, than they evidently bear in John's ministry, and by what authority is it that modern successors of John, interpret, for instance, "the wrath to come," apart from God's just vengeance on the Jewish nation? John continued his ministry, and men rejoiced in it for a season." To that ministry, as we have seen, belonged a baptism, so likewise prayer. This is clearly to be understood. The disciples came to Jesus, and said unto him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." John's prayer was a dispensation matter peculiar to his ministry, and doubtless, looking at Christ's prayer, it was offered up for the greater and succeeding ministry, for the further revelation of God's will; just as the prayer which Christ *See Note F. 66 |