Zion’s liaiulmarks.
163
BcHMr*aar wk
iivail ?
“chance” world
all time to come, unless taught better
The Church of God or the kiua;-
iloui of the stone is similarly situat-
t'xl v.dth the Church in the Land
of Canaan. She is small and con
temptible in the estimation of the
world. She is but little known, and
men of the world go of their own ac-
fcxrd anywhere else than to her sons
and daughters to find out wisdom.—
Ahw, for a “chance!” wdiat doth it
,nce God, and a
a “chance” Christ
and a “chance” heaven have never
done and will never do poor mortals
any gfjod. If it does for other
^'>'orids it will not do for this one of
which we are denizens.
According to the determinate coun
sel and foreknowledge of God, the
l.h-ince of Peace was crucified and
slam, and Ins gospel kingdom set up
in the world. His Ministcro went
ewerywhere preaching the word. His
Spirit quickened dead sinnei*s into
life by the implantation of the prinei-
]de of a blessed immortality within
them. He opened their hciirts for
tlie reception of the word as he did
Iwdia’s, Believers w'ere muhiplied
both men and women, Jews and
Gentdes were banded together against
the Lord and agaiast his annointed.
The great red Dragon, (heathen
liome) cirow up all liis vast resources
to destroy and utterly wipe out the
C mrehes ot Christ. The Cinirch re
sisted to the death of the bodies of
many of her members. She made
Avar ou the Dragon. Hundreds of
thousands of her children perished by
the sivord, the tiame, the prison and
lae tortureP The blood of the ^nar-
tyrs became the seed of the Cliurch.
As one of her number fell two or ten
Avould spring up in his stead.
“There was war in heaven; Michael
and Ills angels fought against the
Dragon; and the Dragon fought and
his a.iigels, and prevailed not, neither
was tueir place found any more in
Iieaven. And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony, and they
loved not their lives unto the death.”
For 300 years, the Church made
AAuar Avith the Dragon, during Avhich
period she suffered untold miseries
and the lives of hundreds of thousands
of her subjects for their profession in
Christ. “They were publicly whip
ped, druAvii by the heels through the
streets of cities, racked till every bone
in their body was disjointed, had
their teeth beat out, their noses, hands
and ears cut off, sharp pointed spears
run under their nails, v/ere tortured
Avith melted lead thrown ou their
naked bodies, had their eyes, dug out,
their limbs cut off, Avere condemned
to the mines, ground Ixetween stones,
stoned to death, burnt alive, thrown
headlong from the high buildings. Ire-
beaded, smothered in burning lime
kilns, run through the body AAuth
sharp spears, destroyed with hunger,
thirst and cold; throAAui to the Avild
Ireasts, broiled on grid-irons with
sloAV fires, casi by heaps into the sea,
crucified, scraped to death Avith sharj)
shells, torn in pieces by boughs of
trees; and, ill a Avord destroyed by
the various methods that the most di
abolical subtlety and malice could do-
Still tne numbers of Christians in
creased so that their persecutors Avere
afraid of them and bewail to court
their favor. AVhen Constantine (af
terward called the Great) in his Avar
Avith Maxentus, adonted the sio;n of
the cross for his banner—vanquished
liis adversary, planted the cross upon
the throne of the Cesars, and became
sole monarch of the Roman empire,
I'.e completely changed the Lavs and
customs of the country, making all
favorable to Christianity as under
stood by liim, and against pagan idol
atry. Thus heathen Rome fell early
in the Fourth Century, and fell to
rise no more. There has not been
since and neA^er Avill be again a uni-
Amrsal heathen monarchy on earth
to rule over Avith despotic SAvaV, the
true Israel of God, and (Avithout any
possibility of their escape,) to crush
them as did the former great empires,
typified by Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
When the feet were ‘crushed by the
peltings of the “stone,” then the whole
image fell and crumbled o pieces.—
“Then \A’as the iron, the clay, the
brass and the silver and the gold
broken to pieces,” &c., &c.
The kingdom of the stone showed
its strength and univeiAsality over all
the earth or Roman empire, and
though opposed and persecuted after-
Avard by the kingdoms indicated by
the ten toes, that subsequently the
empir!^; Avas divided into, yct^ it /Was
from professed Christian authorities
under the teachings and leadings of
the “little horn” or popery, and sim
ilar to the annoyance of the Canaau-
ite in the promised land, after that
land Avas fairly conquered by the He-
bre\A’s.
The kingdom of the stone is still
increasing and Aviil eventually fill the
world Avith the glory of God. This
image, is the image of a man, it rep
resents man and is typical also of
Avhat is in man.
The tour kingdoms or parts of the
image, are typified of the four states
of man’s experience. In the young,
Aviio are brought to the Saviour, it is
ill embryo or miniature, but in the old
it is pretty fiiirly developed.
Say there is a sinner before us Avho
is a chosen vessel of mercy, but uoav
in nature’s night. When A'erv young
he experienced the golden age. All
that glittered Avas gold to him.—
Bright anticipations, loomed up in the
future, and be considered himself a
very good young man... Everybody
else around him AA^as good and be
rejoiced to. think in lohat a good world
he lived. Yet he felt no AV'ork of the
Spirit,
Years imlled on, experience ripen
ed his. intellect, kuoAvledge increased.
sin, his actions enlarged, crimes Averc
committed—yet he covered them
over by a bright exterior, made pre-
tliis kingdom alone. He is King in
Zion ; he delivers his laAA's, as a gener
al rule, through his ajxostlcs, Avho sit
tentions to morality iuid perhaps a ; on tAvelvc thrones judging the tAvelve
profession of religion. This aa'hs the | tribes of Israel; And so far from
sih'ery state, age or kingdom, Avbich | asking help from Popes or Priests,
had OA’ercome that of gold. T"et no | Emperors, Kings, or Potentates of
Avork of the Holy Spirit w'as there.
Years rolled on and he became
more liardened in sin. He gave up
his religion as a humbug, declared
there Avas no truth in religion for lie
had tried it, said there Avas no use in
moral restraints, laughed at his for
mer credulity, enlarged the field of
his operations, and became rampant
Avith brazen infidelity. Thus the age
or kingdom of brass Avas brought to
vieAAU Ithad overcome that of silver
—there aaxis more of it yet there aaxis
no Christ or Holy Spirit in all this.
Years rolled on and the kingdom
of brass AA’as overcome by iron, Avljich
AA'as harder than the brass and more
abundant. The man became a prop
agandist of iufidelitAU He made Awar
against Christianity and denied the
truth of the scriptures. He Avould
noAAq as Saul of Tarsus did of old,
hail all to prison and to death, Avho
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.—
He declared that the doctrine of
Christ came from liell and Avould re
turn to hell, that no man should he
alloAA'ed to preach it under pain of
death and that all those Avho be
lieved it ought to he slain and denied
earth, he bids defiance to them all,
hurls tlie priucipalities and poAvers of
apolyon to the earth and establishes
his kingdom upon the ruins of them.
AVhen the children of Israel Avere
deliv'cred from Egyptian bondage,
they felt entirely relieved of tliat
poAver. The dead careasses^ of Phar-
oah and his host were floating oui the
Avaters of the Red Sea,, and they foar-
ed them not, neither did they return,
to that state of cajmvity any mure.—
But they met Avith terrible enemies in,
the Avilderness, and AA'cre at no time
entirely rid of them.
Also Avhen they drove out the seven
nations of Canaan and: entered the
promised land in triumph, they AA'crc
outwitted by the Jebusites, and never
could say they Vere entirely rid of
their enemies, though those enemies,
AA'ere in a subdued state. So tfiat
doAAm to the latest period of their
nationality, they had to confess that
“The Canaanite aaws still in the land.”
And Avhen the great image Avas de
stroyed by the overthroAv of the greet-
red dragon, the heathen empire; the
Saints feared that poAA^er no moi'c, it
AA^as destroyed forever. But })opery
the
sea
kingdoms
O
a decent burial. Here is the king- arose upon the extinction of pagan
dom of iron, or CA’^en of iron and clay,
retlucing its predecessor to dust and
burning it in the earth. Here is the
fourth stage of experience, so strong
as'to ha Am overcome all the others;
yet there is no Christfor Holy Spirit
there.
Now in the days of these Kings,
(the iron and clay) shall the God of
Heaven set up a kingdom that shall
never he destroyed God is ahoAm the
devil as AA^ill be seen in the sequel.—
He restrained the AAU'ath of man and
caused the remainder thereof to praise
him. For during the very height
Plis suspicions aroused to the good
ness of others, but had none as to his
OAvn, Ha became m.ore hardened in
and mad career of this hold, iron-
hearted persecutor, the poAver of God
Avdll come doAvni upon him and fell
him to the earth ; a ligh*^ will shine
round about him above the brightness
of the Sun, and lie aaIII hear a voice
as of old “Saul, Saul, AAdiy perseent-
est thou me?” Divine light and life
Avill be implautel Avithin him. The
kingdom of Christ, the stone cut out
Avithout liands, strikes the feet of the
image Avhich, Avere of iron and clay
and breakes. them to pieces. When
they are broken, all are broken, for
then the iron, the clay, the brass, the
silver and the gold are broken to
pieces together.
The Spiritual kingdom of Christ fills
tlie chambers of the soul, gro,wa and
thri\ms, increases in strength and ex
cellency until the earth (the earthly
raanj seems full of the glory of God.
Christ and the Holy Spirit are there.
The kingdom then set up Ayithiu
the man shall never he destroyed,
neitiier shall it he given to other
people. Christ rules
ism, the beast rose up out of
and so influenced the ten
that they more or less persecuted tlie
Saints of God in divers aauvs and
manners for over a thousand years,
and even down to the present time,
ail under the color hr pretence of
Christianity. So the Church had no
exemption from trouble day or night,
though she had rest in Clwist.
Even so there are remain's of sin
in the child of God, after the kingdom
ot Christ or the miraculous ^^tone”
has been set up within him. He is
entirely released from his old bondage
—death and the grave are destroyed,
he fears them no more. Yet he car
ries the “old man” about him, and
this old man Avars against the neAV.
The flesh lusteth against the Spirit
and the Spirit against the flesh; and
these tAvo arc contrary, the one to the
other, so that he cannot do the things
that he Avould. The tall Anakims,
are yet to fight—theCanaunite-ia,still
in the land. The kingcfoiu of the
“toes” is still pinching him,
the foes in his aAyn house, being
Avorst, are even Avide aAvake. to.
discomfort, so, that there ia no final
release until mortality is svA'allowed'
up of life, and the poor brand plucked;
from the fire, reaches ote-riral bliss.
C. B. Hassetx..
giA'en
aird
reigns
in
Married."—Se|ff. 9,,
residence of the bride’s, mother
Elder P. I>. Cold, IMr.
Hardee and Miss Ida Cro.a
Lenoir Countv, N
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