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And the Bible will be much better understood, than ever before. Many things expressed or implied in the scripture, which are now overlooked and disregarded, will then be discovered, and appear important and excellent; and those things which now appear intricate and unintelligible, will then appear plain and easy. Then public teachers will be eminently burning and shining lights; apt to teach; scribes well instructed into the things of the kingdom of heaven, who will bring out of their treasures, things new and old and the hearers will be all attention, and receive the truth in the love of it, into honest and good hearts; and light and knowledge will constantly increase. The conversation of friends and neighbours, when they meet, will be full of instruction, and they will assist each other in their inquiries after the truth, and in pursuit of knowledge. Parents will be able and disposed to instruct their children, as soon as they are capable of learning; and they will early understand what are the great and leading truths which are revealed in the Bible, and the duties and institutions there prescribed. And from their childhood they will know and understand the holy scriptures, by which they will grow in understanding and wisdom; and will soon know more than the greatest and best divines have known in ages before. And a happy foundation will be laid for great advances in knowledge and usefulness to the end of life. Agreeable to this, the scripture speaking of that day, says, "There shall be no more thence (i. e. in the church) an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die an hundred years old."* "An infant of days" is an old infant. That is, an old man who is an infant in knowledge, understanding and discretion. Many such aged infants have been, and still are to be found. In that day all shall make advances in true knowledge, discretion and wisdom, in some proportion to their years. "Nor an old man that hath not filled his days." That is, an old man who has not improved in knowledge and usefulness, and every good attainment, according to his age. "For a child shall die an hundred years old." That is, children in years shall then make such early progress in knowledge, and in religion, and in all excellent and useful attainments, that they shall equal, if not surpass, the highest attainments in these things, of the oldest men who have lived in former ages.

They will then have every desirable advantage and opportunity to get knowledge. They will all be engaged in the same pursuit, and give all the aid and assistance to each other, in their power. They will all have sufficient leisure to pursue and acquire learning of every kind, that will be beneficial to themselves and to society; especially knowledge of divinity. And great advances will be made in all arts and sciences, and in every useful branch of knowledge, which tends to promote the spiritual and eternal good of men, or their convenience and comfort in this

life.

• Isa, lxv. 20:

cence.

III. It will be a time of universal peace, love, and general and cordial friendship. War and all strife and contention shall then cease, and be succeeded by mutual love, friendship and benefiThose lusts of men, which originate in self love, or selfishness, which produce all the wars and strifes among men, shall be subdued and mortified, and yield to that disinterested benevolence, that heavenly wisdom, which is peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated. This will effectually put an end to war, as the scripture teaches. "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."* The whole world of mankind will be united as one family, wisely seeking the good of each other, in the exercise of the most sweet love and friendship, founded upon the best and everlasting principles. "The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." This change, which shall then take place, in which men, who were in ages before, like savage beasts, injurious, cruel, revengeful and destructive to each other, shall lay aside all this, and become harmless, humble and benevolent, is set in a striking, beautiful light in prophecies, representing it by the most fierce and crue! beasts of prey, changing their nature, and living quietly with those creatures which they used to destroy; and so tame and pliable that a little child might lead them; and by the most venomous creatures and insects becoming harmless, so that a child might play with them without any danger of being hurt. Isaiah, speaking of that day, says, "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: And the lion shall eat straw, like the ox. And the sucking child sball play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den." Then "they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid."

IV. In that day, men will not only be united in peace and love, as brethren; but will agree in sentiments, respecting the doctrines and truth contained in the Bible, and the religious institutions and practice, which are there prescribed.

Professing christians have been from the beginning of christianity to this day, greatly divided, and have opposed each other in their religious sentiments and practices; and are now divided into various parties, sects and denominations, while all appeal to divine revelation, and profess to take their sentiments and practices from that.

* Isa. ii. 4. xxxii. 18.

Isa. xi. 6, 7, 8.

+ Mic. iv. 4.

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It has been often said by some professing christians, and is a sentiment which appears to be spreading at this day, that difference in religious sentiments, and in attendance on the institutions of the gospel, and modes of worship, is attended with no inconvenience, but is rather desirable and advantageous; and by this variety, christianity is rendered more agreeable and beautiful: That it is impossible that all men, whose capacities and genius are so different and various, and their minds and way of thinking and conception are naturally so far from being alike, should ever be brought to think alike, and embrace the same religious sentiments: That this difference in man's belief and sentiment cannot be criminal; for men are no more obliged to think alike, than they are to look alike, and have the same bodily features and statAll the union that is required, or that can take place, is that of kind affection, love and charity.

ure.

But such sentiments as these are not agreeable to reason or scripture. Error in judgment and sentiment, especially in things of a moral nature, is always wrong; and does not consist or originate merely in any defect of the natural faculties of the mind; but is of a moral nature, in which the taste, affection, or inclination of the heart is concerned; and therefore is always, in every degree of it, morally wrong, and more or less criminal. Were the moral faculties of the mind, were the heart perfectly right, man would not be capable of error, or of judging wrong, or making any mistake, especially in things of religion. The natural faculties of the mind, of perception and understanding, or reason, considered as separate from the inclination or will, do not lead, and have no tendency in themselves, to judge wrong, or contrary to the truth of things. To do so, is to judge without evidence, and contrary to it, which the mind never would or could do, were not the inclination or heart concerned in it, so as to have influence, which must be a wrong inclination, and contrary to the truth, and to evidence; and therefore is morally wrong, or criminal.

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Therefore, all the mistakes and wrong opinions which men entertain respecting the doctrines, institutions and duties revealed in the Bible, are criminal, and of a bad tendency. They must be so, as they are contrary to man's obligation and duty to believe all revealed truth and are wholly owing to a wrong bias or inclination, or the depravity and corruption of the heart. What God has revealed in his word, he has declared to man, to be received by him, and believed to be the truth; of which he has given sufficient evidence. And the man who does not believe what God has clearly revealed, and of which he has given sufficient evidence, even all that can be reasonably desired, does abuse and pervert his own understanding, and shuts his eyes against the truth, and refuses to receive the testimony which God has given. And who will say there is no crime in this!

Since therefore all mistakes and errors contrary to the truths made known in the Bible, are criminal, and owing to the corrup

tion of the heart of man, then perfect holiness will exclude all error, and there neither is, nor can be, any wrong judgment in heaven; and in the Millennium, which will be a greater image of heaven than ever was before on earth, holiness, light and knowledge, will rise so high, that the former errors in principle and practice will subside, and there will be a great and general union in the belief and practice of the truth, contained in divine revelation.

As there is but " one Lord, one faith, and one baptism," so in that day men will be united in the belief and profession of this one faith, in the system of doctrines revealed in the Bible, which then will appear plain, and with the clearest evidence to all. And they will have one common Lord, will understand, and obey all the commands of Christ; and they will know what are the institutions and ordinances which Christ has appointed, which are all implied in baptism: They will understand what is the import of this, and implied in it, and be united in sentiments and practice, so as to form a beautiful, happy union and harmony; which will put an end to the variety and opposition of opinions and practices, which now divide professing christians into so many sects, parties and denominations. The whole church, with all the members of it, which will fill the earth, and include all mankind then living, will in that day come to that to which the gospel tends, and is designed to bring it: It will "Come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That they shall be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and the cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive: But speaking the truth in love, shall grow up into him in all things, which is thehead, even Christ." Then, agreeable to the wish and injunction of the Apostle Paul, christians will "all speak the same thing, and there will be no divisions among them; but will be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment."t Then the inventions and prescriptions of men, both in doctrines and modes of worship, and in christian practice, will be abolished and cease. The Bible will be then understood, and be found a sufficient and perfect rule of faith and practice, in which all will agree, and will join, "with one mind, and one mouth, to worship and glorify God." Then the weapons of the gospel, the truths of divine revelation, being preached, understood aud received, will cast down the imaginations of men, and every high thing, introduced by the pride of man, which now exalts itself against the knowledge of God; and will bring into captivity every thought, to the obedience of Christ."|| "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. In that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."§ All shall agree in their view and acknowledgment of the divine character, and consequently in all the revealed truths Eph iv. 13, 14, 15. † 1 Cor. i. 10, § Zech. xiv. 9.

Rom. xv. 6.

H2 Cor. x. 4, 5.

and dictates contained in the Bible. Christ will then come to his temple, his church," and he will be like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."* The question will be asked now, as it was then, "But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth?" What sect or denomination of christians will abide the trial of that day, and be established?

Answer. Nothing but the truth, or that which is conformable to it, will abide the trial of that day. "The lip of truth shall be established forever."t "The righteous nation which keepeth the truth shall enter in," and be established in that day. Those of every denomination will doubtless expect, that the doctrines they hold, and their mode of worship and discipline, and practice, with respect to the institutions and ordinances of Christ, will be then established as agreeable to the truth ; and all others will be given up; and all men will freely conform to them. But the most, and perhaps all, will be much disappointed in this expectation; especially with regard to the different modes of worship, and practices relating to discipline, and the ordinances of the gospel. When the church comes to be built up in that day, and put on her beautiful garments, it will doubtless be different from any thing which now takes place; and what church and particular denomination is now nearest the truth, and the church which will exist at that time, must be left to be decided by the event. It is certain, that all doctrines and practices which are not agreeable to the truth, will at that day, as wood, hay, and stubble, be burnt up. Therefore, it now highly concerns all, honestly to seek and find, love and practise, truth and peace.

It is agreeable to human nature, and seems to be essential to rational creatures, to be most pleased with those who think as they do, and are of the same sentiments with themselves, in those things in which they feel themselves chiefly interested and concerned. And this agreement in sentiment cements and increases their union and friendship. But this is true, in a peculiar sense and degree, in the case before us. There can be no proper, cordial, religious union among professing christians, who wholly differ and oppose each other in their opinion, respecting the truths and doctrines of the gospel. And agreement in sentiment, and in the knowledge and belief of the truth, is essential to the most happy christian union and friendship. To him who loves the truth, error in others is disagreeable and hateful, and that in proportion to the degree of his love of the truth, and pleasure in it. Therefore, christians love one another in the truth, as the apostles and primitive christians did. "The Elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth." Where there is no

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* Mal. iii. 1, 2, 3. † Prov. xii. 19. Isai. xxvi. 2. || 3 John, verse 1

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