II. CHAP. pletion, none could make the just application but such as were in the spirit and truth of their fulfil See 2 Pet. 10. ment. 40. The prophecy came not in old time by the will 21, and of man, neither can it be accomplished by his will, Danii, nor agreeable to it; and consequently the time of its accomplishment cannot be dated, nor interpreted to serve his private views; but must be ascertained first of all by the event, and then understood by those who are in it. 1 Cor. xi. Bi CHAPTER II. The Subject continued. ECONDLY. The place, in which the work of entirely out of sight of men in a state of nature, and in its real and full sense cannot possibly be communicated to the natural understanding, even by the spirit of prophecy. 2. The prophets spake of the Lord's descending from heaven, but natural men cannot call Jesus Lord, because his kingdom is not of this world;-for no man, in truth, can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 3. Again, they spake of Jerusalem, as being the place where the kingdom of God was to appear; and of a descendant from David sitting there upon his throne but these prophecies, according to the sense of a natural Jew, could not apply to Christ Jesus, nor to his day. 4. He was not descended of David, nor born in the palace of any of their princes; but begotten out of the ordinary course of nature, and brought forth in a stable; Jerusalem was also in bondage with her children; the sceptre was departed from Judah; and the throne of David laid waste. 5. The city and temple of God had been partic ularly described by the prophet Ezekiel, and all the bounds and limits of the Holy Land round about ; and the natural man supposed all those things would be literally established in the land of Canaan, and on the natural mount Zion. But the appearing of Christ, and the work of God, went directly against all such views; therefore natural men, were, in that instance, wholly mistaken as to the place, and why not again? 6. Since that mistake has been discovered, and the natural Canaan put out of the reach of Abraham's natural posterity, some have become a little more spiritual in their understanding, concerning the place of God's throne and kingdom, and have stated it to be the Church. 7. But the churches have become so numerous since this principle was discovered, that in this particular, natural men are more divided and bewildered than ever; and the enquiry, Where. Lord? is more than ever out of their reach to determine. CHAP 11. 8. If Christ should appear in one church, all the rest would of course reject him, because he came not where they looked for him. This difficulty was very evident in his first appearing :-They object, Johni. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? 9. The prejudices of nations, kingdoms, churches, and individuals, are such against each other, that unless God should act contrary to them all, he could not open his kingdom or manifest his work of redemption where none of them expect it. For were it opened and revealed, according to the sagacity of any natural man, church or nation, all the rest would be offended, because they had not been favoured with the first discovery. Such is the very nature of proud man. 46. John iv. It 21. 10. Therefore the throne of God, and the place of the soles of his feet, are to the natural man, neither at Jerusalem, nor in this mountain; neither in the desert, nor secret chamber; neither here, nor there. is absolutely hid from the wise and prudent, who Mat. xxiv sought it by their human wisdom, and revealed unto 25, 27. spiritual babes. 11. The powers of nature, in relation to God's spiritual work, are as far short of ascertaining Where, as How long. Man, by searching, may find 26, & xi. CHAP. out where he himself is, in relation to time and 4 things; whether he is in sickness or disgrace; in poverty or debt; whether he is in a healthy country, in a kingdom, commonwealth or republic; whether he is in subjection to the laws of his country, or in secret or open violation of them; whether he is in war or in peace; in his own house or in prison. 12. He may also ascertain the position of other objects in relation to each other. He may know where this earth is, and measure its distance from the sun, and find out all the motions and distances of the moon and planets. The natural heavens and earth are within the compass of his knowledge; here he may have his god, his favourite object of love, his virtues and vices, his good and evil. 13. But beyond this what doth he know? Can he - tell where his soul is, in relation to the true God, and eternal life? Has he any certain knowledge either of the one or the other? What place or thing doth he comprehend beyond the use of his natural senses? Deprive him of seeing, hearing, feeling, and where is he? In a pavilion of profound darkness! 14. By the use of sensible objects, he may form a thousand places and things in his imagination, which never had, nor can have any reality in them. He may imagine a material heaven beyond the fixed stars, and contemplate its coming to this earth at some certain period far distant. 15. He may imagine a resurrection of material bodies, and fancy a union to be formed between that remote heaven and this earth. And when his imagination has been stretched to the utmost, he may correct his own errors, and reject revelation, because he supposed it led him into such unreasonable opinions. 16. Yet after all his fantastic ideas, and consequent disappointments, he will find that the error was not in revelation, because he never had it; but arose out of his own weakness, in trying to bring the sublime things of God within the limits of his own dark and sensual capacity. 17. If then, a material heaven cannot pass down to this earth, through the sphere of the fixed stars, the sun, moon and planets, nor a material body ascend thither; is this any reason why the promise of God CHAP should be void, and of no effect? 18. Let God be true, and every man a liar; let man deceive and be deceived, while he imagines that the things of the Spirit, are such as he can see with his natural eyes, and handle with his natural hands. 19. While he is willing to put far away the day of God, and abuse the scripture words and numbers, by his carnal reason, let him try to ascertain by his human wisdom, whether Christ will come first to old Jerusalem, or to some of the churches; whether in an army of natural troops, or of rational arguments; and whether his kingdom will most resemble that of king Solomon, the Pope, Bonaparte, or that of the Word. 20. He may fix it either way, but very little depends on the conclusion of his carnal mind; the purpose of God remains unchangeable in all the operations of his work, and he will do his pleasure. 21. When Christ spake to his disciples of his second coming, they asked him Where Lord? Jesus did not answer, In Jerusalem, or among such a body of nominal Christians, or lo here, or lo there; but, WHERESOEVER THE BODY IS. For as the body is one, Inke and hath many members, and all the members of that one xii. 13. body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 22. Neither did Jesus expressly tell them what, or where that body should be. Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living. 23. THIRDLY. The manner of the work of God in the latter days, was also to remain concealed from the comprehension of mankind, until the event should declare it, being promised under prophetic figures and similitudes, as opposite to each other as fire and water, light and darkness. Lukexv 24. The natural figures which were used to describe the day of the Lord, after holding forth the future prospects, were more calculated to blind than to enlighten. This the prophet knew, when he said, Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! the Amos Y. day of the Lord is darkness and not light.. 18. CHAP. II. Isai. Ix. 1,2. John jii. 8 12, 13. 16. xliv. 3 25. And again, when Zion shall arise and shine, and the Lord shall be her everlasting light, and her God her glory; then darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people. 26. Natural men could look for natural appearances of greatness and glory, while both the similitudes of future events, and the events themselves, confounded their human wisdom. Thus, Christ was denominated a king; but his appearance in reality was as mean as that of a beggar, without form or comeliness that any one should desire him. 27. Here the natural man fell short in looking for a king, like the great ones of the earth, when the work of this King of kings, was to humble himself and become obedient unto death; and by his self-denying example, lay a foundation for supplanting all the kings and kingdoms of the earth. 28. This the natural man could not comprehend, however plainly substantiated; still he looked for a king higher than all the kings of the earth, sitting upon some visible throne, such as his carnal eyes could behold, while, in the purpose of God, there was nothing for his carnal reasonings but eternal disappointment. 29. The ruling elements of the day of God he could not understand from natural figures. The Holy Ghost was compared to fire; and the same was often compared to water. Is not my word a fire, saith the Lord. The disciples of Jesus wanted to call down real fire from heaven; but they mistook the figure for the substance, and knew not what manner of spirit they were of. 30. And the same mistake remains with all natural men, while they look for a natural Jesus to descend from the natural heavens, in flames of natural fire, taking vengeance on their natural enemies: but their natural eyes shall never see it. 31. The wind bloweth where it listeth-A dry wind Jer. iv. 11-a full wind shall come-he shall come up as cloudsIsai Ali and the wind shall carry them all away-I will pour Mal .2. water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the Mat.xxiv dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring-He is like a refiner's fire-He shall come in the clouds. 30. |