Old Covenant- New Covenant.

Continuing from the PRESENT TRUTH articles….

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REMARKS ON 2 COR. 3: 6-18. The subject of this chapter is the contrast of the ministration of the old covenant under Moses, with the ministration of the new covenant under Christ.

(((2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 

2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 

2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 

2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 

2Co 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 

2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 

2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ))))

If we would correctly understand the Apostle, we must first observe; that there is an essential difference between a covenant, or law, and the ministration of a law. The former is the constitution necessary for the government of the people; the latter is the ministry, or the ordained powers to carry its laws into execution.

After God had delivered his people from the tyranny and bondage of the Egyptians, he declared unto them his "Royal law," which he engraved in tables of stone. This was called HIS COVENANT, which he commanded them to perform-Deut. iv, 13. This covenant was a primary constitution of righteous principles for all to strictly observe.

(((Deu 4:13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. ))))

The ministration of this covenant, under Moses, was the ecclesiastical powers, with all their offices and services connected and their statutes and judgements to enforce the execution of " his covenant," and their penalties for disobedience, and also their justification and pardon-through the atonements; called " carnal ordinances "---Heb. ix, 10, as was written by the-hand of Moses in a book, called the-book of the covenant "—Deut. xxxi, 9-11, 24,26.

(((Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 

Deu 31:9  And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 

Deu 31:10  And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 

Deu 31:11  When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 

Deu 31:24  And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finish

Deu 31:26  Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. ))))

The law of God being first presented to the people written in tables of stone, and not in the Mind and heart, therefore, they soon forgot and broke it ; hence the new covenant—Jer. xxxi. 31-34; Heb, viii. 7-13, …

(((Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.)))) 

…was promised and established upon better promises." Paul says, "For if that first covenant had been faultless; then should no place have been sought for the second." The fault is not in the covenant itself; but in the manner in which it was presented, viz. upon tables of stone, and deposited in the ark, and not in the mind and heart. And because it was not written upon the heart, " they broke my covenant," verse 32, and "continued not in it." But in "the time of reformation," when "Christ being come an high priest of good things to come ." His covenant Was established upon a better foundation, and better promises, viz. " I will PUT MY LAWS into their MINDS, and WRITE them in THEIR HEARTS."

Thus the new covenant is the same laws as the old ; the difference is only in the new, and better ministration of it, or the manner in which it is presented to the people, being -written by the Spirit of God upon the mind, and the heart. The ministration of the ten commandments under Christ's ministry is called "the ministration of the Spirit;" for the Spirit of Christ searcheth all things, and knoweth what is in the heart.

The dispensation under Moses was called the ‘ministration of death," and the "ministration of condemnation ;" for by the law (through its ministration) was the knowledge of sin, condemnation and the penalty, death. And they all were under the condemnation, or " curse," until " the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath ABOLISHED DEATH, and hath brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to light through the gospel."-2 Tim. i, 10.

(((2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel))))

Christ died for the redemption of the transgressors under the first covenant, that the called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.—See Heb. ix. 15.

(((Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. ))))

 It is evident that no man was justified in the sight of God by the works of the (the ministration of Moses,)—See Gal. ii, 16, iii, 11—Acts xiii 29,  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Those sacrifices could never make " the comers thereto perfect."—See Heb. x, 1-4.

(((Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 

Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 

Act 13:29  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 

Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 

Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins))))

 Thus the ministration of the covenant under Moses could truly be called " the ministration of DEATH," and -of "'CONDEMNATION ;" for while it condemned; it could not take away sin ; either give the redemption—LIFE and IMMORTALITY. "-But the Spirit giveth life; and the Lord is that Spirit." Through the death and resurrection of Christ, and faith in the- blood of-the -atonement, is this life given.

Verses  7-11 speak of the "ministration ; of death and of" condemnation, " -which "was passing away," (Whiting's translation,) and the ministration of. the Spirit which was a far more glorious dispensation than that of Moses, and which followed and " remaineth ."

It was not the covenant " engraven in stones," neither the "glory" that was " abolished ;" but it-was the ministration of death, that is, the ministration of Moses, that was passing away

The  verses 13-16, is the ministration of Moses ; for, while the services of Moses were "read," and continued, their minds were blinded," and they could not see, nor understand, nor believe that Jesus Christ was the end of all the typical services. But when they look at the blood of Jesus for the atonement— "the Lamb" of God that taketh away sin," then faith is revealed by the Spirit and the "vail" is ," taken away."

" Now, the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." That is, if they have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, they are free from the yoke of bondage—Gal. v, 1, and they are free from the condemnation which they were under, while under the law of Moses ; and while they are beholding the glory of the Lord, they are changed from glory to glorify. the Spirit of the Lord.

(((Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. ))))

Thus the difference of the two ministrations. One is; a "ministration of condemnation," and of "the letter," that is, Of the hand-writing of 'Moses' the other is a ministration of LIFE; or JUSTIFICATION by the Spirit of Christ.

OTIS NICHOLS

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THE PRESENT TRUTH.

PUBLISHED, SEMI-MONTHLY, BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol. 1 OSWEGO, N. Y. DECEMBER, 1849 . NO. 5.

We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

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We all know what a law is- something written to be enforced by authority. We have a lot of laws. We know if we break a law we are subject to punishment- ideally a punishment befitting the crime committed. Oftentimes some laws we have are not universal in their punishment - for example in the USA if you are caught stealing you are arrested and if found guilty you receive a punishment. If you steal something inexpensive you are punished lightly- perhaps fined. If you steal something expensive you are probably punished with imprisonment as well as fined. In another country you may not be fined, or imprisoned but rather you may have your hand cut off.  The law is the same- do not steal- the punishments are different. The ministration of that law is different. 

Moses was NOT Christ. Moses was NOT the Savior of mankind. Moses was NOT God's only begotten Son. Moses was a man used by God to bring God's enslaved people out of slavery and to teach them God's ways.  Moses' way was enforced and it pointed to a SACRIFICE for sinning, a way to atone for sins. If there were NO WAY to atone for sin- all would be lost, not a single person would be God's. Moses' enforcement was a crude, imperfect way, the only way then available. When the MESSIAH came and sacrificed HIMSELF, spilling the blood of God- the Son, a NEW way was made for people to find atonement.

Sins did NOT cease, and IF sin did not end then the laws that revealed sin did not end. What ended was the way to find forgiveness for those sins.

God help us as we continue our studying of His most Holy Word!

No Defect In God's Ten Commandments.

 It is said that we make too much of the Sabbath, and neglect the other nine commandments.

We believe that we must keep the whole law, and as the Apostle James said, " if we offend in one, we are guilty of all." If we continue to violate any one of the ten commandments, we shall surely fall in the day of the Lord.

Nine of them are universally admitted by the churches to be binding, and are professedly kept; while the fourth is utterly neglected, and trodden down by them. The reason why we have more to say on, the Sabbath commandment than the other nine, is because this is the very one that is trodden down.

Suppose a garden is enclosed by ten lengths of fence, and one of them is broken down. No one would say, the owner was wrong if he should give his whole attention to the broken down length until it was repaired. Neither are we wrong in vindicating the Sabbath truth, until the breach in the Law of God is repaired.

From Sabbath Tract No. 7, published by the American Sabbath Tract Society, No. 9, Spruce-street, New-York.

Plain Questions. 1. Did God, after he had finished the work of creation, " bless and sanctify" the seventh day of the week; or simply the seventh part of time, without reference to any particular day of the seven ?

 2. Did He not sanctify the very day in which he rested from his work ? Was not that the last day of the seven ? Did He sanctify any other?

3. WHY did He " bless and sanctify" the seventh day? Was it not because he rested on that day ? Will this reason apply to any other day of

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the seven ? Did he not work on EVERY other day? (See Gen. ii: 2, 3 )

 4. Is not God's example of resting on the seventh day enjoined upon us for imitation ? (Ex. xx : 8-11.) Do we imitate him, when we rest upon some other day than the one in which He rested ?

 5. Is it the special appointment of God which renders a day holy, or is it our own act ? Is the day holy because we count it so, or because God has made it so ?

6. When God enjoins us to count the Sabbath, " the holy of the Lord," (Isa. 58:  13,) is it not equivalent to telling us that He himself has previously  constituted it a holy day by blessing and sanctifying it ? Is it any thing more than requiring us to reckon the day to possess that dignity which He has already conferred upon it?

8. If God's blessing did not rest upon one particularly specified day, could he challenge to himself any propriety in one day more than in another? Yet in the Sabbath day he claims a special propriety; " My holy day." (Isa. lviii : 13.)

 9. Are we not commanded to refrain from labor in that very day which God once " blessed and sanctified," and thereby made holy time ? " In IT thou shalt not do any work," Do we obey this command when we work all of that day, and make it the busiest day of all the seven ?

10. If it be downright disobedience to set about our work on the seventh day, when God says, "in it thou shalt NOT do any work," can we think to make amends for this act of disobedience by ceasing from work on another day ? Even the performance of a required duty will not make amends for another one neglected. How much less, then, the performance of something which is not required ! "Who had required this at your hand ?"

11. Has God ever taken away the blessing which he once put upon the seventh day, and made that day a common or secular day ?

12. Does not the reason of the blessing (See Quest 3,) possess all the cogency now that it ever did ? Has it lost force by the lapse of time ? And while the reason of an institution remains, does not the institution itself remain?

13. Was the reason of the blessing which God originally put upon the seventh day, founded upon any need that men then had of a Redeemer ? Was it therefore to receive its accomplishment and fulfillment by the actual coming of the Redeemer ? In what possible sense can it be said, that Jesus Christ fulfilled and made an end of this reason ?

14. Has God ever said of the first day of the week, In it thou shalt not do any work? Has Christ ever said so ? Have the apostles ?

 15. Is there any scriptural proof that Christ, or His apostles, or the Christian churches in the days of the apostles, refrained from labor on the first day of the week?

 16. As there is no transgression where there is no law, (Rom. iv : 15 ; 1 John 3: 4,) what sin is committed by working on the first day of the week ?

 17. Does not the Sabbatic Institution RESULT from the blessing and sanctifying of a particular day ? Is not this the very things in which it consists? How then is the institution separable from the day thus " blessed and sanctified ?" How can it be separated from that upon which its very existence depends ?

 18. If the very life and soul of the institution consist in the blessing which was once put upon a particular day, is it not idle to talk of the transfer of the institution to another day ? If another day has been sanctified and blessed, then it is an entirely new institution, and not a transfer of the old.

19. Does not the law of the Sabbath require the weekly commemoration of that rest which God entered into after he had finished the work of creation ? By what principle of law or logic, then, can that law be made to require the commemoration of the work of redemption ?

20. If it be necessary that the work of redemption be commemorated weekly by a positive institution, must not the obligation so to commemorate it arise from some law which directly and specifically requires it? But when, instead of this, the attempt is made to derive the obligation from the Sabbath law, is it not a tacit acknowledgment that there is no law requiring the weekly commemoration of the work of redemption?

21. Does the Scripture ever apply the name Sabbath, to the first day of the week ? Even in the ..New Testament, where the term is used, is not the reference always to the seventh day ?

22. If Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles full thirty years after the death of Christ, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, still calls the seventh day of the week the Sabbath, can it be wrong in us to do so ? (See Acts xiii : 14, 42, 44; xvi: 13 ; xvii : 1, 2 ; xviii: 4.) If this be the inspired application of the term so many years after all the ceremonial institutions were nailed to the cross, is it not our duty to make the same use of the term now ?

23. Is it not a manifest perversion of the scriptural use of terms, to take away the sacred name from the seventh day of the week, and give it to the first day ?

 24 When the first day of the week is so generally called the Sabbath, are not the common people thereby led to suppose that the Bible calls it so ? Are they not thus grossly deceived ?

25. If the name Sabbath were no longer applied to this day, and it should simply be called first day of the week, as in the Bible, is it not probable that it would soon lose its sacredness in the eyes of the people ?

 26. Is it possible, then, that God has not given the day a name sufficiently sacred to secure for it a religious regard, nor even guarded it with a law,  sufficient to prevent its desecration ?

 27. What then? HAS GOD LEFT HIS WORK FOR MAN TO MEND! IS IT NOT SAFE TO LEAVE THE DAY AS GOD HAS LEFT IT ! " Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor both taught him ?" (Isa. xi: 13.)

28. Are you very sure that by the Lord's day; (Rev i : 10,) is meant the first day of the week ? Have you any Scripture proof of it ? Have you any other proof of it than the testimony of those who are called the early Fathers ?  * *

 34. Though the observance of the first day of the week as a religious festival be in itself innocent, so long as it is not made a pretext for dispensing with an express law of God, (Matt. xv:  6,) yet do you find it any where in the word of God commanded as a duty ?

35. Do you believe that a Sabbath, in the true and proper sense of the term; namely, a day of rest from all ordinary labor, is necessary and indispensable to the well-being of mankind ? If so, do you honestly suppose that God would set it aside, and have its place supplied by nothing worse than a religious festival ?

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36. Is it not wicked to uphold a course which makes the commandment of God of none effect? (Matt. xv : 1-9 ; Mark vii: 1-13.

 Reader! carefully ponder the foregoing questions, together with the Scripture references. *  *  Do not trifle with the Holy Spirit of God, by forcibly wresting his word from its obvious meaning. Let conscience be unfettered ; and act, as fully realizing that "THOU, GOD, SEEST ME."

DIALOGUE; Between a Minister of the Gospel and a Sabbatarian.

 Sabbatarian. Did Jehovah ever sanctify one day above another ?

Minister. He did.

S. And what day was that? .

M. The seventh.

S. When?

M. When he finished his creative work.

 S. Where?

M. In Eden.

S. On whom was it obligatory ?

 M. On our first parents, and all their posterity.

S. Did he ever unsanctify that day?

M No.

 S. Did he ever sanctify the first, or any other day than the seventh, as a day of rest?

M. Not that I know of.

S. Then do not those who neglect the seventh day, take away something from the word of God ? And do not those who keep the first day add to that word?

Read the threatening of the Lord against such :—" If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away front the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Dear Brethren and Sisters-- In this time of trial, we need to be encouraged, and comforted by each other. The temptations of Satan are greater now, than ever before; for he knows that his time is short, and that very soon, every case will be decided, either for Life, or for Death. It is no time to sink down beneath discouragement, and trial now ; but we must bear up under all our afflictions, and trust wholly in the mighty God of Jacob.

 The Lord has shown me that his grace is sufficient for all our trials; and although they are greater than ever before, yet if we trust wholly in God, we can overcome every temptation, and through his grace come off victorious.

If we overcome our trials, and get victory over the temptations of Satan, then we endure the time of our faith, which is much more precious than gold, and are stronger, and better prepared to meet the next. But if we sink down, and give way to the temptations of Satan, we shall grow weaker, and get no reward for the trial, and shall not be so well prepared to meet the next. In this way we shall grow weaker, and weaker, until we are led captive by Satan at his will. We must have on the whole armour of God, and be ready at any moment, for a conflict with the powers of darkness. When temptations and trials rush in upon us, let us go to God, and agonize with him in prayer. He will not turn us away empty ; but will give us grace and strength to overcome, and to break the power of the enemy. 0, that all could see these things in their true light, and endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus. Then would Israel move forward, strong in God, and in the power of his might.

God has shown me that he gave his people a bitter cup to drink, to purify and cleanse them. It is a bitter draught, and they can make it still more bitter by murmuring, complaining, and repining. Those who receive it thus, must have another draught; for the first does not have its designed effect upon the heart. And if the second does not affect the work, then they must have another, and another, until it does have its designed effect, or they will be left filthy and impure in heart. I saw that this bitter cup can be sweetened by patience, endurance and prayer, and that it will have its designed effect upon the hearts of those who thus received it, and God will be honored and glorified. It is no small thing to be a Christian, and be owned and approved of God. The Lord has shown me some who profess the present truth, whose lives do not correspond with their profession. They have got the standard of piety altogether too low, and come far short of Bible holiness. Some engage in vain, and unbecoming conversation ; and others give way to the risings of self.

We must not expect to please ourselves, live and act like the world, have its pleasures, and enjoy the company of those who are of the world, and reign with Christ in glory.

We must be partakers of Christ's sufferings here, if we would share in his glory hereafter. If we seek our own interest, how we can best please ourselves, instead of seeking to please God, and advance his precious, suffering cause, we shall dishonor God, and the holy cause we profess We have but a little space of time left to work for God. Nothing should be too dear to sacrifice, for the salvation of the

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scattered and torn flock of Jesus. Those who make a covenant with God by sacrifice now, will soon be gathered home to share a rich reward, and possess the new kingdom forever and ever.

 0, let us live wholly for the Lord, and show by a well ordered life, and godly conversation that we have been with Jesus, and are his meek and lowly followers. We must work while the day lasts, for when the dark night of trouble and anguish comes, it will be too late to work for God. Jesus is still in his Holy Temple, and will now accept our sacrifices, our prayers, and our confessions of faults and sins, and will now pardon all the transgressions of Israel, that they may be blotted out before he leaves the Sanctuary. When Jesus leaves the Sanctuary, then he that is holy and righteous, will be holy and righteous still ; for all their sins will then be blotted out, and they will be sealed with the seal of the living God. But those that are unjust and filthy, will be unjust and filthy still ; for then there will be no Priest in the Sanctuary to offer their sacrifices, their confessions, and their prayers before the Father's throne. Therefore, what is done to rescue souls from the coming storm of wrath, must be done before Jesus leaves the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary.

The Lord has shown me that precious souls are starving, and dying for want of the present, sealing truth, the meat in due season ; and that the swift messengers should speed on their way, and feed the flock with the present truth. I heard an Angel say, " speed the swift messengers, speed the swift messengers; for the case of every soul will soon be decided, either for Life, or for Death.

" I saw that those who had the means, were required to help speed those messengers, that God had called to labor in his cause, and as they went from place to place, they would be safe from the prevailing pestilence. But if any went that were not sent of God, they would be in danger of being cut down by the pestilence ; therefore all should earnestly seek for duty, and be sure and move by the direction of the Holy Spirit.

What we have seen and heard of the pestilence, is but the beginning of what we shall see and hear. Soon the dead and dying will be all around us. I saw that some will be so hardened, as to even make sport of the judgements of God. Then the slain of the Lord will be from one end of the earth, to the other ; they will not be lamented, gathered, nor buried ; but their ill savor will come up from the face of the whole earth. Those only who have the seal of the living God, will be sheltered from the storm of wrath, that will soon fall on the heads of those who have rejected the truth. In Hope,  E. G. WHITE.

 Dear Brother White— Your first and second numbers of " The Present Truth," are received, and we are thankful to our Heavenly Father for the light of the truth.

 I would say for your encouragement, that the little band here have received the truth on the Sabbath, without an exception. And we thank the Lord for ever inclining Bro. Bates' mind to come to Jackson. 0, sound the alarm, and let the message fly ! I think it is the last one to the remnant. We herein send you ten dollars for the spread of the truth. If you need it all, use it ; if not, let' Bro. Bates have a part of it to travel with.

 Bro. White—I do believe that your paper is doing the Lord's work, and I wish no alteration in it, by mere human wisdom. Yet I would just suggest the propriety, if your means will admit of it, of having your sheet enlarged sufficient to insert extracts of the letters you may receive from the brethren who have or may receive the message, for no doubt you will have many such. I have two reasons for the above suggestion. First, it will be comforting those who have received it, to hear of others. Second, it may induce some to examine the subject, that would not otherwise, but do as the Lord shall direct.

 Give our love to Sister White, and Bro. Bates. Tell him we are all strong in the Lord, rejoicing in the truth. How thankful I am that this blessed truth has not divided us. 0, praise the Lord !

Yours, in Hope, J. C. BOWLES.

Jackson, Mich. Aug. 18th, 1849.

The letter from Bro Bowles will be read with interest, especially by those who were interested in Bro. Bates' tour to the West. I did not intend to publish letters from the Brethren, but it does seem to me that such cheering news as Bro. Bowles' letter contains, should be published.

My Post-Office address, until further notice is given, will be Topsham, Me., where I hope to hear from the Brethren.

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Taken from-

THE PRESENT TRUTH, 

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY—BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol. 1.  MIDDLETOWN, CONN. AUGUST, 1849.  No.4

We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Power In God's Presence.

Jos 3:15  And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 

Jos 3:16  That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 

Jos 3:17  And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. 

Continued

These shepherds that have opposed the truth, have not only refused to work for God in repairing the breach in the law; but they have done their best to hinder others. They would not go up into the breach themselves, and many of those who would go, they have hindered. In this way they have stood in the way of God's work, and the blood of souls will be found on their garments. What fearfulness will surprise these men, when the wrath of Almighty God is poured out, and they find out too late, that they are without a shelter; and what an awful thing to come up to the judgment, with their garments all stained over with the blood of precious souls, whom they have spiritually slaughtered.

" Howl, ye shepherds, and cry ; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock : for the days of YOUR SLAUGHTER and of YOUR DISPERSIONS are accomplished ; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have NO WAY to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escapes" Jer. 25 : 34, 35.

This is when " evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth;" and when the " slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth ;" and when "they shall NOT BE LAMENTED, NEITHER GATHERED, NOR BURIED."

Evil has begun to go forth from nation to nation, and the signs are fast gathering all around us, that the great and dreadful

28  THE PRESENT TRUTH

day of wrath and slaughter, will soon burst upon the world.

The thirty-fourth chapter of Ezekiel is a prophetic description of the cruel work of these shepherds, in scattering the flock since 1844, by opposing the present truth ; and of the deliverance of those who overcome.

" Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds ; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks ?" Ezk 34 : 2.

 The flock here represents God's people who were called out of the sectarian churches, and were one united flock in 1844, and have since been scattered.

 " And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture; are MEN and I am your God."— Verse 31st.

God has promised to gather the feeble scattered flock. Those honest souls that have been thrust by these shepherds, till they are scattered abroad, will be gathered home.

"I will seek 'that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but' I will destroy the fat and the strong ; I will feed them with judgment." Verse 16th.

The scattering has been from the true position ; and the gathering will be to the 'present true position.

The saints are to be gathered into the unity of the faith, where they will no longer be " tossed to and fro," by the " cunning craftiness of men." (These shepherds.) See Eph. iv : 11-16. They will all be united on the great sealing truth, which is the Sabbath of the Lord our God.

" Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures'? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet." Verses 18th and 19th„

The present truth relating to the Sabbath, and our advent experience, or as John has it in Rev 14 : 12 ; 12 : 17, " the commandments of God, and the faith, or testimony of Jesus Christ," is to us the living bread and water of heaven. It is our spiritual meat and drink. This meat in due season, the shepherds have trodden,  down, and fouled it with their feet. They have called the holy Sabbath. a yoke of bondage, and the Sabbath of the old Jews, and have represented those that observe it, as having fallen from grace, and being under the bondage of the law of Moses. We have also been called fanatics, because we would follow the Lord, and the Bible, and keep the Sabbath according to the commandment.   Our holy experience, wrought in us by the power of the Holy Ghost, as we followed the sure Word in 1843, and '44, has been called by them the work of Man, Mesmerism, or of the Devil. In this way these shepherds, who have not gone up into the gap, have trodden down the good pasture, and fouled the deep waters; but God's people eat that which they have trodden with their feet.

 The scattering time since 1844, has truly been "a dark and cloudy day." The weary and torn flock have been grieved, driven, and scattered upon the mountains ; but the gathering time has come, and the sheep are beginning to hear the cheering voice of the true Shepherd, in the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus, as they are being more fully proclaimed. The message will go, the sheep will be gathered into the present truth, and the breach restored. All the powers of earth and hell combined, cannot stop the work of God. Then let the message fly, for time is short.

 God has wonderfully honored his ten commandments. The power and glory of God that attended the ark of the covenant, parted the waters of the river Jordan, and rolled them back ; so that they stood upon an heap, in the days of Joshua, while all Israel passed over on dry ground. The priests took up the ark;  and the people. moved on after it; and when the soles of the priests feet that bore the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, Jordan parted. The feet of the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the river, while the people hasted and passed over. Then when the priests that bore the ark came up out of Jordan, and stood upon the bank of the river, down came the waters of Jordan, and flowed over all his banks as before.

 The walls of Jericho fell down before the ark of God. Seven priests went before the ark, blowing their simple trumpets of rams horns, as they compassed the city each day, for six day in succession. Then on the seventh day, the ark of the Lord went round the city seven times in like manner ; " and when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people

THE PRESENT , TRUTH.  29

Shout ;" and down came the walls of Jericho, before the ark of the covenant.

 When Israel kept the ten commandments they prevailed, and subdued their enemies; but when they broke any of them, they -were smitten, and compelled to flee before them.

 Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, broke the seventh commandment, and made the Lord's people to transgress. Therefore when Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, they were smitten before the Philistines, and there fell of them " about four thousand men," and the ark of God was taken.

 When the messenger told Eli that the ark of God was taken, he fell from his seat backward, " and his neck brake, and he died." He was not so much effected in hearing of the slaughter of four thousand of the men of Israel, and of the death of his two sons; but when the messenger "made mention of the ark of God, he fell from his seat;" for he knew that the glory had departed from Israel.

The Philistines put the ark into the house of Dagon, their god, and in the morning, "behold Dag-on was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord." They set him in his place again; and the next morning they found Dagon on his face, with his head, and the palms of his hands cut off.

The ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months, and _during this time "the hand of the Lord was against them with a very great destruction ;" and they were exceeding anxious to get rid of the ark of God, and have it go back to Israel, where it belonged. They made a new cart, and laid the ark upon it, and took two milch-kine that had never been yoked, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

 "And the king took the straight way to the way of Beth shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." 1 Sam. vi: 12. The cart came into the field of Joshua; and the Levites took it down, and set it 'on the great stone of Abel. Here, fifty thousand and seventy of the men of Beth-shemesh were slain, because they looked into the ark.

It was the power and glory that attended the law of God that parted Jordan, and gave the children of Israel victory and power, as they entered the land of promise ; and it will be the glory and power of the commandments, that will enable the saints of the Most High "to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord" and take the kingdom.

Then they were engraven in stones; but now they are to be sealed in the hearts, and minds (foreheads) of the saints of the Most High, by the Holy Spirit of promise.

There is as much power in the commandments of God now, as ever there was; and when the whole law of God is observed by all his people, and the breach fully repaired, then " the house of Israel will stand in the battle in the day of the Lord,"

 When Israel transgressed one of the commandments, they were driven before their enemies, and if we violate the fourth, we shall fall in the day of slaughter. Therefore our present work is to vindicate the Sabbath of the Lord our God, and thus repair the breach that has been made in the commandments.

To be continued….

*******

Taken from-

THE PRESENT TRUTH, 

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY—BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol. 1.  MIDDLETOWN, CONN. AUGUST, 1849.  No.4

We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Opposition to Truth, Sabbath Truth.

Taken from-

THE PRESENT TRUTH, 

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY—BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol. 1.  MIDDLETOWN, CONN. AUGUST, 1849.  No.4

Repairing the Breach in the Law of God.

" And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn 'away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy . day ; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, etc. Isa. 58 : 12, 13. Those who turn away their feet from treading down the Sabbath, and keep it holy, and make it a delight, have the promise of being called repairers of the breach. If we repair a breach by teaching, and observing the Sabbath according to the fourth commandment, then it necessarily follows, that the breach has been caused by those who, have been trampling down this commandment. Therefore the breach that has been made, and is now being repaired, is in the law of God

God's everlasting covenant of commandments was not to he "DIMINISHED," "broken nor altered." Deut. 4: 2; Ps. 89 : 34. Jesus said, " For VERILY I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in NO WISE pass from the law." Mat. 5: 18. The proof is plain and positive, that the law of God engraven in stones was to remain the same to the close of time : yet we see almost the whole professed Christian world, every week, trampling down the fourth immutable law in God's everlasting covenant, thus making a breach in his holy law

But the time has come for the Sabbath to be proclaimed more fully, and the breach repaired. The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah commences thus—" Cry aloud; spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." The Prophet then describes the fasts of the present day, which are by no means acceptable to God, and then shows us what a true and acceptable fast is.

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE, and that ye break every yoke." Verse 6th. The falling judgments of Almighty God will not be averted by such a fast as was holden August 3d, while on this nation rests the cruel, and damning sin of slavery. Let them break the yoke than binds the poor slave, and undo his unjust and heavy burden, and thus let the oppressed go free, and then they have begun to fast in God's appointed way. The wrath of God will not be turned away from this favored land of light, stained with sins of the deepest dye, by a few cold and formal prayers, from those who have rejected his truth, and. are desecrating the holy Sabbath every week. It seems plain that Isaiah looked down in prophetic vision to this very time, when the breach in the law, first made by the little horn, (see Dan. 7: 25,) is being repaired.

Ezekiel speaks of the same breach. "Ye have not gone up into the gaps, (margin breaches,) neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." Ezek. 13: 5. The day of the Lord has but one place, and that is just before us. This prophecy has not been fulfilled in past time ; for its fulfilment is closely connected with the day of the Lord, which is future

This breach must be built up, that the Israel of God may be able to stand in the great and terrible day of slaughter, that is fast rolling on ; therefore, the work of repairing the breach in the commandments of God belongs just before, and preparatory to, the day of destruction by the seven last plagues.

God has a place for everything, and everything is in its place. So we see that the mighty work of repairing the breach in the law of God, by teaching and observing the Sabbath, which has been so long trodden down, belongs exactly here, just before the four Angels let loose the four winds, that the Israel of God may keep the whole law, and be sealed with the seal of the living God, which will enable them to

26  THE PRESENT TRUTH.

" stand -in the battle in the day of the Lord.

" And behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter-weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side : and they went in and stood before the brazen altar." Ezek. 9: 2

The five Angels* with slaughter weapons, have charge of the work of slaughter, in the day of Lord.

*Angels are sometimes called men in the Scriptures, see Gen 18: 1,2, and 16, 17; 19 : 1; Dan 9: 21; Acts 1:  10.

The one clothed with linen, is the sealing Angel, or the Angel that has oversight of the sealing work. "And the Lord said unto him, Go through Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and SMITE : LET NOT YOUR EYE SPARE, NEITHER PITY : SLAY UTTERLY OLD AND YOUNG," etc. Ezek. 9 : 4-6.

The man with the ink-horn first goes through, and marks a mark on the foreheads of the sighing saints.. This mark seals them, and they are safe in the time of slaughter. "BUT COME NOT NEAR ANY MAN UPON WHOM IS THE MARK, verse 6th. The work of slaughter immediately follows, and none but the marked, or sealed ones stand in the battle of the Lord. So we see that the repairing of the breach in the law of God, and the sealing, are one and the same work, just before the day of the Lord, " cruel both with wrath and fierce anger.

"Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing ! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps," etc. Eze. 13: 3-5,

The prophets that have not gone up into the gaps, represent advent preachers who have rejected the Sabbath, and have refused to work for God, in repairing the breach. Their being like the cunning foxes of the deserts doubtless represents the artful positions which some of them have taken to hunt and destroy souls, in persuading them to give up the Sabbath, and in keeping others from embracing it.

These men have not been agreed among themselves, while carrying on this Work of spiritual destruction and death. There has been, at least, four different positions taken by some of them, as they have opposed the true one.

The first position that was taken in opposition to the true Sabbath, when the subject was first spread before the second advent people, was that it was changed from the seventh day to the first, at the time of the first advent.

This position was so very weak and unscriptural, that, it did not accomplish much; therefore it was thought necessary to sweep away the whole law of God, in order to get rid of the Sabbath.

This second position against the Sabbath, that the ten commandments were abolished at the first advent, and are dead, has done an awful work of slaughter among the precious flock. Though there is not one text, nor one line in all the Bible to sustain such a view, and much plain Scripture testimony against it; yet many seem determined to cling fast to it.

" It is time for thee, Lord, to work : for they have made VOID THY LAW," Ps. 119 : 126.

The third position that has been taken by some of these men who have opposed the Sabbath, was that the first day of the week was the seventh-day Sabbath. This view was introduced into the " Bible Advocate," published at Hartford, Conn., in 1847. The whole argument that sustained it was drawn from this one text, " For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matt. 12: 40.

It was argued that Monday was the resurrection day; because three days and three nights from Friday, the day of our Lord's burial, would reach to Monday. But three days and three nights, from the time that Jesus was put in Joseph's new tomb, would reach to Monday night ; and if the Son of man was to remain in the tomb just three days and three nights, then he arose in the evening, instead of the morning, and all four of the Evangelists were wrong in recording that the resurrection took place in the morning. This view which has been so recently discovered, that Monday is the first day of the week, and Sunday the seventh, and that all the world have made a mistake, of just one day, in numbering the days of the week, has but one text to sustain it, and a fulfilment of this one- text, as to time, has never yet been shown. According to this view, those who have been keeping Sunday in commemoration of the day of the resurrection, should have kept Monday ; and in keeping Sunday for the first day of the week, they have been observing the seventh-day Sabbath, and did not know it. A singular mistake indeed, to be hid from the world so long, and be found out in 1847 !

But if Jesus rose from the dead on Monday, then the resurrection was on the fourth day, which does not agree with the testimony of Jesus, and St. Paul.

" Thus it is written, and thus it behooveth Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead THE THIRD DAY." Luke 24: 46.  See also Matt. 16 : 21; 20: 19 ; Mark 9 : 31; 10 : 34; Luke 9 : 22 ; 18: 33

" For I delivered unto-you first of all, that which I also received, how-that Christ died for our sins according to-the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again THE THIRD DAY, according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15 : 3, 4.

Jesus was crucified on Friday, which was the first day ; Sabbath he rested in the tomb, which was the second, and Sunday, the first day of the week, he rose from the dead which was THE THIRD DAY. This is plain enough for all who want to see the truth; but those who wish to cavil, and pervert the Word, have a chance.

The fourth position that has been taken against the Sabbath truth, is that the fourth commandment is relaxed, and we are at liberty to keep the Sabbath, or to desecrate it; just as we choose, only be sure and not make it a test. This last position has deceived precious souls, as they have been led to believe, " by good, words, and fair speeches," that Jesus did really relax the Sabbath law. But there is not one text in the New Testament that proves any such thing, and there is much plain and direct testimony from Jesus and his Apostles, that all of the commandments of God are in full force.

Those who have embraced the true Sabbath, and have been teaching it, have been united in it. They have but one position to take on the Sabbath question ; while those who have been opposing it, have in their turn advocated as many as four different views ; and some of them have been as much opposed to each other, as to the true position. Truth is a unit, while error has a variety of heads and horns. This was so in 1842, and '43, when Daniel's vision of the twenty-three hundred days was proclaimed.

Some of those men who then opposed the advent truth, took the ground. that the twenty-three hundred days of Dan. 8 14 were literal days ; others that they were only eleven hundred and fifty literal days. Then Mr. Bush came out in opposition to all. He stated that the twenty-three hundred days were prophetic, and that we were correct on time ; but erred in the event. Those who had the true position were united, therefore, triumphed.

These men that have opposed the Sabbath, have pursued a course similar to that which was taken in opposing the second advent. But the Sabbath truth is so plain and simple, that a child may understand it; and those who receive and obey it, are united in it, and in the strength of Israel's God they will overcome, and triumph; Amen.

To Be Continued…

*******

We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

From One Sabbath to Another

(Isa_66:23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.)

Continued…..

At the commencement of the Holy Sabbath, (Jan. 5,) we engaged in prayer with Bro. Belden's family at Rocky Hill, Ct., and the Holy Ghost fell upon us. I was taken off in Vision to the Most Holy Place, where I saw Jesus still interceding for Israel. On the bottom of his garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. Then I saw that Jesus would not leave the Most Holy Place, until every case was decided either for salvation or destruction: and that the wrath of God could not come until Jesus had finished his work in the Most Holy Place—laid off his priestly attire and clothed himself with the garments of vengeance. Then Jesus will step out from between the Father and man, and God will keep silent no longer; but pour out his wrath on those who have rejected his truth.

I saw that the anger of the nations, the wrath of God, and the time to judge the dead, were separate events, one following the other.  I saw that Michael had not stood up, and that the time of trouble, such as never was, had not yet commenced. The nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished his work in the Sanctuary, he will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out.

I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus' work was done in the Sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues.

These plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous, and they thought that we had brought them down upon them, and if they could rid the earth of us, then the plagues would be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob's trouble. Then all the saints cried out with anguish of spirit, and were delivered by the Voice of God. Then the 144,000 triumphed. Their faces were lighted up .with the glory of God. Then I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, "thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting." I asked who this company were. The angel said, these are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up." I heard them cry with a loud voice---." we have believed in thy coming, and taught it with energy." And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet—trodden the Sabbath underfoot, and that is why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Then my attending angel directed me to the City again, where I saw four angels winging their way to the gate of the City, and were just presenting the golden card to the angel at the gate. Then I saw another angel swiftly flying from the direction of the most excellent glory, and crying with a loud voice to the other angels, and waving something up and down in his hand. I asked my attending angel for an explanation of what I saw. He told me that I could see no more then, but he would shortly show me what those things that I then saw meant.

 Sabbath afternoon one of our number was, sick, and requested prayers that he might be healed. We all united in applying to the Physician who never lost a case, and while healing power came down, and the sick was healed, the Spirit fell upon me, and I was taken off in vision. I saw four angels who had a work to do on the earth, and were on their way to accomplish it. Jesus was clothed with Priestly garments. He gazed in pity on the remnant, then raised his hands upward, and with a voice of deep pity cried—" MY BLOOD, FATHER, MY BLOOD, MY BLOOD, MY BLOOD." Then I saw an exceeding bright light come from God, who sat upon the great white throne, and was shed all about Jesus. Then I saw an angel with a commission from Jesus, swiftly flying to the four angels who had a work to do on the earth, and waving something up and down in his hand, and crying with a loud voice— " HOLD ! HOLD ! HOLD ! HOLD ! until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads." I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He shewed me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that he gave his angels charge over things on the earth, and that the four angels had power from God to hold the four winds, and that they were about to let the four winds go, and while they had started on their mission to let them go, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not all sealed, then he raised his hands to the Father and plead with him that he had spilled his blood for them.—

Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels, and bid them hold until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads.

I have seen the tender love that God has for his people, and that it is very great. I saw an angel over every saint, with their wings spread about them : and if the saints wept through discouragement, or were in danger the angel that ever attended them would fly quickly upward to carry the tidings, and the angels in the City would cease to sing. Then Jesus would commission another angel to descend to encourage, watch over and try to keep them from going out of the narrow path : but, if they did not take heed to the watchful care of these angels, and would not be comforted by them, and continued to go astray, the angels would look sad and weep, Then they would bear the tidings upward, and all the angels in the City would weep, and then with a loud voice say, Amen. But if the saints fixed their eyes on the prize before them, and glorified God by praising him, then the angels would bear the glad,  tidings to the City, and the angels in the city would touch their golden harps and sing with a loud voice—Alleluia! and the heavenly arches would ring with lovely songs. I will here state, that there is perfect order and harmony in the holy City. All the angels that are commissioned to visit the earth, hold a golden card which they present to the angels at the gates of the City, as they pass in and out. Heaven is a good place. I long to be there, and behold my lovely Jesus, who 'gave his life for me, and be changed into his glorious image. Oh for language to express the glory of the bright world to come. I thirst for the loving streams that make glad the City of our God. The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the City to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes, they were noble, majestic and lovely. They bore the, express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive' of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was—" we have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth.

Then I saw two trees, one looked much like the tree of life in the City. The fruit of both looked beautiful ; but of one they could not eat. They had power to eat of both, but were forbidden to eat of one. Then my attending angel said to me— "none in this place have tasted of the forbidden tree ; but if they should eat they would fall." Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written Victory. Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written Purity ; and around the leaf were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters, and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written Holiness. Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I asked him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said "it is not; but the City is my home, and I have come to visit this place." He moved about the place as if perfectly at home. I begged of my attending angel to let me remain in that place. I could not bear the thought of coming back to this dark world again. Then the angel said—" you must go back, and if you are faithful, you, with the 144,000 shall have the privilege of visiting all the worlds and viewing the handy work of God."

Dec. 16, 1848, the Lord gave me a view of the shaking of the powers of the heavens. I saw that when the Lord said "heaven" (in giving the signs recorded by Matt., Mark and Luke,) he meant heaven, and when he said " earth" he meant earth. The powers of heaven, are the Sun, Moon and Stars : they rule in the heavens. The powers of earth are those who bear rule on the earth. The powers of heaven will be shaken at the voice of God. Then the Sun, Moon, and Stars will be moved out of their places. They will not pass away, but be shaken by the voice of God. Dark, heavy clouds came up, and clashed against each other. The atmosphere parted and rolled back, then we could look up through the open space in Orion, from whence came the voice of God. The Holy City will come down through that open space. I saw that the powers of earth are now being shaken, and that events come in order. War, and rumors of war,— sword, famine and pestilence, are first to shake the powers of earth, then the voice of God will shake the Sun, Moon and Stars, and this earth also. I saw that the shaking of the powers in Europe is not (as some teach) the shaking of the powers of heaven, but it is the shaking of the angry nations. E. G. WHITE.

Correction. In No. 1, page 6, first column, I stated that Jesus quoted three of the least commandments from the second table of stone, in Mat. 5: 21st, 27th, and 33d. This is not correct. Jesus referred to the sixth, and seventh commandments on the second table, in verses 21st, and 27th, and to the third commandment on the first table, in verse 33d. The fact that Jesus refers to both tables of the decalogue, makes it still stronger that the whole law is to remain the same, till heaven and earth pass away

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As a former corporate Seventh Day Adventist,  I still believe that there is a time and place for all things. I believe that the message given was true for its time, meaning, just as God in the Bible foretold various events to happened, and then circumstances altered those events- the same is true always. Things can't be acceptable in God's word once, but then no longer as if God does not still reign. We know that Ellen White had visions, and truth, but NEVER claimed precedent over the BIBLE, never! The Bible only is the true standard. I take NONE of Ellen White's visions and hold them up as God's Holy Word. Do I believe she had messages, visions, and wisdom from God- yes. But I also believe her messages were given during a certain time and place, and not ALL of them are still relevant for our time and place. She herself said that Christ would be there soon- over and over again and then….she changed that tune and said that God's people may have to remain here many more years. Why the change? Because just as Moses was promised a land of milk and honey, He altered that inheritance for himself through circumstances and was not allowed to enter the promised land. Does that mean the promise wasn't true when it was given to him? No. It means circumstances can alter the path God puts us on.

We know the Bible tells us what must come to pass, and ALL of it will come to pass even if it doesn't come to pass as Ellen White was shown in her visions. We know that the same God who gave His prophet Daniel the world's history in a broad stroke- that the stone that is cut out without hands will crush all the kingdoms of the earth and Christ's kingdom will reign. We know all the prophecies have come to pass one after the other just as predicted and that NOTHING will stop the rest of the predications from coming to pass.

Could the Israelites who were saved from Egypt have entered their promised land sooner than forty years? Yes. Did they? No. They had many more years in the wilderness wandering before they were given the promised land.  Could we as the human race have expedited the return of our Savior, yes, but all things being as they are… the return of our Savior is NOT going to disappear, but appear as the final events unfold in God's time.

Just as Ellen White and all those who were alive in her time waited and longed for the return of Christ, we too wait and long for His return. We know that there WILL be a group of waiting saints when He does return, and we can only pray we are worthy to be HIS, through HIS blood, HIS sacrifice.

So, believe Ellen White's visions, or don't believe, they do NOT detract from the Bible, the Word of God, nor do they hinder the Holy Spirit from enlightening all those who truly seek their LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, NOW AND FOREVER!!!!!!!  Amen.