ings. It also affords a very striking proof, that the authors of the different schemes, are themselves involved in great darkness concerning these things; and confirms the declaration of the prophet Isaiah, that "darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people."

Many of late are inclined to think that the millennium has already begun to dawn upon the earth; and that those benevolent, humane and religious institutions which, of late years, have so greatly increased in the world, are so many, evidences of its commencement. Societies for the abolition of slavery, missionary and bible societies, and humane and benevolent societies of every description, together with the extensive and general diffusion of the principles of civil and religious liberty, are considered, by many people, as certain preludes to the ushering in of that period, if not real evidences of its having already begun. But it is worthy of observation that, with all these highly esteemed and greatly boasted institutions, the general tenets of their religion remain the same as before; nor has there been any essential change with regard to its practical duties.

As the latter day of glory has been the theme of patriarchs and prophets, of poets and philosophers, of almost every age; and as it has been held up to the view of mankind by the promises of God, ever since the fall of man, and most pointedly confirmed by Jesus Christ and his inspired apostles; it is certainly rational, as well as scriptural, to believe that it will produce by far the greatest revolution that the world ever yet witnessed.

The first manifestation of Christ to the Jews, which was attended with a great change in the lives and manners of those who received him; which abolished their law religion, and established the gospel religion, certainly effected a revolution. in religion unknown before. But as his appearance, at that time, was personally in the flesh, and consequently limited to time and place; and as the work he then commenced was but the prelude, the earnest of that which is to be made manifest in his second appearing; we must rationally believe that, in his second appearing, he will introduce, and bring to pass a work, of which all the former manifestations of God to the world, were but mere types and shadows; and compared with which, these remarkable revolutions in the civil, moral and religious world, are but preparatory events, designed to pave the way for the real work of that glorious revolution which will yet astonish all mankind.

Whatever may be the opinions of mankind concerning the second appearing of Christ, which has been represented by the spirit of prophecy, in many sublime figures and wonderful similitudes, and often in very mysterious language, certain it is, that those figurative representations can never be rightly understood till the time

of their fulfilment; and even then, by those only who come into the very spirit and work of the event itself. This accords with the testimony of Jesus to his disciples, shortly before his crucifixion. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the "angels of Heaven, but my Father only."*

In his last interview with his disciples, they being still ignorant of the nature of his Kingdom, notwithstanding he had said so much to them about it, asked him saying; "Lord wilt thou at this "time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" He answered, " It ❝is not for you to know the times, or the seasons, which the Father "hath put in his own power." And the prophet Daniel, to whom many things were revealed concerning the coming of the Messiah, testifies saying; "And I heard, but I understood not : "then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things ?" And it was answered, "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are "closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”‡ If then, these things were not understood by those witnesses of God to whom they were revealed, how can poor shortsighted mortals, at the present day, expect to be able to understand them before they enter into the work itself, to which these prophecies allude?

A

CHAPTER II.

The second coming of Christ not the appearance of the same personal Being, but a manifestation of the same Spirit. This illustrated by various similitudes, which also point out the increasing work of his Kingdom.

As God is a Spirit, so his work, pertaining to the restoration of fallen man, is a spiritual work. And as the first appearing of Christ, to take upon himself human nature, and declare his mission, was in the flesh; so his second appearing, for the redemption of his people, must be in the Spirit.

The word CHRIST is derived from the Greek word xę150s, which signifies Anointed. MESSIAH is a Hebrew word of the same import. Jesus being anointed with that Divine Spirit which proceeded from God, and which contained the elements of eternal life, was constituted the Christ of God; that is, the anointed of God. Wherever that Divine Spirit exists, there is Christ; or as the apostle, in writing to the Colossians, expresses it, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." It is certain that the person of Jesus Christ cannot be in any other person; yet, in speaking to his disciples, in reference to the time of his second appearing, he said; "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye

in me,

* Matt. xxiv. 36.

† Acts i. 6 & 7.

‡ Dart xii. 8 & 9.

|| Cal. i. 27.

2

❝ and I in you."* Here is an undeniable testimony of his coming, not in person, but in Spirit.

Christ, the Anointed of God, was first revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. The same Christ was also in the primitive Church. But when the spirit of Antichrist entered, and through the influence of human wisdom, took the lead and government of the church, then the Spirit of Christ was withdrawn: hence it was no more the church of Christ, but of Antichrist. The true church of Christ is his living body; but when the Spirit of Christ was withdrawn, and the spirit of Antichrist entered, it became the body of Antichrist: of course it was no longer the body of Christ.

Jesus Christ, when speaking to his disciples of his second coming, was asked, "Where Lord?" He did not point out any particular place, but said, "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." By this he plainly intimated that his presence, and his work would be in his body; that is, "the 66 church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. "And he is the head of the body, the church." By the gathering of the eagles, he shows, in a striking figure, that the evidence of his coming, and the nature of his work, will be seen and understood by the spiritual discernment of those who, like watchful, keen-eyed eagles, in quest of food, will be able to discriminate between a living and a dead body, and gather to that which affords spiritual life and nourishment, and let the dead alone.

Thus, in

his true and living body will Christ be found, "in the dispensation of the fulness of times." There will those truly honest and faithful souls, "who hunger and thirst after righteousness," be gathered; and there "they shall be filled;" while the lifeless churches of Antichrist, like so many dead carcases, which have long been sinking in their own corruptions, are cautiously avoided.

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It may perhaps be objected, that when the Savior ascended, there stood by the apostles two men in white apparel, and said; "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven." This however, affords no proof that the natural body of Jesus was taken up into Heaven; but his Spirit undoubtedly did ascend. Yet this miraculous ascension was seen by none but those whom he had chosen to bear witness of it; and their testimony was the only evidence the world ever had of it; and even that, very few were willing to believe in that day. Nor did any others in those days ever know it, excepting those who in faith received the testimony and spirit of those who first declared his ascension. They knew, in truth, that he had ascended, and that he gave gifts unto them, by which they were raised above an earthly nature, and sat Eph i. 23. & Col i. 18 It is asserted by some naturalists that the real eagle will not feed upon a putrid carcass. T Eph. i. 10.

* John xiv 20.

† Luke xvii. 37.

If then, Christ is to come in like

with him "in heavenly places." manner, it certainly follows, that he must come equally out of the sight of natural men, and be equally unknown to the world. Of course, none but his chosen witnesses can have any knowledge of his coming; so that the world must again rely on their testimony, or remain in unbelief.

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Again: Christ, by his Spirit, testified to John in the isle of Patmos, saying; "Behold I come as a thief! Blessed is he that 66 watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and "they see his shame."* It is well known that a thief comes privately, in the night, while mankind are asleep, and of course, not on their watch. “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, "and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Thus it Thus it appears that the time of Christ's coming was to be a time of darkness; (of spiritual darkness to the world, no doubt;) while he was to arise in his glory, upon those who were found faithful to watch and keep their garments to keep themselves clothed with the garments of righteousness, unspotted with sin.

It is worthy of particular remark, that about the period of the first manifestation of Christ's second appearing, there was a time of great spiritual darkness, which continued for a number of years. And tho great and exalted were the professions of christianity, throughout the countries called christendom; yet the pure and genuine spirit of christianity was scarcely known upon earth. There were, indeed, many who made great professions of religion; yet their works of darkness greatly dishonored their professions; so that they were evidently walking in darkness and discovering their shame, from day to day.

This has become more and more apparent among nominal professors, even to this day; and more especially among the higher classes of professing christians, both ministers and people. And thus we see pride and ambition, fraud and violence, hypocrisy and deceit, luxury and lust, drunkenness and debauchery, with almost every crime that can be named, still carried on under the sanctimonious cloke of a religious profession; while even the common people, who make no profession at all, can see through the deception of their pretended goodness-can see the shame of their nakedness, through the flimsy cloke of such a profession, which is enough to make the heart sicken at the name of a religion which covers such abominations.

Thus Christ having actually come as a thief, in the time of such extensive spiritual darkness, while mankind, who are living in sin, and spiritually asleep, have been utterly unconscious of his coming, and not being, even now, on their watch, cannot discover his ap † Isa. Ix. 2.

* Rev. xvi. 15.

pearance. People of this description, who make a great profession of religion, are ever more ready to contend against the true light of God, at such a time, than those who make no such profession. So it was in the days of Christ's first appearance; the Scribes and Pharisees, the chief priests and elders, and all the great and mighty among the Jews, were his greatest opposers and persecutors, while "the common people heard him gladly."*

Many comparisons have been made, under prophetic inspiration, and recorded in the sacred writings, to show the nature of the coming of Christ, and the state of the world at that period. These comparisons, tho natural, evidently point out a spiritual work: for the work of Christ's second appearing, being necessarily spiritual, must be represented by natural similitudes, if represented at all, there being no possible way to represent spiritual things to natural men, only by natural similitudes. These, tho they clearly show that the wicked will be taken unawares, in their sins; yet they almost invariably point out a progressive, increasing word. Jesus Christ, in his parables, likened the Kingdom of Heaven to many things which, in their nature, were very different from each other; such as a grain of mustard-seed; the sower and his seed; the good seed and the tares; the leaven; the net cast into the sea; and many other things. But as the Kingdom itself is spiritual, and the work thereof a spiritual work; it could not be literally like any of those natural things to which it was compared; much less like all of them.

The Kingdom of Christ, being a spiritual Kingdom, is altogether beyond the conception of the natural man, until his mind is enlightened by the Spirit of Christ; and therefore the nature of it could not be understood, even by his disciples, who, at that time, were but natural men. And yet the things which Jesus brought up to view, as comparisons, were very apt similitudes, by which he could, with the greatest propriety, represent many things which he knew would be made manifest, during his reign upon earth. So that when the day itself is ushered in, its work begun, and the nature of it understood by those who are in it; then these similitudes appear very striking and appropriate, and must operate on every candid mind, as an incontestible evidence in favor of the present work, and prove, to a certainty, that Christ himself is in it; and that his parables and predictions could not, with any consistency, be fulfilled in any other way.

Thus the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a grain of mustard-seed, which was then considered as the least of all seeds. “But "when it is sown, it groweth up and becometh greater than all "herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the "air may lodge under the shadow of it." This clearly shows

* Mark xii. 37.

↑ Mark iv. 32: