And during the seventh thousand years, man in his mortal life; of which the pruned fig-tree (Luke xiii. 6-9,) was a figure, by Satan being bound, shall serve the children of the life that dwelleth in light, of which the vine is a figure, which is Christ. "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen, and your vine-dressers," Isaiah lxi. 5. And when the Lord comes, "They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth," Isaiah ii. 19, Afterward they will come out of their hiding places, and fall down before the redeemed, and take hold of them, (as the woman touched the hem of the garment of Jesus, and was healed, Matthew ix. 20) saying, "We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach," (Isaiah iv. 1,) which is death. "And the people shall take them and bring them to their place and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were: and they shall rule over their oppressors," Isaiah xiv. 2.

"Thou hast redeemed us to God out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth,”* Rev. v. 9, 10.

This passage shews from what Israel is to be redeemed, and to what they are to be redeemed, being redeemed from the (corrupt) earth unto God. "If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you," Romans viii. 11. "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean," Isaiah lii. 1.

The words Zion and Jerusalem, mean the true Israel of God; and their strength and their beautiful garments are immortality. "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon," 2 Cor. v. 4; which is the "double garment of righteousness," Baruch v. 2.

*Which signifies the earthly bodies, which is the blood being washed away, the spirit being the life of their bodies, Ezekiel xvi. 8. 9. †The mortal and immortal spirit.

The meaning of this is, that the apostles did not desire to lose their mortal bodies, but be clothed with immortality upon their mortal bodies,t "In whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord," Ephesians ii. 21. This agrees with the text, that the law and gospel are united tegether from time to time, by the Spirit, to fix up a building for it to dwell in. And the fulness of the Spirit is gathering Israel, and it is sealed up from the unbeliever until the temple is finished, which are the bones of the whole house of Israel, they being the sixth church, Rev. iii.

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man* can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see, 1 Timothy vi. 15. 16.

This agrees with the text, that it was to be sealed up, and be as a garden enclosed, till the end of times, spoken of by Jesus, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," (Luke xxi. 24.) which are within six thousand years.

And the scriptures testify that then he will shew who are the children of immortality, with a life dwelling in light, which no man can see until the times spoken of by Daniel, xii. 7.

This agrees with the text, that for a time and times, the Lord would speak in parable the things touching the end.

† But this could not be till their blood was cleansed, Joel iii. 21.

* Mortal man.

SERMON II.

TEXT:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.-John, i. 13.

For

THIS text shews that there is another birth yet for man. there are three that bare record in heaven, the Father, Christ, and the Bride: and these three are one. (1 John v. 7.) "And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. John, i. 14.

The Father is God, and the word is the Spirit resting on the seed of the woman, which is the body of Jesus, he dwelling in the Spirit three years, (being typical of the three dispensations ;) which was from his baptism at the river Jordan to his crucifixion, which was proved by John. "As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell on the ground," xviii. 6; till he had done the work which man was commanded to do during the six days, each day being as a thousand years. These two are one; and when the Spirit rests on Israel, the same Spirit will be three and yet one.

But when Israel is begotten and dwelleth in the Spirit, and done the work which Christ did, they will be born of him, their blood being washed away, and the Spirit of God be put with their spirits within their natural bodies, they then being immortal.

'He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." Isaiah, xxvii. 6. And this is the fruit of the immortal; they being the mother of the new creation, and Christ the husband. For Jesus is the first born by temporal birth of the purity of the tree, it not being marred by the seed

of man.

"Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." Deut. vii. 14. And Adam the first who was inoculated by the evil of the tree, and Cain the first-born of its uncleanness; and Israel the last Eve, the branches of Christ, she being the immortal bride.

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans viii. 11. "For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.' John xiv. 17. This testifies of the text; that the Spirit of God dwelleth not in blood, neither can blood inherit the Kingdom of God, which is the Spirit of life that dwelleth in light; but fulfils the words of Isaiah, “I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed." Isaiah xliv. 3, meaning the Israel of God, so that they dwell in it; then will it do the greater work as said by Jesus, "Greater works than these shall ye do." John xiv. 12. If Christ overcometh the evil in them it doeth a greater work for them than he did in Jesus, for he that has his own evil overcome, receiveth a greater reward than he that overcometh another man's evil, and his own not overcome. Because they were conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity, which the woman's seed was not, for he said, "the Prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John xiv. 30. Signifying there was no evil, for Satan to attract, in him.

Afterward he will put the same Spirit within them, (Ezekiel, xxxvi. 27;) testifying of the words of the text, that there is a birth not from the womb of the first Eve, but of God; making God the Father, and the life given to Israel the mother of the new creation.

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephes. iv. 3. They seeking for the fulness of the Spirit by an evening and morning sacrifice, that it may not leave them until they dwell in it, and stand for their lives, with Jesus, as queen Esther with king Ahasuerus: "Fast ye for me and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day :* I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the laws: † and if I perish, I perish." Esther. iv. 16. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the

2

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Which is typical of three generations.
+ The man of sin.

golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre."__v. 2. "And the king said, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. Then Esther the queen answered, Let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request."t vii. 2, 3. "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." John xvii. 15.

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John xiv. 2, 3. This was all typical of the kingdom, when it should be revealed, that whosoever should stand with Jesus, for their lives, as the children of Israel stood with Esther the queen, should gain the life of which the text testifies. And as directions were given by Esther to Mordecai for the children of Israel; so are the directions now given by the prophet to lead and guide the house of Israel to fulfil the law and gospel, that they may have a right to the tree of life.

But the road appearing narrow to the world, they refuse to enter into this narrow gate. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt. vii. 14. But can a man enter in at a door which is closed, or drink of a fountain that is sealed, until the door is opened, and the fountain unsealed? So it is evident that it has been as "a garden enclosed," and "a fountain sealed," Solomon's Song iv. 12; which agrees with the words of Ezekiel; "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut."* Ezekiel xliv. 2. And in the prophecies of Daniel, is shewn how long it was to be shut; until "a time" and "times," (Daniel xii. 7.) Then will the mortal world, serve the new, which is immortal, "not born of blood, but of God," as said in the text.

The half-time is a thousand years. "Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

†This is the interpretation of the parable:-The life of Christ and his branches, that a bone of them should not be broken, nor their bodies see corruption.

§ The branch of his Spirit for them to dwell in.

*Which was Christ, when he entered in with Jesus, into the temple and made it Immortal.