future state, as to their salvation or damnation. The final lot and portion of these two nations, and every individual of them, was yet to be proved and decided, in a future day of greater light and spiritual power, and by a more unerring rule of judgment, than could be given in that day. Therefore the election or choice of these two brothers, was never intended to decide their eternal state; but only to represent, in a figure, God's hatred of sin and the fallen nature of the flesh, in the children of wickedness, who will sell their heavenly birthright for a little carnal pleasure; while he manifests his distinguishing love and blessing to those who will wisely distinguish themselves, by their faith and obedience to the calls of the gospel.

The instance of Pharaoh is produced as another argument in favor of the doctrine of predestination. "For the scripture saith "unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee 66 up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might "be declared throughout all the earth."* But this choice of Pharaoh was also designed, as a figure, to represent the arch oppressor of God's people, in the spirit of wickedness. And the subsequent destruction of him and his host, in the red sea, typified the flood of destruction which will finally overwhelm the enemies of God's people, and put an end to all manner of oppression. But neither the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, nor the destruction of the Egyptian host, can be any evidence of the final state of either. It will doubtless be more tolerable for them, in the day of judgment, than for the rebellious Jews; and beyond comparison more so, than for those who reject the light of the gospel in the present day. Obedience or disobedience to the everlasting gospel, the light of which must finally be extended to all, whether living or dead, will at length prove the salvation or damnation of every soul.

The scriptures have been greatly wrested to prove doctrines which have originated in antichristian darkness; but after all, there is nothing to be found throughout the sacred volume, that affords the smallest proof of that gloomy and soul-darkening doctrine of eternal and unconditional decrees, which so unjustly fixes the final salvation or damnation of souls, without a special regard to their works. The election of individuals as ministers, prophets, or leaders of the people, by no means implies a certainty of the final salvation of the persons so elected,† any more than it implies the damnation of those who are not elected to these offices; because all must finally be judged and rewarded according to their works. Those works, however, which were performed in a state of darkness and ignorance, tho they must have their due reward, can never decide the final doom of any soul. Those performed under the light of the gospel, and with a full understanding of its require

*Rom ix, 17:

† Witness Balaam, Saul, Judas and others,

1

ments, are the works by which the soul must be tried, and for which he must receive his final reward.

The truth of these things is so abundantly testified in the scriptures, and appears so consistent with the righteousness and justice of God, that there seems to be no possible ground to dispute it; and yet we find many antichristian preachers and writers continually exclaiming against the efficacy of good works, and thus discouraging all attempts to obtain the mercy and favor of God by the virtuous acts of faithful obedience. But this discouraging doctrine will finally prove a poor excuse for their own idleness and disobedience. "Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every 66 man according as his works shall be.”*

CHAPTER III.

The Creation and Order of the Natural World a figure of that which is Spiritual.

THE natural world, and the things therein contained, were, from the beginning, wisely designed as figurative representations of spiritual things to come. As this earth was created for a temporary use, and was never intended to be the abiding place of man, but only a place of preparation for a more substantial, durable and glorious state, in the spiritual world; it was therefore highly proper and necessary that, in its creation and order, it should bear a suitable comparison with that spiritual creation of which it was a figure. But as the difference between things natural and spiritual is very great; so this comparison is but as a shadow compared with the substance.

Jesus Christ, both in his public ministry, and in his discourses with his disciples, often made use of natural similitudes to represent spiritual things. By this he evidently manifested that the natural creation, and the things pertaining to it, were well adapted to represent spiritual and eternal things, which indeed could not be represented otherwise than by the things of time. This truth is more fully revealed, in these last days, to those who are now made partakers of the real substance of those things, which were formerly represented by types and shadows. "That was not first which is "spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is "spiritual."+

In the first of Genesis, we have the following account of the commencement and progress of the natural creation and its established order, together with the first creation of man.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon +1 Cor. xv. 46′′

* Rev. xxii. 12

་་

ملو

"the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face "of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there 46 was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God "divided the light from the darkness." Or rather, according to the original, "God divided," or made a separation between the light and the darkness. The sacred historian then proceeds to show the formation and order of the natural heavens and earth, the sea and the dry land, and the natural productions and established order of each. "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit "after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it 66 was so."

Thus the fixed and unalterable laws of nature were established in the fruits; each kind must bring forth fruit according to its nature. It was therefore contrary to the nature of the oak to bring forth oranges, or for the fig-tree to yield peaches. The seed of the melon could not produce cucumbers, nor the flaxseed bring forth barley. The laws of nature could not be violated, in this respect, in any part of the vegetable creation.

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, "to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs, and "for seasons, and for days and years: and let them be for lights "in the firmament of heaven, to give light upon the earth: and it 66 was so." Here we see that when these sources of natural light were created, and established “in the firmament of heaven to give "light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, "and to divide the light from the darkness," God at the same time, ordained that they should be “for signs and for seasons,” as well as for days and years." Thus it appears that Divine Wisdom has ordained that the things of the natural creation, under the government and influence of these lights, should be regulated by times and seasons; and these are for signs to those who walk in the light. But this subject will be more particularly noticed in the sequel. The account thus proceeds.

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the "moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the "earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great "whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters "brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every fowl after "his kind. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multi"ply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the "earth. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living crea“ture after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the "earth after his kind: and it was so." Thus all these things were created and established in their order, and endowed, by the laws of creation, with the power of generating their own species, in their

* See marginal Bible.

order, and according to the times and seasons appointed by the Creator.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our like"ness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and GL over the fowl of the air, and over the earth, and over every creep"ing thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man "in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male " and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God "said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, "and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God saw every thing that he had made, "and behold it was very good."

Thus man was appointed the sole lord of the creation; his power and dominion was over all. But as he was constituted God's representative on earth, who best knew his situation, and the danger to which he was exposed, it was necessary that he should yield perfect obedience to the commands of his Creator, as the only possible means by which he could retain that power and dominion which the Creator had given him.

From the foregoing statement the following observations may be drawn.

1. It appears that the natural creation was gradually formed and brought into order: that this order, which extended through the whole creation, was supported and governed by certain laws and regulations, which constituted the beauty and harmony of the creation, and which could not be broken without creating confusion ; and that every thing in its proper order and place was pronounced good, and placed under the dominion.of man.

2. In the creation a separation was made between light and darkness, day and night, and many other things of different and opposite qualities which, when contrasted, clearly represented good and evil, and were calculated to present to the mind of man the qualities of things beautiful and ugly, lovely and hateful, harmless and hurtful, and were doubtless necessary to impress upon his understanding a sense of good and evil, happiness and misery.

3. These things, so different and opposite in their nature, were entirely separate and distinct from each other; and as each in its place was designed, as a sign or figure, to represent that which was good or evil among spiritual things, it was therefore necessary for man, in all his transactions, to keep that distinction in view, and to govern himself accordingly.

To the spiritually minded the comparison between natural and spiritual things is plain and obvious. The light of the sun, being the source or fountain of light in the natural creation, is a most striking figure of the Fountain of spiritual light, the bright Source of everlasting life, the glorious Light of Heaven, of which all souls

who shall be found faithful to improve the light which God has given them, will be made partakers. The darkness of the night evidently prefigures the shades of spiritual darkness, and the gloomy mansions of hell, where all souls who chuse darkness rather than light, must sink at last. The beautiful and harmonious songsters of the grove are so many emblems of happy spirits, whose blessed influences communicate happiness to all around them. The voracious raven, the midnight screech-owl, and the like, are emblematical of those destructive and tormenting spirits which haunt the infernal regions, and torment the wicked.

Similar comparisons may be made relative to good and evil beasts, beautiful and ugly animals, and useful and destructive creatures of every kind. The fruits of the earth, the plants and herbs of the field, and every thing that grows upon the earth, as well as all living creatures which inhabit the watery world, or fly in the airy regions, are either useful or destructive, pure or impure, and are figurative either of spiritual good or evil, purity or impurity: for God has created nothing in vain. Therefore, tho all these things are temporal, as to their existence, and must soon perish, like all other works of time; yet in their creation, infinite Wisdom evidently had real and essential objects in view, as spiritual substances, to be typified or pointed out by these created objects.

It may be asserted as an objection to the foregoing doctrine, that these things were created for the use and subsistence of man. Admitting this to be true, it does not prove that they were not, at the same time, intended as figurative representations of spiritual things. But there are evidently many kinds of living creatures, as well as many other things in the natural creation, for which mankind have never yet found any use, and perhaps never will in this world; and certainly they were not created in vain. What then could have been the object of their creation, if it was not to represent something of a spiritual nature to be revealed hereafter?

The fact that sheep and lambs, as well as a variety of other creatures, were given to be slain, both for food and for sacrifice, did not prevent their being used as figures to typify the sacrifice to be made for sin, and to represent the meek and innocent character of the Savior, who was "brought as a lamb to the slaughter." Nor were they, on that account, less typical of the meek and innocent character of his people, whom he calls his sheep and his lambs.† So also the best fruits of the earth, which were evidently created for the immediate use of man, and expressly given for his subsistence, are no less figurative on that account; but even the very circumstance of their being given for food, was intended to

How aptly does the circumstance that man is dependent upon the sheep and lambs of the flock for the clothing of his natural body, show our dependence upon the Lamb of God for "the garments of salvation," of which our natural garments are a figure!

† See John xxi. 15, & 16 ̧ also chap. x. 11 to 16.

1