ZION’S LANDMAEKS.
DEVOTED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS.
TO THE E.A.AV A-NT) TO THE TESTIMOISTY.”
Tolume H.
Wilson, North Carolina, March 15, 1869.
Number 8.
u
r
i
i..
I;
23d Psalm.
MRS. R- ANXA PHILLIPS.
The Lord my shqjliei'd is ; He cares
For all iMy wants, and 'gainst the time
Of need He lovingly prepares
Frovisious full and all sublime
And hungering, he Icadeth me
To rich luxuriant pastures green:
So boundless here, the store I see
He resieth me assured serene.
'Vheu wearied with incessant strife,
Aiid torturing fears ray soul doth lili,
He showeth me the fount of life—
The waters peaceful, deep and still.
'Tis then He doth my soul restore
Li His own gracious, righteous name,
in patlis of righteousness t’ adore
The name that doth my feet reclaim.
What tho’ [ walk the vale of death
-Hay I not lean upon my God
Who, while I yield my failing breath
Will comfort me with start and rod.
E’en in the presence of my last
Great enemy, a table's spread;
My cup o’erflows with rich repast
And grace as oil anoints my head.
y-gTredness, O my^Sheplierd, s'iirsf^
Shall follow me thro’ all my days;
Thy grace and mercy still endure
To lead mein Thy righteous ways.
Within Thy house I’ll suredy keep
A place to dwell and to adore
Foro’er—and dews distill’d to reap—
Blessings—e’en life forever more.
of tlie seventh angel, when he shall
begin to sound, the mystery of God
should be finished,” as he has declar
ed to his servants the ^rop/teifs, which
sounding begins to take place closely
following the event. The overcom
ing and killing the tw^o witnesses will
take place according to the fore
knowledge of God and his determi
nate counsel, yet, wicked men, as in
the case of the crucifying of our
Lord Jesus, will be the direct actors
in bringing it about; and as God
was glorified in Christ’s laying down
his life, and the church redeemed
thereby, so in like mannner, we trust
his name will be glorified by his
overruling providence, and the
church benefitted through this event
ful circumstance. We proceed now
to show, first, who are the two wit
nesses. Second, give some evidences
of vfhat is meant b}'' prophecying i
sackcloth. Third, to speak of the
commencing and finishin- their
prophecying. Fourth, what is meant
by the beast ascending out of the
bottomless pit. Fifth, to show who
or what that beast is, &c. Then, first,
who are the two witnesses ? The
fourth verse explains the text, in a
kind of double mystical sense, in the
following words : “These are the
two olive trees and the two candle
sticks, standing before the God of the
earth,” (which seems to say, when we
enquire of God who they are, we are
referred back to the witnesses to tes
tify) which I understand to be the
Old and the New Testaments, and
the churches, as constituted under
them. That the candlesticks type-
fies the church, is unequivocally set
tled in Rev. 1 : 20, with striking
illustrations in many other passages.
They are said to be of God, which
represents purity, not liable to he
corrupted or din^nished by passing
through the heat of fire, beautifully
representing the purity and stability
of the church, under the severe fiery
trials of persecutions and distresses,
through which the church has ever
Georgia, Dec., 12th, 1868.
My Dear Brother Bodenhamer:—
In compliance with my promise to
Write, I proceed to show my opinion
with regard to the two witnesses,
their being killed, &c. (Rev. 11.)
This prophecy has attracted the
attention of men for ages past, and
•several calamitous circumstances have
transpired, wdiich were looked upon
at the time, as the fulfillment of that
prophecy; but time proved them in
correct, and I am persuaded, iio one
will correctly understand, that or any
other prophetic expression, without
the aid of the Spirit that moved the
prophet to write, nor should any one
imagine his understanding enlighten-
ed by the Spirit, unless that under
standing is in accordance with the
written word of God. Doubtless the
word of God contains other references
to this notable event, for in Rev. 10:
: , it is said “in the days of the voice | nesses shall have finished their testi
mony. I believe it is pretty general
ly admitted by most protestant 'writ-
ers and ministers, that the church
answers to one if not both of the wit
nesses ; but when we rememDer the
candlestick can afford no light, make
nothing manifest without oil, we see
she must have aid, a co-helper, there
fore she is only one of the two -wit
nesses. It is true, the olive trees are
not so definitely and pointedly spoken
of, as representing the Old and New
Testaments, yet when we remember,
they yielded the only oil that was to
keep the lamps burning in the Taber
nacle and Temple services, and as
they are spoken of in Zach. 4th, as
the two anointed ones, standing by
the Lord of the earth, emptying out
the golden oil of themselves through
the pipes, it seems to me, they are
a fit representation of the Old and
estament, the ^vord, of G-od^:
^c^^ly wheh-WA 'i'Mect that the
word of Gcd, is the channel through
which we have any correct knowl
edge of God and godliness, it
is clear to my understanding, -\ve
should not doubt to receive the figure,
and further, by examining, we see
both the law and the gospel spoken of,
as the testimony or witness of God.
(see Ex. 25 : 16 ; Psl. 19 : 7 ; 1st
Corinthian 1: 6 and 2:1; Mathew
24 : 14 ; John 5 : 39, 46 and
Acts 10 : 43.) I therefore un
derstand the AYord of God and the
church, as co-witnesses beautifully
set forth in the olive trees and can
dlesticks. ■ The church, not being
able to reflect any light without the
word of God, neither, could the word
of God send forth, such a ray of light
to the gloi’3^ of God to a gazing
world, without the church. They
are called the two prophets of God,
and it is said they tormented them
that dwelt on the earth, and they re
joiced over them and made merry,
and sent gifts one to another, Avhen
they saw these two witnesses killed
and lying in the streets of the great
city, spiritually (not literally) called
had to pass, and through which she Sodom and Egypt, Avhere our Lord
will have to pass, until the two wit- tvas also crucified ; so it requires both,
to show the people the error and fol
ly of unbelief and sin.. It is in keep
ing the commandments of God,- and
observing his statutes, that the church
under either dispensation, has let her
light shine ; it is the Spirit or grace
of God in his word, like the oil in the
lamp, that burns or gives light
through the church, to prick the
heart of others or convince them of
sin. Thus the word of God and the
church, are united, co-witnesses, and
thus united they stand together, and
united they fall together. Reject
this view, and we afe much perplex
ed if not entirely disappointed, in
attempting to find two witnesses in
accordance w’ith scripture testimony.
It will not do to say, the elders or
ministers are one and the church is
the other, because both are of one
body (tho church,) neither can Ave
say the Old and the Ncav Testaments
are the jiYO,,^.imca^eAt
comph'i jtho /oidof CVid, and furth
er, these tAvo M’itnesses are spoken of
as each being double, as tAvo olive
trees and tAvo candlesticks, therefore
as Ave cannot get two Avitnesses out
of either of these, separately or any
Avhere else, I am Avilling to alloAV
them jointly, as in accordance Avith
scripture authority.
Second, the two Avitnesses Avero
to prophecy tAvelve hundred and sixty
days, clothed in sackcloth. We un
derstand from this, that the church
being supported by the light -and
grace of God through the Word; op
posed anti-christ or man of sin, to the
bringing doAvn upon her, the most
severe sufferings and sorroAV hitherto
known; much of the time her track
Avms marked Avith blood, tears, confis
cation of property, imprisonments
and death in the most horrid formg ;
mournings, sorroAV of heart and deep
humility, on account of the rejection
of the AATi’d of truth, have ever ac
companied her. These sufferings,
both on account of her physical pains
as well as sorroAV of heart, for tho
depressed state of the churchy and
the rejection and contempt throAvn
upon the plain, simple truth of the
■word of God, set forth by the term
“clothed in sackcloth,” an emblem of