directed attention to the fact of his going back to the end of the old world, in the deluge, by way of warning to the Jerusalem sinners of the world that then was, in the end of which Paul tells us he appeared to put away sin. Christ referred to Noah's preaching, so did Peter in his first Epistle. After having discoursed of the long-suffering of God, in the days of Noah, when the ark was a preparing, he speaks of few, that is, eight souls, who were saved by water, and then adds, "The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God." Now compare this with Peter's discourse on the day of Pentecost; "Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, he hath shed forth this." Shed what? The baptism of water, the promise of the Holy Ghost. Now then, let us revert to Noah and the deluge. We read, "The same day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood-gates of heaven were opened." The same day of Pentecost the heavens were opened, and, as Isaiah writes in his 55th chapter, when speaking beforehand of the resurrection of Christ, and the glory that should follow, the sure mercies of David descended from the throne; the rain came down, and watered the earth, making it bring forth and bud, which rain was the word out of the mouth of the resurrection Lord, which word was the gospel preached in demonstration of the spirit and of power. But further. In the account given of the deluge, we read, "The waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth." The parallel appears to me to be found here; "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." Again-It was prophesied of in Habakkuk ii. 14, "The earth or land (Judea) shall be filled by knowing the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea;" which scripture is paralleled by one out of Joel, who prophesied only of Judah and Jerusalem, "It shall come to pass in that day that all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord." (Joel iii. 18.) Habakkuk's prophecy is of the gospel overspreading Judea, for that only is the earth or land here signified, and explained by a word which fell from Christ, "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel until the Son of man be come." But further still. In the history of the deluge we read, "The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills and the mountains were covered, and the ark went upon the face of the waters." We compare this with a glowing prophecy in Micah iv. 1, " In the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it." Another comparison might likewise be instituted with Ezek. xlvii., wherein I conceive we have a beautiful figure of the successive dispensations, each increasing in glory, in a description of the gradual rise of the waters. The prophet has a vision of the house of the Lord. “And behold, says he, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles;" the next thousand these waters are to the knees: at the third measuring of a thousand, they were to the loins; and in the fourth and last period of a thousand, the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." Without saying anything of the first thousand, the beginning of the rise of the waters, further than that I am inclined to think that they have a reference to John's ministry; (" The law and the prophets were until John; since then the kingdom of God is preached;") passing by this, how beautifully illustrative of the Holy Ghost dispensation of the Gospel, is the description of the waters, as waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. How gloriously this appears in the light of scriptures like the following: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him; but God (says Paul) hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." How magnificent is the expression of the prophet, "As rivers that could not be passed over;" when again we find an interpretation of that figure in such spiritual manifestation as is afforded in Ephes. iii. 18, "That ye may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." This is sweetly told in one of our hymns: "Stronger this love than death or hell, The length, and breadth, and height." This brings us to the fulness of Peter's comparison of the Holy Ghost Baptism with the waters of Noah. As the natural waters, in the days of Noah, covered the earth, and exalted Noah and his family in the ark above the hills, so also the spiritual waters, in the days of Peter, covered the earth or land of Judea, and exalted Peter and his fellow-believers, in the true ark, in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, above the eternal hills. And again, as in the days of Noah, those only who believed God, through that preacher of righteousness, were saved, and the rest perished, so, in like manner, in Peter's day and generation, those who obeyed his gospel endured to the end, and remained God's house by that enduring, these were saved, some saved so as by fire, so also saved as by water,-while those who counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing, those who alway, as their fathers, did despite to the spirit of grace, (see Gen. vi. 3,) and resisted the Holy Ghost, hardening their hearts, were condemned. The day of salvation to them in the ark, was a day of perdition to ungodly men; or, to apply our figure, the very same knowledge of the Lord, which, like water spreading over the land, bore believers in safety to the haven where they would be, was a flood wherein to drown the world that then was; wherein to cast them as into the depths, with a millstone round the neck, in which floods and in which depths, the deep things of God, they are still suffering vengeance, according to the awful sentence, "These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." I now conclude the examination of the Apostolic dispensation, under the figures of fire and water, in which I have been obliged to anticipate a little, or rather forced to our grand conclusion by a necessity over which there is no control. I shall now proceed to speak of the same dispensation more plainly, and with more express application to the ministry. Let it be remembered that our leading object is a discussion of the ministry, in a proof of the past second advent; and while we are discussing some of the glorious things of which this was a ministry, it will be well to weigh these things as they were ministered by the Apostles, with the same things as they are pretended to be ministered by the hireling labourers of the day. 66 The first prophecy to which I shall refer is Isaiah lii. 7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion." This prophecy is the line which I would draw from the square so often mentioned, running up into this, which I believe to be the last dispensation. It is the prophecy from Isaiah, whereby we prove the Apostolic ministry. We show the fulfilment in an express application to Christ's Apostles, from the testimony of one who said that he was not a whit behind the very chiefest of the Apostles. Paul writes, in Romans x., How shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent ? as it is written, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." This is an inspired declaration, quite as comprehensive as one which is so much used and abused by modern missionaries, "The earth shall be filled with knowing the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Our point is gained. We have learned that the Apostles and their fellows were the very watchmen of whom Isaiah, being moved by the Holy Ghost, did speak. Suppose we take the several particulars of Isaiah's prophecy in order. "How beautiful upon the mountains;" and how beautifully this corresponds with a prophecy already quoted of the last days, wherein the mountain of the Lord's house should be established on the top of the mountains; so that from this comparison, and this mention of the last days alone, we might arrive at a true conclusion as to the time of fulfilment. But to proceed. What is that which is beautiful upon the mountains ? "The feet of him that bringeth good tidings." There is a sweet passage parallel to this in the Song of Solomon; "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter." Both scriptures are clearly opened up in their application to the Apostolic ministry. Christ so applies the figure in the parable of the prodigal son; "Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet." Paul explains the shoes in Rom. x., as also in his exhortation to the Ephesian Church, " Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." All these scriptures are crowned by a verse in Psalm cxix., "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”—Again, passing by the publication of peace as obviously applying to the preaching of Him whose name is "our peace," the 66 Prince of peace, we come to the title of the publishers, "Thy watchmen." This title, likewise, is to be found in the Song; "The watchmen that go about the city found me." This title clearly attaches to the Apostolic ministry. Christ in the parables reiterates the word, "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find watching.” And, as Isaiah writes, "Thy watchmen, Zion," so, corresponding to this, Paul exhorts the Hebrews, whom he addresses as having come to Mount Zion; Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account.” (Heb. xiii. 17.) Paul enumerated this watching among the signs of his apostleship; "In watchings often, in fastings often." This also he enforced upon his beloved Timothy, "Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." There were other feet than those which were beautiful upon the mountains, as it is written, "Their feet are swift to shed blood," which was true of her who was drunk with the blood of the martyrs, and upon whom in that generation came all the righteous blood shed upon the earth. And here let me remark, that if in Jerusalem was found the blood of all the prophets, is not this decisive enough as to the duration of the ministry; for he gave some prophets, as well as some apostles; and it could not be that a prophet should perish out of Jerusalem. There were other watchmen than those who stood on Zion's walls; "His watchmen are blind; they are all dumb dogs, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber; yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough." Every word of this description will be borne out by facts, if applied to those who sat in Moses' seat, in the days of Christ's ministry. The prophet speaks of blind watchmen: so Christ says to the Pharisees, "Ye blind guides; if the blind lead the blind, shall not both fall into the ditch ?" The prophet speaks of ignorance. How often does Christ say, "Thou fool!" Isaiah has it that these watchmen were "dumb dogs," and Christ parallels that with "Ye make void the law of God by your traditions;" dumb enough, when they had reduced the word of God to silence. And then that these watchmen should be sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber; how just the description of those who laid heavy burdens, grievous to be borne, but who would not touch these burdens with one of their fingers. And then, once more, that the watchmen were greedy dogs, never having enough; this is none other than the Pharisee to the very life, who devoured widows' houses, and for a show made long prayers; and as it was in the beginning, is now; there is nothing new under the sun. But further-Zion's watchmen were to see eye to eye. The promise of Christ at once applies this to the Apostolic ministry; "He, the Comforter, shall guide you into all truth." They to whom these words were addressed had the mind of Christ: they were able ministers of the New Testament; they preached the gospel of peace, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and consequently there was a divine necessity that they should see eye to eye. And it was so. John writes, in his first Epistle, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. This then is the messsage which we (who sit on thrones,) have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Peter is quite as decided as John on the subject of his preaching. He writes, "I will that ye be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance; for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty. Peter testifies to the truth of John's preaching; when speaking of the Book of Revelations he says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed." Peter likewise makes approving mention of Paul's Epistles that same Paul who had withstood him to the face for his cowardice in presence of the Jewish house. Paul shall close our proof of Zion's watchmen seeing eye to eye. How read we his parting address to the Church of Ephesus? "I am pure from the blood of all, I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God." And again, "If we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” So much for a brief exposition of Isaiah's prophecy from the Apostolic Epistles. To do anything like justice to the subject would require that a volume should be written. Have I ended all that I intended to say on the prophecy? Oh no. I remember a hymn which begins thus "How beauteous are their feet Who stand on Zion's hill, Who bring salvation on their tongues, And words of peace reveal." From this hymn, it would appear that there are watchmen now; but after the examination just instituted into the character of a watchman in Apostolic times, I leave the question in the hands of a child, to try whether modern watchmen be the very successors of the originals or no. We have noticed two classes of watchmen, judge you which of the two modern watchmen most resemble. The Apostles and their fellow servants published peace. Numbers of our modern watchmen say even of their brethren, "No peace with Rome," but a determined and deadly hostility -for what?-for the momentous principle of the difference betwixt 'tweedledum and tweedledee.' The Apostles and their companions did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God. Now, one part of that counsel which Paul declared to the church at Ephesus was, "Predestination according to the good pleasure of the Father's will;" but yet have we never heard of modern watchmen, who hate and abhor the very sound of predestination? The Apostles could speak with Holy Ghost assurance, "If any man preach any other gospel than that ye have received, let him be accursed." We are now told to believe that fifty or a hundred different doctrines are one and the self same truth. Where, then, is the gospel, and what becomes of the curse? The ministers of the day may tell their hearers that they watch for their souls as those that must give account: let the people ask them to prove their watchings to be real. "Show me thy faith by thy works, for faith without works is dead." Canst thou say this,- In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often?" Ah! methinks, if you test the watchmen of the day by such a talisman, they would rather abjure the title. Like the accusers of the woman taken |