,the ,opening ,heavens ,the ,opening ,heavens1 ,or ,a ,connected ,view ,of ,the ,testimony of the ,prophets and ,apostles1 ,concerning ,the ,opening ,heavens1 ,compared ,with ,astronomical ,observations1 ,and ,of ,the ,present ,and ,future ,location ,of ,the ,new ,jerusalem1 ,the ,paradise ,of ,god4 ,by ,joseph ,bates ,new ,bedford3 ,press ,of ,benjamin ,lindsey4 #ahdf4 ,,preface ,in presenting the following subject to the consideration of whom it may concern1 ,i would here state that the two leading motives which have actuated and guided me through this absorbing subject has been--first1 the truth of ,god to encourage and strengthen the true-believer4 ,second1 to correct1 or rebuke the spiritual views1 7may ,i not say of almost all ,christendom17 in respect to the appearing and kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,twenty-one years observation and experience1 but more especially the last seven1 in pursuit of this object1 has taught me that truth is the only thing that can save the soul4 ,but the great mass of the professed ,christian world seem to pay no more regard to it than their great ,predecessor1 who said unto the ,saviour what is truth8 when he had just said to him that he came into the world to bear witness unto the truth1 and every one that is of the truth1 heareth my voice4 ,jesus in his last prayer for his disciples asks the ,father to sanctify them through the truth4 ,thy word is truth4 ,st4 ,john4 ,again1 he saith4 ,the ,spirit is truth4 ,the forerunner of ,christ said1 ,the law was given by ,moses1 but grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4 ,jesus says1 ,i am not come to destroy the law or the prophets2 but to fulfil1 for verily ,i say unto you till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law until all be fulfilled4 ,matthew4 ,then of course man is required to believe and live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4 ,third1 thousands who have been looking for the personal appearing of the ,lord ,jesus from heaven in these last days1 have in their disappointment about his coming1 given up the only ,scriptural view1 and are now teaching that he has come in spirit and this is all we shall ever see of him here4 ,one single passage from the ,saviour's last words1 when about to leave the world in the flesh1 ought to have rectified any such mistake3 ,and lo1 ,i am with you always1 even unto the end of the world1 meaning of course1 his spirit4 ,but ,i submit the subject4 ,fairhaven1 ,may #h1 #ahdf4 ,joseph ,bates4 ,the copy right is secured with ,him that sits upon the ,throne in the coming ,heavenly ,sanctuary4 ,the grant to use it is unlimited4 ,those only are punished that abuse the right4 ,,the ,,opening ,,heavens4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 hereafter ye shall see ,,heaven ,,open1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the son of man4--,john i3 #ea4 ,notwithstanding my incompetency to do justice to this momentous subject1 ,i feel constrained to throw out my views in this public manner1 for the benefit of all who feel an interest in the second coming of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ1 to set up1 and establish his everlasting kingdom1 upon this renovated earth4 ,i believe1 according to the testimony of the two men seen in white apparel1 that this same ,jesus which was taken up into ,heaven will in like manner come again1 7,acts i3 #aa7 from the same place1 and stand in the same place he left4 7,see ,zach4 xiv3 #d47 ,i believe he is in the third ,heaven1 in ,paradise1 with ,god1 the ,father2 7see #b ,cor4 xii3 #b1 #d2 ,rev4 iii3 #ba2 ,heb4 i3 #c1 #i and #bd7 that he is now about to come with the ,holy ,,city1 ,,the ,,capital of his everlasting kingdom1 and locate it in the midst of the promised land where he was crucified4 ,according to this view then there is but one place in the heavens for this ,,city to come from4 ,a spiritual exposition of these glorious things1 now about to be realized1 beclouds the whole1 and leaves no tangible ground for ,god's people to stand on4 ,whoever attempts this wilfully will run the risk of losing his soul1 for ,jesus says if any man shall add or take away from the words of the book of this prophecy1 ,god shall take away his part 7from the tree of life--margin7 and out of the ,holy ,,city4 ,rev4 xxii3 #ai4 ,proof positive1 that the ,saints have a part in the ,city1 and not in themselves4 ,let us now listen to his description of this glorious view he sees before him1 while he sits1 pen in hand1 all ready to write down what transpires at the command of his guide4 ,i1 ,john1 saw the holy ,,city ,,new ,,jerusalem coming down from ,god1 out of ,heaven1 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband4 ,in the #eth v4 ,john saw him that was dead and is alive forevermore1 seated upon his throne2 and he said unto me write1 for these words are true and faithful4 ,and there came unto me one of the seven angels1 saying come up hither1 ,i will show thee the bride1 the ,lamb's wife2 and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain1 and shewed me that great ,,city ,,the ,,holy ,,jerusalem1 descending out of ,heaven from ,god1 having the glory of ,god3 and her light was like unto a stone most precious1 even like a ,jasper stone1 clear as crystal4 ,and ,i heard a great voice out of ,heaven saying1 behold1 the ,,tabernacle of ,god is with men4 ,what a beautiful description is here--please read the whole chapter4 ,in the two first verses of the xxii4 chapter1 we learn that the walls of this ,,city enclose the tree of life1 which is in the midst of the ,paradise of ,god4 ,moses testifies that the ,lord ,god planted a garden eastward in ,eden1 and there he put the man whom he had formed4 ,and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden1 and a river went out of ,eden to water the garden1 and became into four heads4 ,gen4 xi3 #h1 #aj2 iii3 #c1 #ag1 #bb1 #bd4 ,compare this with ,ezekiel's prophecy1 xlvii3 #c1 #e1 #ab2 also xlviii3 #cj1 #ce4 ,there he speaks of waters first shallow and then deep2 waters to swim in that could not be passed over1 on the banks of which shall be fruit every month1 and the leaves for medicine4 ,he also shows the four sides or heads to the river4 ,the prophet ,isaiah says ,look upon ,zion1 the ,city4 ,jerusalem4 ,tabernacle1 a place of broad rivers and streams2 where shall pass no galley with oars1 neither shall gallant ship pass thereby1--xxxiii3 #bj1 #ba4 ,surely this is the same which ,moses and ,ezekiel has described2 and ,john says1 ,to him that overcometh will ,i give to eat of the tree of life1 which is in the midst of the ,paradise of ,god4 ,and whosoever will1 let him take the water of life freely4 ,rev4 xxii3 #ag1 #b1 #g4 ,then this ,holy ,city1 new ,jerusalem1 the ,zion of ,god1 the ,tabernacle of ,god1 the ,bride the ,lamb's ,wife1 the ,mother of us all1 is a ,city1 enclosed with a wall one hundred and forty-four cubits high1 which embraces the garden of ,eden1 the ,paradise of ,god4 ,and ,god calls it his ,,sanctuary4 ,i suppose that it will be conceded by all1 that the ,garden of ,eden at the time of the fall1 was a literal place1 and was planted eastward4 ,yes1 says one1 and it is located in ,ethiopia or ,assyria4 ,how then is it1 that the traveller and historian are entirely silent about it8 ,surely1 it is a most remarkable place4 ,hear ,moses's description of it3--,therefore the ,lord ,god sent him 7,adam7 forth from the garden of ,eden to till the ground from whence he was taken4 ,so he drove out the man3 and placed at the ,east of the garden of ,eden1 ,cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way1 to guard the tree of life4 ,gen4 iii3 #bc1 #bd4 ,now we have no account that these ,cherubims and flaming sword has ever been seen within the orbit of this planet 7which is allowed to be #afb millions of miles in diameter7 since the fall of man1 but has been far removed out of their sight4 ,the prophet says1 ,behold the time shall come that these tokens which ,i have told thee1 shall come to pass1 and the ,bride shall appear1 and the coming forth shall be seen that now is withdrawn from the earth1--xi4 ,esdras3 #g1 #bf4 ,this shows that ,paradise is not located in this planet4 ,but perhaps you do not believe that ,esdras is a true prophet2 well then1 will you believe ,st4 ,paul8 ,he says1 ,i knew a man in ,christ above fourteen years ago 7whether in the body ,i cannot tell1 ,god knoweth7 such an one caught up to the third ,heaven--,god knoweth how that he was caught up into ,paradise and heard unspeakable words which it is not 7possible3 margin7 for a man to utter4 #b ,cor4 xii3 #d4 ,st4 ,john's testimony agrees with ,paul1 for he says he saw the ,bride the ,lamb's wife1 coming down from ,god1 out of ,heaven1 without doubt1 the same place where he had been4 ,but says the objector1 if ,john saw it coming down #agej years ago1 it ought to have been here by this time4 ,very true2 but ,john saw things which must shortly come to pass4 ,rev4 #a4 ,let us just look at a few of the things he saw1 and remember at the same time how he was directed to write them down1 that every important point might be recorded4 ,he saw the abomination 7,popery7 that maketh desolate set up1 four hundred and forty-five years in the future4 ,again1 he saw the seven angels going forth with their trumpets to sound--he particularly describes the three last4 ,see ,rev4 viii3 #ac2 ix3 #ag1 #ai4 ,here he shows us what was to be the component parts of gunpowder1 and in a very peculiar and clear manner describes the musket with the ball1 7head7 how they killed men #acej years before muskets were used on horse-back--#agth v4 ,further1 how could he have described the second advent history so minutely as he has done in the xiv4 chapter1 if he had not have seen what was to be1 and has been fulfilled2 and how is it possible he could have given such a lamentable picture of ,mistery ,babylon1 if he had not have seen in these last days of perilous times1 the professed children of ,god drinking from the old mother's cup of poison1 while she was drunk with the blood of the martyrs of ,jesus4 ,rev4 xvii4 and xviii4 ,once more1 how did ,david see that blood thirsty mob shoot out the lip1 and laugh to scorn their ,savior2 and the four ,roman soldiers under his cross dividing his garments and casting lots for his vesture1 twelve hundred years before it took place4 ,john xix3 #bc1 #bd4 ,why6 just as ,st4 ,john saw the ,holy ,city coming down at the second advent of ,jesus--just as ,i believe1 it will be seen1 ,having the glory of ,god3 and her light was like unto a stone most precious1 even like a jasper stone1 clear as crystal4 ,rev4 xxi3 #aa4 ,the most precious is the green1 spotted with red and purple4 ,we will now look at the ,,astronomical ,,view4 ,from what part of ,heaven will this glorious ,city appear8 ,we answer1 from where the flaming sword is guarding the way of the tree of life1 and the ,cherubims are stationed4 ,john i3 #ea4 ,furgerson1 the celebrated astronomer of the last century1 in describing some of the many wonders in the ,heavens1 says that the two bright clouds in the heavens at the south pole1 called by mariners the clouds of ,magelen1 are by astronomers called cloudy stars1 but the most remarkable of all the cloudy stars is that in the middle of ,orion's ,sword1 where seven stars 7of which three are very close together7 seem to shine through a cloud1 very lucid in the middle1 but faint and ill defined about the edges4 ,it looks like a ,,gap in the sky1 through which one may see 7as it were7 part of a much brighter region4 ,although most of the spaces are but a few minutes of a degree in breadth1 yet1 since they are among the fixed stars1 they must be spaces larger than what is occupied by our ,solar ,system--7the ,solar ,system includes the ,planet ,uranus1 which is one thousand and eight hundred millions of miles from the ,sun1 the circumference of her orbit in which she revolves around the ,sun is calculated to be three hundred and fourteen millions of miles7--and in which there seems to be a perpetual uninterrupted day among numberless worlds1 which no human art can ever discover4--,furgerson's ,treatise on ,astronomy1 edition ,a4 ,d4 #aggj4 ,out of ninety-three1 ,orion is the most striking and splendid constellation in the ,heavens2 her centre is mid way between the poles of heaven and directly over the equator of the ,earth1 and is visible from all the habitable parts of the ,globe4 ,on her south-eastern quarter is the beautiful star ,sirius1 7one of the most magnificent in the ,heavens47 and on the north-west is stationed the ,pleiades or seven ,stars4 ,she rises at noon about the #ith of ,march and sets at noon about the #bast of ,june1 and comes to the meridian ,january #bc;d1 at #i ,p4 ,m4 ,she is now to be seen for a little while1 in the evening twilight1 about one hour high1 with the ,planets ,jupiter and ,mars on her north and north-west4 ,when the ,lord answered ,job out of the whirl wind1 and demanded of him to answer to the wonderful questions which he was now about to put to him1 he says ,canst thou bind the sweet influences of the ,pleiades or loose the bands of ,,orion4 ,when ,amos1 the ,prophet exhorted his ,israel to repentance1 he endeavored to impress their minds with the power of ,god by adverting to the wonderful phenomena in the ,heavens1 by saying1 ,seek him that maketh the ,seven ,stars and ,orion1 c4 c4 ,,huggens1 its first discoverer1 gives the following description of it3 ,astronomers place three stars close together in the ,sword of ,orion2 and when ,i viewed the middle-most with a ,telescope1 in the year #afef1 there appeared in the place of that one1 twelve other stars2 among these three that almost touch each other1 and four more besides appeared twinkling as through a cloud1 so that the space about them seemed much brighter than the rest of the heaven1 which appearing wholly blackish1 by reason of the fair weather1 was seen as through a curtain opening1 through which one had a free view into another region which was more enlightened4 ,i have frequently observed the same appearance in the same place without any alteration2 so that it is likely that this wonder1 whatever it may be in itself1 has been there from all times2 but ,i never took notice of any thing like it among the rest of the fixed stars4 ,sir ,,william ,,herschel says1 ,if stars of the eighth magnitude are to be considered at an average of eight times further distant than those of the first1 then this nebula cannot be supposed to be less than #cbj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1 three hundred and twenty thousand billions of miles from the earth4 ,if its diameter at this distance subtend an angle of ten minutes1 which it nearly does1 its magnitude must be utterly inconceivable4 ,it has been calculated that it must exceed #b1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj1 or two trillions of times the dimensions of the ,sun1 vast and incomprehensible as these dimensions are4--,see ,dick's ,siderial ,heavens1 ,vol4 ,,viii4 pp4 #aha1 #ahd4 ,says this author--,suffice it to say that such an enormous mass of luminous matter was not created in vain1 but serves a purpose in the divine arrangements corresponding to its magnitude and the nature of its luminosity1 and to the wisdom and intelligence of him whose power brought it into existence4 ,it doubtless subserves some important purpose1 even at the present moment1 to worlds and beings within the range of its influence4 ,but the ultimate in all its bearings and relations1 may perhaps remain to be evolved during the future ages of an interminable existence4 ,page #ahd4 ,again1 says the ,,illustrated ,,london ,,news of ,april #aith1 #ahde3 ,marvellous rumors are afloat respecting the ,astronomical discoveries made by ,lord ,rosse's monster ,telescope4 7,this is said to be sixty feet long and its great speculum or reflecting large glass measures six feet in diameter and weighs three and three-fourths tons1 and is calculated to discover glorious objects in the ,heavens1 to man heretofore unknown47 ,it is stated that ,regulus1 instead of being a sphere1 is ascertained to be a ,disc2 and stranger still1 that the nebula in the belt of ,orion 7meaning the bright place before stated7 is a universal system1 a sun with planets moving round it1 as the earth and her fellows move around our glorious luminary4 ,thus we see from all the testimony adduced1 7and we could give much more were it necessary7 that here is a most wonderful and inexplainable phenomena in the heavens3 a gap in the sky1 more than #aa1cad1jjj1jjj miles in circumference4 ,says the celebrated ,,huggens1 ,i never saw anything like it among the rest of the fixed stars--a free view into another region more enlightened4 ,i have had the pleasure 7with others7 during the past month1 to see this wonder in the ,heavens a number of evenings1 through ,j4 ,delano1 ,jr's4 excellent ,telescope4 ,it has been supposed by some1 that this wonderful phenomena seen through the sword of ,orion1 has passed through some material change since it was first discovered by ,huggens1 one hundred and ninety years ago4 ,on this point ,sir ,john ,herschel says3 ,when it is considered how difficult it is to represent such an object duly1 and how entirely its appearance will differ even in the same ,telescope1 according to the clearness of the air1 or other temporary causes1 we shall readily admit that we have no evidence of change that can be relied on4 ,as ,i had before partially examined the ,bible view of the opening ,heavens1 ,i think ,i never shall forget the thrill that pervaded my whole being1 the first time that ,i saw this celestial wonder coursing its way down the western ,heavens6 ,since then1 when ,i have viewed it through the ,telescope1 my mind would instinctively revert to ,moses's description of the liberated children of ,abraham1 passing through the ,red ,sea1 with that wonderful miracle the pillar of fire1 between them and the ,egyptian ,host4 ,my thoughts still running onward1 from type to antitype1 ,god looking through the cloud of fire in the morning watch2 at once vanquished the enemies of his chosen people4 ,exo4 xiv3 #bd1 #bg4 ,so in this morning watch ,god will not only look through this mighty space1 7black on one side with the stormy cloud17 but1 as the ,prophet ,joel says1 he will ,roar out of ,zion1 and utter his voice from ,jerusalem2 and the ,heavens and the ,earth shall shake3 but the ,lord will be the hope of his people4--,so shall ye know that ,i am the ,lord your ,god dwelling in ,zion my holy mountain3 then shall ,jerusalem be holy4 7,,cleansed47 iii3 #af1 #ag4 ,a western view1 with an inverting eye piece1 gives it the appearance of a stormy dark cloud1 with a full moon just shut in behind it1 and three bright stars looking through the cloud4 ,this dark looking cloud is called the gap in the sky4 ,this constellation measures about one thousand miles from ,north to ,south1 and five hundred from ,east to ,west1 and is visible to all the inhabitants of the earth4 ,here then is a mighty ,image 7as represented on the map of the ,heavens17 stretched across mid heaven1 with his gold and silver epaulettes 7four hundred and eighty miles apart7 and two burning stars denoting his ,northern and ,southern extremities3 the golden one on his upraised left foot1 the other of silver on his right knee1 answering to the one on his left shoulder2 girded with his brilliant studded belt and flaming sword2 doubtless1 to subserve some important purpose even at the present moment4 ,let it be distinctly understood1 with what has already been stated by the ,astronomers1 that this constellation is one of the most brilliant and noted in the ,heavens1 that its nebula1 7according to the celebrated ,sir ,,william ,,herschel7 far exceeds any other object1 and its magnitude utterly inconceivable1 two trillions times larger than the ,sun2 while the ,sun is allowed to be thirteen hundred thousand times larger than our globe4 ,that it never yet has been resolved into stars by the highest power of the telescope1 and there is no evidence of any change1 even if it were discovered to be resolvable1 7as is stated by a writer somewhat acquainted with ,lord ,rosse's monster telescope47 ,if so1 it goes to strengthen the argument of its first discoverer1 who says through which one had a free view into another region which was more enlightened4 ,if1 then1 there is nothing to be seen on ,earth or in the ,heavens except what ,joshua and ,david saw1 v3 #ac1 #ad2 #a ,chro4 xxi3 #ae1 #af1 that looks like this constellation1 would it be thought strange for a ,christian to believe that the ,prophet ,moses had recorded for our instruction the very answer to be given1 viz4 to keep the way of the tree of life4 ,i have now given a general description of this celestial wonder1 but some may still doubt whether any thing can be ascertained with respect to objects so far removed4 ,if the most accurate calculations had not already been made in respect to many of the heavenly bodies1 how could the tempest tossed mariner1 after being driven for days1 and sometimes weeks1 sailing on all points of the compass1 and perhaps1 not have known his position from the time he had taken his departure from his port1 only by dead reckoning1 nothing in sight but sea and sky1 ascertain his true position8 ,just look1--there stands the captain1 on some convenient part of the deck of his ship1 holding in his hand a three cornered instrument1 called a ,sextant1 measuring the distance between the sun and moon1 or if it be in the night1 between the moon and some lunar star1 7which is millions on millions of miles removed from the ,solar ,system17 noting the moment by his watch when he brings the outer or inner edges of these two celestial objects to touch2 then measuring their distance from the horizon4 ,with the help of a ,nautical ,almanac1 7which had been published years before17 in the course of twenty minutes he so confidently ascertains his position1 7however strange it may appear to landsmen17 that he would1 after running ten or one hundred miles more or less1 as the case may be1 direct one of his crew to go to the mast head1 and tell him at the same time in what direction to look for land4 ,presently the cry would come down1 thrilling through every soul in the ship1 ,land ho6 ,where away8 ,off the starboard bow1 sir1 where you told me to look4 ,such instances are not rare1 but of daily occurrence4 ,how could that be8 says one1 it looks like a miracle6 ,so it would be1 if the great ,god had not directed these celestial objects to move in perfect harmony4 ,a place for every one1 and every one in its place4 ,one at a certain time said1 ,canst thou by searching find out ,god8 ,canst thou find out the ,almighty to perfection8 ,the wise man answers1 ,no man can find out the work that ,god maketh from the beginning to the end4 ,ecl4 iii3 #b2 ,job xi3 #g4 ,these texts alone teach us that we yet know but little of the power and wisdom of the ,sovereign of the universe1 whose spirit fills unlimited space2 which space is undoubtedly coeval and coextensive with eternity2 studded with millions on millions of worlds1 each moving in its appropriate ,sphere1 like our own ,planet4 ,but a still greater wonder is the thousands and millions of blazing ,comets1 even in the ,solar ,system1 7,dick1 vol4 viii3 p4 #cci17 seemingly sailing with a roving commission1 sweeping their burning trails all over the perceptible universe of ,god1 each moving in its proper ,orbit6 some of them shooting1 at times1 almost with the velocity of lightning6 ,and yet1 with what precision does the ,astronomer calculate their appearing again after hundreds and thousands of years1 without interfering with any of the celestial scenery4 ,just turn over to the second page of your ,almanac and learn with what admirable accuracy the ,astronomer has calculated1 even to a moment of time1 when the moon of yesterday will be passing under the sun1 and cause the darkness to be seen and felt4 ,some minds may be troubled about the flaming sword being placed at the ,east of the ,garden1 or that we could see the ,eastern side4 ,this will be better understood by looking at the motion of our ,planet4 ,it is said by ,astronomers that this ,earth in its annual motion1 is booming round the sun at the rate of nineteen miles per second2 at the same time her diurnal motion from ,east to ,west is at the rate of ten miles per minute3 consequently all the objects we see in the heavens1 comes from the ,east1 and among the rest this glorious constellation of ,orion1 all just as natural as it is for us to see the ,sun rise in the ,east2 and in the same direction the world will soon see what the ,second ,advent believer has long and anxiously been waiting for3 viz4 the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,titus ii3 #ac4 ,now let us take another view2 not through ,lord ,rosse's1 but ,god's great ,telescope1 which declares the end from the beginning4 ,isa4 #df3 #aj4 ,,bible ,,view4 ,the patriarch ,jacob said to his sons that ,god ,almighty appeared unto him at ,luz1 which is ,bethel4 ,gen4 #dh3 #c2 #be3 #bf4 ,here1 while a ,pilgrim traveller and stranger1 he had laid himself down for the night1 he dreamed1 and behold a ladder set up on the earth1 and the top of it reached to ,heaven2 and behold1 the angels of ,god ascending and descending on it4 ,gen4 xxviii3 #ab4 ,seventeen hundred and ninety years after this1 the ,lord says to ,nathaniel1 hereafter ye shall see ,,heaven ,,open1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the son of man4 ,this1 then1 is in the future4 ,next in order1 ,ezekiel has a vision1 in the thirtieth year of the ,babylonish captivity by the river ,chebar4 ,he says1 the ,heavens were ,,opened1 and ,i saw visions of ,god4 ,he proceeds to describe his vision2 please read ,chap4 i3 #e1 #aj2 #bd1 #bh4 ,he sees as the appearance of a man--describes also the stormy cloud with the brightness round about it2 he also hears a voice from the firmament1 and says that the ,lord ,god spake to him4 ,now see ,chap4 x3 #d1 #e2 #ai1 #bj4 ,here he says the ,cherubims stood at the door of the ,east gate 7where ,moses says they were placed7 of the ,lord's ,house1 and the glory of the ,god of ,israel was over them above4 ,this is the living creature that ,i saw under the ,god of ,israel by the river ,chebar1 and ,i knew that they were ,cherubims4 ,is it not plain that ,ezekiel has shown the same place and station of the ,cherubims which ,moses has1 on the ,east side1 keeping the way of the tree of life4 ,jacob calls them angels1 and cries out in terror1 ,how dreadful is this place1 this is none other but the ,house of ,god and this is the gate 7or opening7 of ,heaven4 #ag v4 ,isaiah in a vision sees the throne high and lifted up1 and hears the voice of ,god1 as did the others4 ,let us examine here a few moments to see what ,cherubims are1 and their use4 ,one writer says1 they appear to be servants of ,god sent to do his will4 ,hear ,god concerning them1 and there will ,i meet with thee and ,i will commune with thee from between the two ,cherubims which are upon the ,ark of the testimony1 of all things which ,i will give thee in commandment unto the children of ,israel4 ,exo4 xxv3 #af1 #bb4 ,,proof--,and ,hezekiah 7in his distress7 prayed before the ,lord1 and said ,o ,lord ,god of ,israel which dwelleth between the ,cherubims1 #b ,kings1 xix3 #ae4 ,and ,god sent the prophets to tell him that his prayer was heard4 v4 #bj4 ,the ,lord reigneth let the people tremble2 he setteth between the ,cherubims1 let the earth be moved4 ,psl4 xcix3 #a4 ,then here is where we are to look for the ,paradise of ,god1 the ,holy ,city1 and where we shall soon hear the voice of ,god1 for he sitteth above between the ,cherubims1 as is represented in the old ,tabernacle and ,temple4 ,for see1 saith he1 that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount4 ,heb4 viii3 #e2 ix3 #e4 ,st4 ,john also describes them1 and tells what their occupations were in heaven4 ,rev4 v3 #aa1 #ab4 ,now we will proceed with the testimony concerning the opening heavens4 ,john the ,baptist bears record1 that when he was coming up out of the water from baptising the ,saviour1 he saw the heavens ,,opened 7or cloven or rent7 and the spirit like a dove descending upon him1 and there came a voice from heaven1 c4 ,mark i3 #aj1 #aa2 ,luke iii3 #bj1 #bb2 ,matt4 iii3 #af1 #ag2 ,john i3 #cb4 ,here is the opening heavens1 and the voice of ,god as before4 ,when ,jesus was transfigured on the ,mount the ,disciples saw the cloud and heard the voice of ,god4 ,when the ,savior ascended from ,mount ,olivet1 his disciples saw him3 the two shining ones said1 ,ye men of ,galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 7it must have been open to their view1 or they could not have looked into heaven7 this same ,jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall come again in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven4 ,acts i3 #aa4 ,then of course1 it will be from the same place4 ,let us not be deceived about this1 he has not come yet4 ,again1 ,st4 ,luke says of ,stephen1 the martyr1 7while he was surrounded by a blood-thirsty mob1 gnashing on him with their teeth1 because of the burning truths which he uttered17 ,being full of the ,holy ,ghost1 looked up steadfastly into heaven1 7at a certain point7 and saw the glory of ,god1 and ,jesus standing on the right hand of ,god3 and said1 behold1 ,i see the heavens opened1 and the son of man standing on the right hand of ,god4 ,was ,stephen mistaken8 ,i think not--it was his dying testimony4 ,but here is a more singular case still1 two miracles on two individuals of different nations to establish and fulfil ,daniel's prophecy of the seventieth week upon his people 7the ,jews74 ,the time had now come and something out of the ordinary way was to mark this epoch of time4 ,now look yonder in ,cesarea1 there is a ,gentile in a vision1 he sees an angel which directs him to send into ,judea for a certain ,jew named ,peter4 ,where is he8 ,at a place called ,joppa4 7the sea port of ,jerusalem17 lying in a trance1 on the top of a house1 and made to feel very hungry1 7that he might more readily and willingly follow the teachings of the voice and spirit of ,god to proclaim salvation to the ,gentiles1 for he was one of the stubborn ones1 that held to the present truth2 and perhaps could not be prevailed upon to yield in any other way47 ,just so with his stubborn brethren1 who called him to an account for going in to the ,gentiles1 but after he had rehearsed the whole matter to them1 then they believed and glorified ,god1 for granting repentance to the ,gentiles4 ,but what was the miracle8 ,peter says he saw heaven opened and a certain vessel descending unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners1 and let down to the earth4 ,this was done thrice 7or three times7 and the vessel was received up again into ,heaven1 and the voice of the ,lord came to him twice1 saying what ,god has cleansed call not thou common4 ,acts x4 and xi4 ch4 ,here ends the confirming of the ,covenant with many for one week4 ,danl4 ix3 #bg1 ,heb4 ii3 #c4 ,the ,apostle ,paul in relating his vision says that he was caught up to the third ,heavens into ,paradise4 #b ,cor4 xii3 #b1 #d4 ,st4 ,john1 the beloved disciple1 in his solitary confinement on the ,isle of ,patmos1 not only has the same view of the opening ,heavens1 and hears the same voice1 but was called up there in the spirit1 and immediately he was there1 describing the glories of ,heaven4 ,please read his description of the glorious picture before and around the throne1 7from whence the ,prophets and ,apostles already quoted1 have looked through ,god's all magnifying ,telescope1 and was burdened with the cry1 ,this is none other but the ,house of ,god and this is the gate of ,heaven6 ,and lo1 the ,heavens were opened66 ,i see ,heaven open666 ,at the same time and place ,god speaks with them74 ,v3 #f--;here he sees the ,lamb4 ,also vii3 #ae2 viii3 #c1 #e1 and xii3 #e4 ,jesus the ,son was caught up there1 xx3 #aa1 and xxi3 #e4 ,same thing in the iv3 #h v4 he has ,isaiah's view of the ,seraphims and uses nearly the same language in describing them1 and says with ,isaiah they rest neither day nor night1 saying1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy ,lord ,god ,almighty1 which was1 and is1 and is to come1 #h v41 and in the fifth chapter he says ,and ,i beheld and heard the voices of many angels round about the throne1 saying with a loud voice1 worthy is the ,lamb that was slain to receive power1 c4 c4 ,ezekiel's ,cherubims and ,john's ,angels are undoubtedly the same4 ,john's four beasts1 ,isaiah's ,seraphims1 and ,ezekiel's four wheels are typical of the four grand divisions of the ,camp of ,israel1 around the ,tabernacle in the wilderness1 all marshalled and arrayed by ,god's direction with their four different standards1 7answering to the four faces or sides to ,ezekiel's wheel1 and the faces of ,john's four beasts74 ,juda with the ,lion in the front on the ,east1 7,num4 ch4 ii47 all ready to move at a moment's warning4 ,even where the cloudy pillar by day or of fire by night2 which rested on the ,tabernacle1 should direct4 ,the ,levites1 the ministers of ,god1 all moving in perfect harmony1 with the ,ark containing the ,commandments of ,god2 close after which1 in the midst of the camp1 in solid columns follows the taken down tabernacle4 ,all moving after and watching the direction of this fiery pillar by night1 and the moment it ceased to move the camp halted4 ,the ,tabernacle was raised1 and the ,commandments of ,god1 7the keeping of which will secure an entrance into the ,anti-type1 the real ,heavenly ,tabernacle1 that is to be with men1 ,rev4 xxi3 #c2 xxii3 #ad47 restored to their proper place beneath1 and under the guardian care of the ,cherubims between which his people were directed to pray unto him4 ,exo4 xxv3 #bb4 ,john also has described in the above mentioned texts1 much of the furniture particularized in the old ,tabernacle1 which ,paul says are patterns of the true4 ,heb4 ix3 #bc1 #bd4 ,conclusive evidence that he was in the true 7or real7 ,tabernacle which ,god pitched1 and not man4 ,heb4 viii3 #b4 ,the same ,city1 which ,abraham looked for1 whose builder and maker is ,god4 ,the ,psalmist also agrees with ,paul2 and says1 ,the ,lord has prepared his throne in the ,heavens4 ,paul says1 that ,jesus is there4 ,see ,heb4 viii3 #a1 #b2 and ix3 #bd4 ,jesus says1 he that overcometh will ,i grant to sit with me in my throne1 even as ,i also overcame and am set down with my ,father in his throne4 ,rev4 iii3 #ba4 ,now1 is it not evident that ,god has but one sanctuary1 and that his throne is there2 and one place for that sanctuary1 and that place in the third heavens8 ,why then1 should there be more than one way to approach it1 or for it to come from1 namely1 by the ,cherubims and flaming sword1 stationed there1 to guard the way8 ,the editor of the ,day ,star asks1 why we stand gazing up into heaven2 can you 7meaning1 ,i suppose1 any one7 tell where this same ,jesus is coming from8 #b;d4 ,can you prove ,god the ,father to be in one place1 in any greater degree and power1 than he is in any and every1 and every other place8 ,if we have not already offered sufficient evidence1 in answer to these two most important questions to the true believer in ,christ1 we will try a little further2 for if we cannot understand1 nor in any way comprehend1 the teachings of the divine word1 in respect to the second coming and kingdom of ,jesus ,christ1 the location of the heavenly ,sanctuary1 the new ,jerusalem1 ,god's dwelling place1 other than is figuratively discerned1 then1 ,i say1 we that truly believe in ,god1 are of all men the most miserable2 and the sooner we hoist the ,shaker's flag1 and bring too under the lee of their camp1 the better2 for ,i should despair of ever getting my anchor down within the vale4 ,in the first place then1 we say1 ,jesus has not yet come the second time1 in the manner he promised us4 ,for when speaking of his coming1 he says emphatically1 ,then shall ,,they ,,see the ,son of man coming in the clouds of ,heaven1 c4 ,now1 according to this description1 ,i'll venture the assertion1 that there is not a particle of proof in the universe1 that one solitary individual has seen him4 ,hence1 ,i for one1 am gazing up into heaven looking1 and unwaveringly believing1 that this1 his precious promise1 will soon be realized4 ,but you say1 he has come in his saints4 ,well1 ,i say there is no more proof of this1 than there was that he was in his apostle's1 eighteen hundred years ago--for they certainly wrought many wonderful miracles1 and preached with as much power2 and the mighty weapons they used1 was the death1 resurrection and second coming of ,christ4 ,now did the ,apostle's ever teach such a doctrine1 that ,jesus had come in them the second time8 and further1 ,i cannot believe that he will be seen any sooner in ,ohio1 than in ,new-,england or ,new-,york4 ,again1 we answer to the first and second questions1 combined--,rev4 iv3 #b4 ,here is a throne1 with one seated upon it4 ,is there any proof to be found that this throne was on the ,isle of ,patmos1 ,rome1 or any other city1 or place in this globe8 ,will it not be conceded by all ,bible students1 that the ,lord ,god ,almighty1 the ,father1 is seated upon it8 ,does not the ,seraphims which are continually crying1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 in the eighth verse1 say so8 ,who was found worthy to come and take the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon this throne8 ,did he take it out of his own hand8 ,no1 it does not read so4 ,who1 then8 ,john says1 it was the ,lamb4 ,others said1 it was the ,lion of the tribe of ,juda4 ,we say1 the ,son of the ,father4 ,here1 then1 where the door was opened into heaven1 ,john saw the ,father and the ,son together1 at one time and in one place1 transacting business2 at the sight of which1 ten thousand times ten thousand1 and thousands and thousands of angels cried aloud1 worthy is the ,lamb1 c42 and every creature under heaven acknowledged it6 ,verse #aa1 #ac4 ,i am aware that it will be said this is symbolical language4 ,allow me to quote an extract from a celebrated writer4 ,even the symbolic parts of a vision have a mixed character4 ,when real persons1 the highest in their kind are mentioned by their proper titles1 there is no room for symbols2 the objects represent themselves1 ,god and ,christ and the good angels2 ,satan and evil spirits1 and redeemed saints on earth or in heaven1 are never emblems4 ,forsake this maxim1 and symbolic prophecy becomes a chaos1 in which nothing is fixed1 and where fancy runs riot in its own excesses4 ,but you say1 ,god is a spirit4 7,there is no doubt but what his spirit pervades all space1 and every thing in it that has life47 ,but to the testimony4 ,ye have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape4 ,john v3 #cg4 ,did ,jesus contradict the ,patriarchs and ,prophets8 ,no1 no6 ,he here told his persecutors what they had not seen nor heard2 he did not say he had no voice or shape4 ,who did8 #ast4 ,moses4 ,and ,i will cover thee with my hand while ,i pass by2 and ,i will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my back parts1 but my face shall not be seen4 ,exod4 xxxiii3 #bb1 #bc4 #b;d4 ,the eyes of the ,lord are upon the righteous1 and his ears are open unto their cry4 ,the face of the ,lord are against them that do evil3 the ,lord heareth4 ,psalms xxxiv3 #ae1 #ag4 ,again1 the ,ancient of days did sit1 whose garment was white as snow1 and the hair of his head like the pure wool4 ,does not this prove a shape1 features1 and voice1 ascribed to ,god1 the same as to man4 ,and ,god said let us make man in our own image1 after our likeness2 so ,god created man in his own image1 in the image of ,god created he him3 male and female created he them4 ,gen4 i3 #bf1 #bg4 ,paul says of ,jesus1 ,who is the image of ,god1 7this can't be spiritually so7 the first born of every creature2 who being in the form of ,god1 thought it not robbery to be equal with ,god4 ,eph4 ii3 #e1 #f4 ,now to the ,hebrews--,hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son1 who being the brightness of his glory1 and the ,,express ,,image of his person4 ,now turn to the history of ,rome for a moment--read how ,,lentulus describes the ,savior to the ,roman ,senate4 ,here he describes his stature1 countenance1 his eyes1 beautiful flowing hair1 his wisdom1 c41 and finally closes with the following3 ,a man for his singular beauty far exceeding all the sons of men4 ,paul says1 he is the express image of ,god4 7,i understand him to say that he looks just like him47 ,oh1 says one1 this man is a ,unitarian6 ,so then was ,paul1 or ,i have not quoted him right4 ,and ,daniel1 the prophet1 teaches the same doctrine4 ,i saw in the night visions3 and behold1 one like the ,son of man came with the clouds of heaven1 and came to the ,ancient of days1 7described in the ninth verse7 and they brought him near before him2 and there was given him dominion and glory1 and a kingdom1 never to be destroyed4 ,dan4 vii3 #ac1 #ad4 ,now we all admit this personage was ,jesus ,christ2 for no being on earth or in heaven1 has ever had the promise of an everlasting kingdom but him4 ,and does not the ,ancient of days give it to him8 ,would it not be absurd to say that he gave it to himself8 ,how then can it be said 7or proved7 as it is by some1 that the ,son is the ,ancient of days2--this passage1 and the one in fifth ,revelations1 distinctly prove ,god and his ,son to be two persons in heaven4 ,jesus says1 ,i proceeded forth and came from ,god2 neither came ,i of myself1 but he sent me4 ,john viii3 #db4 ,i come forth from the ,father1 and am come into the world2 again1 ,i leave the world and go to the ,father4 7,does he remain in the same place87 ,we are confident ,i say1 and willing rather to be absent from the body1 and present with the ,lord4 ,paul4 ,the ,scripture testimony accounts for no other spirits but those seen in the shape of men4 ,one of the three which came to ,abraham was the ,lord4 ,gen4 xviii4 ,the ,angel ,gabriel was called the man ,gabriel4 ,danl4 ix4 ,the angel which appeared to ,gideon was called the ,lord4 ,i think here is sufficient proof from the ,scriptures to justify the true believer to be still looking for a personal ,saviour1 and that ,god the ,father is a person1 and looks like ,jesus and we like him2 and ,god has a habitation where he dwells1 as the ,scriptures testify3 ,and ,i ,john saw the ,holy ,city new ,jerusalem coming down from ,god out of ,heaven4 ,another writer in the same paper undertakes to prove that this same ,city has began to appear2 has been developing itself since the fall of #ahdd4 ,who has seen this ,city8 ,o1 he says1 it is evident1 that it is the saints4 ,is it possible that the ,saints have been coming down from ,heaven this eighteen months6 ,why1 there is not the least particle of proof that the righteous dead have yet been caught up8 ,thes4 iv3 #af1 #ag4 ,i can readily believe that both of these brethren have been fearless advocates for the truth1 and ,i do not doubt their sincerity4 ,they have clearly proved that they are not seeking the applause of the world4 ,i sincerely hope that they will not get so far into the fire on one side of the highway as some are in the slough of despond on the other4 ,the main business of the ,devil is now to make ,god's people change their course1 and it is matter of no moment to him on which side of the highway they fall4 ,in either case he will make sure of his prey4 ,god help us to be on our watch4 ,the great error here has arisen in consequence of taking the symbolical meaning and rejecting the true4 ,the author of the ,apocalyptic ,dictionary1 ,r4 ,c4 ,,shemeall1 says1 ,holy ,city1 ,jerusalem4 ,used symbolically of the present visible ,church2 ,literally1 that ,,city which comes down from ,god4 ,let us examine a few texts3 ,go and cry in the ears of ,jerusalem4 ,jer4 ii3 #b4 ,and he carried away all ,jerusalem4 ,kings xxiv3 #ad4 ,the cry of ,jerusalem is gone up4 ,jer4 xiv3 #b4 ,jerusalem has sinned they have seen her nakedness1 yea she sigheth4 ,lam4 i3 #h4 ,jerusalem is a menstrous woman4 #ag v4 ,awake1 awake1 stand up ,o ,jerusalem4 ,isa4 li3 #ag4 ,arise and set down ,o ,jerusalem4 lii3 #b4 ,o ,jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness4 ,jer4 iv3 #ad4 ,cut off thine hair ,o ,jerusalem and cast it away4 ,jer4 vi3 #h4 ,here we see that old ,jerusalem is personified4 ,the prophets exhort her to stand up and set down1 and awake from sleep1 and wash her heart1 and be instructed1 to cut off her hair and cast it away4 ,she is also called a menstrous woman1 and said to cry and sigh1 and be carried away4 ,a tumultuous city2 a joyous city2 a glad city4 ,thou art comely1 ,o my love1 as ,jerusalem4 ,songs vi3 #d4 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 thou that killest1 c4 ,now this language never could be understood1 unless there was #ast3 a ,jerusalem1 people and government2 neither could we understand what is said of the new ,jerusalem in many places1 without associating organization1 as the ,zion of ,god1 the ,zion of the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,isa4 lx3 #ad4 ,like the kingdom of ,god among the ,pharisees4 ,luke xvii3 #ba4 ,this old ,jerusalem at his second coming would be the place for the capital of his kingdom2 his disciples the subjects2 he their king4 ,as also in ,daniel viii3 #ac--;connecting the ,host 7,god's people7 and sanctuary4 ,paul to the ,galatians says1 ,agar is ,mount ,sinai in ,arabia1 and answereth to ,jerusalem1 which now is1 and is in bondage with her children4 ,but ,jerusalem which is above is free1 which is the mother of us all4 ,can this testimony be credited8 ,did not ,abraham look for a city which had foundations8 ,paul also says of the pilgrims and strangers on the earth1 that they were seeking an heavenly country for ,god hath prepared for them a ,city6 ,heb4 xi4 in the past tense2 then it cannot be developing now in his ,saints1 but they are preparing to enter the ,,city4 ,when ,john was describing the ,city in xxi4 ,rev4 he said he saw no temple there for the ,lord ,god ,almighty and the ,lamb are the ,temple of it4 ,now ,peter and ,paul distinctly describe the ,saints 7not the city7 coming to this ,mount ,zion1 and ,temple1 which makes it perfect and complete4 ,peter says of his spiritual house1 ,ye also as lively stones1 be ye built--margin4 up a spiritual house4 #a ,pet4 ii3 #e4 ,to whom coming as unto a living stone4 #d v4 ,for1 says sixth verse1 behold ,i lay in ,zion a chief corner stone4 7,jesus47 ,peter says of this ,temple1 be ye built4 ,paul says it is growing4 ,read how admirably he describes it to the ,ephesians4 ,fellow citizens with the ,saints1 and of the household of ,god4 ,and are built upon the foundation of the ,apostles and ,prophets1 7see ,john's twelve gates representing the twelve tribes in ,rev4 xxi3 #ab2 and the twelve ,apostles of the ,lamb representing the twelve foundations of the wall1 #adth verse1 which encloses the whole17 ,jesus ,christ himself being the chief corner stone1 ,in whom all the building fitly framed ,,groweth ,,into an holy ,temple in the ,lord2 ,in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of ,god4 ,eph4 ii3 #ai1 #bb4 ,his ,epistle to the ,hebrews shows how they are brought together and where4 ,but ye are come unto ,mount ,zion1 and unto the ,city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable company of angels2 ,to the general assembly and church of the first born1 which are 7enrolled--margin7 in heaven2 ,and to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus the ,mediator of the new ,covenant4 ,now has not ,paul distinctly described what the ,saints shall come to4 ,o but1 say you1 we have already come4 ,no1 no1 friend1 you are too fast4 ,paul will explain3 ,mount ,zion the ,city the ,heavenly ,jerusalem to the innumerable company of ,angels 7or ,cherubims7 to the ,church of the first born and to ,god1 and to ,jesus4 xii3 #bb1 #bd4 ,now where8 ,see #be1 #bh1 when he speaketh from heaven4 ,his voice once shook the earth1 but now he is about to speak and shake heaven also1 wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved1 7this is after every thing else is moved17 therefore wait until ,god shall speak in the language of ,joel1 and ,roar out of ,zion and utter his voice from ,jerusalem4 ,paul shows the ,corinthians how it is finished4 ,hear him3 ,what agreement hath the temple of ,god with idols8 for ye are the ,temple of the living ,god1 as ,god hath said ,i will dwell in them1 and walk in them1 and ,i will be their ,god and they shall be my people4 ,then ,god and ,christ and immortal ,saints1 constitute the ,temple in this glorious ,city of ,zion4 ,i have been thus particular in quoting the ,scriptures1 in answer to the questions proposed1 to endeavor if possible to dispel some of the thick darkness and mist of ,shakerism1 ,quakerism1 ,swedenborgianism1 and all the ,spiritualisms that now seem to be settling down all over the moral world1 and shutting out even the very light from the horizon4 ,to my mind this spiritualizing system1 when ,god's word admits of a literal interpretation1 and--according to rule--the literal first2 is1 to use a sailor phrase1 like a ship groping her way into ,boston ,bay in the night1 in a thick snow with the moon at full4 ,nothing could be more deceptive to the mariner2 the flying clouds at one moment light up the firmament by the thinness of its vapor1 7encouraging the mariner to believe that he shall now see the light house7 the next moment it grows darker1 and so it continues to deceive them1 until of a sudden the breakers are roaring all around them--the ship is dashed upon the rocks--one general cry goes aloft for mercy6 and all hope is forever gone--ship and mariners strewed all over the beach6 ,good ,god6 help us to steer clear of these spiritual interpretations of ,thy word1 where it is made so clear that the second coming and kingdom of ,christ will be as literal and real1 as the events that transpired at the first ,advent1 now recorded in history4 ,when the ,saviour comes the second time1 it will be with the ,city1 7the ,capital of his kingdom7 seated upon his throne4 ,hear him3 ,when the son of man shall come in his glory1 and all the holy angels with him1 then shall he be seated upon the throne of his glory4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ca4 ,and the city had no need of the sun--for the glory of ,god did lighten it1 and the lamb is the light thereof4 ,but the throne of ,god and the ,lamb shall be in it4 ,rev4 xxi3 #bc1 and xxii3 #c4 ,this glory is none other than the golden ,city4 ,when one like the son of man came before the ,ancient of days1 in ,daniel1 he received ,dominion1 and ,glory1 and a ,kingdom4 ,glory1 signifies worldly splendor1 and magnificence4 ,what1 ,i ask1 will be more splendid and glorious than this ,city of ,gold poised fifteen hundred miles into the ,heavens4 ,the ,psalmist cries out in view of it1 in this sublime language1 ,let thy ,glory be above all the earth6 and so it will be2 and as his dominion is from sea to sea1 and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth1 so ,i believe his glory will be seen from the uttermost border4 ,other views of the glory of ,god and ,christ do not destroy this4 ,saint ,john has connected in one1 the ,holy ,city1 ,new ,jerusalem1 ,tabernacle of ,god1 ,bride the ,lambs ,wife1 coming down from ,god1 out of ,heaven to dwell with his people4 ,,proof--,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain4 ,and he that sit upon the throne said1 behold ,i make all things new1 and he said unto me write1 for these words are true and faithful4 ,rev4 xxi3 #d1 #e4 ,is it not clear that the ,city1 and the ,king1 and ,saints1 are here distinctly described4 ,why1 then1 all this shouting about a figurative fulfillment1 while yourselves and the world are groping through the snow storm4 ,,the ,,heavenly ,,jerusalem4 ,the old ,prophets looking down through the vista of time to the coming of this heavenly city1 break forth in language like the following3 ,and it shall come to pass that he that is left in ,zion and he that remaineth in ,jerusalem shall be called holy1 even every one that is written among the living in ,jerusalem4 ,then the ,moon shall be confounded and the ,sun ashamed when the ,lord of hosts shall reign in ,mount ,zion and in ,jerusalem--7why8 because ,john says they will 'have no need of the sun nor the moon1'7 and before his ancients gloriously4 ,who are they8 ,noah1 ,abraham and the ,prophets4 ,again3 ,look upon ,zion the ,city of our solemnities2 thine eye shall see ,jerusalem a quiet habitation1 a ,tabernacle that shall not be taken down2 not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed4 ,break forth into joy1 sing together ye waste places of ,jerusalem for the ,lord hath comforted his people1 he hath redeemed ,jerusalem4 ,give no rest till he establish and till he make ,jerusalem a praise in the earth4 ,do they mean old ,jerusalem8 ,the ,saviour's prediction is against it1 left desolate1 its inhabitants carried away captive and trodden down by the ,gentiles1 until the times of the ,gentiles be fulfilled4 ,luke xxi4 ,further3 ,but be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which ,i create1 behold ,i create ,jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy1 and ,i will rejoice in ,jerusalem and joy in my people1 and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her1 nor the voice of crying4 ,isa4 iv3 #c2 xxiv3 #bc2 xxxiii3 #bj2 lii3 #i2 lxii3 #g2 lxv3 #ah1 #ai4 ,also read xl3 #a2 lii3 #a2 lx3 #ad1 and xxxv3 #aj4 ,at that time they shall call ,jerusalem the throne of the ,lord1 and all the nations shall be gathered into it--neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart4 ,in those days shall ,juda be saved and ,jerusalem shall dwell safely and this is the name wherewith she shall be called1 ,,the ,,lord ,,our ,,righteousness4 ,for thus saith the ,lord1 ,david shall never want a man to set upon the throne of the house of ,israel4 ,jer4 iii3 #ag2 xxxiii3 #af1 #ag4 ,the ,lord also shall roar out of ,zion and utter his voice from ,jerusalem1 then shall ,jerusalem be holy1 and there shall be no stranger pass through her any more4 ,joel iii3 #af1 #ag4 ,here then1 in every instance save one or two1 the people of ,god are connected with the ,zion of ,god1 ,city of ,god1 ,jerusalem which is to be in the last days4 ,the ,psalmist says1 ,glorious things are spoken of thee1 ,o ,city of ,god4 lxxxvii3 #c4 ,john's record is1 ,him that overcometh will ,i make a pillar in the ,temple of my ,god1 and he shall go no more out1 and ,i will write upon him the name of my ,god and the name of the ,city of my ,god1 7what union1 and yet1 how distinct67 which is new ,jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from my ,god1 and ,i will write upon him my new name4 ,how could the ,saviour have been more explicit and plain4 ,him that overcometh4 ,who8 ,why1 the ,saint2 not the ,city1 the new ,jerusalem4 ,again3 ,blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life1 and may enter in through the gates into the city4 ,if the city is the ,saints1 what is this that enters into and have right to the tree of life8 ,can the ,city go into the ,city8 ,if so1 then we acknowledge the ,city is the ,saints4 ,but it reads1 the ,saints go in there4 ,in ,rev4 xxi3 #af1 the ,city is said to be four square1 twelve thousand furlongs2 the length1 and the breadth1 and the height of it are equal4 ,then1 according to arithmetical computation1 it is fifteen hundred miles square4 ,now1 if the ,city spiritually means the ,saints of ,god1 then1 to carry out the figure1 the ,saints must stand over1 or upon each other 7according to the common stature7 one million and four hundred thousand deep2 or will it be asserted that they are fifteen hundred miles tall6 ,,sanctuary4 ,well1 says one1 are you going to call this ,city the ,sanctuary too8 ,if you will allow the ,bible testimony you will have to believe it is1 or search more diligently for it in this planet than any one else ever has that ,i have heard of4 ,but it has been proved by most able men1 and learned men1 that it is the ,earth1 or the ,land of ,canaan4 ,well1 let us look at it again4 ,but allow me first to recommend to your particular notice1 ,o4 ,r4 ,l4 ,grosier's article in the ,day ,star ,extra1 for the #gth of ,february1 #ahdf1 from the #cgth to the #ddth page4 ,read it again4 ,in my humble opinion it is superior to any thing of the kind extant4 ,sanctuary was the first name the ,lord gave the ,tabernacle1 which name covers not only the ,tabernacle with the two apartments1 but also the court with all its hangings1 and all the vessels of the ministry4 ,exo4 xxv3 #h1 #i1 and #ch1 #ba2 ,num4 i3 #ec4 ,this1 then1 was a dwelling place1 and a true pattern of the heavenly1 embracing within its jaspar walls the ,paradise of ,god1 with the pure river of the water of life1 and the tree of life1 and the ,golden ,city in the midst1 all to come down from heaven and be located in old ,jerusalem4 ,za4 #adth chapter4 ,that's too absurd to believe1 says one4 ,is it any more so1 than to believe the ,apostle ,john's testimony8 ,does he not show us that the tree of life is inside of the gates1 in xxii3 #ad4 ,read also the two first verses4 ,do not the waters issue out from the throne8 and is not the tree of life on either side of it8 and is not the promise--to him that overcometh ,i will give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the ,paradise of ,god8 ,well1 continues the objector1 ,i don't know but that ,i could have believed your ,scripture testimony concerning the city1 but ,i can't believe that ,god has such a place in the third heavens1 and that it will descend to this earth with a river of water in1 or on it4 ,how can you believe then1 what you are experiencing every day of your life1 on the planet in which we live8 ,while she is flying in her orbit around the ,sun at the rate of fifty-eight thousand miles per hour1 she is at the same time whirling over like a ball from ,east to ,west1 at the rate of six hundred miles per hour1 in her diurnal or daily motion1 bottom upwards1 as it would appear1 every twenty-four hours1 and yet1 by an unseen power1 7readily accounted for by ,astronomers17 not only the rivers and the lakes1 but the mighty ocean1 remains unmoved4 ,as we have before quoted1 ,moses says that a river went out of ,eden to water the ,garden1 and became into four heads4 ,gen4 ii3 #aj1 #ad4 ,now let us turn to ,ezekiel's prophecy for a corresponding view1 as in the mouth of two or three witnesses1 shall every word be established4 ,in chapter #dc1 #ast and #gth verses1 he testifies that this accords with the vision he had by the river ,chebar twenty years before1 7previously quoted47 ,here he sees the ,glory of ,god on the east side of the ,sanctuary1 7where ,moses said the flaming sword and ,cherubims were17 and his voice like the noise of many waters saying to him that the house of ,israel shall no more defile ,god's name4 ,afterwards1 in #dgth chapter1 #ast and #eth verse3 ,he brought me again unto the door of the house1 and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward--7observe how particular to mention the east side7--for the fore front of the house stood towards the east1 and the waters came down from under1 from the right side of the house4 ,his guide then measured the waters one thousand cubits 7more than one-fourth of a mile7 the waters were to the ankles1 but when he had measured four thousand cubits1 they had become waters to swim in1 that could not be passed over4 ,in #abth verse he describes the tree of life yielding its monthly fruit1 for meat1 and its unfading leaves for medicine4 ,why all this8 ,because the waters issued out of the ,sanctuary4 ,now read again in ,rev4 xxii3 #a1 #b2 does not ,john tell the same story3 the waters issuing from out the throne1 the tree of life1 the monthly fruit1 the leaves for healing1 the nations4 ,is not this after the city comes down8 ,in #dhth chapter1 #hth verse3 ,and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it4 ,once more the measuring rod is run over it1 showing the four sides just like the old pattern in the wilderness1 and then says the ,sanctuary shall be in the midst thereof4 ,from #cjth to #ceth verse1 he describes the wall and the gates as ,john does in ,rev4 xxi3 #ac1 and closes up his prophecy in these words1 ,and the name of the city from that day shall be1 the ,lord is there4 ,now let the old prophet ,isaiah testify to what he saw3 ,look upon ,zion the ,city of our solemnities1 thine eyes shall see ,jerusalem a quiet habitation1 a ,tabernacle that shall not be taken down2 not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed1 neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken4 ,but there the glorious ,lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams1 wherein shall go no galley with oars1 neither shall gallant ships pass thereby4 xxxiii3 #bj1 #ba4 ,the ,psalmist says1 there is a river2 the streams whereof make glad the city of ,god1 the holy place of the tabernacle of the ,most ,high4 ,god is in the midst of her--#df3 #d1 #e4 ,jeremiah says1 ,a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary4 xvii3 #ab4 ,the ,psalmist replies1 ,for he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary2 from heaven did the ,lord behold the earth4 cii3 #ai4 7,if he had said sanctuary instead of earth1 we should not have been easily moved from our former exposition47 ,the ,lord is in his holy temple1 the ,lord's throne is in heaven4 xi3 #d4 ,paul says to the ,hebrews1 ,we have such an high priest1 who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty1 in the heavens2 a minister of the sanctuary and of the true ,tabernacle1 which the ,lord pitched1 and not man4 ,heb4 viii3 #a1 #b4 ,for the invisible things of ,him from the creation of the world are clearly seen1 being understood by the things that are made4 ,rom4 i3 #bj4 ,paul tells the ,hebrews how they may understand these invisible things1 which he says are clearly seen4 ,see viii4 c41 #e v4 ,shadow of heavenly things4 ,for see1 7saith he7 that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount4 ,now then1 whenever we want to understand about the heavenly sanctuary1 we must turn to ,moses's description of the sanctuary in the wilderness1 which he made after the pattern ,god gave him2 which ,paul says were shadows of heavenly things4 ,how will a man dare 7in the face of all this inspired testimony7 to stand here on ,god's earth1 and assert that the heavenly sanctuary with all that pertains to it is a ,,figure1 and spiritualize it away4 ,it would be ten thousand times easier for him to spiritualize the old ,tabernacle and ,solomon's ,temple1 seeing the one that is to come as far exceeds the temple of ,solomon or ,nehemiah1 7although1 it is allowed1 that nothing on earth ever exceeded them7 as the most splendid palace of the king does the sentry box of his guard4 ,much safer would it be for him to teach that the rocks had never been rent1 or as he passed the streets in the afternoon and saw the shadow of the buildings1 should insist upon it that the shadows were real1 but the buildings1 which cast the shadows1 were spiritual4 ,such doctrine should be ranked with ,mahometanism and ,jesuitism1 save their demoniac spirit2 it comes from the bottomless pit and will go into perdition3 and they that dwell on the earth will wonder4 ,rev4 xvii3 #h4 ,but ,i wish to present further evidence of the real 7not spiritual7 coming of this heavenly sanctuary4 ,ezekiel says in his #cgth chapter1 where ,god has promised his spirit and life to the whole house of ,israel1 ,moreover1 ,i will make a covenant of peace with them2 it shall be an everlasting covenant with them1 and ,i will place them and multiply them1 and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore2 my tabernacle also shall be with them3 aye1 ,i will be their ,god1 and they shall be my people4 ,and the heathen shall know that ,i the ,lord do sanctify ,israel1 when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore4 #bf-bh v4 ,now here is ,god's sacred promise that his sanctuary shall be in the midst of his people2 and ,i have already quoted his #dhth chap4 #aj v4 where he says when the angel had measured the land twenty-five thousand reeds in length and ten thousand in breadth1 said1 and the sanctuary of the ,lord shall be in the midst thereof4 ,now will it be insisted upon that the land1 or his people1 is the sanctuary2 rather let us submit to the ,scripture testimony4 ,on the last night of our ,saviour's ministry here on earth1 in company with his disciples1 when everything else had failed to arouse them1 he to quicken their drooping spirits says1 ,let not your hearts be troubled3 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in me4 ,in my father's house are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you2 and if ,i go and prepare a place for you1 ,i will come again and receive you unto myself1 that where ,i am1 there ye may be also4 ,john xiv3 #a1 #c4 ,i think ,i have now proved by unquestionable authority1 that this heavenly sanctuary is the very place with mansions which he has been preparing1 and according to his promise is now coming to receive his saints4 ,but may there not after all be a failure here4 ,heaven and earth shall pass away1 but my word shall not pass away4 ,having such testimony as this1 we rejoice in hope of the glory that is to be revealed4 ,unto two thousand three hundred days then shall the sanctuary be cleansed4 ,dan4 viii3 #ad4 ,this1 then1 ,i understand1 is the selfsame heavenly ,sanctuary1 the ,new ,jerusalem1 the ,paradise of ,god4 ,well1 says the reader1 this cannot be2 how can ,paradise1 which ,paul said was in the third heavens1 and where you say ,jesus our ,high ,priest is1 be defiled8 ,where was the first sin that ever cursed this world committed8 ,o1 say you1 that was six thousand years ago4 ,admit that it was1 has ,god ever pardoned that sin8 ,turn to ,gen4 iii3 #ag1 #ai4 ,the ground is still cursed1 and man gets his living by the sweat of his brow4 ,why8 ,because the extent of this great sin could never be known1 until ,god had put the last seal upon his saints1 and the dead be judged4 ,but say you1 the curse was upon the earth and its inhabitants4 ,yes2 but was not ,paradise polluted by this sin8 ,but how can it be that anything in heaven is polluted1 or unclean8 ,have ,i not proved by the astronomer's conclusive arguments1 that this earthly ball which we inhabit is continually flying through the regions of unlimited space1 in the same direction with all other planets1 seen or known in the solar system8 ,think you that this little speck of earth is the only thing that is defiled1 among the millions and myriads of worlds which stud the diadem of space8 ,we are told that the stars are not pure in his sight4 ,yea1 the heavens are not clean in his sight4 ,job xv3 #ae2 xxv3 #e4 ,was not the sanctuary on earth which the high priest cleansed the tenth day of the seventh month every year1 a pattern of the true8 ,does not ,paul tell us that ,jesus our high priest has entered into the true sanctuary1 into heaven itself4 ,see ,heb4 ix3 #ab1 #bd2 and viii3 #a1 #b4 ,then is not our high priest in the proper place to cleanse the sanctuary8 ,i cannot for the life of me see1 how the pattern or type can be made to appear in any other way4 ,how then can the earth 7as one in the voice of truth1 and many other writers say7 be the sanctuary2 while spiritualizers are saying it is the saints4 ,o ,lord give us the truth6 ,the strongest proof ever been adduced to prove that the earth or ,canaan was the sanctuary1 is found in ,exodus xv3 #ag4 ,now what place is this which the ,lord has made to dwell in8 ,the answer is1 in the sanctuary ,o ,lord1 which thy hands have established4 ,paul says this sanctuary is in the heavens which the ,lord pitched and not man4 ,heb4 viii3 #a1 #b4 ,the only other passage for proof of the land is ,psalms lxxviii3 #ed1 both of which go to strengthen the testimony before adduced4 ,and he brought them to the border of his sanctuary1 even to this mountain which his right hand had purchased4 ,does he in either text say that the mountain is the sanctuary8 ,if ,i can understand him1 he says that the mountain is the border of his sanctuary2 just as ,ezekiel has shown where his guide measured the land1 and then said that the sanctuary of the ,lord should be in the midst of it4 ,now the word sanctuary is mentioned more than seventy times in the bible1 and the whole of them1--with but a few exceptions1 represent it a dwelling place1 a building4 ,the ,psalmist says1 that the ,lord looked down from his sanctuary from heaven to the earth4 ,not to his sanctuary4 ,but let us see what ,daniel and the angel ,gabriel called a sanctuary4 ,dan4 viii3 #aj-ab4 ,is it not plain here that ,popery took away the daily 7i4 e4 destroyed ,paganism7 by arms or armies that stood on his 7,popery's part1 or side7--xi3 #ca4 ,the taking away his sanctuary or polluting it is the same2 for it would be absurd to say that the land was taken away1 7#aa v47 or that by this transaction the land was now polluted--xi3 #ca4 ,now read ix3 #ag1 #ai4 ,is not ,daniel praying for the restoration of old ,jerusalem1 the city and sanctuary 7the temple where ,god's people worshipped7 which had been desolated1 burnt up1 by the king of ,babylon's army1 about seventy years before8 7see ,jer4 lii3 #ab1 #ad7 and remained a burnt district until the commandment by ,cyrus to ,ezra1 and afterwards to ,nehemiah1 to build the temple and city4 ,now in answer to this prayer1 ,god immediately despatched the angel ,gabriel from the court of heaven1 to give ,daniel skill and understanding--#bb;d v4 ,in the #bfth verse he informs him that ,messiah shall be cut off1 7crucify the ,saviour7 and the people of the prince that shall come1 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary4 ,how was this accomplished8 ,josephus who was an eye witness and historian1 informs us that ,titus the son of ,vespasian1 the ,emperor of ,rome1 about ,a4 ,d4 #gj1 7five hundred and sixty years after the temple and city had been rebuilt by ,nehemiah7 came with his mighty ,roman army and took ,jerusalem1 and burned up the city and temple 7the sanctuary7 and it was soon after ploughed as a field1 7,micah iii3 #ab7 and not one stone left upon another4 ,this1 then1 was the very circumstance1 ,prince1 and people1 alluded to by the angel ,gabriel4 ,i believe no one undertakes to dispute this point4 ,now we learn from this1 that the angel ,gabriel's instructions from heaven in answer to ,daniel's prayer was1 that it was the ,temple in the city of old ,jerusalem1 which is the pattern or figure1 or as ,paul says answereth to the new1 which is above1 which is the mother of us all4 ,can anything be more plain and explicit than that this is the sanctuary to be cleansed1 unto two thousand three hundred days4 ,in the #aath verse he says1 the daily was taken away1 7that is1 ,paganism7 and the place of his sanctuary cast down4 ,how plain it is that this wicked sanctuary 7where idols and devils were worshipped7 was a building1 cast down4 ,how could they cast down the earth to the earth8 7#abth v47 and it 7this same ,popery7 cast down the truth to the ground1 so the ground was not destroyed2 clear proof it was not the sanctuary4 ,well1 but we don't believe that ,god will ever cleanse the wicked sanctuary of ,paganism4 ,the sanctuary must be cleansed1 7made holy7 so must the saints2 for ,st4 ,john says1 nothing unclean or unholy shall enter there4 ,then before the saints can enter the sanctuary it will be cleansed1 not by fire1 but by blood1 7please follow the pattern47 ,now will it still be said that the earth is the sanctuary8 ,can any proof be adduced that the earth is to be burned even1 until after immortality is given to the saints8 ,just look at ,zach4 xiv4 chapter2 here he shows us that the wicked shall be punished after ,jerusalem 7the sanctuary7 shall be safely inhabited1 7#aath and #abth verses and onward27 and before this1 in the #hth to #aath verse1 he has shown us that the land shall be turned into a plain2 the #hth and #ith verses shows who does it1 and how it is accomplished2 and then of the sanctuary1 ,jerusalem1 as though it was understood that this was done for the express purpose of making a foundation for the building4 ,here ,i think any one may see1 that the border of this heavenly sanctuary will extend to the mountain of his inheritance1 7,exo4 xv3 #ag2 ,psl4 lxxviii3 #ed7 and this plain for the location and walls of the sanctuary will be made clean and pure4 ,this is all the cleansing the earth will receive1 until after the great battle of ,god ,almighty4 ,so then1 if the earth is the sanctuary1 ,god's people need have no trouble here about its being cleansed1 for they will have that work to do in immortality2 but we believe that work is now being accomplished4 ,again1 how long shall the sanctuary and the host be trodden under foot4 ,jesus said that old ,jerusalem should be trodden down of the ,gentiles until the times of the ,gentiles should be fulfilled4 ,but how ridiculous to believe that the heavenly sanctuary is trodden under foot4 ,is it any more so than to believe what ,st4 ,paul tells us1 concerning the ,high ,priest of these heavenly places in the heavens4 ,see ,heb4 x3 #bi4 ,of how much sorer punishment suppose ye1 shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the ,son of ,god1 and counted the blood of the covenant1 wherewith he was sanctified1 an unholy thing4 ,so we can see according to ,paul's exposition1 if they have trodden the master under foot1 how much more the building and the household1 7the sanctuary and host47 ,in the preceding verses it is explained2 just read #ajth1 #aath and #abth verses2 the papal power of ,rome1 the abomination which maketh desolate1 casting down some of the host and stars to the ground and stamping upon them2 also casting down the sanctuary and the truth to the ground1 by satanic influence--this is treading down1 connected with which is all other ungodly antichristian influences operating against it1 which is to be purged out3 even as the high priest here on earth cleansed the pattern once a year1 which was never literally trodden down by any one but himself while in the act of cleansing it4 ,the angel did not answer the question concerning the host in the #acth verse1 but ,gabriel at his second visit showed ,daniel that seventy weeks were determined upon his people1 leaving #ahaj years more to be explained at his third and last visit to him4 ,see x3 #ad2 ,now ,i am come 7for what87 to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days4 ,please read on to the end of the twelfth chapter and see how faithfully he has described the host 7the holy people7 and one clothed in linen1 7the ,lord ,jesus2 see x3 #ba17 from above the waters of the river with his hands upraised to heaven1 swearing by him that liveth forever that all these wonders1 7including the resurrection in #b;d verse7 shall be finished when he1 7meaning the antichristian powers which are led on and urged forward by the prince of the power of the air17 shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people1 by the process of purifying1 being made white1 and tried1 and if they pass through and withstand all this fiery ordeal and come to the #acce days1 they shall be blessed1 and then be delivered out of such a time of trouble as never was since there was a nation4 ,thus1 ,i think1 the angel has described the treading down the host1 and it appears to me that all this severe discipline is to prepare them to enter the holy city1 for an angel crying with a mighty voice has shown them that they have been in company with devils1 foul spirits1 and every unclean and hateful bird2 and another voice says1 come out of her my people1 for all nations have drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication4 ,rev4 xviii3 #b1 #d4 ,and the poison has operated to such an alarming extent that it has baffled the skill of all the ,doctors of ,divinity in the universe1 and in spite of all their preaching1 fasting and praying1 with the assistance of the principals of the flock1 the famine prophecied of by ,amos the ,prophet1 has come upon them4 ,how awfully be describes it3 ,wandering from sea to sea1 and from the north to the east1 running to and fro to seek the word of the ,lord and shall not find it4 ,god never called his people out from any other place than the churches2 if the whole truth1 the meat in due season had been given and received there1 and ,babylon's poisonous cup rejected1 then there would have been no severity in the discipline of its members4 ,the handling of ,god's word deceitfully1 7for it would not be admitted to say of learned men1 ignorantly17 has led the professed world into this labyrinth2 and men are now being ridiculed and laughed at1 not only because they believe and are looking for the ,lord himself to descend from heaven because they are now sending forth their epistles to 7as they think7 enlighten their brethren and friends concerning the coming of ,christ in the clouds of heaven1 by subscribing themselves yours1 no longer gazing up into heaven2 yours1 in the clouds of heaven--meeting the ,lord in the air2 while another one in the ,shaker's camp in ,n4 ,h41 is shouting and rejoicing that he has found the ,mount ,zion1 7meaning1 of course1 the holy city7 and that the ,germans from ,europe are gathering to it2 while another1 from another quarter1 7as ,i understand standing on the broad platform7 has attempted to prove that the powers of the heavens have been shaken1 and the sign of the ,son of man in heaven has been seen2 and another one saying that ,god is as much in one place as another6 while another is shouting ,hallelujah1 because he believes it to be so clear that the saints are the holy city2 and yet another subscribes himself yours1 in the kingdom4 ,o1 says one1 how alarming these things are6 they look just like the perilous times ,st4 ,paul described to ,timothy for the last days4 #b ,tim4 iii3 #d1 #e4 ,jesus also1 in ,matt1 xxiv3 #bd4 ,i wish the good ministers would teach them sound doctrine2 the great trouble would be to ascertain in what denomination to find them1 for ,i have lying before me the creed of a professed ,orthodox church o #ahdd1 7right opinion1 true belief7 of this enlightened place1 signed by its two ministers and one hundred and forty-seven members1 7one of them a minister in ,new-,bedford with a similar flock7 who say in their fifth article1 ,i believe that ,christ came to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth1 which is the visible church4 ,now all the proof they offer from1 the ,scriptures is what follows3 ,and ,i say unto thee that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,and he shall reign over the house of ,jacob forever2 and1 of his1 kingdom there shall be no end4 ,matt4 xvi3 #ah2 ,luke i3 #cc4 ,now if there is one particle of proof from these two passages1 that ,christ has established his kingdom here1 and that kingdom is the church1 then ,i confess ,i do not understand ,english4 ,in the second article the only proof adduced for and ,almighty ,saviour is ,hebrews xvii3 #be4 ,their doors are wide open for members1 but they must assent to this creed4 ,why continue to pray ,,thy ,,kingdom ,,come8 ,i wish to be distinctly understood1 that ,i do not mean anything invidious4 ,i am only stating the truth in behalf of ,god's word2 for ,i believe that all the nominal churches in this place1 7and they all profess to be right7 are holding the same or similar unscriptural errors that has led the world around them astray1 not because they are more ignorant than in other places1 for ,i believe for general intelligence they will compare with any place of its numbers on the habitable globe4 ,the ministers too1 with one exception1 ,i believe1 are all college bred4 ,and this creed1 be it remembered1 is the most modern and modest of any in the place1 for ,i believe it is the fashion now when the church is remoddled to remoddle the creed also1 no matter how orthodox it was before1 there are various ways to understand the scriptures1 but when once the creed is published1 all the members1 old and young1 must assent to the truth of it as their standard1 until some one1 more skilled in this business1 proposes an alteration4 ,what a burlesque on the never changing truth of the great eternal6 ,why follow in the footsteps of ,popery to trammel the mind8 ,why not as well require a rule to get money8 ,then if we are destitute of the true light from the word of ,god in this enlightened place1 where in the name of the ,lord1 in any other village or city1 can it be found8 ,god has said that light is sown for the righteous1 and unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness4 ,psalms4 ,but ,i must pass on--,i have dwelt much longer on this lamentable picture than ,i intended1 and yet ,i have hardly begun4 ,i wish here to ask a few questions on one of the greatest errors that the world ever embraced1 first established by ,pope ,gregory1 ,a4 ,d4 #fjc4 ,i mean the changing of ,god's seventh day1 ,sabbath1 7for it is sheer sophistry to call it the ,jews ,sabbath1 as ,jesus our divine ,lord says it was made for man17 to the first day of the week4 ,paul says1 there therefore remaineth a keeping of the ,sabbath to the people of ,god4 ,isaiah shows us that in the ,new ,heavens and ,earth all flesh shall keep the ,sabbath4 ,does any bible reader believe that this will be on any other day than what ,god has ordained4 ,let us look at the patterns and shadows of the true4 ,heb4 viii3 #e2 ix4 and x3 #a4 ,is not the true in the eternal state8 ,think you that ,god will ever change the true to answer the pattern of ,popery1 that has been foremost in desolating the world8 ,every candid mind says no6 ,what should we do then8 ,god will tell us4 ,six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work1 but the ,,seventh ,,is ,,the ,,sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god2 7perhaps the minister will tell you he meant the ,jewish ,sabbath--don't you believe him nor any one else2 they can't prove it by the ,bible7 in it thou shalt not do any work2 wherefore the ,lord blessed the ,sabbath day and hallowed it4 ,exod4 xx4 ,why all this costly array in building the ,tabernacle and afterwards the ,temple8 ,answer1 it was to put the ,ark in4 #b ,sam4 #b-g4 ,hear ,david #a ,chron4 xvii3 #b1 #ab4 ,what was the ,ark8 ,a small chest in which was a precious relic2 the commandments of ,god2 his testimony to man2 7see ,exod4 xxv3 #aj1 #ab7 how it is guarded night and day by ,cherubims4 ,what are these commandments to us8 ,they that keep them shall enter in through the gates into the city4 ,rev4 xxii3 #ad4 ,will you say then that the fourth commandment is abolished8 ,if so1 please cite us to the chapter and verse4 ,i say it cannot be found within the lids of the bible4 ,will you reply by saying that the first day is the ,sabbath1 or that it was ever kept by ,jesus or his apostles as a day set apart for religious worship2 if so1 where is the text8 ,i challenge the world to produce it6 ,if it cannot be found1 why violate still this sacred command of ,god and reject all the light that is thrown in your pathway8 ,god will have some to keep his commandments1 if it be but one of a city and two of a family4 ,jer4 ,some endeavor to clear their conscience by saying there is no ,sabbath to be kept4 ,this1 to me1 looks like infidelity4 ,i have stated that one writer had asserted that the powers of ,heaven had been shaken and the sign of the ,son of man been seen4 ,his argument on the twenty-fourth of ,matthew1 ,i like much1 until he begins to prove what none of us have yet seen or heard4 ,if so1 why continue to say that men's hearts fail them for fear and for looking after the things that are coming on the earth4 ,jesus does not say that they will be looking for him1 but then they shall see the ,son of man coming in the clouds of heaven1 when they have seen the preceding signs4 ,what arguments are there yet to be presented that will so alarm the ,laodicean church1 and scoffer1 to fulfil4 ,isa4 lx3 #ad1 and ,rev4 iii3 #i4 ,it appears to me that nothing short of the voice of ,god will do this4 ,then1 ,i think1 the wise will understand1 and get their blessing1 as in ,dan4 xii3 #ab2 then will they return and discern between the righteous and the wicked2 then will they be found with the world1 in the time of ,daniel's trouble2 they will then have passed through the fiery trial and the ,sealing ,angel have done his last work4 ,this1 as it looks to me will be the time when ,god will roar out of ,zion and utter his voice from ,jerusalem--and the heavens and the earth will shake2 then shall ,jerusalem be holy4 ,joel iii3 #af1 #ag4 ,it will then be cleansed from every impurity4 ,this1 ,i think1 will be the shaking of the powers of heaven1 for then will ,god's people know that he dwells in ,zion1 7#agth verse7 not in the ,shaker's camp1 but in his ,heavenly ,sanctuary1 and then shall appear the ,sign of the ,son of ,man in ,heaven1 the ,holy ,jerusalem descending out of ,heaven from ,god1 having the glory of ,god2 ,and her light was like unto a stone most precious1 even like a jaspar stone clear as chrystal4 ,i have not the least particle of doubt but that it will be seen just as he has described it4 ,the glory and effulgence of that sight will so light up the heavens in its majestic course down from the parted skies1 that we shall have no further need of the telescope2 but in the language of our adorable coming ,lord1 exclaim ,i see heaven open and the ,angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of ,man6 ,this1 ,i think1 will be the ,sign of the ,son of ,man in ,heaven4 ,a telescopic view of the burning bright star ,sirius1 on the southeast of the belt of ,orion1 in the southwestern heavens1 early in the evening1 will give a faint view of the above description4 ,st4 ,john saw this ,city suspended in the air1 he therefore had a clear view of its twelve foundations and the names of the twelve ,apostles of the ,lamb1 and the twelve gates1 and the names written thereon1 which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of ,israel4 ,and he measured the wall a hundred and forty and four cubits1 two hundred and sixty-two and a half feet1 and they were studded with all kinds of precious stones1 and diamonds from the bowels of the earth1 while the gates are adorned with the treasures of the ocean4 ,now this beautiful description of the ,city is given in the twenty-first chapter1 from #af to #ah and #bast verses4 ,we must keep it distinct from the walls4 ,he says1 it lieth four square1 and measures twelve thousand furlongs4 ,this sum1 divided by eight furlongs1 which make a mile1 would stand thus3 #h_/abjjj--;fifteen hundred miles square or seven millions nine hundred and twenty thousand feet on six sides 7it being a cubical form47 ,when we look at the size of this ,city of ,gold1 we are at once almost overwhelmed with the view of its dimensions4 ,fifteen hundred miles high1 long and wide6 ,in the seventeenth verse1 he gives but one way to measure the wall1 and that is its height4 ,if he had undertaken to have given the contents of the ,city by the same rule1 he would have measured the wall4 ,then we have nothing more to do in making an arithmetical calculation1 but follow the ,apostle's description4 ,jesus said1 in my ,father's house are many mansions4 ,now1 allowing twelve feet between joints for a story1 this seven millions nine hundred and twenty thousand feet square would give six hundred and sixty thousand stories1 twelve feet high1 7,ezekiel xl3 #g17 and fifteen hundred miles square1 four hundred and forty stories to a mile3 which would amount to #iij1jjj1jjj1 nine hundred and ninety millions of square miles on a level surface1 twelve feet high--equal to the square miles contained in five worlds like this1 7which is only one hundred and ninety-nine millions five hundred and twelve thousand square miles17 and seventy times more extensive than the ,continent of ,america4 ,now six hundred and sixty thousand twelve foot rooms in each story1 would make in all #dce1fjj1jjj1jjj--;four hundred and thirty-five thousand and six hundred millions of twelve feet square rooms1--,ezekiel2 places1--,john2 or mansions1--,jesus4 ,it is computed that there are #ijj1jjj1jjj--nine hundred millions of inhabitants now on the ,earth4 ,the ,bible informs us that there was but one1 six thousand years ago4 ,admit that there was nine hundred millions at the commencement of creation1 and this number had passed away every thirty years for two hundred generations1 their whole number would only amount to #ahj1jjj1jjj1jjj--one hundred and eighty thousand millions1 a little more than one-third of the mansions in this building2 four hundred and eighty-four to every human being now on the earth4 ,surely1 this looks like an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom4 ,o yes1 say many1 ,i see there is abundance of room for every body6 ,the apostle tells us who they are4 ,he says1 ,there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth1 neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie2 but they which are written in the ,lamb's book of life4 ,this then is the capacious and glorious golden ,city2 the ,new ,jerusalem2 the heavenly ,sanctuary2 the ,bride the ,lamb's ,wife2 the ,mother of us all2 the ,paradise of ,god2 the capital of our coming ,lord's ,,everlasting kingdom1 which is now about to descend from the third heaven by the way of the open door1 down by the flaming sword of ,orion4 ,o let us see to it1 that we are all ready to enter into this celestial ,city4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,missing or obscured punctuation was corrected4 ,typographical errors were silently corrected4 ,spelling and hyphenation were made consistent when a predominant form was found in this book2 otherwise it was not changed4 ,text in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74