Zion’s Landmark : Wilson^ N. C.
69
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•pirit for those who entered the king
dom under his ministration. He
baptized with water unto repentance,
while he pointed to the Lamb of God
that should baptize with the Holy
Ghost and witli fire, “ which taketh
away the sin of the world” by the
Spirit. But yet it is the same king
dom in one sense, transfered, as it
were, from Moses to John, and from
John to Jesus.
Jesus said to the Jews, “The
kingdom of God shall be taken from
you and given to a nation bringing
forth the fruits thereof,” Mat. 21:
43. Th is shows they held the king
dom in a certain sense. Again,
^ AVoe unto you Scribes and Phari
sees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the
kingdom of heaven against men ; for
ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them, who are entering, to
go in,” Mat. 23: 13. “ Ye shall see
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God,
and ye yourselves thrust out,” Luke
16 : 16. As the first legal children
of the kingdom, now bearing no
frait, they “ shall be cast out,” Mat.
8 : 11.
Hence the kingdom of heaven is
likened unto such dififerent things.
As among the Jews then, it might
be likened unto “an householder ”
who plantel a vineyard and hedged
It, &c., (23) and went into a far coun
try ; and in due time sent his servants
one after another, for the fruits;
whom tliey beat, stoned, and killed.
Then the Sou was sent, whom they
killed, hoping to get the inheritance.
With John the Baptist, like unto a
Qi^istard si'cd, which he could hol(»
in his hand while he prepared the/
w'ay or soil; as an apparent lifeless
form he could sow it and transfer
the field to Jesus, under whose spir
itual, life-giving power, it would
spring forth and l)ranch into luxuri
ant life and beauty." Yes, with Je
sus the kingdom of heaven was spir
it, and life, and power, to the eter
nal salvation of the soul by grace and
truth. “ If I cast out devils by the
Spirit of God, then the kingdom of
God is come unto you,” he said. The
kingdom received by him to be car
ried on to perfection, he had received
in legal form an# outline, and as un
der law, as a ministration of deatli,
from Moses by magnifying that law
and becoming its end in death; while
from John the Baptist, as represent
ing in the stage of repentance and ex
ternal washing as a preparation for
the pure indwelling of divine faith
as the spirit of life, he had received
it by fulfilling “all righteous
ness.”
And soon after this time, these
three necessary departments, styles
and principles, as parts, periods and
principles absolutely necessary to the
constituting of the perfect spiritual
kingdom of God, will, by their re-
specive repr&sentatives, meet, harmon
ize, agree in the one spirit (of Jesus)
and resolve into one; and as such,
iestified to, and approved of God by
tne cloud of witnesses enveloping the
whole, (on the mount of transfigura
tion) which, clearing away, will dis
close “Jesus only” the one embodi
ment of the spiritual kingdom of
heaven.
And this is the kingdom of heaven
referred to, the least in which was
greater than John the Baptist. While
aside from this kingdom, no prophet,
priest, king or any under the legal
dispensation, indeed, none of all born
of woman were greater than he.—
John the Baptist was here contrasted
as in his official capacity, dignity and
knowledge, and as born of a woman,
which fell far short in experimental
and spiritual knowledge of divine
things as revealed by the Spirit in
being born of God. John was con
nected with, and represented the
kingdom of heaven in its future of
repentance, as a preparatory stage for
the living faith coming after. Ho
represented the kingdom as a house
builded in form, yet wanting the liv
ing inhabitant. He prepared the way
for the Lord. And, as representing
this external preparation, as of out
ward work, or batisra in water, he
was as far behind the least in the
more perfect kingdom of heaven in
spiritual knowledge of the divine and
glorious mysteries of truth and grace,
resulting in eternal salvation, as re
pentance and water baptism were be
hind faith and spiritual baptism. Tlie
law came by Moses, but grace and
truth by Jesus Christ.
“ And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdons of
heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.” This marks
a definite time—from the days of
John the Baptist until now. This is
as much as to say it did not suffer
this violence before or after. “ For
all the prophets and the law prophe
sied until John,” is added in the
next veret: as a reason or answer Jt
this. Luke says, concerning tide
“ the law and the prophets were un
til John, since which time the king
dom of heaven is preached, and every
man pressetli into it.”—Luke 16 :16.
That is, the legal dispensation was
in force, and the Jewish nation ex
clusively held and claimed the cove
nant and keys, or lettered legal sys
tem, as the oracles of God, called the
kingdom of God ; and a Jew only
was admitted until the fulness of the
time was come, when, for their dis
obedience and abuse of, the kingdom
was to he “ taken from them and giv
en to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof.” The appearance of
John the Baptist, as the forerunner of
Messiah, indicated that time.
In the prophecy of Daniel it reads
concerning this time—“seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people, and
upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of
sin, and make reconciliation for in
iquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vis
ion and prophecy, and to anoint the
Most Holy.”—Dan. 9 : 24. This sev
enty weeks is about one year and
a half, and to my mind, includes the
time of the public ministry of John
before the baptism of Jesus. When
John had baptized him, he initiated
him into the kingdom, and lienee re
stored it. God had committed the
kingdom to men—to the Jews—till
the time of the restitution of all
things connected with it. The Jews,
by gross wickedness and unbelief, it
would seem, hastened the time. But
the fulness of the time was come fiir
Gfxl to send forth his Son. And
Elias must first prepare the way.—
And the kiimdom must be transfer-
o
ed as it were. And in tlie apparent
di.sor:ler and excitement of this trans
fer and restoration, the kingdom suf
fers violence. The disciples of Jesus
even did vioxmee in their misconcep
tions of the principles, and Jesns said
to them in correction and in answer
to them ; “ hmv is it that Elias must
first come? Elia* verily first cometh
and restoreth all things.”—Mark 9 :
12.
“ Know, therefore, and understand,
from the going forth of the command
ment to restore and to build Jerusa
lem. unto the Messiah, the prince,
shall be seven weelvS.”—Dan. 9 : 25.
John the Baptist, in (he spirit of Eli
as, received this commandment, as
the restorer of all things ; and the le
gal restoration, and the receiver of
the kingdom of God, was witnessed by
the Spirit as a dove, and the voice of
the Father in testimony of pleasure
and acceptance—-“This is my belov
ed Son, hear ye him.”
“ '['he prince (Jesus), shall be seven
iveeks.” This includes the time ol
his temptation in the wilderness, for
ty days. Then the devil leaveth him,
and behold angels came and minister
ed unto him. Now, when Jesus had
heard that John was cast into prison,
he departed into Galilee. And leav
ing Nazareth he came and dwelt in
Capernaum. From that time Jesus
began lo preach, and to say, repent,
for the kingdom of heaven ;s at hand.
Matt. 4 ; 11, 17. Luke, speaking in
reference to the same time, says he
went into the synagogue, and they
him the book, and he ivSft —
'' The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to
preach tlie gospel to the poor ; he
liath sent me to heal the broken-heart
ed ; to preach deliverance to the cap
tives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, to preach the acceptable year
of the Lord. And he closed the
book, and the eyes of all tlrem in the
synagogue were fastened upon him.—
And he began to say unto them : This
day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ears.”—Luke 4 : 18, 21,
This is to show the specified time.
Seven weeks, or forty-nine days
were accomplished after his bap
tism, before the set time fully and
officially taking charge of his king
dom. From the day of John the
Baptist U7itil this particular
day and time, the kingdom of heav
en suffered violence. The law and
the prophets were until John, making
the kingdom, as it were, settled and
secure; but since John it is preached
to all classes and conditions—preach
ed as removed, and independent of
the masters, Scribes, and Pharisees—
preached as under transfer and restor
ation, and as on condition of repent
ance instead of the ohl carnal ordi
nances and Jewish rites, and as point
ing to Jesus, the Lamb of God to
takeaway sin,and “every manpres«-
etk into it.”
This pressing, and vehement eon-
tendings, without a proper heart-felt
regard, and understanding of its prin
ciples, was the sense in which suf
fered violence, and not by physical
force, or any thing of that kind. In
the same .sense it was said the Scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites, should soe
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sit do^vti
in the kingdom, and they themselves
should be thrmt out.
The miraculous birth, and attend
ing circumstances connecting with
John and Jesus, together with the
general disorder and confusion, both
religiously and politically had created
an excited and vehement disputations
spirit, and “ all men were in expecta
tion.” And so vague were the proph
ecies concerning John the Baptist,
and so sudden and unusual was his
appearance and preaching, that n*
doubt quite erroneous and unjust con
ceptions were entertained of his mis
sion ; and here was a moral violence.
While the intolerable burdens, plac^
upon the prescribed classes, made
them ready for any change. • And »o
doubt but a majority of those coining
to John’s baptism, came in a conten
tious disputatious spirit without any
experimental knovvledge, or even spe
cial respect and understanding of the
principles of the kingdom as present
ed by John. And by this riglit—
by the right of numbers—may be said
to have taken the kingdom, and that
by violence.
For the law and the prophets were
until John; and these had, so to
speak, the legal autliority to hold
and protect the kingdom. But from
the days of John the Baptist, till
Jesus Christ officially received tho
kingdom, it was at the mercy, so to
speak, of all the regions round about
Judah. John had not the spiritual
authority to discern and judge spir
its, nor the legal authority to forbid
the kingdom to any pr^?5S!^edly
agreeing to its external demands
which were outward, its literal water
baptism unto repentrnce. He coaid
only warn them of him that came af
ter, whose fan was in his hand, and
he would thoroughly purge his floer,
and gather his wheat, and burn tho
chaff.
When the kingdom, as it just had
then done, came into the hands of
Jesus it would be unto much greater
perfection. And John being cast in
to prison, as indication of his mission
having ceased, Jesus would by tho
Spirit of God cast out devils, and the
spiritual kingdom of God, or tho
same, in demonstration of spirit and
of power, would have come unto the
subjects. And here tho initiatory
process was changed, and the baptism,
by the Holy Glujsfc and with fire,
protected from violence. Besides,
now, Jesus has all authority and rule.
All things are delivered to him of
the Father; and no man can know
the Father save the Son and to
whomsoever the Son reveals him.—
The word of God as a two-edged
sword guards the kingdons. And
those that labored and are heavy
laden are invited to come, even as
the Father shall draw them, and
none shall pluck them away, while
no unclean thing shall enter.
And yet there is still a certain
sense in which the kingdom of heav
en shall always suffer violencje in this
specified time, represented hy Jiihis
the Baptist. The time of repent
ance in Christian experience, includ
ed between the law and Christ, wilt
ever suffer this violence or he sub
jected to a contending, striving, dis-