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CHAPTER V.





Prophetic Account of the Apostacy from the Primitive Order of the Church -- Rise of the "Man of Sin, " or Mystery Babylon the Great " -- The Protestant Societies arc destitute of the Priesthood -- And History of the Saints from the Commencement of the Christian Era to the Present Time.

I N the preceding chapter, I demonstrated the fact, that the holy priesthood was given to the apostles, and others of the Primitive or New Testament church; and also, in a brief manner, set forth its proper order; but in this, I shall bring to the test, the authority of the whole Christian world. However, before I proceed with my history, I will illustrate by comparison the necessity of a continuation of this order of the kingdom, as long as the Christian dispensation is perpetrated.



Many of the theological writers of modern times, assert that one set of apostles and prophets, was sufficient for the church in all ages; that is, the apostles, prophets, &c., that Christ placed in the church, were all that ever was or is necessary, and that their writings abundantly supply their place; hence, that the writings of Peter, James, John, Paul and others, which compose the New Testament, supercede the necessity of successors to them holding the same offices. This is certainly one of the most preposterous ideas ever imbibed by human beings: for instance reader, what would











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you think of a set of men, if they should contend, that at the commencement of the United States, we had a number of illustrious statesmen, who held the offices in the various departments of the government; but because we have their writings or productions, which are read with much interest, there is no necessity for successors to them? A strange government indeed, we should have with nothing but a set of old letters and books to administer the laws, and preserve the tranquility of the nation. The matter stands thus, apostles, prophets and other ecclesiastics, were placed in the church for the work of ministry, or to negotiate with the world in the name of Christ, and adopt souls into His kingdom; but they, and all those who were comtemporary with them, deceased, and another generation came upon the stage of action with equal claims upon the interposition of divine Providence in their behalf, and to all the rights and privileges of this kingdom; hence, it was just as necessary that apostles, &c., should be in the church in their day, as in that of those who went before them.



The idea, that the writings of the apostles supercede the necessity of such ministers in the church at the present day, and that they are all the commission necessary for those who preach the gospel, has thrown the world into confusion, and caused societies to spring up like mushrooms, in all parts of the world, for it at once throws the priesthood out of the question, and lets loose the reins of government, and gives every man, that has the New Testament, license to establish a society. Indeed, if the above notion is correct, then every man that has this book, has a commission to preach the gospel, and build up the kingdom of God, and every society that has it, are in possession of that which is paramount with apostles, and prophets.



Again, there is just as much scripture and reason, for dismissing the offices of the bishop, elder or presbyter, teacher,











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and deacon, as there is for the apostles, and prophets; and every intelligent person knows there is none for either. -- But I must hasten.



The principal object I have in view at present, is the apostacy or falling away, from the before mentioned order of the kingdom of God, which I have set forth in plain terms. How long this order continued after the death of the apostles, is uncertain. But it is evident from some of their declarations, that the apostacy commenced in their day. Indeed, I infer from many predictions of the prophets, and apostles, which I shall notice hereafter, that their most sanguine expectations were, that there would be a general apostacy from the true order of the church, and had they have remained on earth, they would have witnessed what they anticipated. I regret, that I have not sufficient room in this work, without crowding out other matter of more importance, to introduce a conclusive history of the church, from the apostles down to the consummation of this apostacy; but however, this is a matter of notoriety: for scores of eminent historians, have set it forth in a plain and legible manner; therefore, I shall chiefly confine myself to the prophetic history of this awful affair. It is probable the apostles ordained efficient men to succeed them, that the work of the ministry might be performed; but how long their successors continued to hold fellowship with God, is uncertain. But I will now call the attention of the reader to the scriptures.



Paul says, in his epistle to the Romans, (which may be with propriety applied to all the Gentiles:) "Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity; but towards thee, goodness if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." * From this we learn, that God promised to continue His goodness or blessing with the Gentiles on condition of faithfulness to



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* Ro. xi, 22.











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Him; otherwise they should be cut off cut off from what? I answer, the power, and privileges of the kingdom of God: for the apostle is here reasoning to show that the Jews were cut off or excluded from these blessings of the kingdom, because of their unbelief; and for this reason, they were transferred to the Gentiles; hence, the force of his argument is, that if the Gentiles should not continue in the goodness of God, they should be cut off, or excluded the same as the Jews were; and it is a fact, abundantly demonstrated in all the most approved histories of the church, that they have not continued in this goodness.



The following is positive "Now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." * I regard the foregoing as a positive prediction, that in the elapse of time from the days of the apostles or the first century, to the second advent of Christ, there was to be an apostacy, or falling away from the primitive order of the church. The apostle calls the apostacy of the Jews, and their unbelief, for which the kingdom was taken from them, a falling away; or in other words, "their fall:" so we must understand the above to be a prediction of the apostacy of the Christian church, and the corruption of the holy priesthood, so that it should be taken from its officers, or loose its efficacy. Indeed, if this prophecy of the apostle is true, then we must look for an apostacy at some future



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* 2 Th. ii, 1-4.











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period from his day. He thus intimates, that it commenced in his time: "The mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (hindreth,) will let until he be taken out of the way." The "man of sin" or "son of Perdition" is synonymous with "anti-Christ," which is generally explained as being an allusion to the popish heirarchy.



Paul said to the elders of the church at Ephesus: "For know this, that after my departing shall greivous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock; also of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." * I presume no person after reading the above, will dispute that the most sanguine expectation of the apostle, was that there would be a great departure from the true order of the church at some period after his day.



John the Revelator is exceedingly plain upon this subject. In the iv. chap. of his "Revelation," he says: "I heard a voice which said, come up hither, and I will show you things which must be hereafter;" therefore, as the prophetic vision rolled before his mind, many things that were to be transacted in the future, were represented to him by various symbolical forms or figures. In the twelfth chapter of this book, he says: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feat; and upon her head was a crown of twelve stars:"



It is admitted by nearly all the men of the literati, that this woman symbolically represents the church in its pure state, crowned with all its gifts and blessings, and at its head twelve apostles or great high priests. Indeed, in other parts of the Apocalypse, the, pure church of Christ is evidently portrayed by a woman: In chap. xix, ver. 7, a great multitude are represented as saying: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." In chap. xxi, ver. 9,



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* Ac. xx, 29, 30.











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the angel says to John: "Come up hither, and I will show thee the bride the Lamb's wife." "And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." In the succeeding verses, he speaks of the "Dragon" otherwise satan, who in the course of time, became so intimately connected or incorporated with the Roman power, that he is represented as having seven heads, and ten horns, as the beast that represents that empire is said to have; that is, he pressed the power of Rome, and the kings that arose in its dominions, into his cause, or wielded it, inflict his purpose, which was to persecute, and oppress the woman, and increase her pangs. "And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God, and His throne." Now this manchild is not Christ; for this reason, the birth of the former; is represented as having taken place sometime after the resurrection of the latter. Again, the woman is a figure; hence, the child cannot be a literal one; but a symbolical representation of something that pertains to the church. But after a careful investigation of the relative bearings of this most exquisite symbol, I have come to the conclusion, that the "man-child" stands for the holy priesthood, which was taken from the church, in consequence of wickedness. Furthermore, the priesthood is the power that is given to Christ, by which He will yet rule the nations; it is also, the power that was given to the apostles, and other servants of God, by which in the Millennium, they will reign as kings and priests, with Christ; hence, it is the power by which the nations will be ruled. -- But to be more particular.



First, the woman or church, is described as having on her head a crown of twelve stars, and as being magnificently adorned, that is with the gifts and graces of the gospel; secondly, as being "with child," and in pain and anguish to be delivered, and the dragon or satan with all his forces opposing











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or oppressing her, and as the time draws near, as is not uncommon, she becomes careless and indifferent about her bridal ornaments; therefore, they are torn from her, and thus she is stripped of all her original decorations, and made ready for the consummation of her parturition; the child is born, and immediately taken from her. To speak plain, the church was at first adorned with all the spiritual gifts, that I have before mentioned, the holy priesthood was given to the apostles, prophets, and others, who were the officers of the same. The apostles, and all the true followers of Christ, were distressed when they beheld the corruption of the priesthood, the innovations into the church, and its destined fate. Alas! it became so corrupt, that God took the priesthood from it; hence, the authority to administer the ordinances of the kingdom, was left with no one.



"And the women fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days." As soon as the priesthood was taken from the church, the original organization was broken up, and then it went into the wilderness; or in other words, it was involved in darkness and confusion, the gift of prophecy and its protecting powers, were taken away or were rejected by the majority of the members of the church; therefore, they were left to be carried about by every wind of doctrine, and to be led captive at the will of satan. Yet I believe the Lord has had many witnesses of His goodness in all ages, and many honest persons, perhaps in all societies, who have lived in accordance with the light and intelligence they received, and who have been nourished or sustained by the Lord; although figuratively speaking, they were in the wilderness. Under these circumstances, the woman has been sustained, one thousand two hundred and threescore days. This is generally understood to mean twelve hundred and sixty years; but there is











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no way of fording out the exact time when the priesthood was taken from the church; however, it is evident, it took place about the time the popish hierarchy supplanted the primitive order of it. Some contend that it took place in the reign of the emperor Justinian, who issued edicts for the promotion of pope Vigilius, and the augmentation of his power, which occurred about the middle of the Sixth century; others, that it happened in the latter part of this century or at the commencement of the Seventh. However, be this as it may, it is abundantly evident, the true church was to remain in the wilderness, at least, till the Nineteenth century. Having disposed of the woman that represents the true church or Christ, we will now take a view of another one of a different character.



John in the seventeenth chapter of his "Revelation," says, one of the seven angels came unto him, and promised to show him the woman with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication. "So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration."



Now as the former woman is an emblem of a church, so must this one be, and indeed, nothing can be more plain than that this latter one, is an emblematical representation of the Roman or Latin church. I have before explained the manner











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in which the true church went into the wilderness; and mark, the angel takes the apostle into this wilderness to see this "mother of harlots." Or in other words, where the first in a manner, vanishes out of sight, the second is discovered to the apostle; or as the Babylonian empire, was supplanted by the Medo-Persian, and as the power of the latter was placed in the realms of the former, so the Latin hierarchy supplanted the Christian church, and arose upon the ruins of it; it is evident, that the beast upon which this women was seen, is Political Rome, with all its apartments and divisions but it is needless for me to be particular upon this point; for many eminent historians, whose writings are accessible to all, have given a full account of this whole affair. One thing is certain, the Roman church has frequently called to her assistance the kings of the earth, or of the Latin power. -- But to be brief. First, she is named "mystery," and as Bishop Newton observes, "the Latin church is a complete mystery of iniquity;" secondly, she is called "Babylon the Great:" she is the exact antitype of ancient Babylon in her haughtiness, idolatry, and cruelty; Thirdly, "the mother of harlots." &c. There are scores of societies that are the immediate offspring of the Catholic church, and they have inherited the same spirit of pride, and arrogance, and the same practice of making merchandise of the gospel that she has ever manifested. Thus she is indeed the "mother of Harlots" and Abominations of the earth, and she and her offspring, compose a complete, "Mystery," "Babylon," or mass of confusion. And certainly the reader, after reading the foregoing, will not censure me for saying that there has been a great apostacy, or falling away from the ancient order of the church.



I now call the attention of the reader to what is recorded in the Seventh chapter of Daniel. First, the four universal empires of the world are represented by four beasts of different











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species; and no one disputes but what the fourth one, which has ten horns, is a symbolical representation of the Roman power or empire: for it is a fact, that at the fall of this empire, ten inferior kingdoms arose upon its ruins, and within the bounds of its dominions, which are the ten horns of the beast. "And there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." There is no room left for doubt, that this little horn, is the kingdom of Popes: for it was set up about the time, or soon after the fall of the ancient Roman empire. The Popes in time called several kings to their assistance, and at least, subdued three of these ten horns or kingdoms, and ceded their dominions to the church. Bishop Newton is of opinion that the three that were plucked up, were the Exarchate, of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome. As soon as the see of Rome, subdued these kingdoms, the pope was raised to the rank of a temporal prince. "I beheld," says Daniel, "the same (little) horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." Indeed, the Roman hierarchy persecuted unto death and harrassed those who would not receive her doctrines, and enormities; and this corresponds with what John says: "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Jesus."



"And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall he given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Every person who is acquainted with the history or the popes, and those immediately connected with them, knows that this is an exact description of their works; for they have oppressed and worn out the honest followers of Christ,











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blasphemed against God by assuming high titles, which only belong to God, and have changed, not only the laws and order of the kingdom of God, but those of nations. The "times" mentioned here, are explained the same as the twelve hundred and sixty days. John corroborates the above, as will be seen from the whole of the thirteenth chap. of his Apocalypse, which the reader will do well to carefully examine.



Now I trust that in the foregoing, I have made it sufficiently plain, that the "man of sin" or the popish hierarchy, was to and actually has, supplanted the true church, and overcome the saints or worn them out; and also, that the power of the priesthood has been taken from the earth.



The following is referred to, as evidence to countermand this idea: "And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock will I build my church; and the gates of hell (or hades) shall not prevail against it." * Now it makes no difference, so far as our subject is concerned, whether this rock is Christ, Peter, or a revelation direct from God to His people; the only idea it conveys to the mind of an impartial and intelligent person, is that the gates of hades will not prevail, or as it should be, enclose; that is, to shut up in hell, the members of the church, if they are built upon the rock, and continue thereupon. An apostate church, and a wicked nation, may prevail and triumph over their contemporaries: but in another world, the powers and gates of hell will enclose them; but it is not so with the members of the church that are built upon the rock, their enemies may prevail against their bodies; but they never can thrust their souls into hell. The above promise reaches to those who are built upon the rock, and not those, who comparatively speaking, are built upon a sandy foundation. The foregoing quotation is synonymous with this: "I am the Vine and ye are the branches: he that



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* Mat. xvi, 18.











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abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." * When the members of the church, are faithful to God, they abide in Christ, and compose His church that is built upon the true rock; but if they abide not in Him, then they are not His church; but one built upon some other foundation, and of course are not under the immediate protection of God. The instruction that Christ gave in His sermon on the mount, is the same in amount as the above. 



Again, says one, did not Christ promise His disciples that He would be with them even unto the end of the world? I reply, He is always with His people when they "abide in the Vine;" but when they forsake Him, He is under no obligation to ramble after them, in order to protect them. Another passage that is referred to, to sustain the idea that there was to be no general apostacy, is what Daniel says in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream; but for an explanation of this, I refer the reader to the succeeding chapter.



The following is conclusive evidence to sustain the position that I have taken; "The earth mourneth, and fadeth away: the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also in defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."  It will be seen from the context, that the earth is to be turned upside down, and that priests and people, master and servant, mistress and maid, buyer and seller, and borrower and lender, are all to share alike in an awful destruction or conflagration; and also, that the earth is to reel to



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* Jno. xv, 3, 6.

 See Mat. vii. ch.

 Is. xxiv, 4-6.













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and fro like a drunken man, cities are to be thrown down, and that God shall destroy the great and mighty men of the earth so that but few will be left. And the prophet assigns, "the transgression of the law, changing of the ordinance, and breaking of the everlasting covenant," as the reason or cause for all this. And no man that retains his sober senses will pretend to say, that this universal destruction has, yet been consummated: for according to the prophet, it is to immediately precede the reign of Christ on earth, with His saints: "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously." Indeed, was there, ever a time when all but a few of the inhabitants of the earth, were burnt up, as is here described by the prophet? Certainly, every sensible person will respond in the negative.



Now I opine that the foregoing is sufficient to convince every candid individual, that this prediction relates to something after the commencement of the Christian dispensation; therefore, I will examine it specifically, First, "Because they have transgressed the Laws:" this certainly alludes to a set of insubordinate apostates: and it can be established beyond doubt, that the Lord instituted a code of laws for the government of His kingdom, and that these laws particularly direct that the kingdom should be organized in the manner set forth in the preceding part of this work. As long as the members of the church adhered to these laws, they constituted the church of Christ; but as soon as they changed them, and substituted new precepts, and officers, they ceased to be His true church. The apostle says: "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." This rule will certainly work both ways; therefore, if there is a change of law, there must be a change of priesthood, and it is established beyond successful contradiction,











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that the leaders of the church in times past, transgressed the laws or changed them: and as the priesthood is only adapted to the kingdom of God, or to those precepts instituted by Christ and no other; therefore, when the laws were changed, and a new order of things instituted and adopted, it was necessary that an executive, and legislative power should be created, that was adapted to the new form of government. And indeed, so it was, the Catholic hierarchy changed the laws of the church, and for apostles, prophets, &c., they substituted popes, legates, cardinals, cannons, prebendaries, &c., hence, they have a priesthood, and set of officers, that are adapted to that order, and not to the kingdom of God, no more so, than the legislative, and executive officers of China, are adapted to the laws, and institutions of the United States.



Secondly, they have "changed the ordinance." This certainly alludes to the ordinance of baptism: for it is demonstrated in the scriptures, and by many learned historians, that immersion was the only mode of baptism practiced in the first two or three centuries; but when the apostates changed many other institutions of the church, baptism shared the same fate. The change has been from immersion to that of sprinkling or the pouring on of water. Mr. Gahan, a Catholic historian, says that immersion was the usual mode down to the middle of the Third century. Dr. Mosheim also says, it was administered by immersion in those early times. The testimony of these men is of undoubted authority, and probably would not have been given, could they have honourably avoided it: for in doing it, they have condemned themselves, both having adopted another mode.



The change of this ordinance alone, in time, destroyed all legal authority to administer any ordinance of the kingdom; for I have already proved that baptism is the ordinance of adoption; therefore, if none are lawfully baptized, none are











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legal citizens of the kingdom; and it is unconstitutional for individuals to hold the priesthood, or an office in the church, who are not citizens of it.



Thirdly, "They have broken the everlasting covenant." Now I am fully satisfied that this everlasting covenant, is the covenant of priesthood: and I trust, that what I have before said about the covenant of priesthood has convinced the reader of this fact. As soon as the laws and ordinance were changed, the stipulations of this covenant were infringed upon, and of course, the agreement broken. Can any one read the history of the church, and compare this prediction of the prophet with it, without being satisfied that it was in a great measure fulfilled in the setting up of the "man of sin," or the popish hierarchy? Again, just in proportion as the Protestant societies support the Mother Church in her works of apostacy, and supplanting primitive institutions of the kingdom, they are guilty of the crime alleged by the prophet; hence, when the day of punishment comes, they must share in it.



The principal object in view, at the onset of the foregoing investigation, was the first general apostacy; therefore, reader I sincerely request you to carefully compare the prophecies that I have inserted and the comment upon them, with the most authentic histories of the church, and when you are thus prepared to judge, I am confident your verdict will coincide with mine, which is, that the holy priesthood was taken from the church, which immediately went or fled into the wilderness; and that the Romish church, which is represented by the "women that set upon the scarlet coloured beast," supplanted the true church of God. Indeed, the arrogance and assumption of the popes, the sale of indulgences, amalgamation of numerous pagan rites and ceremonies with those of the church, the worship of images, the celibacy of the clergy, monkery in all its horrid forms, the flagitious











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court of inquisition, exorcism, the nunnery system, and scores of other equally absurd notions and practices, all rush into the mind as demonstrative evidence of the truth of what I have before mentioned. Certainly, no one can be so unreasonable as to suppose, that the priesthood has been retained pure by a people that have been guilty of these enormities. I set it down as a fact, which I conceive to be incontrovertible, that although, there may have been a regular succession of bishops or popes, from the apostles to the present time, the priesthood has been so corrupted; or in other words, those who professed to have it, have been such corrupt men, that God has not acknowledged it, or continued His power with it, for several hundred years; therefore, there is no such thing as obtaining immaculate authority from the Catholic or Mother church. Hence, if there is any people on earth that have this authority, they obtained it from God, through the agency of an angel, or it has been handed down from the apostles by a regular set of successors abstract from the Mother church; but it is impossible to sustain the idea of a succession of this kind. -- But I must hasten.



Having shown the impossibility of receiving a valid priesthood from the Romish church, I will now examine the authority, and relative positions of some of the most prominent of the Protestant societies; however, I will first make a few general remarks.



I want the reader to distinctly understand that my research into this matter, does not grow out of any ill will that I have towards any society: for as I have before observed, I believe, there his been, and is now, many honest and sincere persons in all societies, who are seeking after the truth, whom the Lord will by no means cast off in the day of eternity; but they are deceived in many respects. If it is not willful blindness, they are in a great degree excusable; but if the Lord sends them a message that will inform their better judgment,











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then their salvation depends upon the reception of it; but if they reject it, God will no longer hold them guiltless. I wish to treat all men with the respect, that they merit by their conduct and bearing; but certainly, if the whole Christian world are in a state of apostacy, and destitute of the holy priesthood, there is no harm in making it known, or publishing it abroad; for so doing, may be the means of rescuing many from the serpent fangs of bigotry, and fanaticism. Neither does it betray a want of charity; for true charity, is to tell a man, in the spirit of meekness, of his evil ways, and of the danger he is in; and if possible, rescue him from the iron grasp of delusion: and not to stupify his judgment, when the very Javelins of the Almighty, and arrows of misfortune, are aiming at his soul. Again, I presume the reader has by this time discovered that my mode of exposing error, is by the means of reason, and the scriptures; and if hereafter, I should base my argument upon false premises, and not adduce sufficient evidence to sustain my position, then, of course, no one will be under any obligation to coincide with my views; therefore, I solicit the reader to. proceed with me in good spirits, and with good feelings, being assured that what I shall say with regard to the authority of the sects of the day, does not arise from any animosity, that I have against any of them.



It will be remembered that I have demonstrated the fact, that the Catholic or Mother church, is an apostate one; therefore, any authority that has been received from her, is not good. -- But to proceed.



About the middle or the Eleventh century, the Greek church separated from the Latin; hence, the former cannot make any higher claims to the priesthood than the latter.



The Albigenses, Waldenses, Petrobrusians, and many other societies of inferior rank, arose in the Twelfth century; but all were the offspring of the Mother church. The Waldences











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were the followers of Peter Waldus or Waldo, an opulent merchant of Lyons. He dissented from the Catholics about the year A. D. 1160. Without doubt, many in all these societies were good and exemplary Christians, as far as their knowledge and authority extended; but Dr. Mosheim, and several other eminent historians, have made it plain that they had no church power or authority, other than that which they received from the Mother church.



In the fore part of the Sixteenth century the famous reformation commenced. The Lutheran church was founded by Luther, who was a Monk of the Augustinian order; hence, he received no priesthood from any other source but the Catholic church, or from the Lord by revelation, and the agency of an angel; but it is not probable he received it direct from heaven: for he made no pretentions of the kind, or if he did, we have no account of it; consequently, the authority of the Lutheran church, and those that have dissented from it, can only be traced back to the Roman hierarchy. Melancthon, Zuinglius, and others, who were engaged with Luther in the reformation, were also dissenters from her ranks.



John Calvin, who was the originator of the Calvinistic doctrine, and virtually the corner of Presbyterianism, was also an apostate from the Mother church.



The church of England was founded by king Henry VIII., bishop Cranmer, and others, who were dissenters from the Catholics; or rather, they were a set of insubordinate characters. Indeed, all these celebrated reformers were apostates from the Mother church, and if they had any authority at all, to preach and establish churches, they must have either received it from her, or from heaven; but they all protested against her, and whom they, with the apostle, distinguish by the opprobrious epithet of, "Mother of harlots," and "Abomination of the earth." But I contend, that if she is a corrupt Church it is impossible for her to confer authority that











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is pure: "A corrupt fountain cannot send forth pure water." "A corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit." "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles." Again, in national and church affairs, it is an established principle, that those who confer authority, have the right and power to take it away, or revoke it; therefore, if these reformers received authority from the Mother church, she has all sufficient power to take it from them, which she most certainly did do: for she excommunicated, condemned as heretics, and execrated them to all intents and purposes. But they certainly received no priesthood from heaven; for they universally denied immediate revelation from God to themselves, and made no pretensions to the administration of angels; therefore, of the two, I would take the authority of the Catholics in preference to that of the Protestants; but it is evident that neither have any that God acknowledges to be legal. Many of these noted reformers, were men of the most infamous character, as will be seen from "Dr. Mosheim's Church History" "Buck on the Reformation," and Cobbet Do.; however, the character of men, is not the object in view at present.



The Baptists chiefly owe their origin to Memo Simon, who in the early part of his public career was a Romish priest.



The Methodist church was founded by Mr. John Wesley and others, who were members of the church of England; hence, she is the second-generation offspring of the Catholic church. Indeed, nearly if not all, the Protestant denominations with their divisions, subdivisions, and factions, are the offspring of the church of Rome; and as all join in calling her the "Mother of harlots," I leave the reader to judge who her daughters are, and what must be their character.



The apostle in the following, plainly describes the corruption of the Christian world in our own times: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall











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depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocricy; having their conscience seared (as) with a hot iron." * This must be regarded as a prediction; and the "latter times," here mentioned, certainly allude to times that are to immediately precede the consummation of the present order of times or time. It is true, the apostle applies the term "these last days" to his own time, for the most obvious reason, no days had succeeded those in which he lived; but when he predicts future events that are to transpire in the "latter times," or "days," he is to be understood, as having reference to the days that are to immediately precede the second advent of Christ. Then from the above we learn that in the "latter times," men were to depart from the faith, and give heed to doctrines of devils: and it is a notorious fact, that the policy of his satanic majesty, has ever been to instigate the people to reject as many of his precepts of the gospel, and to deny as many of the promises of God to His people as he can.



Again, the apostle says: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form or Godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away."  This is an accurate description of the Christian world at the present time: "They have a form of Godliness, but they deny the power thereof." Every society has a certain form of Godliness; but is there a Protestant society in Christendom that has in it apostles, prophets, and inspired men, and that practice the same ordinances in every respect for the same purpose,



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* 1 Tim. iv, 1, 2.

 2 Ti. iii, 1-5.













92 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

and that contend for the same spiritual gifts that Christ and His apostles said, were for the believer? or in other words, does its form correspond with that of The Primitive church? I answer in the negative. But mark, the apostle says, "they shall have a form," and not the form "of Godliness."



Now reader you can demonstrate the fact, that the sectarian world are destitute of the holy priesthood: for if you interrogate them upon the subject, they will tell you, that none were to have the Melchisedec order of priesthood in the Christian dispensation, but Christ: and if you ask them, if they have the Aaronic order, they will say that none were to have it, but the sons of Aaron: thus they will in toto deny having either order of the priesthood, which is precisely what the apostle has foretold: "They shall deny the power thereof." The priesthood constitutes one of the most prominent features of the power of Godliness: for it is the power given to the people of God by which they can work in His name; and when faith co-operates with it, it is the power to work miracles. Therefore, as the sects of the day, deny this power, it is not to be expected, as I explained in the preceding chapter, that they can work miracles, and receive those spiritual gifts that pertain to the kingdom; for they are not legally adopted into it themselves, neither have they any authority to adopt others into it.



But says one, if they have not this priesthood, what authority do they possess? The apostle answers this thus: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears:











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and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." * From this we learn, that as soon as those who are the subjects of the apostle's prophecy would no longer endure sound doctrine, they should heap to themselves teachers; that is, they would create a priesthood of their own, and from an order of eccelesiastics, and by this means turn from the truth unto fables. And when we read the history of the past and present, we cannot but justify this prediction; for instance, at the establishment of several of the Protestant societies, synods and councils, were held by those who had been excommunicated from the Mother church, and who had no more authority to ordain others to the ministry, than an Ethiopian from the sandy deserts of Africa; yet they ordained bishops, elders, &c.; hence, the power given, was a man-made priesthood, because it was instituted by a conclave of men who had no other authority than that of man.



Again, when we compare the various creeds, that have been instituted for the government of religious societies, with the New Testament, we can easily comprehend what the apostle alludes to in the expression, "they shall be turned from the truth unto fables." Now the only difference between the priesthood the apostles received, and the one this multitude of teachers have, is, the former was instituted by the Lord, and the latter by man. Peter says: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgment now of' long time



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* 2 Ti. iv, 1-4.













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lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." * This no doubt, alludes to the sects, parties, and false teachers, not only of preceding ages, but of our own times. Many more predictions of the apostles and prophets, which are definite upon the subject of the apostacy, might be adduced; but the foregoing must suffice for the present.



Now reader, in order to satisfy yourself still further I advise you to carefully compare the creeds or doctrines of the orthodox societies, with the new Testament, and you will find that the one scarcely resembles the other. This variation should be regarded as convincing proof, that the Christian world are in a state of apostacy. And you will discover that for the holy priesthood, they have substituted a man-made one; for the Spirit of Christ they have factious spirits, for truth error, for light darkness; and in a word, they have turned things upside down, and changed the ancient order of the church into sectarian forms and institutions. But once more upon Protestant authority; -- it is not at all probable, that the Protestant denominations have received any priesthood from heaven: for they make no pretentions of the kind; and they also deny having it; therefore, it must necessarily follow, that they have assumed all they possess. According to the bible, when the Lord undertook to establish a church a people, or His kingdom, His mode of doing it, has universally been to raise up good men upon whom He conferred the office of the priesthood, and when they done the work allotted to them, it was His work, because He authorized them; therefore, if we reason from analogy, the Protestant reformers had no authority to administer ordinances, and build up churches, and inasmuch as they did, they done it upon their own responsibility, and without power from God. "Surely," says the prophet, "the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secrets unto His



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* 2 Pe. ii, 13.













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servants the prophets." * If these societies were raised up by the express command of God, He would have made it known by a revelation. "Every plant," said Christ, "which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up."  But I will here observe, that I have no disposition to underrate the good effects of the reformation; but frankly admit, that it has been the means of doing good. Indeed, every revolution among the nations, since the world began, has resulted in some good; but oftentimes the evil has overbalanced the good. The reformation has been the cause of much bloodshed, and also a great confusion in religious matters; yet the absurdities of the Protestants, are not parallel with those of the Mother church; but as divine Providence overruled the works of Cyrus the Persian, that they produced some good; so peradventure, it is with the reformation. The good effects of it are, a religious freedom, morality, the right of exercising our own judgments upon religious matters, an astonishing improvement in the republic of letters, an extraordinary advancement in the fine arts, nations have thrown off the yoke of political bondage, the state of society has been greatly improved, and the work of civilization greatly augmented. All of this has contributed in a reasonable degree, to prepare the way for the glorious work of God of the latter-days.



Now under consideration that the Jews, Catholics, and Protestants, are in a state of apostacy, or are living under broken covenants, and that the Lord has promised to perform some of the most majestic works that He has ever accomplished since the beginning; viz., the restoration of the tribes of Israel, who are now in a dispersed condition, to the land of their fathers, and which is to be attended with great signs and miracles, the gospel is to be preached to all the world for a witness of the approach of the second advent of Christ, &c., &;c.,



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* Am. iii, 7.

 Mat. xv, 13.













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I ask the reader what should be done? You will certainly respond with me, that God will restore His priesthood, raise up servants, endow them with power, and send them to perform this majestic work; but for the argument upon this point, I refer you to the following chapter.











CHAPTER VI.





The Object of New Revelation -- Rule for the Interpretation of Prophecy -- The Lord Foretold that He would send His Angel with the Priesthood or Everlasting Gospel, and also, Reorganize His Kingdom First upon the American Continent -- Dissertation upon Nebuchadnezzars Dream and Daniel's Interpretation of it -- The Lord's Ensign of the Latter-days, and the Restoration of the House of Israel, &c., &c. I MUST confess it is not always very pleasant to read of the wickedness of our follow-man, or of his depravity; but duty sometimes imposes upon us the task of disclosing, and exposing to view, the high-handed abominations of others, and the attendant effects of the same, that posterity may take warning and shun those vices that were fraught with so many fatal consequences to their ancestors. And certainly, nothing but a feeling sense of duty, prompted me to disclose the awful condition and apostacy of the Christian world, in the manner exhibited in the preceding chapter. Indeed, the exigency of the case requires much plainness; therefore, I have thus far avoided flattery, knowing that truth











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in its original simplicity, is the most effectual remedy for the infatuation of a set of apostates; although, its effect is rather severe upon the mind, it is certainly the only proper antidote yet discovered.



I have set down nought in malice; but have recorded facts as they are without any false colouring, yet the picture I have necessarily drawn, is not one of the most pleasing character; but if there is any blame, it should not be attached to me; for my circumstances are so peculiar, that it would not become me to speak well of the evil that men do, or to praise them for their abominations. -- But according to the old adage: "The darkest hour is just before day;" so reader I trust, it is in this case; therefore, we will let the past suffice for the present, and look, or at least hope, for better things to come; hence, I earnestly request you to divest yourself of all incoherent prejudice, and proceed with me, in the investigation, with liberal feelings: for I shall not take you into the speculative wilderness or confusion of the vague opinions of men, and conflicting comments upon the scriptures; but into the harmonious field of prophecy, and prophetic vision, where I shall exhibit to you the true church, or kingdom of God with all its attendant blessings, coming up out of the wilderness progressing in its onward course amidst the confusion of the world, and opposition of those who have the mark of the beast, and many flocking to its folds, which will increase its magnitude until Christ shall come with all His saints and angels, and commence His reign with them, as King of kings and Lord of lords; also many other important events connected with this glorious work, which are of great importance to all mankind.



In the preceding chapter, I proved that the whole Christian world are destitute of the holy priesthood, and to a certain extent in a state of apostacy; but in this, I shall establish beyond successful contradiction, that it was to be restored,











98 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

and the kingdom of God reorganized, and also that majestic works are to be performed. And I wish the reader to distinctly understand, that I do it in defence of the doctrine of the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:" for the position taken by this society, is, that in consequence of the apostacy before mentioned, the power of the priesthood has been taken from the church; hence, it is necessary that it should be restored, or given to such men as the Lord shall choose as instruments to perform His work, that His kingdom may be organized on earth in fulfillment of numerous predictions of the prophets: and the attentive reader will see hereafter, whether or not our position is a correct one. But I will here observe that it would be unreasonable for me to attempt to give all the particulars of our doctrine in its relative connection with important events that are the subjects of prophecy; therefore, I shall only reason upon the most prominent points, and particularly, those that distinguish us from other religious societies, and leave the intelligent reader to fill up the interstices by the assistance of the scriptures, and several interesting books, published by men of talent in good standing in the society.



Again, one of the principal objects I have had in view throughout the former part of this work, is the justification of the doctrine of the above society; therefore, if there is any strength or force in my argument, the base or foundation upon which we rest our sentiments is good; if not, the whole super structure will ultimately fall to ruin. But as the idea of a new revelation is so much objected to by the Christian community, I deem it necessary to make a few remarks upon this point, before I enter upon the subject-matter of the chapter,



Many individuals of the present age suppose that a new revelation cannot be given without revealing a new gospel; but such imbecility in judgment is a more fit characteristic











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of a wild barbarian, than of one that bears the name of an enlightened Christian. The gospel is the invariable rule or, plan of salvation, and its antiquity is certainly equal to that of the earth, and through an obedience to its precepts, the ancients were adopted into the family of God; hence, they became the Sons of God. Indeed, the gospel is an established principle, and there never was such a thing known as a revelation being given to reveal a new one. The Lord has had many notable works to perform at different periods of the world, and He has ever given such revelations as were adapted to these works. For instance, He led Noa into the secret of the purposed flood, and commanded him to build an ark for his temporal safety. This command answered for him, and no other person. Lot was saved by fleeing to Zoar, as he was commanded, and not by building an ark. Moses did not build an ark in order to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage; but obeyed the commands that the Lord gave him; and it would be folly for individuals of the present age to build an ark, or to leave Egypt in order to save themselves, either temporally or spiritually. God gave revelations to these man for special purposes; hence, each one was adapted to the work for which it was given. Again, when the Lord has had any noted work to perform, He has generally sent an angel with a message to His servant or servants, whom He made instruments of to accomplish the work then at hand; and it is reasonable for us to suppose that the message or revelation was adapted to the work for which it was given. Christ gave special revelations, and directions, to His disciples, because He had given them a particular work to do. In the latter-days, He has a majestic work to perform, as will be seen hereafter; therefore, He will send His angel with special messages and directions, that this great work may be done according to His will: yet no other gospel will be revealed; for it is unchangable, and adapted to all people in every age, and under











100 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

all circumstances. -- But now a word about the mode of interpreting prophecy.



It is a fact, that example or precedent is the best rule for the interpretation of the predictions of the prophets, that are yet to be fulfilled; hence, all the prophecies which are not written in a figurative style, and have no metaphorical sign prefixed to them, should be regarded as a literal revelation of God; for it is notoriously true, that all the prophecies of the Old Testament, that were fulfilled in the person of our Saviour, were literally fulfilled; also, those that related to other events, without an exception; therefore, wherein is the propriety of the idea, that those which relate to the future will not be fulfilled in the same way? Peter says: "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." * Metaphors and parables, should be understood as such; yet they are either explained, or are so plain there is no difficulty in understanding them; but where it is written, thus and thus Saith the Lord, certain events shall take place, I look for a literal fulfilment of every word. -- But now to the subject.



Now according to the view I take of the subject, the consistency of the whole position of the before mentioned society, in a great degree, depends upon the establishment of the idea, that the Lord was to raise up servants, and give them the holy priesthood, and reorganize His kingdom, in order that His great work may be accomplished, and the way prepared for the second advent of the Messiah, &c., &c.; therefore, I shall now make it my business to place the above idea beyond successful contradiction. -- But now for the evidence.



The disciples of Christ interrogated Him thus: "Tell us, when these things shall be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world?"  The first question relates to the destruction of Jerusalem, which they had previously conversed about; but the latter to Christ's second



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* 2 Pe. i, 20.

 See Mat. xxiv chap.)











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advent, and the end of the world, that is to take place at the same time; but the manner in which He answered them is according to the old custom of the prophets, which was to first give a brief or general outline of the subject, and afterwards to take up each item by itself and particularize upon it. After He had given them a brief sketch of some important events that were to transpire before, and at, the destruction of Jerusalem, He outlined some of the most prominent things or events, that are to precede His second appearance or the end of the world, as omens of its near approach; the greatest of which is as follows: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." From this we learn that the gospel is to be preached to all the world as a warning or witness, that the end is at hand. It is true, Paul says that in his day, the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven; but it certainly was not in fulfilment of the above prediction; for this reason, the apostles were not sent to warn the world that the end, in the sense Christ used the term, was to immediately come; therefore, we must receive it as a prediction of an event that is to immediately precede the second Advent of the Messiah.



Connect our Saviour's parable of the "wheat and the tares," and His explanation of it, with this, and it makes the subject perfectly plain and consistent. -- He said: "And in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." He explained as follows: "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one: the enemy that sowed them is the devil: the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels (or servants.) As therefore the tares are gathered











102 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world, &c." * From this we discover that the universal destruction of the wicked, will be the end of the world, which the prophets and apostles, agree will take place at the second appearance of Christ.



Now the matter stands thus, it would be unjust for the Lord to bring an overwhelming destruction upon the world without first giving them a timely warning of it, that all may if they will, prepare for it by turning to the Lord; therefore, previous to the end, He will renew the gospel dispensation by restoring the holy priesthood, with which He will commission efficient men, and send them to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all nations as above. Some individuals however, infer from the following, that all this was fulfilled, at or before the destruction of Jerusalem: "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." In order to understand this, the reader should keep in mind the questions that the apostles propounded to Christ; the first of which as I before observed, relates to the destruction of Jerusalem. After He had dispensed with this, He informed them what shall be the signs at His second coming, when He shall appear in great glory with His angels, and destroy the wicked. The signs of this latter event, are the preaching of the gospel as before mentioned, wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, famine, signs in the sun, moon and stars, also on the earth, distress of nations, and men's hearts failing them for fear while looking for those things which are coming upon the earth, and said He, "This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." This declaration is governed by the parable of "the fig-tree," that immediately precedes it; hence, it alludes to the generation in which these signs shall begin to appear: or to read the passage thus: "The generation



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* Mat. xiii chap.











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in which these signs shall begin to appear shall not pass," &c., explains the whole matter.



Our Saviour's parable of "Labourers and the vineyard," is plain upon this subject: in which He compares the kingdom of heaven to a man that went out in the morning, and also at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours of the day, and hired labourers to work in his vineyard. * It is evident that the term hour, here stands for a noted epoch of the world, or the commencement of an important dispensation; and the day, stands for the world: for instance, in the morning of the creation, the Lord sent labourers into the vineyard; in the days of Noah and Abraham, He sent others into it; and also at the commencement of the Mosaic dispensation. At the opening of the Christian, which was the ninth hour, He had a great work to do; therefore, He sent many into the vineyard; but in the latter-days, which is the eleventh hour He will call many, and commission them to go to the nations, and preach the gospel of the kingdom. This eleventh hour, must certainly apply to an age, as late as the nineteenth century, from the fact, it is but one hour before the evening or time of recompense; or in other words, the elapse of the time from the eleventh hour to the time of the recompense, is very short in comparison to that of the others. Again It will be remembered, that three hours of time passed away between each time of calling except the latter. This does not a little favour the idea, that the Lord's work of the latter-days, will be a short one. All admit, that the time of reckoning and reward, will take place at the end of the day or the world, when Christ shall come and make an end of the present state of things, and put the saints in possession of the kingdom, and the greatness of it under the whole heavens. Therefore, I regard this parable as conclusive evidence, to sustain my position.



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* See Mat. xx chap.











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But I will now call the attention of the reader to the testimony of John the Revelator. -- He first saw the rise of the beasts, the saints overcome, and the prevalence of Babylon the Great; but as the prophetic vision rolled before his mind, and he penetrated futurity, he saw the time when the Lamb of God shall stand upon Mount Zion with an hundred and forty-four thousand of His saints. After this, he saw the manner in which this glorious event shall be brought about, which is as follows. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, (or firmament) having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him, that made heaven and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." * It is not the business of an angel to act the part of a priest on earth; therefore, the idea conveyed in the above, is that an angel was to appear with a commission to preach the gospel to all the world as a witness that the end or hour of God's judgment is at hand. I have not been a little amused at the various opinions of modern divines with regard to the meaning of this prophetic vision. -- Some suppose that it alludes to the foreign missionaries, others to the bible societies, or the translation of the bible into the languages of the heathen nations; but another celebrated writer contends that it will be fulfilled by the aerial flight of the missionaries under an advanced state of balloon navigation; but all I have to say about these opinions, is that they carry their own refutation with them, and that the writers should be commended for their fruitful imaginations. But I will venture to say, that the only sensible interpretation of this vision, is that the Lord made known to John, that at some future period, He would send an angel with the holy priesthood to commission His



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* Re. xiv, 6, 7.











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servants to go to all nations, and people, and preach the gospel to them in its original purity, and gather the honest in heart and good among men from the midst of Babylon, and thus prepare the way for the second advent of the Messiah. Again, if there was no other evidence in the scriptures, that there was to be an apostacy after the days of the apostles, this alone would be sufficient to convince any rational person of this fact: for this reason, the angel was to have the everlasting gospel to preach to all nations, tongues and people, consequently to every society, sect or denomination. But the strength of the evidence is seen in the following: if all Christendom, have legal authority to preach the gospel, and administer the ordinances of it, and are not in a state of apostacy, it would be superfluous for God to send an angel with it to preach to them after they had even legally obeyed it. It would be nonsense for the Lord to undertake to reveal a thing or principle, that the human family are already acquainted with, or to give authority to them that they already possess. To be plain, the Lord knew there would be a great falling away, and that the church would become so corrupt, that He would not acknowledge its authority; therefore, He disclosed to John that in His own due time, He would restore the priesthood in order that His great work may be accomplished. And mark, this gospel is for all people or every society; therefore, all the priests and ministers of the Christian world are to have the gospel preached to them, as a witness that the hour of God's judgment is at hand.



The reader can satisfy himself, that this prophetic vision alludes to the latter-day work, by an examination of the whole chapter from which it is extracted, and from which it will be seen, that the events that are to immediately follow after the appearance of the angel, have not yet transpired: for instance, first, it is said, that when the gospel shall be proclaimed, it shall be said, that the hour of God's judgment or the











106 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

time of recompense is at hand. Paul speaking of the future, says; "Christ shall judge the world at His appearing and kingdom." Secondly, the destruction of Babylon the Great: this was not fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem, nor in the first century; for it is a settled point, that this Babylon did not rise or exist until several hundred years after Christ. Thirdly, the harvest of the earth or universal destruction of the wicked: it will be remembered that Christ said, "the harvest is the end of the world." Paul applies the term "end of the world," to the end of the Jewish or Mosaic economy; but I am certain that neither Christ, nor John, allude to this; for John was banished to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote his Revelation, more than twenty years after the destruction of Jerusalem; and the harvest of the earth was one of the things that the angel showed him, which was in the future, and which at once excludes the possibility of its being accomplished at the above destruction; hence, as we know, that it has been fulfilled at no time since, we must look for it in the future. Fourthly, about the time of the down fall of Babylon, and the harvest of the earth, those that have died in the faith of the Lord, are to be resurrected and rewarded; therefore, John was commanded to write thus: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours: and their works do follow them." Certainly, every rational person will admit that these events are in the future; consequently, it must be admitted that the appearance of the angel is a latterday work.



The following is illustrative of this subject: "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a











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loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, hurt not the earth neither the sea, nor, the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads." *This is certainly most sublime and exquisite, yet directly to the point. John frequently mentions that he saw angels that had power to trouble the earth, and its inhabitants with plagues and destructions; and the four angels mentioned in the above, are represented as having a work of this description to perform. But just at the time they were ready to commence their work of plagues and destruction, the angel with the seal of God appeared, and cried with a loud voice, and commanded them to hold still, or to stay their work until the servants of God were sealed. Now it is evident, that this angel with the seal, and the one that was seen flying in the midst of heaven "having the everlasting gospel to preach," &c., is the same one; and the seal of God, is evidently the holy priesthood, and the gospel connected together. By the authority of the priesthood, as I have before explained, individuals are adopted into the family of God, and thus become fit temples for the reception of the Holy Spirit, by which the apostle says, "We are sealed unto the day of redemption."  But by the means of the priesthood, in one sense of the word, the blessings of the gospel of peace are received; therefore, it is plain that the seal, which the angel had, that John saw, is the priesthood; for it is the power to preach the gospel, administer its ordinances, and by which the servants of God are sealed; or in other words, it is the sealing power. Again, if we regard it as a figure, it is a very good one; for the priesthood is conferred by the imposition of hands, and the members of the church are confirmed and receive the Holy Ghost in the same way.



Most certainly the foregoing scripture, is a prediction of



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* Re. vii, 1-3.

 Ep. iv, 30.









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the restoration of the priesthood just in time for the honest in heart, and those who love the truth to be sealed, and prepared to meet Christ when He comes. John first enumerates a hundred and forty-four thousand that are to be sealed; after this, he saw another company which no man could number, which he says, "are to pass through great tribulation, and wash their robes, and make them pure in the blood of the Lamb." These are the church or people, the Lord will raise up to meet Him when He appears the second time.



The following corroborates the above: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, (that is, Babylon, which is mentioned in the preceding verses,) my people, that ye be not partakers' of her sins, and that ye receive not her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. * From this and the context, we learn that just previous, or at the time of the destruction or downfall of Babylon, the Lord is to raise up a people; or in other words, to call His people out from the sects and parties that compose Babylon the Great, and prepare them to receive Him as follows: "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and so the voice of' any waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying; Alleluia; for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God."  This harmonizes with Christ's parable of the "marriage of the kings son," in which it is said, that servants were sent to bid men to come to the wedding feast. 



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* Re. xviii, 4, 5.

 Re. xix, 6-9.

 See Mat. xxii, 1-14.











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It must be admitted, that the "marriage supper of the Lamb," is yet in the future; therefore, the sending of servants to bid guests to come to it, must be a latter-day work.



Now reader, I opine that no unprejudiced person can read the foregoing investigation without being convinced, that the most sanguine expectation of Christ and the apostles, was that there would first be a great "falling away" from the ancient order of the church; but that in the latter-times, the Lord would restore the priesthood, and cause His church to be reorganized, that the before mentioned work may be accomplished. Indeed, is not the evidence incontrovertible, that God made a firm decree that He would do this latter work? -- But we will now see what the prophets have to say about this important transaction.



Nothing could he more plain upon this subject, than the prophetic testimony of Daniel, which is recorded in the second chapter of his "Book." -- The reader will do well to examine the whole chapter; -- I allude to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel's interpretation of it. -- The prophet opens the subject by saying to the king "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter-days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these." "Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer











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thrashing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." It will be seen from Daniel's interpretation of this, that the different metals of the image stand for noted kingdoms; and it is agreed upon by Daniel, and the learned, that the first which is represented by the gold was the Babylonian empire; the second, by the silver, was the Medo-Persian; the third, by the brass, the Greek or Macedonian; the fourth by the iron, the Roman. It is also agreed upon, that the feet and toes, which are a mixture of iron and clay, represent the various kingdoms that arose upon the ruins of Roman empire, or within the bounds of its dominion. Daniel in the seventh chapter of his "Book," settles this point in a very conclusive way. -- He describes the fourth universal empire, which every modern historian admits to be the Roman, by the figure of a beast which he saw that had ten horns. In the explanation, he says that the, ten horns are ten kings, and it will be remembered that in both Daniel's and John's writings, kings stand for kingdoms; therefore, I set it down as a settled point, that the Roman empire was to be divided into ten different kingdoms, and which are most certainly represented by the toes of the image.



Daniel explains the "stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands," to be a symbolical representation of the kingdom of God, which he says shall destroy all the above kingdoms, fill the whole earth, and stand forever. But now the question to be decided is, at what point of time, was this kingdom to be sat up; or in other words, at what time was this stone of the mountain to commence rolling? The majority of the Christian world hold forth that it commenced at the opening of the Christian dispensation; but the idea is so vague, so far-fetched, and in such direct hostility to what the prophet says, that certainly, no impartial person will for











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a moment receive it: for mark, it is said, the stone was to strike the feet or toes of the image first, or as Daniel explains it: "And in the days of these kings shall, the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." In the days of what kings, I ask, does this allude to? I reply, the ten kingdoms represented by the toes of the image; but they were not in existence as independent kingdoms, at the birth of Christ; or in other words, the feet and toes of the image were not formed at this period: for at this time the Roman empire was at the zenith of its glory, and was not broken up or divided, as above, until more than three hundred years after it; hence, if the stone smote the image in this age, the stroke must have been upon the legs, and not upon the feet as Daniel says.



These ten kingdoms have experienced several revolutions and changes; but the principal part, if not all of them, now exist as the modern kingdoms of Europe. The Government of the United States in one sense of the word, is the offspring of one, of these kingdoms. Indeed, the greatest portion of the emigrants to the New World emigrated from them; consequently, the toes of the image, to a certain extent, reach to this continent; therefore, I see no impropriety in the idea, that the kingdoms which the prophet says, the stone shall smite, are now in existence; and that if God should set the stone in motion, in this our day, it would not conflict with any scripture; but be in exact fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy.



But we will admit for a moment, that the stone commenced rolling at the onset of the Christian era, and see what a curious dilemma we shall place Daniel in, and how senseless our reasoning must necessarily be. First, according to Daniel, this kingdom was to smite the toes and feet of











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the image first; but it could not do this; for as I have already observed, the feet and toes were not formed until more than three hundred years after this date. Secondly, it is said, this kingdom shall not be destroyed or left to other people, but shall stand forever. Here again we are compelled to join issue, with not only Daniel, but many of the prophets, and apostles: for they have positively predicted, as I have before shown, that there would be a general apostacy or "falling away" between the first and second advent of Christ. Indeed, I have before proved to a demonstration, that the Christian world are in a state apostacy and that the kingdom of God has been disorganized; therefore, if we admit that the stone commenced its motion as above, we must also admit that it has been in a manner annihilated. Furthermore, the kingdom that was organized in the days of the apostles, was left to other people; or in other words, a popish hierarchy arose upon its ruins. Thirdly, this stone was to beat fine, or destroy the kingdoms represented by the image, and may I not say, all the kingdoms of the world, so that but one should be left, which is the kingdom of God. And admitting, that it commenced as is before stated, we will now see what progress it has made. The church apparently prospered during the first and second centuries, and the number of its members was greatly increased; after this, the work of apostacy gained ground more rapidly, till at length, the church went into the wilderness, lost its original decorations or gifts and blessings; the Catholic hierarchy arose upon its ruins, which for the time being we will say is the stone of the mountain; but as we trace its course through succeeding ages, we discover that instead of its beating fine all the kingdoms of the world, it took a place in the rank of temporal kingdoms, waged war with some, built up and supported others, and was itself sustained or supported by several of those ten kingdoms; but this is not the only difficulty that











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we are getting the prophet into, -- It continued its course for a while; but contrary to what he says or expected, a barrier happened to be in the way which rent it in twain, (I here allude to the separation of the Greek church from the Latin;) but it partially recovered itself from the shock, and although somewhat maimed, it pursued its course; but alas! it was again forced against an obstacle, which concussion split or rent it into separate parts, and some of these parts were ultimately fractured and torn into atoms; or to be plain, after the famous reformation, the Protestant societies were divided into scores of conflicting sects or factions, and in several instances with them, and also with the Catholics, church and state have been, and are now united, and that too, with the very kingdoms that Daniel says shall be destroyed; and what is still more singular, John the Revelator speaking of those ten kingdoms, says they shall make war with Christ when He comes in Power and in His glory. And it certainly, would be almost an impossibility for them to wage war, without the churches being more or less concerned in it. Indeed, I might enumerate many more difficulties, that we would plunge the prophet into, if we should fix the time for the stone to be set in motion at the commencement of the Christian dispensation; but I will forbear, lest I weary the patience of the reader.



Now the only idea that will in every respect harmonize with what the prophet says, is that the kingdoms, which the toes of the image represent, are now in existence, and that the kingdom of God indicated by the stone of the mountain, is a latter-day work. -- But now for the particular application.



The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, contend that God has sent His angel with the priesthood, which has been conferred upon some of the leading men of the society, and by this means the kingdom of God has been legally organized. We also contend, that America is the land upon which this kingdom was to be first established; and from











114 HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

whence the servants of God shall go to all the world, and proclaim the fulness of the everlasting gospel. How exactly this corresponds with Nebuchadnezzar's dream. -- The head of this image was located in Asia; but his feet and toes in Europe; and when we consider that the American nations, are the offspring of the European kingdoms, may I not say, that the toes reach even to this land; hence, here is the place for the stone to be set in motion: and remember, the course of the stone, is to be exactly to the reverse from that of the growth of the image from head to feet. But the force and consistency of the above, will be seen from our remarks hereafter upon the xviii. chap. of Isaiah. -- But perhaps a little explanation as to the manner in which this kingdom was to be established, will be serviceable to the reader.



I have before set forth the manner in which the kingdom of God was organized or established in the days of the apostles; but the Lord foresaw, that it would be disorganized; but He also foretold, that in His own due time, He would re-establish it in order that His great work may be carried into effect. But says one, if this kingdom represented by the stone, is only a reorganization of the one that previously existed, wherein is the impropriety of saying that it was set up at the first appearance of Christ? I answer, that God has had a kingdom on earth, at intervals, ever since the beginning of the world; consequently, the one of the apostolic age, was in a great degree, only a reorganization of one that existed before; therefore, Daniel must not be understood to allude to something entirely new; but to a particular, or specified time when God was to permanently establish His kingdom so that it shall never be destroyed or disorganized. The manner in which this stone is to strike the image; or in other words, the affect that the kingdom of God, will have upon the kingdoms of the world, seems to me to be as follows. This kingdom was to be organized according to the











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example set forth in the New Testament, and of course, at first be disconnected with territory; but as it is a time for the people of God to gather together, in order to prepare for the appearance of Christ, the officers of it, or the Lord's ministers, will go to all the nations of the earth, and especially the kingdoms of Europe, to proclaim the gospel; and they will gather out from them the honest in heart, and sincere lovers of the truth; or to use a favourite maxim of Christ, they will gather out the salt or savers of the earth. This will increase the magnitude of the church, and gradually weaken the kingdoms of the world: for there will not be righteousness enough left among them, to move them from destruction; therefore, the Lord will let loose upon them the arrows of His judgements, and in His hot displeasure vex them so that nation after nation, shall feel the force of His avenging power, and tremble, and ultimately fall to ruin. In the meanwhile, the stone of the mountain will increase in magnitude; the Jews will be awakened at this, take the warning, and flee to Jerusalem, and the land of their fathers, to await the awful crisis. The remaining nations will be alarmed at all this, and consequently, will wage war against them, and succeed in rallying their forces around Jerusalem: at this moment, the heavens will be unveiled, the Son of God shall appear, and save His people, and destroy His enemies, or as John says: "These (ten kingdoms) shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him, are called, and chosen, and faithful." * Thus the stone of the mountain, will beat the image, and make it fine like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and no place shall be found for it. Then Christ will destroy all the regal power of the political kingdoms of the world, subject the earth to himself, and connect territory with His kingdom, which shall



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* Re. xvii, 14.











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then fill the whole earth; or in other words, the saints shall possess territory, or inherit the earth; at which time it will be said, the kingdoms of this world, have become the kingdom of Christ. Thus the Millennium, the sabbath of creation, or rest for the people of God, will commence.



Daniel beautifully describes this happy period as follows: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." In the sequel he says: "But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." "I beheld the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." * From this we discover that this latter-day kingdom, was not to be set up until near the close of the reign of the little horn, or the kingdom of popes; and it is also evident that the kingdom of God here alluded to, is the same as the one that is represented by the stone of the mountain. Again, all that Daniel, says about the kingdom of God, perfectly agrees with what John says about the angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to all nations, and people; and therefore, it is evident that they both allude to the same thing.



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* Da. vii chap.











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I will now invite the attention of the reader to the xviii chap. of Isaiah, which certainly contains an account of a most pleasing view that he had, of not only the establishment of the before mentioned kingdom; but of the place or land upon which it was to be commenced, which he thus describes: "Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying go ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to at people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! All the inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when He lifteth up an ensign upon the mountains; and when He bloweth the trumpet hear ye."



Now any person who is acquainted with the Hebrew language, knows that an improvement in the translation of the above can he made with propriety: -- It should read thus: "Ho! to the land shadowing with (or in the symbol of,) wings, that lies beyond the rivers of Cush. This by no means changes the sense; but reduces it to the modern style of phraseology, which I trust will greatly assist the reader in understanding the true meaning of the prophet.



But now the question is, what land does the prophet address these words to? In order to correctly come at this, we must first consider that the prophet resided at Jerusalem, or somewhere near that city; secondly, to find the land that he speaks of, it is necessary to be certain as to the location of the land of Cush or Ethiopia.



The general name that the Jews gave to all the north-part of Africa was, "the land of Cusheam." Ethiopia proper, is situated south, and south-west of, Egypt, and is now called Abbysinia; but according to Herodotus, the Ethiopian nations were very numerous; and it is evident that the Greeks, and Romans, called the most of. the African nations Ethiopians.











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The writer of the celebrated voyage of Hanno, (which is to be found in Mr. H. Murray's Encyclopedia of Geography,) a Carthagenian navigator who attempted to sail round Africa, gives an account of Ethiopians near the Straits of Gibraltar, or Pillars of Hercules; also that he sailed twelve days along the western coast of Africa, which he says, was then inhabited by Ethiopians, who were very numerous. This coast in now called the coast of Morocco; hence, the ancient Moors were called Ethiopians or Cushites. Indeed, after a careful research into the history of this people, I have come to the following conclusion. -- Cush was the son of Ham, and his progeny, soon after the flood, settled somewhere in the neighborhood of the river Euphrates; but at a very early period, some of them emigrated to Africa, and at first, located somewhere about the head waters of the Nile. According to Josephus, these Ethiopians were a powerful nation in the days of Moses; and also, that they inhabited the country that lies south, and south-west of Egypt; but they were a warlike people and had a great desire for conquest; hence, they soon spread over the north part of Africa: and in consequence of their inhabiting the greatest part of this continent, which was then known to the civilized nations, the Jews called it the land of Cush or Cusheam; but the Greeks, and Romans gave it the general name of Ethiopia, and the people they called Ethiopians, the same as we give the inhabitants of all Europe, the general name of Europeans; although, they are divided into many nations; therefore, it is evident that in the days of Isaiah, the north part of Africa was called Cush, and the rivers that the prophet alludes to, are those that flow into the Mediterranean sea along the coast of the Barbary states; and also those that flow into the Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Morocco. Now I presume that from the foregoing, the reader will readily discover that the prophet alludes to a land that lies directly west of Jerusalem, which











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course strikes the Atlantic somewhere on the coast of Morocco; but still beyond this, is the land in the symbol of wings, which must certainly be America; for this reason, no other land will answer the description of the prophet. Indeed, if the prophet does not speak of this land, then he has wrote a mess of incomprehensible nonsense.



But there is also another view, that may be taken of this subject, which perhaps will reflect new light upon it. The word -| |-| _| Nahar not only means river, but has another signification, which is, light or knowledge. In Isaiah's day, the Carthagenians were the greatest navigators of the world, and it is asserted, that they considered as exclusively theirs, all the Mediterranean sea, west of a line stretched across from Carthago to Sicily, and that they captured all the vessels, and put to death the crews, of all other nations that were found navigating within these forbidden precincts. They were also the first that navigated about the Pillars of Hercules, the south western coast of Europe, and the western coast of Africa. In a word, in these ancient times they had the most extensive knowledge of the sea, coasts, and islands, in these parts, of any other nation; therefore, as the word Nahar signifies light or intelligence as well as river, perhaps, the prophet alludes to a land that is beyond the extreme knowledge of the Ethiopian or Cushite navigators. However, either of the above explanations, makes the idea perfectly plain, that the prophet points to America.



Again, North and South America, as will be seen from a miniature drawing of them on a map, in form and shape, very much resemble the wings of a bird; hence, it is a land in the symbol of wings, and in this respect, no other part of the globe will answer this description of the prophet. Some writers however, contend that the prophet alludes to the eagle with outspread wings upon the American ensign or flag;











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but let this be as it may, the case is equally plain if we take it either way.



"That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, go ye swift messengers of the nations," &c. From this it appears, that ambassadors or the servants of the Lord, are to be sent from this land to the nations of the earth; but the idea of their being transported over the sea in "vessels of Bulrushes," is a novel affair indeed; however, it is probable that the prophet did not intend to convey any such idea. The Hebrew word gomey which is here rendered bulrushes, has at least three significations; the first, is to drink or swallow hastily; the second, is to impress; it is also a general name for certain species of the vegetable kingdom, such as reeds, bulrushes, and papyrus. But in my opinion the second import of the word should be used; for it makes the passage read intelligibly, and seems to convey the intended idea of the prophet. Job speaking of the war horse, says, as it is translated in the bible: "He (yegomey) swalloweth the ground with the fierceness of his rage:" * a horse does not swallow the ground; therefore, it should be rendered, "he impresseth the ground" that is, he maketh pits in the earth with his feet, deep impressions or tracks with his hoof, by which he prevents any retrograde motion; but rusheth or propels himself forward with force, and great velocity; therefore, it is certainly more sensible to read the above, "vessels impressing the face of the waters," instead of "vessels of bulrushes:" for it is not probable that vessels will ever be made of such material to escort the servants of God over the sea.



Indeed, does not the prophet aptly describe our steamvessels or ships: for it is by the action of the wheels upon the water, that propels the vessel swiftly forward; or in other words, the prophet saw in vision swift running, or rushing vessels, that move speedily



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* Job. xxxix, 24.











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along against the wind and tide. If this is not the meaning of the prophet, then it certainly should be translated "vessels of papyrus." Historians say, that papyrus, is a flaggy shrub that grows in the marshes about the river Nile; the roots and body of it, were anciently used for fuel, and sometimes for timber, for ships or vessels, (such as were used in early times;) the bark was used as a substitute for paper, (which was not then invented,) for weaving apparel, and for ropes and sails for ships; hence, as the prophet saw our land with all the modern improvements; and also, our majestic maritime vessels, with all their sails spread, and the servants of God on board, he called them vessels of papyrus, perhaps, for the want of a better term; for he had probably seen vessels that were propelled by the action of the wind upon papyrus canvass, and those which he saw in vision, resembled them more than any others that he had ever beheld. Either one of the foregoing explanations, makes the subject perfectly plain; but for my own part I prefer the former.



"To a nation terrible from their beginning hitherto," &c. This certainly alludes to the Jews or house of Israel, who were a powerful people at their beginning; but since that, they have been scattered among the nations, and in a manner trodden down. "All the inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when He lifteth up an ENSIGN upon the mountains," &c. An ensign is a flag or banner having on it figures, and emblematical representations of the nation to which it belongs: for instance, when the noble patriots of America, declared themselves a free and independent people, they hoisted an ensign, upon which was inscribed an appropriate motto, which they carried with them into the field of battle, where they manfully maintained their cause. This ensign was a new one; hence, it signified, that a new nation had, or was just in the act of taking its place in rank of political governments. Therefore, this ensign of











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the Lord, implies nothing more nor less, than His kingdom established on this land, figuratively speaking, with its flag, the banner of truth or the gospel, held up to the world, which plainly indicates, not only its character, but shows that God has established a rallying point for His people: or in short, as the prophetic vision rolled before the prophet's mind, he saw the establishment of the kingdom of God in the latter-days upon this continent, 