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Life and Travels of William Conrad
Chapter XXII - Old Baptists (Proper) from 1861 to 1874 inclusive
For some time previous to 1860 there were quite tangible marks of a declension, a drawing back from the ancient land-marks of the church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, as marked oat by Zion's King, in His record given us in the Old and New Testaments, and prepared in the New Testament, thus: The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, which Old Baptists proper have, from ancient time, acknowledged to be the word of God and their infallible rule of faith and practice-containing all things for the church of God to believe, teach and observe in the service of God during their militant state, hence every variation or departure from the doctrine of God, our Saviour, as taught in God's word, as well as departure in practice, is that far a tangible mark of a declension, a drawing back from the testimony of God's unchangeable and inflexible word, the rule, the measuring rod, the scale of the sanctuary, the invariable test of the faith and practice of the church of God collectively, as well as the only rule or test to be observed, by which to decide or judge of the faith and walk of every professed disciple of Jesus Christ, and by which rule I wish to be understood in the following remarks:
As the years 1860 and 1861 rolled on to a close the minds of all professors and non-professors became stirred; the excitement became greater and greater as it became more apparent and clear that a fratricidal war was apparent and soon was manifest in its dark and dreadful colors, so that it soon shone out that not only non-professors took issue, but brother against brother, parents and children, soon in hostile array against each other; awful indeed, but if possible, still more awful in view of the glorious oneness and nearness of God's dear circumcised children to Jesus their head, and they his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all, and members of his body in particular, that they or any of them who having tasted that the Lord is gracious, should so Far forget his mercy and loving kindness as to forget their Lord and their love to the brotherhood as to lift their heart and hand against their brother and sister in the dreadful strife of war and bloodshed that flooded our once happy, once the land of the free, but then for years the scene of the most bloody strife and desperation with each other; we think that whatever befell the Anglo-Saxon race, so that all hearts to our sin-stained land was not only stirred to the highest pitch of wrath and opposition toward each other, but to act toward each other more brutal than the savage, the red man of the forest, as yet had learned to act toward his captive enemy in the wild woods; yes, an unyielding, uncompromising hatred that could not turn a pitying hand to save the perishing infant nor gray headed father and mother from the consuming flame and the missiles of death that often fell thick and fast on those once loving brothers children, and fathers, but then hated foes. O dreadful calamity, heart-sickening scene; the Lord's wrath was poured out on us to the uttermost for our pride and arrogance. O may our lofty and high looks come down, and may we once more as a nation be engaged in humbling ourselves before the Lord God of the holy prophets, seeing it is still true of him that he is God of purer eyes than to behold sin or look on iniquity. Who hath said the guilty shall not go clear; for surely it was for our sins, our sins nationally; a guilty nation whom God had blessed above alt people else save Jacob or the Jewish nation. Yes, the Lord had prospered America, had built us up and kept us, made us in his good providence ever us a great and mighty nation, possessed us of great; wealth, the riches of this world; and, as we believe, gave us through our rulers in the beginning, as a nation, the best, the most wholesome government the world ever knew.
But lo, and behold, having thus become great, we grew fat, and like Jeshurun, and like him did kick, so that our sins reached to heaven, and the God of the heavens and the earth, although he bore long with us guilty nation, whose sins of every character and grade were daily on the increase as well as our pride and arrogancy.
O, did it not seem at least to some of us for years before the dreadful day of retribution come on our nation that some of us were, time after time, casting up in our moments of reflection, in view of the great and spreading sins and evils of our guilty nation.
O, did we not call to mind the evils and sins that God charged and recorded against Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities round about, and ask our brethren and friends if the sins of our guilty nation was not as great, if not greater in number, and also in magnitude; and then we would remark, that for their sins the wrath of a sin avenging God was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities round about, reducing them to ashes; and then we would add, yet our guilty nation still enjoys the blessing of heaven, and then we would admire the great and continued forbearance of God over our guilty nation.
And now the writer would ask if it was not and is not reasonable in view of our guilt and God's great forbearance, to ask or say: "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction."
And hence, the time did roll on and roll on while much long suffering was endured until the cup of our guilty nation was full. The time had come when God should pour out his wrath to the uttermost upon our guilty nation, who by their great sin and enormity of crime had made themselves vessels of wrath fitted for destruction literally, and in themselves and for themselves had fitted out material (men), suitable tools or instruments ready when God should in his great wrath bid them or rather use them as his sword; and in his fury they themselves drank so deeply of the wrath poured out without mixture, that they, every man arose with the weapons of death to plunge them into his brother's heart, at all hazards.
And so great was the spirit to shed blood and carnage throughout the length and breath of our nation, so fitted for destruction, that parents and children drank in; so fully the children rose up against their fathers and the fathers rose up against their sons, and so kinsman against kinsman; altogether they appeared fully bent on destruction for over three long years of untold destruction and unheard of cruelty poured out near, if not altogether the full length and breadth of our devoted nation, until the God of the whole earth had shown it was enough, And so stayed the hands and feet of those who ran so swift; to shed blood and stilled the strong and uplifted hand, and left the strong and unmistakable signs and marks of the judgments and wrath of God poured out on our once happy land; so that by way of comparison but little more was left than the smoke and ashes.
Alter the, overflowing scourge had swept our land, and to think the dread storm was gathering thick and fast as Some of us could discern, and of which we spake .and felt, we at times, as we thought, could hear the heavy rumbling of distant thunder. And, after all this, the storm opened on us unaware, as though amid all the signs of' the approaching tempest; we had quieted down all our fears and had fallen into a deep sleep. And, away from our watch tower .and at midnight, to us, the terrible forerunner of God's judgments in the land, the distant and heavy rumbling of thunder was then heard near by, and the vivid lightning played around us, the seas roaring, and men's hearts failing them for fear of the things coming upon them.
But pause, O my soul, and remember how quickly a large majority of our nation became deaf to the coming results of the judgments then upon us-a nation destined to bear the judgments of a sin avenging God. That while his power to avenge himself on a guilty and sinful nation was daily being made manifest in our midst, and the dreadful cannons roar, scattering death-blows and causing strong walls and hearts of flint to back down, to totter, and fill. Even then, under the above state of distress, our maidens, accompanied with loving mothers, and often too with indulgent fathers, while the dear brothers of those were flit away on the bloody plain, or for aught, those loving sisters for the time knew already in death's embrace; and some of the fathers of those damsels and mother's husbands lay in the rude grave, or their bones bleaching on the distant battle-field.
And here, about home, these daughters and sometimes accompanied as we said by their mothers, seized with an untold panic or thirst for shopping, from store to store, with an increasing thirst for the latest cut or fashion, I well remember how passingly strange it did appear to me, then quite advanced in years, and had not known or heard of such extravagance in dressing, and wonderful show of pride and arrogancy; and, at the same time, notwithstanding almost every day the news of dreadful struggles on the fields, where bloody contests were had, came teeming to us in the daily papers painted in the highest colors, and often from those scenes of bloodiest strife, among whom we had reason to believe our fathers, our brothers belonged to such regiments, such battalions, or such detachments as embraced in them their dear fathers and brothers, or beloved kinsman or acquaintance. And, besides all their anxiety in dressing and nursing pride in all its variety, there was in appearance to me the most extravagant state of levity, not only among the young and giddy-our sons and daughters, but fathers and mothers, relatives and acquaintances, alike ready to join the youths in the most extravagant tickle.
Dear reader, I know this was the case everywhere I met with the aged and the youth, for it had a wonderful sad effect on me, and I remember well that I could not help being filled with fears that the dreadful scene of war and bloodshed would be protracted, and, if possible, be more and more sanguine, and perhaps overturn our wholesome and best government then known.
And thus things went on throughout the whole length of the dreadful scene of bloody strife-the Lord's heavy scourge of wrath on our guilty, our doomed nation, because of our great transgression. And after the judgments were stayed, and the commotions that convulsed our nation had at least, partially subsided, and our rulers had finished their work of freeing the black people from that bondage and servitude the Lord their Maker had assigned them, as proclaimed in both Old and New Testaments; while all the above, and more, was in progress, and all along to the present, over fourteen years, it seems to us that pride and arrogance are still on the increase, and also the rapid increase of crime, of every grade and of untold numbers, and, to the above, with some exceptions, we must add a general indisposition to labor with our own hands, both male and female, after that old and God-honoring manner of forty-five years ago, when fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, to help them, were joyfully hewing down the heavy forest, and thus spreading their farms and raising up their comfortable dwellings, villages and county towns; in the meantime, loving and being beloved citizens, seeking each other's well-fare. And all, both rich and poor, kept an open eye and a ready mind to render to all their dues, thus to deal justly and love mercy.
I will here leave the reader to judge between the past, as above, and the present state of society, and ask him or herself why or where the necessity for this vast contrast or great change. And then let the reader ask himself whether or not the present course of progress is tending to and ripening fast for another dreadful scourge and rebuke from the Lord. O, let us all pause and contemplate whether the present course of our nation is not fast approaching another crisis, if possible, more to be dreaded than the past, which we had thought had no precedent in the years gone by. And now, dear reader, our case seems so much the more aggravating, seeing we have underwent the chastening of the Lord, measured out on our guilty heads, in the greatness by His wrath and sore displeasure; and during the pouring out of His sore displeasure on us, we humbled not ourselves. During His hot displeasure being poured out on us, nor since His hand has been stayed, have we seen or known, or so much as seen even the signs of repentance in the midst of our guilty nation; but more and longer strides of rebellion and arrogance, as though our nation would defy and set at naught the God of the whole earth. And we now remark that from the commencement of the above named great affliction of war and bloodshed in our midst, with very little exception, the religion of the blessed Jesus, as avowed by its advocates, soon appeared on the wane, and a sad decline was manifest in all, or nearly all, the localities in our beloved Zion. The members, and in most cases, the ministers also, were seen to drink in the spirit of the world, embracing, to some extent, the spirit that stirred and moved our beloved country in the dreadful deluge that swept over the length and breadth of our once happy land, but then involved in a fratricidal war, as well to drink deeply of that spirit that so fully prevailed among all classes, both male and female, to conform to this world in nearly all the customs and forms then and yet prevalent in our midst, and to drink deeply of that intoxicating spirit of pride and arrogancy, deeply stained with the spirit that always leans to self-to me and mine. Hence, in so living after the flesh, in making provision for the fulfillment of the lusts thereof, a sad decline in the things of God and religion was soon made manifest in mostly all the borders of Zion; so that in the same ratio as the extravagant reaching after the then and yet prevailing customs throughout our land and the adoption of the same, so the visible marks of the Zion of our God disappeared, until they have almost, if not altogether gone. And, for years, all the ways of Zion do mourn, and but rarely is there seen a traveler coming up thereon; but few of God's circumcised family, added to Zion, the Lord's hidden ones, standing aloof, they see not our sign; no blessed appearance of Jesus is to be seen among us, showing we have been with and learned of Jesus. So they remain in the dens and caves of the earth, and many yet remain in all waters (Babylon) or all names, and under the prevailing delusions of the times, they hear not God's voice, even when proclaimed in a few instances by God's ministers, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that ye partake not of her sins, and receive not of her plagues." And now we, like our guilty nation, having forgotten the Lord and forsook His laws, and kept not His statutes to do them-we kept not His commandments to walk in them as in the early days of our youth, in the early days of our espousal to the Lord; for then we rejoiced in the Lord, sang of His mercy and told of His grace abounding to us, the chief of sinners. Then we saw and talked of the greatness, the freeness of His salvation. Yes, then we rode upon the high places of the earth; we sucked honey from the rock and milk from the kine. O, yes, when we were little and poor, we did bask in His smiles while we sat at Jesus' feet, and listening, heard His lovely voice. Bat alas! (in our estimation) when we had grown in our own righteousness, and had forgotten the Lord, our righteousness, and that. He had said, "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
Thus, so great was, and yet is our guilty departures from the Lord, in that we forsook the fountain of living waters and no more drinked of that blessed river, the streams whereof make glad the city of our God; but in our departure from the old landmarks, as recorded in Zion's Statute Book, we have gotten to ourselves the bitter waters of Nahor to drink. Thus our sad decline appears on the increase, as the days of our years roll on, of our present sad pilgrim state. And during the past years, and especially in the present year, Anti-Christ is, and has for some time past, been spreading his borders far and wide, sparing no pains to make strong his net and sure his drag, compassing sea and land, to make proselytes, making strong his cords and sure his stakes are set fast, that he may succeed against the Lord's Zion; plying all his battering rams against the citadel of our God, mustering to his aid all the wily schemes of his Satanic Majesty, that he may put the flock of God to flight, and so to sorely harass and perplex the Lord's poor of the flock, and, if he could, rob God of His glory, and prevail so far as to obtain a victory over the ransomed of the Lord.
O, dear reader, does it not seem that, for the great wickedness committed by us who claim to be the children of God, He hath at least suffered some of us to "be cast into prison, that we may be tried, and that we shall have tribulation ten days?" But to such tried ones, He hath said, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." So, in these last days, we might with propriety adopt as God hath said, "He that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" Revelation, 10th and 11th verses, 2nd chapter.
May the writer be indulged so far as humbly to ask the reader of this to join him in a retrospective view of the past, from 1860 to 1874, inclusive, and in so-doing, with an eye single to God's glory, and a like single eye to the enormity of sins by us committed, and almost an entire omission to walk with God in those good works ordained of God that we should walk in.
Shall not my dear readers, with the unworthy writer, in our joint, as well as retrospective view of the past, measure of time, as above named, come to the one settled conclusion that we who are claiming to be the church of Christ have manifested by our ungodly course that we have, "despised the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God badeth thee to repentance? But after thy hard and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wroth against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds?" And if so, it follows that God hath said, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad,"
Then, dear reader, what shall we say for ourselves and for our brethren, in view of the magnitude of our guilt in the presence of God, who is of purer eyes than to behold sin or took on iniquity-He that has said the guilty shall not go dear? If the writer should speak for himself, this must be his voice: "As Esaias said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah"-29th verse, 9th chapter of Romans. And after looking over and recounting the multitude of God's favors towards us, and the riches of His mercy displayed towards us, and recount our unkind returns for His goodness, and for His wonderful works done to the children of men, O, can we help asking, "what if God is willing to show His wrath and make His power known, endured with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?"
Yes, vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, as Paul did instruct Timothy, 1st Epistle, 6th Chapter: "But godliness with contentment is great gain," and as a reason assigned, he tells Timothy: "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." And, having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. But they that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. And also gives or assigns Timothy a reason for the destruction and perdition of those that will be rich, and in 10th verse: "For the love of money is the root of all evil; which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." And then says to Timothy in llth verse: "But thou, O man of God flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.
My dear reader, let us not forget God's wrath and power, made known in destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around for their wickedness, as shown forth in God's history or his dealings with those cities. Nor yet forget, but bear in painful remembrance the Lord's sore and heavy judgments, the pouring out of His wrath and fiery indignation on our guilty nation, as we before said, for our pride and arrogancy, for our great and grievous sin.
And now let the Church oŁ God, both individually and collectively, search and see if we together have not by a disregard, and almost if not altogether, an utter rejection of His laws and statutes to walk in them, showing in our life and conduct, that we would not have Christ to reign over us; and thus. in our rebellion against the Lord, most high, made ourselves vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. And may not we add that surely the Lord hath borne or endured with much long-suffering to usward before he shall chastise us according to our iniquities, and deal with us according to the multitude of our transgressions.
Dear reader, is not our guilty departures comparable to them, or whom Paul speaks, already mentioned above: "Who will be rich, fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."
And let us bear in mind that the destruction and perdition spoken of is the just judgments and calamities that fall on us for our indulgence in lusting after the things of this world, and its riches, and so will be rich.
We will give one or two parallels to the above passage first. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching;" after which the apostle assigns the reason for his thus writing to them, not to forsake the assembling of themselves together, as the manner of some is, and as a consequence for such failure, the apostle tells them- "For if we sin willfully (forsaking the assembling of ourselves together), after that we have received the knowledge of the truth; there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries :" 25th, 26th, and 27th verses of 10th Chapter of Heb.
As a second parallel, we quote at full length the five first verses of 4th Chapter Second Corinthians' "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have reckoned mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty; not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but, by manifestation of' the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake;" all of which portions or passages of scripture such as vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; if our gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost; a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
The above and alike passages of Scripture all go to show the necessity for God's dear circumcised children to pause and hear the words spoken by the Spirit, saying unto them, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escaped not who refused him (Moses) that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven." And again, wherefore we receiving a kingdom which can not be moved. let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire.
And once more, as recorded in the 30th and 31st verses of 10th Chapter of Heb: "For we know Him that hath said, "vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense saith the Lord." And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is plain, from the Scriptures above named, with all of a like bearing, that they are of God given as sharp and fearful reproofs to his erring children, circumcised in heart, that he ever has been and ever will be as good as his promise to visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquities with stripes; and that the guilty shall not go clear.
Hence, none of the above passages, fearful as they appear with their connection, have any reference to those who die in their sins, not born again; but exclusively addressed to God's dear circumcised family, who so often wander from the fountain of living waters, and thus subject themselves to the fiery indignation and retribution of the Lord visited upon them; for he hath said he would laugh at their calamities and mock when their fear cometh.
The object of the foregoing quotations and the above remarks is that the reader may, to some extent at least, account for the sad state and awful declension of religion in this nineteenth century, so very manifest at present in the Church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. This decline was in some degree manifest, but more fully shown in the early part of our troubles, the dreadful scourge on our guilty nation; a fratricidal war. And, as the dreadful affliction of war and bloodshed progressed, so the sad decline and sluggish service and devotion increased; and soon a very manifest lukewarmness was plain to be seen in the course pursued by most, if not all. The professed followers of Christ appeared to drink of the spirit of the strife prevalent in our land, of sore trouble; and some leaning to the one and some to the other party engaged in the bloody contest, and in the ratio as they drinked in of the spirit of strife and bloodshed; so in the same ratio did their love and union and fellowship decline; and in many instances a final parting asunder, a loss of fellowship, and in the place .of loving our brother and our neighbor as ourselves, a spirit of hardness was manifest among the brethren and sisters; sometimes in the same church. Thus a death to the visible light and life of the Church, until at length it seemed that, as though all had near come to a stand so far as regards her travel in the strength of Israel's God. Thus step after step, and day after day, did their feet slide from the footsteps of the flock, and their faith fail, because of their failing to walk in those good works to which we were created in Christ Jesus, and ordained of God, that we should walk in them.
And, after the war and strife had at least partially subsided in our land, still it was quite manifest that the same spirit, to make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof; so plainly to be seen among professed disciples of Jesus; a hankering, a lusting after the flesh pots of Egypt, and the attire of Mistress Babylon of latest cut or Fashion. And so conform to the world in all its increase of vanities and vain show, and so be like and numbered with the nations in the place of obeying the mandate of God, who has said of his Israel, that they should dwell alone and should not be numbered with the nations. For the church was not humbled at any of the heart-rending scenes during the dreadful and bitter strife that raged so heavily while God's wrath was poured out on our sinful and guilty nation. Nor is there yet to be seen any visible mark or sign of the Church's humility or mourning at Jesus' feet for all her departures and untold sins of darkest color since the cessation of the judgments of God; and a partial quiet afforded our convulsed nation. Iniquity in all its various grades are to be seen within the borders of our once beloved Zion; still there is those unmistakable marks of pride and arrogance in her midst, and no sign of a return to the old landmarks to be seen. Although all her ways do mourn, and scarce here and there a traveler is to be seen coming up thereon, and but few of Zion's ministers, if any, to be seen weeping between the porch and the altar pleading with God to spare his people: O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore, should they say among the people, where is their God?
O, dear reader, had the Lord's priests, the ministers of the Lord, been on their watch-tower to hear what the Lord would say unto them, doubtless they would have heard from Him, or read from His word, as above, "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say spare thy people, O, Lord," &c. Then, as in the 18th verse of the 2nd chapter of the Prophet Joel, "Then will the Lord be jealous for His land and pity His people." So that it does appear as though the priests, the ministers of the Lord, had almost, if not altogether forgotten the pity, the compassion that should fill their bosoms and flow therefrom in strains of love, carried out in that of a faithful warning voice, crying aloud, with the voice as a trumpet, to cry aloud and spare not, showing God's people their sins and the house of Jacob their transgressions. Then had their warning voice been heeded, they would have escaped many sorrows through which they have waded with pierced hearts.
But there was, and yet is a faltering on the part of the minister, as well as so very plain and manifest a departure of the church, in failing to have their ministers proclaim as sons of thunder on every occasion or discourse delivered. To be sure their servants taught them daily, and especially at their regular meetings, to observe all things whatsoever the Lord commanded them; and then He (Jesus) said to them in the commission, "And lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world, amen."
But it is surely needless to further speak of the open sins continued in up to the present, but only further mention the almost universal breach of covenant, and in so special a manner, in the forepart of the same reading, thus: "We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice, containing all things needful for us (the church,) to do and practice in the service of God." And therefore, it follows that the churches, with little exception, have forgotten their solemn acknowledgment of' the sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, to be the man of their council, by which to determine what is and what is not lawful for them to do, and what is not lawful for them (the church) to do and teach; or else a reckless disregard of the solemn confession and adoption of the word of God, as above; and hence it is true that the way of the transgressor is hard. We must all confess, and that with shame and much confusion of face, that we have greatly sinned and erred in turning away from the Lord, in turning away from the commandments of the Lord our God; that we should, at the present moment, not only admire, but praise the Lord for His much patience and great forbearance toward us-that His fiercest wrath has not already been poured out on our guilty heads ere this blessed moment. Seeing our sins in the last fourteen years have not in the least abated, but are daily on the increase, while they are already more in number than the hairs on our heads. Ah, surely the Lord, though He bear long with us, yet He hath said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." And dear brethren, our cup of iniquity may, for aught we know, be already full; and if so, He may come suddenly into His temple, and recompense every man according as his work shall be.
And now, dear reader, as the past calamities that have fallen on us and our guilty nation have failed to bring about humility and repentance, among us who profess to be the household of faith, nor yet the least humility or signs of reform in our nation, what shall we, as a nation, look for but more fierce and sharp rebuke? And, as the church of God, what shall we say! Oh! what shall we look for but the most awful rebuke that could befall us, dark as the day now is; that the God of our mercies, in view of our failure to repent quickly and do the first works, though He bear long with us, will He not surely move the candlestick out of His place? For it is clear we have so wandered from our God-the fountain of living waters-in turning a deaf ear to His lovely voice, and hear none of His gracious reproofs, when He called to us, in His love and pity, saying, "Return unto me, O, back-sliding Israel! for I am married unto thee." O, return unto the Lord, who will have mercy, and to our God, who will abundantly pardon. But we heeded not, so we have given abundant cause for the Lord to complain, as He did of the church of Ephesus-being one of the seven churches which were in Asia-to whom He said, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love; remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of His place, except thou repent." Here let us pause and look back, not only the last fourteen, but twenty years, and ask ourselves if we, the delinquents, have not abundant evidence staring us in the face all the way along, which the Lord hath borne with and brought us up to the present day, to fully convince us that we too have left our first love, and have not repented and done the first works.
O, Lord, shall we expect God to change or deal with us, a rebellious house, more kind than the church of Ephesus? O, Lord, we dare not look for such from our God, whose word stands more firm and sure than the heavens; who hath once and again said, "The guilty shall not go clear." And He will render to every man according to his works. Hence the conclusion follows, according to the most favorable construction of God's word, in our. judgment, that unless we shall repent and do the first works, the God of heaven will come unto thee quickly, and remove our (or thy)candlestick out of his place; which, to me, appears to be the most awful calamity that can possibly befall the church in this world; for when God shall remove the candlestick out of His place, the writer feels that, by the removal of the candlestick out of its place by the Lord, such removal or work shall remain, as the Prophet said, in Ecclesiastes, 3rd chapter and 14th verse, "I know that whatsoever the Lord doeth shall be forever-nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it-and God doeth it that men should fear before Him."
Dear reader, we would do well to bear in mind that our God is not a man, that He should lie; or the son of man, that lie should change; that He is of one mind, and none can turn Him; that He should be our fear and our dread-"Fear God and give glory to Him."
Thus all that read can see the writer's conclusion that, during the spare time proposed by him, to speak or write of the progress of Old Baptists proper, whom he regards as the church of the living God, rather the pillar and ground of the truth-that during that length of time, the church visible has been, and yet appears to be on the wane; that leanness and barrenness, with a very sluggish and lukewarm form of service, is manifested in all the borders of Zion, as far as the writer can learn, and we have now reached the second month of the year 1875, and no change, as we learn, for the better. The disciples in Zion appear still to slumber on, as they have for a length of time, regardless of the few who, from their lips, and some from the press, with all their strength, do "blow the trumpet, in Zion; sound an alarm in God's holy mountain; let the inhabitants of earth (Zion) tremble, for the day of the Lord cometh-it is night at hand."
Thus, as we have overreached the space or length of time we first mentioned, what shall we say in conclusion? First, the writer would say, as he feels in heart as he now writes of Israel, the Zion of God, the antitype, "O, that they were wise; that they understood this; that they would consider their latter end; how one might chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, except the Lord had sold them and their rock had shut them up." O, how I love to copy in this the pitying words of our covenant God to His covenant people! for I feel to know that our "God is the rock; His work is perfect" Deut. 32nd chapter, 4th verse. "He fashioneth their hearts alike"-15th verse of 33rd Psalm. Hence their hope, their aim, their interest are in the Lord Jesus; and next, would adopt the language of the Prophet, saying,
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."
And now the writer, with earnestness of heart, would ask the dear readers of the above to begin now, if not before, and search God's blessed word (which we long since should have done, and see His purpose, will and dealings toward and with His children who are born of the spirit of God, in both Old and New Testaments; both in the type and the antitype. When you shall so have done, I feel quite sure you will conic to the same conclusion as set forth in the above. And more, should you closely read but the foregoing history of the church for the last fourteen years, and examine the portions of God's word referred to, with its connection, (although the book, chapter and verses are not generally given, but almost, if not altogether, so quoted that him or her, though but partial readers of the Scriptures, will be able to turn to them), and I think you will arrive at the conclusion of the writer, that there is doubtless a fearful crisis, and that near at hand, when the church of God shall feel and realize at His hand, in the days of His retribution, in the days of His great wrath and sore judgments upon }tis people for their iniquities for even now, it does seem that God's two witnesses are already slain, "and their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city which, spiritually, is called Sodom and Egypt, where also, our Lord was crucified." And also in the 10th verse of same 11th chapter of Revelations--" And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets (the word of God and His spirit) tormented them that dwelt on the earth." And again, in latter clause of the 2nd verse, "And the Holy City shall they (the Gentiles) tread under foot forty and two months;" and in 3rd verse, "And I (the Lord) will give power unto my two witnesses (His word and spirit), and they shall prophesy a thousand, two hundred and three score days (or twelve hundred and sixty years) clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks (the two witnesses and the two candlesticks) standing before the God of the earth; and if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouths and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. We know that in the Scriptures there are many figurative expressions given, as the two witnesses called the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth. I understand the two witnesses, or two olive trees, and the two candlesticks to be figurative of the word of God, the Spirit's sword and the Holy Ghost, whom the God of Heaven puts forth by His ministers and witnesses, to whom He hath appeared, to make them ministers and witnesses of the things which they have seen and of those things in which He would appear unto them; and thus made, He sends them forth in all the fullness of the blessings of the gospel of Christ, and His spirit in them whose weapon or sword the word of God is.
Hence, in those ministers is God the Word, and God the Spirits, the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, the two witnesses that shall prophesy as God shall give unto them power, a thousand, two hundred and three-score days, or, as we understand this portion of God's word, twelve hundred and sixty years, standing before the God of the Earth. Thus, these witnesses, of themselves and in themselves, are, as the Apostle declared, men of like passions as those to whom they prophesy. But here in these witnesses is God the word and God the spirit. As such, they, as Elijah, as God shall give unto them power to shut heaven, in the same sense as recorded of Elijah, that he prayed earnestly, and it rained not for the space of three years and six months on the earth, and he prayed again, doubtless alike earnestly, and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.
To me it does appear manifest that, while I that there are yet a few of God's chosen servants that proclaim faithfully the gospel of God according to His word, it seems to me to have come forth as fully in power and demonstration of the spirit as was proclaimed fifty years ago. Then it appeared effectual in the upbuilding of God's dear children in their most holy faith. Attended with the Spirit's power, the congregations seemed interested and much affected, at least, the briny tear was often seen to flow, not only down the cheek of God's dear children, but often there was seen the sons and daughters covering their faces in order to hide the flowing tear; love and peace flowed from heart to heart; they sang, they prayed with and for each other; but those happy days have fled. But now, and for many past years, the same and alike full and faithful proclamation of the gospel of God, and I feel is as ably preached as in the fifty years ago referred to. But now it seems a mere sounding brass and tinkling symbol, while the congregations are all attentive to the preaching; but there is no unction, as though the two witnesses were already dead. At least, it does seem that, whether the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit hath already made war against them, and hath already overcome them and killed them (the two witnesses) or not, or that the day of Christ is at hand, as some, in the Apostle Paul's 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians, 2nd chapter, had become troubled, as, also, in 1st chapter and 7th verse of Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus wrote, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with His mighty angels." So, in 2nd chapter, they say to the same brethren, under some fears still resting on their minds, "That ye be not shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand, let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." That a falling away, yes a sad decline, is too plain to be denied by any who have eyes to see the great falling away in the service of God, as taught in His holy word, showing that we are the circumcision who worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. And, to us, it seems alike plain, at least in some sense, that the man of sin, the son of perdition, is already revealed; for his character, his signs and marks, as shown in the 4th verse, are plainly seen for the past five years, and, perhaps, by some observed a much longer time. That the character or spirit who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped among tile surrounding nations (or multitude of professed churches scattered abroad on the earth, the Lord's footstool). But the same spirit, in these latter days, is seen plainly, at least, by those that are spiritual, who wait daily at His (the Lord's) gates; that the Lord's beloved Zion, in all its branches or mansions, has adopted, and yet is, with very few exceptions, adopting the course of that same spirit that opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped. First, the object of that spirit is to produce an apathy to the reading of God's word, which was, and is soon followed by a spirit of indifference about reading and searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so which they have heard from the mouths of God's faithful, as well as honest ministers.
Hence, such sloth and reckless neglect soon led the inhabitants of Zion, at the instance of their poor, ungodly children, and some fashionable professor, as ungodly as their poor children, to consent to the moving of the Bible, Old and New Testaments, from the parlor table so far that it is not found within the parlor room, unless, perchance, the Bible, or word of God, be enclosed in a fine rich gilt cover, and has enclosed in it a neatly arranged album, in which to place the photographs of father and mother and all the children, their grandparents and kinsmen, their preferable preachers and other nobles of the land, &c. Under such appertainantes, the Bible may abide in the parlor, at least until the rich binding and bright gilt of gold becomes somewhat dim, and while in the parlor, among the rest of their fit books for the parlor table, it is only opened to look at, or show to their guests the contents of their finely, arranged album, without which, it is seldom opened, unless some dear brother should call for the Bible while yet in the parlor, to read in it some passage he or she had, in their conversation or comment named, that seemed to those persons addressed as rather strange language. The book, is yet in the parlor, then is soon brought, but if somewhere else, there are but few, if any of the family, who know where to find the Bible-the word of God.
Now, dear reader, who can not see a putting away, a setting aside, the book of books, and preference given to some favorite novel and the daily papers of our country, there to find and watch the market prices of the productions of their firms or of their products, manufactured in their shops or otherwise, hence, no interest manifested in behalf of the blessed Gospel of God, our Savior, nor the salvation of poor sinners, seldom, if at all, to pray God in behalf of their offspring; the purchase of Jesus' blood in every man; the poor stringer and foreigner; the ready-to-perish in every clime.
Thus, all can read as they run, that the above course or procedure is not of the leading of God's spirit. But the opposite, the spirit of Antichrist, the spirit of that man of sin that opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God. And, under the influence of the same spirit, things have gone on step by step, in patronizing a gay and fashionable world in all their fleshy lusts; as the Apostle John hath written in 1st Epistle and 2nd Chapter: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof (as above named); but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
And further still, that spirit that opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God quite soon leads the fathers and mothers, members of the church, to indulge their sons and daughters in going to the house of mirth and often to parties, and some went so far as to send or allow their dying offspring to go to dancing schools, etc., and if their minister or brethren should admonish or reprove them for such indulgence as above, if they did not become irritated at their brother or minister for complaining of or reproving them, they would meet the reproof with a taunt address of words, thus: "That you or we all were once young and full of life as our children now arc, and alike fond of these things as our children now are;" and we would quote this and alike passages, "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." They would respond to this and similar passages of God's word, thus: "O, we do not see that there is much, if any harm in our indulging our children thus," and add, saying, "I think there can be no harm in allowing our children such liberties, as they are young and full of life, and we ourselves are not as particular as we were in days past, and think there is no use in being so very particular, for we might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion and custom of the times," and that "such and such Baptists go to fashionable places and indulge in looking on at those engaged in mirthful sport," &c. All such remarks, or answers, in justification of the above fleshly course for themselves and their children, and those that favor their course of indulgence-the Scriptures, to the contrary notwithstanding, and the deep distress and affliction of their God-fearing brethren and sisters-all of which course can only be produced and persisted in by that spirit, or man of sin, that opposeth and exalteth himself above ail that is called God. And, of course, they, the willing adherents and followers after, practicing under the spirit of that man of sin, that opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
I now ask the reader if he, or her, does not see plainly that such as thus follow and are led by that man of sin, that exalteth himself, are not, thus far, his faithful allies, and parties with him to oppose and with him to exalt themselves above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that they, as he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God; and that, with the full approval of his faithful allies, showing that in their course of indulgence in living and walking after the flesh, they are one with the man of sin, to exalt themselves, and with him, thus to oppose God, His word and government, and at every such step or act, they commit the wide breach of covenant breaking with God, whose blessed word they had, jointly with their brethren, covenanted to abide and receive as the man of their council, by which to be guided in their pilgrim life, as well as to regard the Old and New Testaments as our very special guide in our service of the living God among His saints-they being the word of God given to His people, by which to see and remember, all the way along, how the Lord hath led them up from the wilderness of sin, and the way in which lie hath dealt with our fathers before us.
Now, dear reader, that we may the more clearly see the awful rejection of' God's written word by us, who claim to be His church and people, resulting in a like dreadful rebellion against the God of Heaven and Earth, we will copy some portions from both Old and New Testaments, that, under the blessing of God, will show up to us the awful judgments of God on His national people, or church, in type, for their rejection of God and their rebellion against Him and His word.
First, we will quote in the book of 1st Samuel, 8th chapter, beginning at the 4th verse-"Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, behold, thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us, like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," and Samuel prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord said unto Samuel, "Hearken unto the voice of the people, in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them, according to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other Gods; so do they also unto thee."
We have quoted at full length to 8th verse inclusive, and pray the reader to read from the beginning of said 8th chapter to the close of the same, and, at least, a few of the succeeding chapters. It will doubtless aid in understanding the writer's remarks more fully, as he will quote more of the same chapter, the 18th verse, and all on to the close of same 8th chapter, as follows: "And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said: "Nay, but we wilt have a king over us; that we, also, may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles." And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "hearken unto their voice, and make them a king;" and Samuel said unto the men of Israel, "Go ye, every man, unto his city."
In the next place, we will observe, the reader should bear in mind that God's dealings, whether in a way of mercy, or in His judgments poured upon National Israel, His church in type, or His Zion under the Old Testament, or covenant of works; and that whatsoever is His manner of dealing with Israel in the type, is and will be His manner with His church in the antitype, or His church under the New Covenant; and that God is the same in the administration of His government, in both national and spiritual Israel. The God that is of purer eyes than to behold sin, or look on iniquity; who hath said the guilty shall not go clear.
So that we in above quotations, see that the great magnitude of the sins of Israel, as referred in the first book of Samuel, is found to consist first, in their great disregard of God's word, in that they regarded it not, nor did they observe His commandments, to do them. Hence that spirit of disregard of God's word soon ripened into a rebellion, that led to that of "rejecting me," saith the Lord, in 7th verse of 8th chapter 1st Samuel--"But they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." That it is plainly a refusal to obey the Lord, and failing to give heed to His word, and to observe His commandments and statutes to do them, is, so far, a turning away from the Lord-which turning away is a plain declaration that they reject Him and His word, shaped in whatever manner the God of Heaven shall speak to His children, or Zion, whether in words of love or reproof.
Now that such had been the indulgence of National Israel in disobedience and lusting to be like the surrounding, nations, to have a king to reign over them in the days of Samuel, the Prophet, that Samuel mentions in his first book, 8th chapter and 4th verse, "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and come to Samuel, unto Ramah, and said unto him, behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us, like all the nations." But this thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "give us a ]ring to judge us." Although the Lord had so signally, in the 7th chapter, delivered Israel from the power of their enemies when in battle array against them-"But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel." And the Israelites pursued the Philistines and smote them until they came to Bethcar; and also the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath, and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Ammorites. And also, after the victory over their enemies, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of Ebenezer, saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." For we remember it was the victory, the battle cry, "the Lord fought for us," as though Samuel had said, "For the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines; and discomfited them, and they were smitten before the Israel," as though Samuel had said, "The Lord was with us on that day, and, therefore, who could stand before Him?"
Thus, dear reader, all the above was achieved by the Lord's strong arm, and peace and quiet secured to Samuel all his days, as regarded the Philistines: for the hand of the Lord was against them . But to such height had the spirit of rebellion and rejection of God and His word grown among Israel, that even the elders of Israel were full of desire to be like the surrounding nations-have a king to reign over them, notwithstanding the wonderful victory so lately wrought by Israel's King; in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of all the elders-that, although at that time in a state of quiet with their enemies, and peace pervading their borders, yet, notwithstanding all this, that dreadful spirit of rejection and rebellion filled their bosoms. Notwithstanding the many troubles the Lord had delivered them Item, still the lust for a king burned in their bosoms, to be like the nations round about. That the kindness of the Lord, in His great and tender mercies toward them all the way along from the land of fetters and chains, in the day He had brought them into that goodly land which He had promised them; that under the weight of that spirit of rebellion and rejection, all the tender mercies of God toward them had surly sunk down out of their memory, so that they were forgotten. For, after Samuel's grief is made known because of their request to make them a king, and the Lord tells Samuel to grant them their request, to make a king-"Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice; howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that should reign over them, and after the manner shown to the people that asked a king, by the mouth of Samuel speaking the Lord's words, showing the oppression arid rigor of that king over them and their sons and daughters and herds," &c And in the close of the Lord's description of their king's reign, delivered by Samuel to the people, he says, "And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall have chosen you and the Lord will not hear you in that day."
Thus after Israel had heard ail this description of their king's reign of terror from the mouth of the Lord, and were thus plainly told that they should cry unto Him, and that He would not hear them on that day. The above is from the Lord's mouth to the elders and people of Israel. Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, "Nay, but we will have a king over us."
These two last verses I have quoted again, that they might come before the reader a second time- that he might see and realize the hardness of the spirit, that refuseth, that rejecteth the council and word of the Lord; and that it is the same spirit of' rebellion of which the Lord speaks in 22nd verse of 15th chapter of 1st Samuel, also 23rd verse-"And Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifices, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry; because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king."
Thus, to us it appears more and more plain that to reject the Lord or his word is at least among the greater sins that our Zion does commit. And, as we have just shown in the above quotation that King Saul was of God rejected from being King, because Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord. And Saul confesses his sin to Samuel, saying I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy (Samuel's) words.
The crime of that spirit of rebellion, and rejection, is still more fully seen in the time of the prophet's call of the people together, that the Tribes might pass before Samuel, which occurrence we will give the reader in the words of Samuel the prophet in 10th Chapter of 1st Samuel, beginning at 17th verse: "And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh, and said unto the children of Israel, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you; and ye have this day rejected God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him nay, but set a king over us. Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your Tribes and by your thousands. And when Samuel had caused all the Tribes of Israel to come near, the Tribe of Benjamin was taken.
Here we see that stubbornness is indeed as the sin of witchcraft, for after the people of Israel were called together to the Lord as above, Samuel in their presence, and before the Holy Lord God of Israel announces God's words- "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, etc." God tells Israel to their face by his servant Samuel: "And ye have this day rejected your God, who saved you, so that it is easily observed that there is a hardness attendant on the spirit of' rejection and rebellion, that for the time being shrinks not before the face and presence of the Lord, as though the mystery of iniquity worked even in the day of the Prophet Samuel.
We shall only quote a few verses more in Samuel, that we may all have at least a sight of the broody character of the spirit of rejection and rebellion, and of its variety of manner and shape: And when Saul was brought, and standing up among the people, he ;vas higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people: See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like hint among all the people! And. all the people shouted and said, "God save the King!" Latter clause of 23rd and 24th verses of 10th Chapter of First Samuel.
Thus we can see after all that had occurred, touching Israel's asking and obtaining a King over them at the expense of their rejection of God their King, the spirit of rebellion or revolt is rife and so pleased with Saul when they see him, the man that they prefer should reign over them in the stead or room of God their King, who had led them through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. For a King, a man whose breath is in his nostrils, in preference to the mighty God, who speaks and it is done; who commands and it stands first. O dreadful choice, to prefer a worm rather than the God, the creator and upholder of all things, whose might and power they had seen when he fought their battles and put the hostile Aliens to flight. O how great the delusion produced under the prevalence of such spirit, truly as blind as the stubborn Jews, the cruel rulers, who chose, who preferred a stirrer of insurrection and a murderer to the Lamb of God, the blessed Jesus, who came poor sinners to save.
Here pause to repeat over the dreadful decision of God by his servant: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry; because thou (Saul) hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being King."
And here I feel compelled to mention another trait of that dreadful spirit, and say it in as modest terms as I can so as to convey the, idea a spirit of priesthood, and in the Old Testament it is called a lying spirit, in proof of which I quote the 13th verse of 15th Chapter of First Samuel: "And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him: Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And in the llth verse: And Samuel said: What meaneth then the bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?"
In the above we see King Saul's own words: "I have performed the commandment of the Lord;" and in the last or 14th verse. Samuel detects Saul in the falsehood, when he said to Saul: "What meaneth then this bleating of sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen, which I hear." After which King Saul answers Samuel, saying he had done as God commanded, and continues to show and plead before the Prophet Samuel, that he had obeyed and so had told Samuel the truth; and Samuel in the meantime to show up Saul's falsehood on along down to 24th verse, in which King Saul answers with a frank confession: "And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words: because I feared the people and obeyed their voice." All can here see in last clause of the above verse, that after Saul come out frankly in forepart of same, he tries to lay the blame of his fault on the people, still indulging the same spirit of falsehood as in 13th verse; and a further effort Saul makes to Samuel to excuse himself by saying, "yea I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the King of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites; but the people took of the spoil sheep and oxen.
O reader, just see how that same spirit of falsehood then did as now is used by the offender in order to excuse him or her. But the people took of the spoil; that very convenient word-but-by which to roll our faults on others.
And again Saul says, as his last turn to cover his guilt, of spoil, sheep, and oxen, the chief things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. As the spoil, the sheep, and oxen were taken by the people to sacrifice to the Lord God, as much as to surly say this will be quite sufficient to satisfy Samuel that King Saul had not transgressed the commandment of the Lord.
Thus in all this King Saul acted as foolish and vain as he had done and recorded in 12th and 13th verses of 13th Chapter of First Samuel, when he said to Samuel: "Therefore, said I, the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal and I have not made supplication unto the Lord. I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, thou hast. done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee; for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever" All of which they in that of disobeying the Lord's words lead King Saul to the still greater folly and greater sin to force himself, and therefore offered a burnt offering.
O let us beware of that lying spirit, for if it fails in one extreme it may well resort to another, that it may well be said of him who indulges in and is led by the spirit of that man of sin, the sea of perdition, that the way of the transgressor is hard.
I will only trouble the reader with one more quotation from the Old Testament, and that without comment, for there are so many portions showing the awful result, of disobeying God, that both my hand and pen would Fail me, so I give from the Prophet Hosea, 6th verse of 4th Chapter: "My people are destroyed for lack of' knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge I will also reject thee, that, thou shalt be no Priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget; thy children." And now we quote from the New Testament: And He (Jesus) said unto them: Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition;" 9th verse and 7th Chapter of Mark.
It is even so now that we, like the Jews, it is fully known and seen that we fully reject the commandments of' God, that we may keep our own tradition, and thereby leave undone the weightier matters, and lay aside leave undone, that which the Lord hath commanded with that which tends to the lifting of Jesus on High; even leave off' to observe and walk in those good works we were created in Christ Jesus, unto which God hath ordained; we should walk in them; and so reject the Lord Jesus and his word; and so under the influence of that spirit of rebellion depart from the fountain of living water to make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. O can such turning aside from the Lord be anything but the love of' the world and the things of the world more than the things of God and his word, which is saying: "Depart from us O God, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." And the beloved John in his first Epistle, 2nd Chapter, and 15th and 16th verses, says: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not. in him. For all that is in the world, the lust. of. the flesh and the lust of the eyes. And the pride of life is not. of the lather, but of' the world. And the world passeth away and the lusts thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
Here we see in this quotation the great, the wide contrast between him that loves the world and the things of the world, which all passeth away and the lust thereof.
Here we have before us the stability, yes, the durability of him or her that doeth the will of God abideth forever. O think again of the two words used by John-the one passeth away, the other abideth forever. The one led by the spirit of God abideth forever; the other led by the spirit that lusteth to envy passeth away, as the world and the lusts thereof. Hence, said Jesus, "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him;" 21st verse, 14th Chapter of John.
In view of which we should fear God and eschew or avoid evil, bearing in mind that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, and that the spirit of the world, the spirit of the administration of death and condemnation leadeth to fetters and chains, to stubbornness, which is as iniquity and idolatry, and hath its home in the carnal mind, which is enmity against God. The same spirit even in the days of the humiliation of' the Lamb of God, while He taught the people and quoted in their hearing Esaias the Prophet, which he spake: Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Hence, that of hardness of heart and unbelief was quite manifest, as is recorded in 37th verse of 12th Chapter, by John the Evangelist: "But though He (Jesus) had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but, because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God;" 42nd and 43rd verses.
O let us fear that spirit that loves the praise of men more than the praise of God, preferring the smiles of men rather than the smiles of' God. That holds back many of God's dear circumcised children, from a confession with the mouth unto salvation, having believed with the heart unto righteousness.
It is doubtless the same spirit of opposition to God alluded to by the blessed Jesus in 48th verse of same 12th chapter of John, thus: "He that rejecteth me 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; and I know that His command is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me, so I speak ;" 49th and 50th verses.
Hence, I have quoted from Old and New Testaments, and I trust the reader will have in a good degree gathered from the above, the great object had in view by the writer's faint effort, who from his heart wishes he could have done better; made the subject with the object :timed at more tangible or more plain to the reader. And if I can but show in a few words, my object was to lead the reader and all whom it may concern to see more fully the high and heavenly claim our Father in heaven holds upon us, especially who are put in possession of an humble hope in the blessed Jesus to our first and last obedience-that as he has called us to be Saints we should live as such, serve him in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter, and always adhere to His word and keep his commandments-His statutes to do them as it is to them (and to them only), who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil-of the Jew first and also to the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good-to the Jew first and also to the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God.
We have quoted the 7th on to include the 11th verse of 2nd chapter to the Romans. Thus the reader cannot fail to observe the plain, as well as great contrast that the Holy Ghost, by Paul, has sot forth in so short and comprehensive a manner as in the above; and more, we can see so very plain the two spirits; the one Spirit thus, "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasured up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds;" the other spirit thus, "To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life to the one; for to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law oŁ God-neither indeed, can be." Hence it is clear that ail outside the spirit of God is of the world, in all its shapes and variety of operations, whether it be in, "for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ," or, as shown of Satan, the archenemy of God and our beloved Zion. And no marvel; for "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light," and by the same spirit. "Therefore, it is no great thing if his (Satan's) ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works;" while the spirit, of God, all the way along, will show to the seeing eye its origin, its fruits and its glorious object to glorify God in all His saints; for without it, the spirit of truth, they cannot worship God, the Father, in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. "God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must. worship Him in spirit and in truth." Thus, without this, the spirit of' the living and true God, all our pretensions to serve and worship God are but in vain, however fair they may appear to men and to the world. In short, it is Christ, or it is anti-Christ.
"Wherein, in time past, ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air-the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.''
Thus, dear reader, as I have adverted to, and also quoted so many portions of God's word, in proof of the spirit of this world-spirit that is antagonistic to the spirit, of God-and showing its origin, its nature and tendency is anti, against Christ and the church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. So that after a filling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, and that the apostle declared in his day, "And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might, be revealed in his time; for the mystery of iniquity doth already work, (yes, did work in Paul's time); only he who now letteth will let (hinder) until he is taken out of the way; and then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth," &c.; and that; it is alike true that all outside the spirit of the world, the spirit of the flesh, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; all outside of that man of sin, the son of perdition, that spirit, of rebellion and rejection, is of God, to whom all glory is due, world without end, amen.
Now, should the foregoing only afford the dear children of God some further light of the increasing reign of sin and sad decline of our holy religion in the present day of thick darkness-this day in which iniquity abounds, and the love of so many have grown cold already, and that the children of God, circumcised in heart might see a further justice in God's entering into judgment with us for our dreadful and guilty departures from the old land-marks, and almost entire rejection of God's word, setting so light by God's record of His will-everlasting and eternal purpose of life and salvation of the gift of the Father to His Son, Jesus Christ, and of the ample provision, in every respect, provided in store to fully consummate their eternal salvation and safely moor in heaven the trophies of His rich sovereign, reigning and discriminating grace. 0 how ready and willing to read and search out our interest in our Heavenly Father's will-His last will and testament-learn His claims upon us. After that we were sealed with that holy spirit of promise. How we should love Him, because He first loved us, and gave Himself for us. But we have rebelled against Him after we have tasted the Lord was gracious, refused to be followers of God, as dear children, and to walk in the footsteps of the dear flock.
O, Lord, we have gone in by and forbidden paths-yes, we have requited the Lord evil for good; we have done the things we ought not, and left undone the things we should have done-and now the writer feels to know the frown of God is upon us for our great iniquity, in that we have forsook the Lord and rejected His word, and have gone after the vanities served the flesh, and have, at least, manifested a willingness to bow to idols and change our garments, or apparel, which become men and women professing Godliness, for the apparel and trinkets manufactured by the cunning craftsmen of mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
Here let us pause and think that if, in the that Peter wrote his first epistle, he taught and wrote us in the 16th ,17th , and 18th verse. 4th chapter-Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf; for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of' God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, when shall the ungodly and sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful creator.
Let us now look at some of the proceeding verses in the same chapter, that we may see what. gave rise to the matter in the three verses above quoted, as in 12th on to 15th verse, inclusive-"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice, inasmuch as that ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also, with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters." Thus in these four last verses quoted, we have the key, or ground of Peter's admonition, or warning. In the 17th verse, when he said, "For the time is come that; judgment must begin at the 'house of God," Peter, doubtless, bore in mind that every house is built by some man; but He that built all things is God. And in a previous chapter in Peter's first epistle of this house, "Ye, also, as lively tones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up eternal sacrifices acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ," and called, also. the house of God; as much is to say, ye strangers and brethren are God's building; this is the house of God. where judgment must begin, and if it first begin at us; what shall the end be for them that obey not. the gospel of God? This was doubtless, the great reason given by Peter for those heavenly admonitions, given in the whole of same 4th chapter.
After telling them, "For as much, then, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves likewise in the same mind," Peter follows up through the chapter to the 17th verse with as forcible and comprehensive admonitions as has been given by any of the apostles, in any of their epistles to any of the churches to whom they wrote; and perhaps, as a nail fastened in a sure place. O that word, for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God! The great and moving cause of Peter's words, thus, "and if it first begin at us;" we believe was in first verse of the first chapter.
Peter claims to be an apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, and declares them strangers "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ; grace unto you, and peace be multiplied." As much as to say, in this second verse of the first chapter, that you have been giving diligence lo make your calling and election sure. That is to say, that ever since the Lord circumcised your hearts, you have diligently followed every good work, walking in the footsteps of the flock, keeping, or observing the commandments, which are to walk in those good works to which you were created in Christ Jesus, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in.
This, we understand, is the manner of making our calling and election sure, in the mind and judgment of every spiritual son or daughter in Zion. That is, looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. For they will see, in your good walk and conversation, the appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and say there is an Israelite indeed, who has by his walk and conversation, as above described, shown or made his calling and election sure; and that they are God's elect. And the living in Jerusalem, in their hearts, it' not with their mouths, say, as in 13th and 14th verses, 2d chapter of 2d epistle to the Thessalonians, "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you; brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath, from the beginning; chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel; to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ;" and would say to those brethren, as Paul said to his Thessalonian brethren, in next, or 13th verse, "therefore, brethren stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." Hence, I trust, from the foregoing, the reader will readily see the point in view, that those strangers brought to view in the 1st and 2nd verses of the 1st chapter 1st epistle of Peter, declared to be scattered abroad in the five quarters of country, are, by Peter, identified-"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." That Peter, in writing to them of their inheritance, and that they are kept, by the power of God, through Faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, and tells them, in the 6th verse, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, (if need be) ye are in heaviness, trough manifold temptations;" and in 7th verse, Peter gives the reason for the needs be of their heaviness through manifold temptations-"That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ ;" and continues to exert and admonish them to be obedient and faithful followers of' God, as dear children, and holding out to them the blessed encouragement, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls;" which salvation, by the Apostle Jude, is called the common salvation, and elsewhere work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So Peter, in his first epistle, carries in his letter to those strangers, up to the 17th verse, and to the end of the chapter, and throughout his first and also his second epistle, that those strangers were, by their walk, life and conversation, regarded of God as His living and accepted people, bearing the marks of the circumcision of heart in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. Hence, then, if judgment first begin at us (the living, as Peter says, elect through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ), what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God-them who have not obeyed the Lord, to keep His commandments, but have made provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, and so obey not the gospel of God? Paul has written out the answer to Peter's question, in his 8th and 9th verse, 2nd chapter of his epistle to the church at Rome, thus, "But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil; of the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." The Apostle also said, in the 6tb verse of same 2d chapter to the Romans, in speaking of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, "Who will render to every man according to his deeds." Then Peter says, in 18th verse, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Surely Peter did then, as we do now, regard the righteous among God's dear circumcised children to be those, and those only, who were like Zacharias and Elizabeth-"And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
Hence the disciples, the children of God, thus walking in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, are, as Peter said. If the righteous scarcely be saved, when they have lived as above, they, like these two that were righteous before God-Zacharias and Elizabeth were scarcely saved; for Zacharias put a question to the angel that did involve unbelief of the angel's words, on account of which, the judgment of God was upon him-that he should be dumb and not able to speak until the day these things shall be performed. So that the reader will see that these righteous were scarcely saved from the judgments of God. Therefore it is true that after God's dear children have done the Lord's or Master's bidding, they have only done that they should have done, after which they should count themselves unprofitable servants; and so are scarcely saved from the judgments and chastening of the Lord. And lastly, "Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" We appeal to Paul again to answer this question of Peter's, in 10th verse of 5th chapter of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. We read thus, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (the church of God here), that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Both the ungodly and the sinner soweth to the flesh, and shall of the flesh reap corruption; also both make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. While it is true that a sinner is a transgressor of the law of God, it is alike true that the ungodly are guilty of darker crimes and offences than the sinner, and hence the difference in the two words-the ungodly and the sinner-as we read in last verse of 3rd chapter of Malachi, the minor, or last prophet-"Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked; between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not." So that the ungodly and the sinner shall both appear (as we have before quoted) at the judgment seat of Christ.-the church, or Zion of God here below. Because they are, in our judgment, citizens or members of the church of' Christ, and, of course, it is their rightful tribunal, where they both, the ungodly and the sinner, must, appear, where they both shall be judged by and decided according to the laws and statutes given by Zion's King to His church, by which to decide the cases of both the ungodly and the sinner-by which every one, both the ungodly and the sinner, may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Seeing that, under the church's faithful decision in all cases, both of the sinner, and the ungodly, the King of Zion will render to every man according to his deeds; for there is no respect of persons with God
Hence, the reader will understand that there is no escaping the judgments of God, who is of purer eyes than to behold sin or look on iniquity; who hath declared that the guilty shall not go clear. So that the dear reader, as well as the writer, should ever bear in mind that our God is a consuming fire, and should fear God and give Him glory.
Thus we have, to our utmost ability, in filling many pages, shown by multiplied testimony, from both Old and New Testaments, the fearful consequences of the household of faith, the circumcised in heart, who in anywise shall forget their God and forsake His laws and statutes, to do them, and refuse to obey His voice, and in anywise shall reject the Lord God and His word.
So that in the perusal of the foregoing pages we surely, with the many proofs introduced, will not fail to see that the Church of God, as far as we have learned or have observed have in these days of darkness grown proud and arrogant and forsook the Lord their God. There are perhaps a few exceptions as we have already more than once admitted.
And again say that you will, as I trust, find some few individual members that have not defiled their garments; that in these days of darkness, gloom and great heaviness are as the Priests, the ministers of the Lord, when Israel, God's national people, have greatly sinned. That while the frown and judgments of God were being poured out on that guilty nation, their Priests, their Ministers were told, saying: "Let the Priests, the Ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, spare thy people O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Wherefore, should they say among the people, where is their God?" 17th verse, 2nd Chapter Joel.
So, in like manner should the living people of the Lord, in our beloved Zion say to their prophets, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, spare thy people 0 Lord, etc., for surely we have sinned; and according to God's word, He will recompense in our own bosoms for our doings, seeing He hath written or spoken to us line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, and sent His prophets or ministers, rising up early and sitting up late; and more, I (the Lord) have lifted up my voice all the day long to a wicked and disobedient people, and no man regarded or gave heed to my voice. Behold, when they cry unto me I will not answer them, for I will laugh at their calamities and mock when their fear cometh; let them cry unto their Gods whom they have served.
Dear reader, your unworthy writer would humbly entreat you and all else who feel sad and sorrowful, because all the ways of Zion do still mourn, and the ancient as well as tangible marks of our beloved Zion that originally shown so clear to the seeing eye, that Zion the Church of God in her visible form was declared to be God's building, God's husbandry; a city set on a hill that could not be hid and declared to be the light of the world. And now our sorrow and sadness increased daily, seeing those signs and marks are almost if not altogether receded, or so far out of sight that we no longer can count her towers, nor well see how to mark her bulwarks. And to our sorrow and sadness is added deep anguish of heart, because the songs of Zion once chanted with the spirit and with the understanding also to the lifting of Jesus On High have ceased. And with all we sigh while we observe how dull and sluggish our best service and devotion in these years of thick darkness.
In former years when we entered the home of our brethren and sisters, we scarce took time to ask after each others health and family's welfare before the then usual inquiry thus: "My brother or sister, how are you getting along ? which, in them days were always understood thus: "How is your faith and hope in Jesus, or how does your soul prosper in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. After which they began and alternately gave a relation to each other of their joys and sorrows, their moments of rejoicing, while the love of God was being shed abroad in their hearts. And then again, how sad and sorrowful they felt, and great fears pressed into their minds that they surely were deceived and feared they had deceived the church, and many times much pressed in mind to go to the Church and tell the brethren and sisters of their full conviction that they were unfit to have a name and a place among them; while their brother or sister would respond, saying: O my sister or brother, if you only could feel or know how dark I feel. O how I am filled with doubts and fears that I am not born again; that I have not passed from death unto life; that surely I have never rightly seen and felt my true condition and have never been brought rightly to repent of my sins before God; surely I have never tasted that the Lord was gracious or would not be so changeable, find my mind so often gone astray, and so often feel such hardness of heart, my love to God ii' love at all so faint, so cold. 0 how I am tossed to and fro. O, I wonder where the scene will end; for surely I the chief of sinners am. Can it be that there is any of God's circumcised children so tempted and tried as I am. O, I at times feel there surely can be none so vile, so far from God as I, mine, must be an outside case. I sometimes feel myself inclined to love God if I could, and then feel another mind averse to all that is good, and again I am led to wonder if there is another on earth so prone to wander in by and forbidden paths. Why, my brother, I wade along in such darkness and coldness of heart that it does seem to me I do not love the Lord, who still holds me up in life and has all along the lane of life so wonderfully blessed me with the good creature comforts of this present life and kept me in the enjoyment of good health of body, and amid all my trials, temptations and sore troubles, I am even yet allowed to enjoy the great privilege of some mind, some rational powers, and feel that I am a great debtor to God, that He has seen good to open up to my sight my wretchedness and woe, and show me something of the magnitude of my sin and folly. O how I am led to admire the mercy, patience, long suffering, and great forbearance of God toward me that so great a sinner is yet this side of the grave and out of an awful hell. And notwithstand all, I daily feel to say in heart:
shew pity Lord; O Lord forgive;
let a repenting rebel live;
are not thy mercies large and free;
may not a sinner trust in thee
and though our errors are great,
but don't surpass the power and glory of thy grace.
And so, at the close of our interview with the brother or sister, or as was often the case that several brethren and sisters had met together under the one roof to talk about Jesus and of His great salvation of His gracious work in bringing poor sinners to hope in His mercy, but always before parting we sung praises to our God, and among other songs the one of which I have just penned the few lines. At the last before giving the parting hand, one of us so convened would close by prayer. Other exercises which I have not mentioned-such as giving to each in turn our experience or ground of hope in Christ Jesus.
The writer well remembers how oft the flowing tear traced its course down the cheeks of the dear children of God while listening to their brother or sister as they gave relation of God's gracious dealings with them; and they themselves so melted, their hearts so stirred as they told to their brethren and sisters of how the Lord brought them from Egypt, the land of fetters and chains, and how He had led them all the way along, as He had led them through the wilderness, and of His mighty works at the Rock of Meribe, when He gave their hinting and ready-to-perish souls to drink of living waters. 0, that moment, as well as the sacred spot of earth, to them, of all, the most dear, in close proximity to some object, such as the bower of prayer-some rock or tree, as was the case with the writer, who, while he pens these lines, in his mind, and faint as his memory is in his 78th year, still remembers the walnut stumps in the cornfield, where he first seen and learned of what Jesus had done for him-that, on account of what Jesus had done for me, God could remain a just God, and forgive me my great transgression." Yes, there I first knew His name, Jesus, for myself over fifty-four years ago.
The dear reader has, in the above, a faint description, for it is better felt in its moments of living practice than now written or told in this dark and sorrowful day. But those blessed seasons, those halcyon days referred to, that are past and gone! and I fear, sometimes, at least, gone, forever gone! But the Lord knoweth.
Yet the reader, if in the spirit of the gospel of Christ, and is weeping between the porch and the altar, faint as is the description by the writer, how Old Baptists proper did live over some two-score years ago. And I hope he will be able to draw a clear and full contrast between the dead and the living in Jerusalem. God's living family were in those days were as the light of the world-a city set on a hill-(not then hidden).
O, let the reader contrast the former, as referred to, with the present course of practice among the professed Old Baptists, and in the contrast, or decision, give to the Baptists in former days and the professed Old School Baptists, in their doctrine and practice in these last days-how they lived forty-five years ago, and how they are and have been living the last ten years, of which the writer is so familiar for more than fifty-four years-and on his full conviction of the greatness of the contrast, the sad decline so manifest to him, that the present state of the Baptists, compared with the Baptists forty-five years ago, are almost, if not altogether, unlike in their course of service and devotion, except in name.
Hence, how can we refrain from weeping between the porch and the altar, and to entreat the Lord for our beloved Zion-that He would, in the years of deserved wrath, remember mercy toward His back-slidden children?
Now allow the writer to ask, "How is the gold become dim? how is the most fine gold changed? The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion comparable to fine gold! How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers-the work of the hands of the potter?-two first verses, 4th chapter, La. While it is true we are led to wonder that gold should become dim, and the most fine gold changed; yet these are also grave questions the Lord put, by the Prophet, Jeremiah, to His people, Israel-the type of God's spiritual Israel. And then the Lord as gravely answers the above questions by the same prophet, in the 13th verse of 9th chapter-"And the Lord saith, because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; but have walked after the imagination of their own hearts, and after Balaam, which their fathers taught them; therefore, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; behold I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink." And a further answer of the Lord to His Israel is found in 8th chapter and latter clause of 19th verse-"Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images and with strange vanities?"
The above shows how the Lord dealt with National Israel, the church of God in type. And then let us turn to the New Testament, and see what our God, by His servant, hath said to His church, or people in the antitype-the church under the New Covenant, of which we quote from the Apostle to the Hebrews, beginning at the 26th verse of 10th chapter-"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy, under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? for we know Him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord.. And again, the Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We have included the 31st verse, in which we cannot and to see the contrast written, as well as the decision of the holy spirit of the living God-showing in the type that he that disregarded or despised Moses' law died under two or three witnesses, and that without mercy; and then puts the question-"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy (or deserve) who hath trodden under foot the Son of God," &c.
In the above the decision fully shows the latter offence to be the greater offence. That, although the former offence was under the law given by Moses, the natural life of the offender was the penalty-the man must die-while the latter offence is under the New Covenant, and a violation of theft law we are under to Christ, for of God's circumcised family it is said, "For ye are not under the law, but under grace;" and by Paul again, in same epistle and 8th chapter, to the Church of God at Rome, and 2nd verse-"For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." That, although they being born of the spirit of God are not under the law, but under grace, and the manner of their freedom from the law, so very signally set forth by the Apostle, as above, in these words, "For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me flee from the law of sin and death." Yes, a freedom from condemnation and the curse. And with Paul to his Corinthian brethren-"To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ), that I might gain them that are without law"-21st verse of 9th chapter of First Corinthians. Thus, dear reader, we remember that the offence under the First or Old Covenant, to despise or disregard Moses' law, that the man died-his natural life was the forfeit, before two or three witnesses. Then the Holy Spirit, by Paul, asks, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, (or deserve) who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the Covenant, wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?" Now, of the greater, or sorer punishment of him or her who hath violated the New Covenant, or law under which we are to Christ, for it is alike true that if we are circumcised in heart to love God, as was Paul, with him we are not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. Hence the question comes up again, of how much greater, or sorer punishment should the offender endure, or be measured out to him that hath done despite to the spirit of grace?
Here we pause to ask, what sorer punishment could be dealt out to an offender than to die for his offence? O, my dear reader, while I know it is written, "All that a man hath will he give for his life," yet the writer feels to know that when the God of Israel deals out His judgments upon His offending children, "who will render to every man according to his deeds," that the punishment is greater, much sorer than death; yes, a sorer punishment, far more extreme. And, with reference to the above offence against Christ, and despite to the Spirit of Grace, I cannot find words to fully tell its height or depth; and to the reader, by way of proof of the greater, or sorer punishment, the writer will first name, a troubled spirit who can bear. 0, how many cases of God's judgments poured out upon His offending children in our midst is far sorer punishment than death! and in how many eases! The writer could testify of that which has come under his immediate notice during the last half-century; that his ears have heard from the lips of the suffering brother or sister, the words, again and again, "O, how rather if I could die and leave my troubles and sore suffering behind!" And again, "My suffering, my punishment is more than I can bear!" And again, in their deep anguish, cry out it would be better, they had never been born!
Yes, we entreat the reader to take the time to read of King David's great suffering in soul and spirit, in view of heavy and sore afflictions, as well as loss of children. To name but one here-"O, Absalom! Absalom, my son; would to God I had died in thy stead!" All of which heavy judgments came on him in the dire affliction of his soul and loss of his sons for his guilty and bloody crimes; and his errors and wrongs were the more manifest, seeing he was the anointed King of Israel. And I trust the reader will take the pains to read the book of that just man, Job, that he may more fully understand the writer's "sorer punishment than that of natural, or corporeal death under Moses' law;" and that the reader will see and bear in mind the much repetition, or many cases of tautology, most of which have grown out of the often times the writer was interrupted, and compelled to stop some half-days, some days, some weeks, and sometimes for a month at a time. The result was, of course, I could not hold on to the string or thread of the subject, which often resulted in repetition of the subject to some extent But in the above subject, especially the latter repetition, s, the writer made the same in order to impress more fully the greatness, or the how much sorer punishment of the child of God under an offence under the law of Christ, or Covenant of' Grace, and the offence of despising Moses' law, the penalty of which was death under two or three witnesses.
Having in the above written as fully and plainly of the sad decline of our beloved Zion in this day of darkness, in which the blessed record, the Book of God, is almost, if not altogether deserted, or laid aside, although its gracious Author has stooped down to declare His holy Word, the New Testament, to be "The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham "that is to say, concerning or descending from and belonging to the generation of Jesus Christ. Such by gift to the church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, and given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
O, dear reader, let us but see the grand, the heavenly object thus provided for this generation-"that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly punished unto ail good works. So that the obligation resting on this generation to read the record their Father in heaven has given them is above all obligation. Yes, they are under obligation so great that there is not a parallel to be found of alike obligation resting on any people under heaven, as is on that people, that generation, the Zion of God, whose hearts are circumcised by the spirit of the Living God, to whom He hath given an understanding, as shone in the record of John, in his first general epistle, and 20th verse of 5th chapter" And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." So that the church of the living and true God, the house-hold of faith, in whole and in part, have no excuse for their neglect and failure to search the Scriptures, or for their failure to understand them; nor have they any excuse for that reckless rejection of the Scriptures, and alike rejection to observe and do the things therein commanded us of God. O, what will those common apologies we daily putting before men avail us when the Judge shall pour out upon us of His wrath and fiery indignation-when He shall recompense every man according as his work shall be, whether it is good or bad? There is no excuse for any of us will do before the Lord. If we say we would have done better if we could, or if we could have had more time to read the Scriptures and known the will of the Lord toward us; and what I should have done, of course I should have done better in serving God.
Dear, dear child of God, once for all, and be it remembered and never forgotten, there is no apology can avail us before God, who is of purer eyes than to behold sin, or look on iniquity; who hath said the guilty shall not go clear. And next, we see that written by Peter, which does, and will forever, shut out all and every excuse we may offer for our failures and blunders while the world stands, in the water and out of the water. Thus the Holy Ghost by Peter, in his second epistle, first chapter and third verse-"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
In view of the above, we cannot fail to see that it is vain for us who have tasted that the Lord is gracious to attempt excuses of any grade for our errors and wrongs, seeing, as above, that we have given unto us, and that by the Divine Spirit, all things that pertain, unto life and Godliness.
O, reader, what more is needed whereby to serve God acceptably, with reverence and Godly fear? And after our Father and our God has, and yet is doing and done for us so much, and amply furnished us, as above already written, and made His Son, Jesus Christ, "unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption;" after all this done for sinners of darkest crime, O, is it too much-O, can it be too much for the King in Zion to say to His redeemed by His own blood and born again, "Follow me, for I have loved you, and washed you from your sins in my own blood and made you kings and priests unto God and my Father?" I ask again, after all He hath done, and is doing for us, the chief of sinners, is it asking more than the rightful claim of our God upon us, that we should follow Him, the Captain of our salvation, throughout our pilgrim life, both through evil, as well as good report, knowing whom we have believed?
O, reader, would it not be dreadful presumption in any circumcised son or daughter of the Lord Most High to answer and say it would be too much for the God of the whole earth to claim at our hands? or that we should walk in and observe ail His commandments and ordinances to do them? Doubtless, every one that is born of God and in their sober senses, would at once answer, we owe the Lord our first and last obedience; yes, all our powers should be employed to glorify God in our body and spirit, which is the Lord's, bearing in mind that we are not our own, for we are bought with a price, and that, too, of inestimable value-that of his own Self-His body, His blood, His life, and ill the Garden of Gethsemane; yes, there He, "who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard, in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered, and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him"-7th, 8th and 9th verses Hebrews; and also, for your sakes, cast His honor in the dust, as well as laid His robe of glory worn by Him in His Father's Kingdom; and so became poor, that we, through His poverty, might be rich, O, forget not that God, your Father, gave Him (Jesus) to be sin for us who knew no sin.
But we must pause; for words would fail us in our effort to tell of the wondrous stoop, the low deep bow, even to the depths of hell, to raise to crowns and thrones of glory rebel sinners of darkest crime; of the wondrous mercy, the thought of kindness that enkindleth, as well as bore up, the stupendous, the unfathomed thought, the everlasting and eternal purpose, the rich provision, so ample and full for the final consummation of the salvation of untold millions of sinners, vile and base as hell, made the trophies of God's grace. Some now, and ere long the remnant, of the gift of the Father to His Son Jesus, will be safely moored in heaven's high dome, and by the elder brother presented thus to the Father-"Behold I and the children which God hath given me." Now, as a last and final appeal to the readers of the above, first of all, you have seen and read my best effort to set plainly before you our fearful and guilty departure; the sad decline that,, by degrees, was being made manifest as far back as 1869, and before, by the writer, as a witness of the things that came under his notice, up to and including March, 1875, that far has transcended the limits first proposed at the head of this subject, and in which the writer's object was to show in as tangible a form as he could the growth and progress of apostasy, or sad decline from the old land-marks given by the King in Zion, and written out by His evangelists and apostles, to be read and observed by His disciples during their stay here in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
And, in the second place, to have shown alike plain the great loss of enjoyment of fellowship, union and communion among the saints in the house of God, in alike proportion as they depart from the holy commandments given them by their righteous Law-giver, Jesus, their Saviour.
In the third place, a like effort, or struggle to show that, as the members individually, or the church in whole or part, shall neglect or despise, leave undone any or all the good works God hath ordained we should walk in, and so turn aside and to live after the flesh, are exposed to and shall die-yes, a death to the fellowship of saints' experience, a death to the smiles of God, in a spiritual point of view, or the frowns of God, instead of His peaceful smiles; to bear His judgments, instead of His kind compassions; in short,, they of God's circumcised children that make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, thereby commit a flagrant violation and rejection of God's holy Word. Hence, they that sow to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption.
Fourth, and lastly, the very lengthy effort to show the dire consequences of all those that so far have drinked in of the dreadful spirit of rebellion, which is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness, is as iniquity and idolatry; that all that drink in the spirit of rebellion and stubbornness ever have, and will: in the same ratio or proportion as they drink in of that spirit they have and will turn away from the old paths to serve themselves (the flesh and lusts thereof); reject the Lord and His word and go after other gods, and partake of the vanities of earth, in all their varied shape, as the man of sin shall direct. And that the writer has been as careful and plain as he knew how to show that, unless God's dear living children did drink in of that spirit of rebellion and stubbornness, they would doubtless hold on their way in the footsteps of the flock; they would not, they could not depart from the commandments to forsake the Lord and His Word; for outside the spirit of stubbornness and rebellion, there is none other spirit but the spirit of our Israel's God, the spirit of truth. "For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God." So, then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God; for, as the Apostle shows subsequently, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die;" so those in 8th verse of 8th chapter to the Romans were living after the flesh, and of course, making provision for the flesh, and hence could not please God. And then the Apostle follows and says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." Yes, my brethren, such man is none of Christ's, manifestly or declaratively. Moreover, while all is a serious and weighty matter with me, yet, if any point in the foregoing subject in the writer's feeling is of deepest solicitude, it was, and yet is, as so often before plainly hinted at, that the Lord's circumcised people might see from whence they had fallen-how far they had gone from the old land-marks, as marked out by the King in Zion, in His Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and, if possible, shew up our guilty departures from God and His Word, and point them to God's Word, by which to see the fearful judgments that must be in store, and will ere long be poured on His back-slidden people, as well as on our guilty nation, unless they repent and turn to God and do the first works.
These last ten or eleven lines written contain, in substance, the point of greatest preponderance; that while the writer's mental powers were all absorbed, while writing the root, or chief point around which his busy powers were employed, was, if possible, to awaken the people of God, in this nineteenth century, from the deep slumber so prevalent, and coldness, or rather that which is more desperate, that of lukewarmness-that awful decline that so manifestly shows our guilty departures from the fountain of living waters; the rejection of God and His Word, without which (rejection) we should not have turned aside from the holy commandments, and away from the footsteps of the flock to walk in strange paths; by which they show, to the seeing eye, that we have forsook the God of our salvation and despised His Word, and gave loose rein to the flesh, to walk with the nations around us, almost, if not altogether, in their footsteps, showing the inkling of their hearts to be numbered with the nations, in contradistinction to God's special command, that His Israel "Shall dwell alone, and shall not be numbered with the nations." Who, under such course, with the New Testament in hand, cannot; see that we, the professed people of God, have sinned, and have revolted, or deserted the Lord, the God of our salvation; and also see how justly we have incurred, again and again, the wrath and indignation of a sin-avenging God; and that., with great propriety we, in this nineteenth century, might say, with Paul, "What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known: endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had afore prepared unto glow, even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles"-22nd, 23rd and 24th verses, 9th chapter of Romans. To the latter we add Jesus' own words, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it. is that. loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest, myself unto him"-21st verse of 14th chapter of St. John. The opposite course doubtless, will make us the fitted people, the manifest vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. And alike plain and easy, with open eye, to see and decide in view of the above, that. they, the born of God, who have His (Jesus') commandments, and keep them not, declare thereby that they do not love Jesus; but manifest, by such course, an utter disregard for Jesus and His commandments, and but little, if any regard for His love. Such, surely, are they of whom Paul says, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha," (this last, a Syrian term, meaning the Lord cometh, and the former word strictly means something set apart, or separated-separation from the church and from Christ)-22nd verse of 16th chapter of Corinthians. Or as Paul, in the 3rd verse of his 9th chapter to the Romans, could wish himself accursed from Christ for his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh, that is to say, as we understand the above passages, separated from the church of Christ and fellowship of the saints, or household of God, and the smiles and covenant mercies of a covenant God is to be cursed from Christ. bearing no visible marks of love to Christ, and the seeing they keep not His commandments, and walk not in His statutes to do them.
O, dear reader, I know not. what further to say, or what further argument to use, by which I might more fully show up to view our dreadful guilty departures from God, His laws, His precepts, His statutes to do them, and the almost, if not entire disregard of the almost countless samples and examples given by the Holy Ghost, and set forth in the New Testament, by the evangelists, apostles and prophets, for our practical guides. Or by which I could in a clearer light and former manner show to the reader the heavier judgments in reserve, and soon, for aught we know, will burst forth on our beloved Zion. When "the days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come, Israel shall know it"-7th verse, 9th chapter Hezekiah; "For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion"-8th verse of 34th chapter Isaiah. The day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God-from 5th to 11th verse, inclusive, 2nd chapter Romans.
And now the writer feels a willingness in heart to confess in the depths of humility, with our beloved Zion, before our Covenant God, that we have sinned, and that our iniquities are great, reaching to heaven; and that we would, with our hands on our mouths, in the dust at Jesus' feet, cry guilty before our God and Christ. And if the writer might but speak, he would own, at least for himself. that as his crimes are great, that being the chiefest sinner, surely the heavy, the sorest judgments of a sin-avenging God, are his clue. | |
